Rating: 
Summary: The greatest Diskworld book of them all
Review: I have been reading fantasy for many years and the only things that even compare with Witches Abroad for fun are Bored of the Rings and Wyrd Sisters. Maybe parts of The Last Unicorn (ie., the butterfly scene)
Rating:
Summary: Just great
Review: I have never read a Terry Pratchett book before (except from half of Moving Pictures), but I think I might start now, since Witches Abroad is definitely one of the best books I've ever read. I particularly liked Granny Weatherwax, who is one of the greatest characters I've ever met in a book in the sense of having flaws and behaving badly and still being someone you just have to like. There are a lot of great scenes in the book, like Granny playing cards on the boat and her fight with Mrs Gogol, who is another wonderfully drawn character, too. So if you ever wondered about what makes stories happen, or what it really means to be a fairy godmother, just buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Speaking about the past
Review: I have read it a long time ago but still remember it as the best one. While waiting for Carpe Jugulum to come I read it once again (and I almost never read the book twice!) and found myself laughing on the floor for two days. I love all the Pratchett books, but I seldom laugh at loud, so... But there are also some people that don't like the witches in this series so they won't understand me. For enjoable reading of this book you have to understand the characters- so read first Equal Rites or something. A book to return to!
Rating:
Summary: great read
Review: I have to admit I was a bit thrown as I didn't realise that 'Witches Abroad' was the second book about Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax and Magret Garlick as they had already apperared in the 'Wyrd Sisters' and in Grannies case 'Equal Rites'and I hadn't read these two books as I was taking the 'whichever book you find approach' to reading the Discworld series but even without this essential reading I found the book brilliant especially Nanny Ogg's approach to foriegn. It is a must for any Terry Pratchett enthuisiast or anyone who favours the Kingdom of Lancre over Ankh-Morpork.
Rating:
Summary: A must for all wishing for tummy aches due to laughter
Review: I read all Pratchett books, and while some were boring, some were great, this is the non-plus-ultra. Don't read in public, they'll turn you in, at the latest when you are rolling on the floor wiping away the tears and uncoherently mumbling something about bananananas (that's Nanny's fault. She can spell Banana Diecrees JUST fine, she just don't know when to stop). This is beyond description, too good to be true. (You'll get used to the strange looks and the inquiries about what the HECK you are reading there). I only have one thing to say: Mr. Pratchett, stop whatever it is you are writing, and give us more of Granny Weatherwax and, as Nanny would say in her interpretion of 'forn languages', do it 'toot sweet, chop chop'!!!!!!!!! I need more of this, this cannot possibly have been all :)
Rating:
Summary: All hail Granny, Nanny, Magrat, and... Greebo
Review: I was thrilled when this Pratchett classic was reprinted in paperback, as it was the only book in the 'Granny Weatherwax Series' I had not managed to get my hands upon. What a singular pleasure to pronounce it my personal favorite! Written in inimitable Pratchett style, this is fantasy/parody/satire/storytelling at its most clever. The plot snaps merrily and whimsically along, full of hilarious puns, allusions, and, as Nanny Ogg puts it herself, "lots of double intenders." The book opens with a hilarious gathering of the Lancre coven atop Bear Mountain...lovably grouchy Granny is perturbed to discover that ALL of the attendees have brought potato salad, and that Old Mother Dismass has left her oracular mind rambling in some far distant century, rather than in the present. The reader is next transported to the cottage of Desiderata, a doddering, exhausted old-bag-of-a-Fairy Godmother. Desiderata knows that her death is approaching, and so does a mysterious enemy who taunts her from the vantage point of a mirror. Desiderate doesn't care; she's more concerned with getting her tired caboose outdoors and down into the grave she has had pre-dug. She's also busy wrapping her powerful Fairy Godmother wand and sending it off to a worthy successor. Desiderata sends the relic to none other than Lancre's "wet hen" witch, Magrat Garlick...with instructions to make sure that Emberella (Desiderata's god-daughter)does NOT marry the Prince of Genua. She also warns Magrat not to allow Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg to interfere with the mission. Naturally...Desiderata knows that Granny and Nanny wouldn't miss a chance to meddle, especially when they've been told NOT to.
Thus begins the amazing broomstick-ride to distant Genua--Granny and Nanny determined to make sure that poor Magrat uses the wand for more than turning EVERYTHING into pumpkins. The misadventures roll out one after the other as this wacky trio soars above mountain and forest: a Dwarf mine collapse, a raucous riverboat gambling incident, a drunken absinthe party in an outdoor cafe, a bratty Red-hooded girl whose delirious grandmother is the object of wolfish desire, a house falling on poor Nanny, etc. Once they get to the walled city of Genua, Granny is on her guard against the danger of merely setting one's boots into "foreign parts," and all three witches realize that SOMEONE VERY POWERFUL is determined to make every life in the kingdom follow strict 'Storybook' protocol..even if they don't want to. Zombies, bumbling vampires, a voodoo-mama who reads the future in a pot of gumbo,and Nanny's randy, rotten,... shape-shifting cat, Greebo, highlight one of the funniest books Pratchett has ever written. In the end, it's up to Granny...the wisest and most potent witch in the Discworld, to match her wits against an enemy she might not be able to conquer. Thoroughly enjoyable in its ability to skewer both "fantasy" worlds and our own "real" world, 'Witches Abroad' has everything *AND* the kitchen sink. A romping, brilliant piece of satire. Five Shooting Stars!
Rating:
Summary: Fairy Tales, I don't think so...
Review: Once opon a time, there were fairy tales where the beautiful young girl married the handsome prince and they all lived happily ever after.
Then there's stories of when Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg try to help this 'not' happen.
This is one of the latter stories.
Rating:
Summary: A powerful story of a story's power
Review: Terry Pratchett was recently awarded a well-deserved prize for "lifetime service to Booksellers". That's not surprising, although finding enough shelf space for two dozen Discworld books must be a challenge. Witches Abroad is one Discworld tome deserving a permanent niche on any shelf - especially yours. You'll return to it often. The clash between established experience and youthful endeavor is caught here in Pratchett's matchless style. Granny Weatherwax, Lancre's predominate headologist, is severely challenged by the youngest member of the coven, Magrat Garlick. Magrat's heir to a powerful device and honour - a fairy godmother's wand. Magrat's life is further complicated by an identity crisis. She's not always comfortable in her role in life, and this new responsibility compounds the problem. Nevertheless, she's been given the wand and a charge to prevent a marriage. A formidable task, given that the marriage is to occur in "forn parts". The witches' journey to Genua is one of the highlights of Pratchett's inventive mind. Esme's participation in a Cripple Mister Onion contest along the way would make the most ardent card player shudder in recognition. The innocent Granny exhibiting "beginner's luck" is priceless. Pratchett introduces us to the power of the story in the universe. Stories "play themselves", shaping people's actions to their own ends. People who resist their roles in stories do so at their peril. This story, so classic and well established, should be irresistible, but then it hasn't dealt with Esme Weatherwax. The struggle is immense, with mighty powers brought to bear in seeking a resolution. Only time will tell which has the greater power. Most of Pratchett's stories have the value of being timeless. Among the Discworld tales, this one has a particular ageless quality. It can be read at any time with many levels of pleasure and value. No other book in the witches' Discworld series quite matches this one for confirming the worth of Esme Weatherwax as one of Pratchett's finest character inventions. Yet, whatever you find on Discworld, you must remember its equivalent resides somewhere here on Roundworld. There's that lady just down the street . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Pratchett waves his magic wand again
Review: The first half of "Witches Abroad" bored me silly. "Has Terry lost the magic touch?" I thought to myself. What should have been another merry romp through the lives of Mesdames Weatherwax, Ogg, and Garlick begins as a tired series of fairy tale parodies. What gives? Poor me, should have known better. Terry always has something up his sleeve. The second half makes his intentions crystal clear. "Witches Abroad" is a story about... stories! The parodies that bothered me so were just there to set up the drama of the second half. "There's always a happy ending," someone remarks at some point. But the ending is only happy if you're one of the good guys. And how do you really know if you're the good guys? An encounter with an evil fairy godmother -- intent on bending the stories of life to suit her will -- brings all of these questions to light. A return to the adventures of this Crazy Coven of witches is always welcome, "Wyrd Sisters" being one of my favourite entries in the Discworld catalog. Once again, they do not disappoint. Granny Weatherwax is as crusty and single-minded as ever, but is given a dimension of caring and sympathy that we haven't seen before. And her actions in the final battle (c'mon, you knew there had to be a final battle) are noble, a grand feat of self-sacrifice in the face of ever increasing odds against her. Nanny Ogg, the wise but muddled mother figure, has more choice moments here than ever before. My favourite being her periodic letterS home, detailing her exploits in foreign parts (one such letter describes an encounter with a "banananana dakry"; a footnote explains that Nanny knows how to spell banana, she just doesn't know when to stop). That Nanny's a trip. Magrat Garlick, the youngest of the coven, mainly plays the straight man opposite her more mature sisters, but she has a solid head on her shoulders, and is usually the one who keeps the others out of hot-headed trouble. Terry offers a treat to loyal Discworlders, in the return of Death. He doesn't make a big splash, and if you hadn't met him before you may not recognize his intentions. But his few simple scenes put a smile on my face, especially the final encounter, which is as beautiful and solemn as anything Terry's written before. It's worth the price of admission on its own. The rest of the book, even though it takes a while to get there, is a great example of what makes the Discworld books so much fun: dollops of humour, tough questions, and satisfying conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This book is the funniest book I have ever read. I haven't read (or even attempted to read) any other of Terry Pratchett's novels (the plots seem to 'foreign') but I worship the person who recommended this book to me (I am eternally grateful) for I am sure that I will never come across any book more hilarious and witty than this. The characters, the plot, everything is so perfect. I especially like Nanny Ogg's language lessons etc. I was almost disappointed when the book came to an end (though it was a fabulous end). A must-read.
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