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49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stitch This, Bigjobs !, 15 April 2006
This review is from: A Hat Full of Sky (Paperback)
First published in 2004 and set on the Discworld, "A Hat Full of Sky" is the sequel to "The Wee Free Men" and sees Tiffany Aching return as the book's heroine. Tiffany, now eleven years old, has been brought up on a farm in an area on the Chalk. She has six older sisters, one younger brother, wields a mean frying pan, is very good with cheese and has already impressed the Discworld's greatest witch. Granny Aching, who dies when Tiffany was seven, continues to be a big influence on her grand-daughter. Granny was a shepherdess, very fond of Jolly Sailor tobacco and - Tiffany is convinced - a witch. Remembering how Granny said it was important to stand up for those who have no voice, Tiffany has decided she wants to follow in her footsteps.
The book also features an exceptionally rowdy, and thoroughly entertaining, bunch of fairies. The Wee Free Men, we also known as the Nac Mac Feegle, are a Pictsie race who were thrown out of Fairyland for being drunk, disorderly and rebellious. They are covered in tattoos, have red hair and blue skin and wear little other thank kilts and swords. An extremely fast and strong race, they are fond of fighting, stealing and drinking - Granny Aching's Special Sheep Liniment is a particular favorite. There have been a few changes since "The Wee Free Men", however. The clan now has a new gonnagle, Awf'ly Wee Billy Bigchin Mac Feegle, and a new Kelda, Jeannie of the Long Lake. Jeannie, as tradition demands, has married the Big Man o' the Clan, Rob Anybody Feegle. She is also responsible for possibly the biggest change of them all. The Nac Mac Feegle had once been afraid of reading and writing, believing it to be a dangerous type of magic. Jeannie now wants the clan, beginning with Rob Anybody, to learn how to read and write. For a while during "The Wee Free Men", however, Tiffany was the clan's temporary Kelda - as a result, they have never forgotten her and still try to protect her. It also means that Jeannie doesn't like or trust the young hag at all.
As the book opens, Tiffany is leaving the Chalk for a spell (boom boom !). She's been apprenticed to Miss Level, a very peculiar research witch but clearly with some talent. (Miss Level's cottage is also home to Oswald, a kind of anti-poltergeist : instead of messing things up, he's obsessively tidy). Tiffany travels to Miss Level's with Miss Tick : unknown to either of then, however, they are being followed by a hiver. This is a type of demon without a body, brain or shape of its own. Instead, they search for and take refuge in bodies of great power - and this particular hiver has targeted Tiffany. Tiffany has inadvertently learnt how to 'borrow', a trick which leaves her own body unattended. Unfortunately, this will makes things easier for the hiver to take up residence. Luckily, the Wee Free Men want to follow and protect her - if they can convince their new Kelda it's a good idea.
Like everything else I've read by Pratchett, this is an excellent book. It's easily read, features plenty of likeable characters and there are plenty of laughs. Although I would recommend reading "The Wee Free Men" before this instalment "A Hat Full of Sky" is definitely recommended !
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent, 18 Jan 2006
This review is from: A Hat Full of Sky (Paperback)
This is one of Terry Pratchett's best. It is described as a children's, or young adult's, book - which, undoubtedly, it is. But while it is eminently readable from about eight years upwards, it needs no apologies for adults. This is the first of Terry's juveniles which can stand as an equal of his adult books.That said, it won't please everybody. It is far more about people interacting and the conflicts between their individual characters than it is about magical people and strange monsters. Yes, there is magic in the book, and some magical creatures (one of which, Oswald, is the most original magical creation I have come across for a long time). But they are the background against which Tiffany Aching solves her problems and continues to learn how to be a witch. There a few classic Pratchettian laughs, bur mostly you turn the pages wanting to know how Tiffany will solve the problem before her. Fans of Rincewind won't like it, fans of Granny Weatherwas will.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy sequel to Wee Free Men, 3 Sep 2005
This review is from: A Hat Full of Sky (Paperback)
This is another excellent book from Terry Pratchett, although it does contain some slightly dodgy language (thinly disguised as Scots dialect). It has a gripping storyline, but the humour may be somewhat too adult for children below Year 6. I thoroughly enjoyed it-it's very tongue-in-cheek and, although long, would make a good read-aloud book (if you can do the accent!)
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