Paperback, 352 pages
English language
Published Oct. 2, 2007 by Corgi.
Tiffany Aching accidentally starts to transform into an anthropomorphic representation of Summer, due to her being unable to resist a good dance, meanwhile the Wintersmith is looking for his destined Mrs who happens to be.... uh oh!
Wintersmith is the third title in an exuberant series crackling with energy and humour. It follows The Wee Free Men and Hat Full of Sky.
But I got distracted a few times and didn't fully follow the plot. But I like the whole thing around Annagramma grudgingly becoming a good witch!
Content warning Plot spoilers ahead
I really enjoyed the character growth in this one: Tiffany growing as a witch (and a young woman), Annagramma coming into her own, Rob Anybody’s flourishing literacy, Roland’s foray into hero-dom… Daft Wullie saying exactly the right thing! Already looking forward to the next Discworld adventure.
A lot less fun than I imagined... There's also a lot to unpack here. Pratchett has a weird approach to the idea of a girl growing into a teenager. It can be an uncomfortable read at times, but it still has all the Pratchettisms I love in the Discworld series.
It kind of lost its steam along the way for me. The story is fun, who doesn't enjoy a good old Greek myth thrown in with witches in the Discworld? I really, really love the elder witches and the whole community (and the discussion of said community) surrounding Tiffany. The whole debate about her role in it, what a witch is supposed to be in these social circles is very captivating and engaging. The least interesting part for me, though, was the whole "romance" thing with the Wintersmith. I couldn't get myself into it at all. But the characters shine, …
A lot less fun than I imagined... There's also a lot to unpack here. Pratchett has a weird approach to the idea of a girl growing into a teenager. It can be an uncomfortable read at times, but it still has all the Pratchettisms I love in the Discworld series.
It kind of lost its steam along the way for me. The story is fun, who doesn't enjoy a good old Greek myth thrown in with witches in the Discworld? I really, really love the elder witches and the whole community (and the discussion of said community) surrounding Tiffany. The whole debate about her role in it, what a witch is supposed to be in these social circles is very captivating and engaging. The least interesting part for me, though, was the whole "romance" thing with the Wintersmith. I couldn't get myself into it at all. But the characters shine, the writing is fun, so despite having dragged this one for much longer than anticipated, I had a good time reading it.
This was the perfect read to accompany the crazy below-freezing weather that swept through Texas in February 2021. And also a sweetly satisfying update on the apprenticeship of Tiffany and her coven-mates and mentors.
Holds up nicely to a second read-through. 'werk'
Very funny but also very profound.
Dancing is evil!
Wintersmith
Terry Pratchett
Doubleday
ISBN 978-0-385-60984-5
Tiffany Aching is almost thirteen, she live on Disc World, and is a trainee witch. Tiffany has voices in her head that help her, and us, see what is really going on. She is also frequently surrounded by very small blue men, they are called the Nac Mac Feegles. They have a duty of care over Tiffany, although they would not necessarily express it like that, so when ever she's in trouble they are watching over her and do their best to help. The Nac Mac Feegles have no fear, except of women, especially angry women, and of course witches. Otherwise they are always up for a fight. They provide the lighter moments in the book, and prevent us from taking the story too seriously. Tiffany is the typical precocious child, and will not do as she's told. She's not bad, quite the reverse, …
Wintersmith
Terry Pratchett
Doubleday
ISBN 978-0-385-60984-5
Tiffany Aching is almost thirteen, she live on Disc World, and is a trainee witch. Tiffany has voices in her head that help her, and us, see what is really going on. She is also frequently surrounded by very small blue men, they are called the Nac Mac Feegles. They have a duty of care over Tiffany, although they would not necessarily express it like that, so when ever she's in trouble they are watching over her and do their best to help. The Nac Mac Feegles have no fear, except of women, especially angry women, and of course witches. Otherwise they are always up for a fight. They provide the lighter moments in the book, and prevent us from taking the story too seriously. Tiffany is the typical precocious child, and will not do as she's told. She's not bad, quite the reverse, but her sense of independence gets her into trouble. She's looked after by an older witch, who is supposed to be training her. She's taken to see the dance where summer and winter swap as the dominant elemental for the new season. The dance is the Black Morris. -She joins in – always a bad idea, and gets mistaken for the Summer Lady. That's when the trouble starts, the wintersmith falls in love with her, and all sorts of dangerous things begin to happen.
Its Mistress Weatherwax (the hag 'o' hags as the Nac Mac Feegles call her) who's really looking after Tiffany and training her and testing her. She is one of the original characters in Disc World, and appears in many of the books. Here we see a softer side of her, but only just.
Using elements from various mythological stories, new ideas and twists, and of course the setting of disc world itself we have another brilliant story from Terry Pratchett. If you've read any of the Disc World stories, you'll already know what a good story teller Pratchett is. The characters are developed nicely from the previous book in the series, and you have a feeling there is more to come. Which we certainly hope there is.
I want to move to the Discworld.
