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The Wee Free Men: (Discworld Novel 30) (Discworld Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Terry Pratchett
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)

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Book Description

1 July 2010 Discworld Novels (Book 30)

EVERY LAND NEEDS ITS OWN WITCH . . .

Up on the Wold, there's a monster in the river and a headless horseman in the drive. And now Granny Aching has gone, there's only young Tiffany Aching left to guard the boundaries. To stop . . . things getting through.

It's her land. Her duty.

But it's amazing how useful a horde of unruly pictsies can be - as long as they are pointed in the right direction and can stop fighting each other first . . .

FROM MASTER STORYTELLER TERRY PRATCHETT


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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Corgi Childrens (1 July 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9780552562904
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552562904
  • ASIN: 0552562904
  • Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 1.9 x 17.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 84,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon Review

When you have an author as good as Terry Pratchett writing for children, you expect that the result will be a novel of great invention, assured comic timing and a generally all-round highly readable fantasy tour de force. Readers of The Wee Free Men will not be disappointed. After winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal award for his previous story of Discworld for younger readers, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Pratchett has followed up with another irresistibly entertaining adventure.

Miss Perspicacia Tick, a witch of some renown, is worried about a ripple in the walls of the universe--probably another world making contact. Which is not good. This errant activity is centred on some chalk country--where traditionally good witches simply do not grow well. Fortunately, Miss Tiffany Aching of Home Farm on The Chalk, nine years old, misunderstood and yearning for excitement, wants to be a witch and has just proved herself to be of great potential by whacking a big Green Monster from the river with a huge frying pan while using her annoying younger brother as bait. Miss Tick is impressed. So, after travelling to the chalky downs at once and dispensing some stop gap advice to Tiffany about holding the fort until she gets back with more help, Miss Tick is off.

Any hesitation Tiffany may have had about the seriousness of the situation expires when the Queen of the fairies kidnaps her younger brother. With the help of a talking frog, loaned by Miss Tick, and an army of thieving, warmongering, nippy, boozy wee free men called the Nac Mac Feegle (who used to work for the Queen but rebelled), Tiffany sets off rescue her kin.

There's humour at every turn, and the situations that follow are both wonderfully dramatic and preposterously unreal. Pratchett really is the master of his genre and it's difficult to imagine a more entertaining read. (Age 10 and over) --John McLay --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Plenty to laugh at here, not least Pratchett's ability to put a 90 degree spin on the familiar" (The Times)

"A clear example of a comic fantasy classic and, well . . . Crivens! It deserves t'sell a millyun copies" (Sunday Express)

"A funny and thought-provoking fantasy, with powerfully visual scenes and characters that remain with readers. A glorious read" (School Library Journal)

"Quite, quite brilliant" (Starburst) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Terry Pratchett book! 24 Nov 2003
Format:Hardcover
This is the Thirtieth(!) book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld--a flat world, supported on the backs of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle, anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does.

Young Tiffany Aching has lived her young life in the Chalk, where raising sheep is the normal form of living. But, when creatures out of fairy tales begin to appear, she realizes that something is very wrong. A group of tiny blue men, with bright red hair and kilts (the Nac Mac Feegle, the Wee Free Men) begin to take an interest in her, and Tiffany quickly learns that her very world is under attack by the Queen of the Elves. The Wee Free Men think that she is a witch, like her grandmother, and just maybe she will be one day, but she's not now. But, armed with her native intellect, her determination, and a wealth of memories of how her grandmother did things, Tiffany might just be enough.

This is another *great* Terry Pratchett book! I have been a fan of this author for a long time, and this book does not let you down. As is often the case in Discworld books, a couple of "regulars" put in an appearance (Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg), but the show is definitely stolen by the Nac Mac Feegle - they are great! (Rob Anybody, Not-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock-Jock, he he!) But, even beyond that, the story is enthralling and the characters are quite interesting. If you are a fan of humorous fantasy, then you must read this novel by the king of them all, Terry Pratchett!

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I love those little blue people! 21 May 2003
Format:Hardcover
The Wee Free Men is the story of a young girl whose brother is stolen by the Queen of Fairies. Tiffany Aching’s adventure begins when she meets two tiny blue men with bright red hair and miniature kilts, who warn her of approaching danger...just before she meets the terrifying Jenny Green-teeth and isn't the least bit scared. All she has to help her are those loyal blue men, a talking toad, a frying pan, and the deceased Granny Aching’s favourite book (Diseases of the Sheep).

The Wee Free Men is based around Tiffany Aching, a brown haired, brown eyed nine year old who is too sensible for her own good; Rob Anybody, No’-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock-Jock, Hamish and the rest of the blue and red kilted Nac Mac Feegle; Miss Perspicacia Tick, a witch who has learnt that her elbows are generally very reliable; the rather mean Queen of the Fairies (who also starred in ‘Lords and Ladies’, also by Terry Pratchett); and Wentworth, the eternally sticky, sweet-loving toddler who is in agony when he has too many sweets – he can never decide which to eat first.

This book is set in a part of the Discworld previously unknown. It is set partly on the Chalk, low-lying hills that I assume are quite near the Ramtops, but mainly in Fairyland. The atmosphere of the novel is quite mixed; those parts set in Fairyland quite sinister and forbidding (but not really scary) while other parts are rather humorous.

As this is a children’s book, Terry Pratchett does not go into the deeply philosophical theories that he usually explores (and makes fun of)....

Personally I adore this book. After eagerly waiting for it for many months I was full of high expectations when I finally got my hands on a copy. I was not let down. The Wee Free Men is a light book for an adult or teenager, but would be perfectly suitable for the more thoughtful child. It contains plenty of suspense and drama, brilliant description and typically amusing characters. It is a must for any fan of Terry Pratchett, whatever your age, but you don’t have to have read other stories by him to enjoy it. Over all, I consider it a great read and a good laugh. Read more ›

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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars We willna' be fooled again! 7 Jan 2005
By A. Wright VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
You certainly will be fooled by this book. It is described as a childrens Discworld novel, and that may put some people off, but read this book and I promiase you you'll find it as rich with plot and humour, and as engaging as any of the other Discworld books. In this book we are introduced to the Nac Mac Feegle (Wee Free Men), who are very different to any kind of fairies you may have encountered before. This book will give you a whole eggs worth, and maybe even a carrots worth of education (read the book). Do you know what a susurrus is? Well know you can find out!

Seriously, this is a funny book and everyone should read it. It contains Pratchett's traditional blend of wit and humour, with an assortment of values and issues such as bravery, loyalty, and a desire to steal, fight, and steal.

So grab a packetof Jolly Sailor, pour yourself a glass of special sheep linament, and read this book! *****

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Looking Glass 12 Nov 2003
Format:Hardcover
Pratchett has created Tiffany in Dreamland - a Discworld version of the girl on a quest. Could this turn out to become a new timeless classic like Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass? Why ever not. Alice’s adventures have infiltrated everyday English culture and language with their images and proverbial sayings. So might the Nac Mac Feegle, the Wee Free Men, enrich our mind’s eye and add to our vocabulary with expressions like “Crivens ”! Whatever its long-term influence, this wonderful story is highly entertaining for everybody. Its expressive ironic humour as well as its underlying wisdom reach far beyond the Discworld fans.

Tiffany Aching, the heroine of the story, inquisitive and mature for her nine years, views herself as an apprentice witch. She has the tools: a cast-iron frying pan, a piece of string, an unusual book of recipes, and, above all, the memory of her very special granny. To rescue her brother, Tiffany has to enter a fairyland, full of strange and dangerous creatures, all controlled by an evil “Quin”. Fortunately, she has inherited “first sights and second thoughts” - a powerful combination for a budding witch. These are essential talents for her to distinguish between reality and dreams: “to see what is really there” and what is imagination created within a dream. “Follow your dream”, Miss Tick’s advice to Tiffany, builds up to a real challenge when Tiffany, after fighting wild animals and dream-creating dromes finally confronts the Queen. She has to peel off layer after layer of their dreams to escape from being taken over by them, then use her own dreaming power to find a way back to her own reality....

Tiffany’s quest wouldn’t have a chance at being successful - and would be a lot less funny -without the Nac Mac Feegle. What a hilarious bunch of little guys in kilts (only one girl and the ageing kelda) they are: full of mischief, fighting spirit and a wonderful version of Scottish. Wouldn’t you like those around to do the chores around the house! But you would need some witching power - otherwise they would go back to their nasty tricks, like stealing eggs or making the sheep disappear. Their language and vivid expressions are a treat in themselves. Turning up in a black suit with a bow tie, one of them explains sheepishly: “The dream wouldnae let us in unless we wuz properly dressed…”

Pratchett has created a real gem of a Discworld story here - fast moving, imaginative and highly entertaining for young and old. It would not be Pratchett if he did not find a way to weave in some educational messages and real-life round-world wisdoms. Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Discworld Great.
Another book from the pen of Terry Pratchett to add to the great library of discworld books which lead you to look for more with suspense.
Published 7 days ago by J. Gavin
4.0 out of 5 stars Brill
Full of adventure and wonder, brilliant piece of fiction. Reccomend it, aswell as the other books in the same series.
Published 26 days ago by mathew markey
4.0 out of 5 stars He liked it
My Husband was happy to open this when I brought it for him he is an avid reader of the Terry Pratchett discworld
books thoroughly enjoys the escapism.
Published 27 days ago by Mazzie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Really enjoyed this. I love Terry Pratchett's way of looking at the universe from inside and outside. Genius at work.
Published 1 month ago by Helen
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
This is an excellent book. It starts a series of books which are eminently readable, funny and with the normal Terry Pratchett imagination. Read more
Published 1 month ago by IGG
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for My Daughter
I finished re-reading The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett today and it was wonderful to realise it lost nothing on a second (possibly third) reading. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amanda Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and whatnot!
I have already read the other tiffany aching books completely in the wrong order but never mind! Terry pratchett has an incredible mind and an beautiful day with words. Read more
Published 1 month ago by emily gibbs
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
As all ways Mr Pratchett has produced a page turner I am a convert to this author having first read one of my sons books. Read more
Published 2 months ago by stephen pollard
3.0 out of 5 stars Good For a Younger Reader
This is another Discworld YA novel and it's fair to say I only read it because it was next on the list and I wanted to have read them all. Read more
Published 2 months ago by latepaul
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious
This hilarious book is very well written and will have you laughing at loud as you read. Pratchett is a very clever, witty writer which is a pleasure to read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Miss L. E. Cork
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