Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-Read 2/18/24

I forgot how much I loved this one. Especially on the third read, I love piecing together all the bits and pieces that develop later with their origins. Simon, for example. The only thing I really miss seeing here is Ridcully. The current archchancellor has his charms, of course, and the sparks do fly between him and Weatherwax, but I think it would have been REALLY funny to have her opposite to Ridcully. That's just me. Fan fiction in my mind.

And that's also a bit of something, no? Discworld lives and breathes. It's EASY to live there. Just gotta make sure you don't take a tumble in the Ankh. That's were the dead people go.



Originalish review:

The Great Pratchett Re-Read Continues!

The third book begins the "real" development of the whole Discworld mythos, and rather than focusing on setting, it goes whole-hog (or Witch) into character and a rather deep social issue.

It is, at its core, a novel about breaking down the walls that the sexes tend to put up to keep the other side out. Witches can be wizards and vice-versa. :)

I didn't appreciate this as much the first time although I got the whole social bit perfectly... and mainly that was because I hadn't quite gotten as invested in the characters that would soon become the main driving force of the novels.

But now that I've had the pleasure of reading every novel, I'm fine. Just fine.

But Weatherwax seems to be not quite fully formed here. Isn't that odd? Or perhaps it isn't. This is the first time we see her and I have nothing but fond memories of the woman she reveals herself to be later. BUT, of course, such things always come with time. Thankfully, the wizard/witch battle was still brilliant. :)

Standing out was the Head Librarian, again, and Simon. And of course, our little witch was fun to follow but, unfortunately, she's not Tiffany.

Even so, I'm so glad to be revisiting all this! :)

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