Terry Pratchett is the stylistic love-child of Douglas Adams and Piers Anthony. If you don’t like either of those authors, stay far away from Witches Abroad. However, if you loved The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, Witches Abroad may very well make your day. Or week. Or month.
As all witches know, mirrors are dangerous things. They can steal parts of you. When used correctly, they provide amazing power (with risks, of course). Lilith is one of those mirror-using witches. She’s also the psychotic of two fairy godmothers to Emberella. Lilith is determined to make everything turn out like the fairy tales, and envisions herself the “good fairy” overseeing it all. Unfortunately, Lilith is making far more messes than happy endings.
Enter Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick (her mother wasn’t the best speller around). Magrat is Emberella’s second, and newer, fairy godmother. Having been left instructions by her predecessor to go to Emberella and make sure Lilith’s plans are foiled, Magrat is prepared to set out in all her moronic idealism. Unlucky Magrat (and lucky Emberella) are saddled with two powerful busybodies. Granny Weatherwax wants revenge. Nanny Ogg wants to travel. Magrat just wants to get things over with (and figure out how to change her wand off the “pumpkin” setting).
I was warned of Granny Weatherwax in advance by the wonderful person who loaned me five Discworld books (thank you, Robert), but I still wasn’t prepared for the sheer Greatness of Witches Abroad. Being a fan of both Discworld and demented fairy tales, this book thrilled me. Granny Weatherwax kicked butt. Nanny Ogg was her comical self, very much the same woman who would later appear in Maskerade. Greebo was…well, Greebo was Greebo, and an excellent spring of inspiration for those up to the challenge of creating a semi-accurate portrait of a cat as a human.
My one major problem was that I couldn’t stand Magrat. I didn’t feel any sympathy or patience for her. In fact, through the entire book all Magrat really did for me was annoy me to tears. Maybe it’s supposed to be that way.
Death makes appearances, which is a big plus on the Nadia Discworld Scale. If you really like the character Death, read Thief of Time, Mort, and Maskerade. I admit, his showing in Maskerade is a cameo, but it’s worth it.
Before Witches Abroad, I had read five Discworld books. None of them had disappointed me. The score hasn’t changed.
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