Terry Pratchett's Discworld - Wyrd Sisters

They say that sometimes acorns lead to great oaks. I liked Equal Rites when I read it but it did feel a little loose with an interesting character but put in a rambling and rushed plot. With Wyrd Sisters we reach the full appearance of one of my favourite character groups and I think a moment when Pratchett really takes a lot of lessons from the previous books and this one soars confidently.

Originally published in 1988 which we covered in Sourcery regards the history but my first copy (spine very much read) is 1993 when I am finishing my GCSEs and starting sixth form. A really interesting time for me – not sure what I want to be, but I was starting to find out what I liked to do and feel comfortable in my own skin. The career path I thought would be right I’d realise in ten years really wouldn’t work for me. But I did find a group of friends that will mean the world for me (and many of whom still do). It was the year CGI really upped its game in Jurassic Park; Meatloaf was very busy explaining that he wouldn’t do that, and Grunge was at its peak but also tragically the year that Kurt Cobain died.

My copy

Publisher – Corgi

Price - £4.99

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…

Six books in and now Pratchett decides to take on Shakespeare. That’s a challenge and yet for me the novel works both as an affectionate tribute to the playwright and an interesting look at the power of words and stories. A theme that Pratchett would return to many more times in the series. It also is one where ideas ae being returned to and polished so much that they shine.

In the readalong to date plot has been a huge issue for me as it rarely feels too solid or well-constructed in the earlier novels. This time as in Mort we get a much more cohesive story. Here the stakes are lower than the nature of reality – King Verence was murdered by his ambitious relative Felmet. And actually, that would normally be fine but for the fact Felmet is denying his crime and is getting a little more ruthless than Kings are expected to be burning villages with people actually inside them. Fortunately, Verence’s heir was conveniently dropped into the Witch’s laps. Tomjon as he will be known is given to a passing actor to look after while the Witches work out how to deal with the Duke. The Duke’s not so stupid Fool though has given him an idea that the magic of plays and words may be more than a match for the magic of the wyrd sisters.

There is a small paragraph in Sourcery about a storm trying to hit the big time and getting its moment at last. Here that gets played with to a much greater extent and polished and we see a storm linked to being an actor and it is a running joke that eventually plays a huge dramatic role in the finale. But the biggest idea returned to is Granny Weatherwax; for me the stand out character in Equal Rites even though in that tale more a supporting mentor role for Esk. This time Granny appropriately gets centre stage also getting the other parts of the trinity that would become a hallmark of the series – Nanny Ogg and Magrat. I love this group!

Their characters will all develop further in the series but here we have Magrat the naïve witch but also we gfind out she can be pushed into anger to do things when needed; Nanny Ogg the fun one but with a mind of her own and you wouldn’t want to cross her (or be a relative) while finally there is Granny the leader (who isn’t a leader) – here less cuddly and more direct; always angry and keen to get things working as they should be. By their set up you can get comedic misunderstanding; flexibility in splitting them up and they just work really well together. The dialogue as they trade barbs or advice really crackles with energy. After reading Sourcery this cast really works and it’s an interesting note that here we have two older women as key characters after quite a few books with young heroes taking over. One other character who I loved and think in later books we’d would have had more of is The Duchess. She’s strong and is one of the few characters to not be beaten by Granny. Lady Macbeth is a delicious part and I suspect if this novel had been in later books that she’d had ended up the main antagonist as we largely focus on Felmet’s growing insanity and love for removing his hand of blood…

Amongst the jokes and the pastiches are some great moments of writing and exploring of ideas. There is a tiny scene where Vitoller and his wife hint at the loss of a child and Pratchett carves it beautifully in a few words. The Fool’s account of growing up in their guild school is chilling and gives you real compassion for the character (who also becomes key to the series). But here Pratchett explores words and stories. He notes that history gets changed by culture’s interpretations and that acts of violence can be hidden in management speak; and its Granny who finds that weirdly plays are the magic of the ordinary people…a concept even she is not too keen on where reality even the status of witches as being for the good is challenged. There is a lovely moment where Death notes that humans look to escape to culture but it’s still full of death and violence - perhaps this is Pratchett discussing that we need these little lies of words to help us live and grow as a species. Echoing that brilliant scene that comes later in Hogfather. For me this feels like the Discworld actually now starting to explore ideas and not just telling a fun story.

This is one of my favourite Pratchett series and for me one of the strongest novels from the early phase we are in. Plot character and theme are here getting locked together and that will eventually become a huge piece of Pratchett’s writing. It also gives me one of my favourites (actually definitely) my favourite in Granny Weatherwax. I still want to be her when I grow up. This one is a classic.

Next up - we walk like an Egyptian in Pyramids