Book – Equal Rites
Author – Terry Pratchett
Year – 1987
Genre – Fantasy
Series – Discworld
The Discworld read rolls on apace with this, the third book in the series, and the first that I have read which is a part of what is known as ‘The Witches’ thread. Instead of following the inept wizard Rincewind, we are instead introduced to one of the major players in the Discworld universe, that of Granny Weatherwax as she guides the world’s first female wizard on her quest to reach and train at the Unseen University – the hub of all wizard training on the Discworld.
Aside from the personnel the biggest change that I felt is the throughline. The first two books have quite a jumbled feel in the main, with events happening abruptly and ending just as abruptly, whereas you could always tell where this one was going – it being more of a traditional fantasy travel-to-your-destiny kind of a storyline. This not particularly a positive or a negative, as it is equally as good as the first two books, but seems to represent a little bit of growing up in Pratchett’s writing – something that seems silly to say considering his global popularity now, but bear in mind this is only the third of forty Discworld books, and was written twenty four years ago.
I am thoroughly enjoying the series at the moment, and encourage any fantasy fans who like a little tongue in cheek humour with their fiction to read this series if you haven’t already – which you probably have; I think I must be one of the last to jump on the Pratchett bandwagon.
8/10