Equal Rites

Matthew reviewed Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (Discworld (3))

Fantastic - Sir Terry really finding his style. Finally we meet Granny Weatherwax!

5 stars

Fantastic. Loved this one.

I think it's the third one in the Discworld series, chronologically, but it's the first one where I feel Sir Terry's true style became apparent.

In this novel, we meet for the first time Granny Weatherwax - probably my favourite Discworld character. Yes, there are many fantastic characters, but Granny Weatherwax always occupies a soft spot for me.

We learn about Borrowing, and how Granny can't Borrow bees; we encounter Headology - how people will believe certain things and words can prod them in the right direction.

The story itself is great - about a young girl, supposed to have been the eighth son of an eighth son - and therefore a wizard - she was in fact born a girl. So she inherits wizard magic in her genes, yet her genes do not match her physical appearance nor the way society treats her as a …

Fantastic. Loved this one.

I think it's the third one in the Discworld series, chronologically, but it's the first one where I feel Sir Terry's true style became apparent.

In this novel, we meet for the first time Granny Weatherwax - probably my favourite Discworld character. Yes, there are many fantastic characters, but Granny Weatherwax always occupies a soft spot for me.

We learn about Borrowing, and how Granny can't Borrow bees; we encounter Headology - how people will believe certain things and words can prod them in the right direction.

The story itself is great - about a young girl, supposed to have been the eighth son of an eighth son - and therefore a wizard - she was in fact born a girl. So she inherits wizard magic in her genes, yet her genes do not match her physical appearance nor the way society treats her as a female. There's a strong element of equal rights between the genders (obviously, given the title), but I found it fascinating how Sir Terry seemed to touch on something deeper - that the bits we are born with between our legs do not define who are or what we are capable of.

I blasted through this in (for me) a very short space of time, every day I looked forward to reading it.

Feels like it aged very well, too.

#GNUTerryPratchett

Phil reviewed Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

A fine book about ecology

4 stars

I think it’s on the opposite side of the spectrum from Clarke’s “Piranesi” — and I like Pratchett’s viewpoint more: Clarke’s magic is desired and unreachable for those who seek it, so it’s a character of its own; Pratchett’s Esk postulates that not using magic when it’s there in your hands can be more important than using it, and that’s goes further than just admitting of its agency, it adds a very important nuance: whose agency is more of the liability to the living.

More literally Pratchett’s ecology is delivered in passages about Borrowing and things’ names and minds (Granny’s goats, and rocks of the University), but magic is the ultimate example of goals and means being one thing.