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Witches are not by nature gregarious, and they certainly don't have leaders.
Granny Weatherwax was the most highly-regarded of the leaders they didn't have.
But even she found that meddling in royal politics was a lot more difficult than certain playwrights would have you believe...
WYRD SISTERS IS THE SIXTH NOVEL IN THE DISCWORLD SEQUENCE - THE FUNNIEST FANTASY SERIES EVER.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lancre's coven exposed! . . . er, revealed!,
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Wyrd Sisters: A Discworld Novel (Paperback)
Parodying Shakespeare is a cottage industry among novelists. Few, however, have the talent to weave sound philosophy within the narrative. Pratchett introduces some thoughtful notions along with his compelling characters. From the introduction of Esme Weatherwax in Equal Rites, he fills out the coven residing in the kingdom of Lancre with her cohorts. Each brings a highly unique style to the craft. Esme, acknowledged but undeclared head witch, is traditional, effective and highly sensitive to what's "good for people". Magrat Garlick, well-read, modern and innocent [if you can reconcile those viewpoints] personifies perfectly the modern "Wiccan" mystic. Nanny Ogg almost oozes practicality - having gone through three husbands and is served, if resentfully, by her phalanx of daughters and daughters-in-law. The story itself, however, concerns another matter - one far more pertinent to today's world.What is, or should be the role of monarchy in modern society? Pratchett uses the Hamlet example to examine this question in a new and penetrating manner. Kings can rise and fall through many means. Duke Felmet, desirous of disciplined rule, fells the incumbent. According to Pratchett, assassination is a "natural cause" of death for monarchs [as is execution, but that's elsewhere in the series]. The coven, aware that the former King Verence of Lancre has been murdered by a potential usurper, becomes protector of the heir. It "protects" him by shipping him off with a troupe of mummers. Thus Shakespeare as example is supplanted by parody of the playwright and his work. The coven, however, senses what Shakespeare never expressed - monarchy's role in regard to the land and the people. In Shakespeare's day, Elizabeth, the ruling monarch, expressed her love for "her people" and "the country". She was nearly unique in that view. Pratchett, always sensitive to nuances, employs this concern in this tale. On a world ruled by magic, the land itself discerns the injustice of the murder, reacting with anger and pain. Esme, who "borrows" minds, perceives the grief and gathers the coven to go beyond merely hiding the heir. Larger questions are at stake. Pratchett's ability to weave philosophical questions into what is advertised as "humorous fantasy" is what keeps him at the forefront of the genre. His witty approach gives the widest possible audience the chance to examine the issues he raises. If you miss them or overlook them, he still offers a fine story told in his engaging style. If you are new to Pratchett, you can start the Discworld series comfortably here. If you are an established fan, you will discover this to be one of his better efforts. It is something to read more than once without eroding the pleasure of the first encounter. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A vintage wine improves as it gets older,
This review is from: Wyrd Sisters: A Discworld Novel (Paperback)
I read this book soon after it was first published 14 years ago, and I have just re-read it. It's as funny as ever (provided you really know Macbeth), but the really impressive thing is that, even when you have read all the other novels in which the characters have subsequently developed, they remain consistent. Granny Weatherwax is still gloriously herself - never confusing being good with being nice - and Magrat the junior witch is a recognisably immature version of Queen Magrat. The gags never get in the way of the personalities. The Discworld books may be funny, and they may have started as spoofs on swords-and-sorcery literature (of which I read more than I care to remember when I was an adolescent), but this is *real* literature.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great parody with a serious message,
By
This review is from: Wyrd Sisters: A Discworld Novel (Paperback)
Having read 1/2 dozen of this series, I think the best ones involve Granny Weatherwax - a highly formidable lady. Nanny Ogg is hilarious,and I can identify with Margat, the well-meaning but unconfident young witch who gets bossed around by the older two. This novel sees Pratchett doing his own amusing take on Macbeth, also ripping off the Sleeping Beauty fairytale. But he also uses the book to make the serious point that stories are powerful and can be used to change history (or at least our memory of it). Maybe he makes this point as the play Macbeth is historically dubious (Shakespeare not wanting to offend Queen Elizabeth). In this book, as usual, Pratchett borrows heavily from others, but he is so good at parody that he gets away with it.
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