William

Tim & Sandy

WE SEE YOU. NOW WE ARE YOU.No real witch would casually step out of their body, leaving it empty.Tiffany Aching does. And there’s something just waiting for a handy body to take over. Something ancient and horrible, which can’t die.To deal with it, Tiffany has to go to the very heart of what makes her a witch . . .

Phil Cherry

Arfie

Rosemarie Buttery

Kate

Colm McElroy

bseins

Edwin van Leeuwen

Matej Lobodáš

Stonewall

Kayd Winslow

zubergu

Bosque

A Hat Full of Sky

One of Terry Pratchett’s best.  I don’t often gush for a book, but this one was very good. Pratchett’s 2004 Discworld story Hat Full of Sky (and second featuring Tiffany Aching and her friends the pictsies – the Nac Mac Feegle wee free men) was a joy to read.  I’d like to see this made into a film just to see how a clever and talented director handled Miss Level. Like all of Pratchett’s Discworld books, this is wryly funny and sardonically playful and he takes on some heavy themes like family, tradition, peer pressure and isolation but wrapped up in a fun sized parade of interesting characters and entertaining scenes. Sir Terry also mixes in some serious horrific elements with the invasive Hiver.  Part of the fun was Pratchett’s devilishly inventive way of weaving in popular references and I was thrilled to pick up on the Frank Herbert  Dune  - Bene Gesserit allusion (witches). Pratchett had a mischievous streak and this wink and nod silliness comes across and makes our PRATCHETT-SMILE-O-METER work overtime.  This one also had that little something extra that makes a book special, it all came together nicely as a Los Angeles rug belonging to Maude’s mom. This may seem like an oblique comparison, but I was reminded of Charles Portis’ 1968 western novel  True Grit . In that wonderful book, Portis had two of his most enigmatic characters share the stage. In Hat Full of Sky, Pratchett spends plenty of time with Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany and their interactions and dialogue is what makes this rise above the rest.  Highly recommended.  *** 2021 reread -   Great book, one of his best.  While I know that Tiffany and Granny Weatherwax are two of my favorite Discworld characters, during this read I paid closer attention to the rest of the cast and am again amazed at Sir Terry's wonderful ability to create such colorful and yet completely believable players.  Miss Tick and Miss Level, two witches who help Tiffany begin her apprenticeship, are drawn with fantastic detail to their makeup. We again spend time with Rob Anybody and the rest of the Wee Free Men Nac Mac Feegle, any now Rob is the Big Man. We also see again The Toad, the Feegle's attorney.  The character that stood out was Jeannnie, the Feegle clan's kelda. Early on she let Tiffany know that was her clan, but Pratchett has demonstrated a more complex and multi-faceted characterization for her than I realized the first read.

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