“People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around.”

A very sweet book that has fun with fairy tales and pokes fun at tourism.


My only issue with this book is that the story simply takes a bit too long to get to the main conflict. But apart from that, this is a very fun ride.

4 Stars.

This is the third Witches book in Pratchett's Discworld series and delivers everything you would expect from a Discworld story; adventure, malapropisms galore, double entendres, a general air of silliness and an underlying lesson about the nature of life.

Granny Weatherwax is my favorite Discworld character, but Nanny Ogg is now a very close second with her ribald jokes and songs and her ability to hold her liquor. I've also become rather fond of Magrat, wet hen though she is. If you haven't spent any time with these ladies, I recommend you do so once. They're the perfect antidote to the often soul sucking banality of real life.

Que son geniales las brujonas, y punto y ya está. Esa Yaya pegándole un garrotazo a Golum, o el colococo de absenta en Sanfermines... pues eso, unos cuentos muy bien contados y con verdades como puños, qué sencillo parece todo así explicado, y divertido, muuuuy divertido. A seguir, pero dosificando, que veo que me lanzo demasiado.

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This, for me, is the weakest in the Witches subseries within the broader Discworld series. I love the writing, the humor and the recurring characters, but I really didn’t care about the central conflict in this one. That storyline didn’t really get going until about halfway through, which made it more difficult to really care about.

I love the audio narration, which is pitch-perfect, and will continue on with the series. Granny Weatherwax is wonderful, and she carries the series, imo.

Another great Discworld book! I quite missed this series.

[First read: 9th May, 2011. 4 Stars.
Second read: 23rd August, 2023. 4 Stars.]

Full review to follow. Teetering on to five stars. Rumination needed.

3.5 stars



I believe this is the third book to feature Granny Weatherwax. The previous books are not necessary to understand this one; they just introduce the characters. Some Discworld books are more plot-based and some are more of an excuse to fit in a bunch of jokes. This one is more plot-based.

In this one, Granny, Magrat, and Nanny take on a fairy godmother nemesis. This involves traveling to foreign parts and encountering various fairy tales. They travel through countries that vaguely resemble France, Spain, Transylvania, and New Orleans. The culture clashes are quite amusing.



Death has a small appearance, and Greebo the cat was endearing despite being an a–hole.

Some parts were funny …
She had buried at least three husbands, and two of them were already dead.

and others more profound …
You can’t go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it’s just a cage.

Book Blog

The Complete Discworld Reread

First things first, I must say my reading comprehension has gone up by quite a lot since I started reviewing all the books I read. For instance I know I have read ‘Witches Abroad’ a half dozen times in my life and never once realized that the ‘Cinderella’ of the story (Emberella) was of mixed heritage. In no way does this affect the story or the review, just jumped out at me for the first time.

Anyway….

Another book following Granny Weatherwax so you must know I am all in. Continuing, and expanding on, the theme of stories gaining a life of their own, this time following fairy tales rather than Shakespeare. Magrat inherits a magic wand and the duties of fairy godmother, as well as a long time battle with another fairy godmother. She learns she needs to travel to Genua to stop the serving girl from marrying the prince. The late godmother lets Magrat know she is not to bring Nanny and Granny along, so of course all three witches head to Genua. Off to Genua! And Magrat may have a chance to stop a story if she can get the wand set to something other than pumpkin.

A bit different from the last few Discworld books in that it doesn’t have competing stories fighting for space. Instead it is firmly focused on the Witches journey and Emberella ’s fate. This should make it one of the more focused of the series, but I found it to be a bit uneven at first. The traveling especially was hit and miss; providing some of the funniest portions of the story but dragging after a while. Granny continues to be my hero when she takes on the card sharks in riverboat gambling (humming off tune and itching the inside of her ear the whole time). Along the route they see the results of a godmother giving happy endings, with horrifying results (think Shrek 2).

Once in Genua the story tightens up. A perfect town is kept that way with an iron first (think Shrek 1. Wow, they had to have read Pratchett before writing those movies). A practitioner of Voodoo has been holding the Fairy Godmother at bay but will need the Lancre witches to tip the balance. Because if the resident fairy godmother has her way Emberella WILL marry the prince and there WILL be happily ever after, whether anyone wants it or not. Both sides know they must now play within the story and each must figure out the best way to cheat within the framework. Who is good and who is bad? Is forced happiness real happiness? Is Granny always the good one, and if so, does she really want to be?

Oh yes, some of my favorite parts for others to compare with their own: A small town deciding to stop the running of the bulls after the witches visit, Granny showing a voodoo doll can work both ways, and Magrat proving to be more mongoose than mouse.

I can’t be objective because the Lancre witches continue to be my favorite, and have been for years. I also am fond of this book because it had one of Pratchett’s strongest endings, especially withen the sometimes inconsistent early books. The only downside I see at all is the travelling, while funny, dragged a bit too long for my taste.

One last interesting fact, pointed out to me before I started rereading this book by another fan; all five major characters in this book are women, and the only male who really matters to the story is actually a cat. Who else but Pratchett could do this so subtle that most wouldn’t even notice?

4 stars

TL;DR Funny with a little more gravity than the previous books in the Witches subseries. I recommend for anyone who likes fairy tale tropes.

I enjoy fairy tales. More specifically, I enjoy rewritten versions of fairy tales. Witches Abroad is exactly this. Magrat has been chosen to fairy godmother a young princess. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg accompany her (despite both Magrat's and Desiderata's protests) to the land of gumbo, Fat Lunchtime, and "alley gators" in an effort to stop the young princess from marrying a young prince. The book blends several different fairy tales and their accompanying tropes together in a wacky yet sensical manner.

There was a lot to like about this one. It was full of funny imagery, and the story felt like it had some higher stakes to it than the other works of Pratchett I've read. Additionally, this one felt a bit more serious than the others. I don't know if it is because of the personal connections within the story, but I was a bit more invested in the book. Was this better than Wyrd Sisters? Not in my opinion. However, it's a fun read that doesn't take a lot of investment, so it gets my patented Seal of Approval.

Dear Pretties,

Carrying on with this series and with my healthy exercises. I love reading this sub-series because I can relate so well with Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. This time it seems that Pratchett was spoofing a number of fairy tales. Might not take me long to finish this book.

Day 13: Back to the excersising, and my husband calling out the exercises for me...
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Day 14: I hate that I have to have privacy to excercise. I used to be in Martial Arts and Self-defense, and have found out just how hard it is to get back to where I used to be. This is how I imagine my daughter is thinking when I send her and her brother out of the room...
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Day 15: OH MY GODS! 30 DAY FITNESS CHALLENGE UPDATED AND ADDED A NEW LEG WORKOUT!
My OCD just can't handle starting a new workout. So stupid me did 3 days worth of the excercises, just so I could have rest days on the same day...
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Day 16: I was just so lazy today, I'm suprised that I didn't spend the entire day passed out sleeping like I did the previous rest days. This requires some reflection...
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Day 17: Suprisingly I was like this in my workouts today...
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And I am now finished with the book. All I can say that this one was even better than the last, by the end I was crying from laughing so hard.
I'll keep you updated with the next installment.
Ta-ta Pretties!
shizuku