The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-read 10/1/10:

Just now having finished a full Discworld re-read, I have to admit I'm still misty-eyed and depressed.
Yes, by now it is 3/4 nostalgia and 1/4 hats-off respect, but the slider continually slides, and the sadness remains.

That being said -- Well done, Tiffany. It's a fine cottage and you have fine boots and I truly respect your third and fourth thoughts. Well done, indeed.


Original Review:

If anyone has been reading this far in the series, they must be very, very sad that Sir Terry passed away, and this, his very last novel, is all we have left. I am sad. I am very sad. And after the first few chapters, I got even sadder, because he was writing his own requiem in these scenes.

It was scary and sad and so appropriate. And then it passed, to flow into Tiffany Aching's fifth, delightful, tale.

If you're familiar, you know she's no longer a witch's apprentice, she's a full witch and she's stepping up. And of course, adventure happens. Delightful adventure and something that is a very familiar theme also happen, as it always happens in these Discworld books... People who don't belong in professions start showing up and demanding to do something that they shouldn't be fit to do.

A BOY WITCH? I mean, sure, a girl did it with the Wizards and that seemed to work out all right, but a BOY? No Way.

And then there's that whole thing with the elves facing off with an epic battle against the denizens of the land, with wee men and witches squaring off against the mean glamourists... but no one's interested in that, are they?

The BOY has a GOAT! And can you believe he's pretty decent on a broom? Lordy... what is Discworld coming to? A satisfying end? With a delightful sense of wonder and humor and nostalgia?

Why yes, it did come to that. *wipes a tear away from his face*

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