Rating: 
Summary: Good for a chuckle
Review: Highly enjoyable, very readable, and almost as god as Men at Arms... and thats saying something. If your a discword fan you'll love it, if your new, you'll most likely buy another, and if you hate it, I'll be suprised. Nuff Said!
Rating: 
Summary: May he live forever, and always write a book a year!
Review: If Fantasy is your cup of tea, and you haven't tried Pratchett's Discworld books, pick one in the series and have at it. He was compared to Douglas Adams in the beginning, but I have to say that Pratchett has it all over Adams. Discworld is funnier and more inventive than either Hitchhiker's or Dirk Gently. Describing the premise of the series (life on a flat world riding on the back of four huge elephants who in turn ride on the back of the great sky turtle where magic works...sometimes) or the plot of any given entry in the series (here three witches meddle in the affairs of a kingdom) can not do the books justice. They are sly and witty and, at times, laugh out loud funny. I knew a hugh fan of Wodehouse in Boston who said Pratchett should be allowed to live forever providing he produced one Discworld book a year. He should be paid up for a decoade or more since he's been doubling up the past couple years. You can't go wrong if you are looking for a laugh! And the BBC has produced two of the books as animated series (check them out in Amazon's DVD land Soul Music and this book).
Rating:
Summary: Lancre's coven revealed!
Review: Parodying Shakespeare is a cottage industry among novelists. Few, however, have the talent to weave sound philosophy within the narrative. Pratchett introduces some thoughtful notions along with his compelling characters. From the introduction of Esme Weatherwax in Equal Rites, he fills out the coven residing in the kingdom of Lancre with her cohorts. Each brings a highly unique style to the craft. Esme, acknowledged but undeclared head witch, is traditional, effective and highly sensitive to what's "good for people". Magrat Garlick, well-read, modern and innocent [if you can reconcile those viewpoints] personifies perfectly the modern "Wiccan" mystic. Nanny Ogg almost oozes practicality - having gone through three husbands and is served, if resentfully, by her phalanx of daughters and daughters-in-law. The story itself, however, concerns another matter - one far more pertinent to today's world.What is, or should be the role of monarchy in modern society? Pratchett uses the Hamlet example to examine this question in a new and penetrating manner. Kings can rise and fall through many means. Duke Felmet, desirous of disciplined rule, fells the incumbent. According to Pratchett, assassination is a "natural cause" of death for monarchs [as is execution, but that's elsewhere in the series]. The coven, aware that the former King Verence of Lancre has been murdered by a potential usurper, becomes protector of the heir. It "protects" him by shipping him off with a troupe of mummers. Thus Shakespeare as example is supplanted by parody of the playwright and his work. The coven, however, senses what Shakespeare never expressed - monarchy's role in regard to the land and the people. In Shakespeare's day, Elizabeth, the ruling monarch, expressed her love for "her people" and "the country". She was nearly unique in that view. Pratchett, always sensitive to nuances, employs this concern in this tale. On a world ruled by magic, the land itself discerns the injustice of the murder, reacting with anger and pain. Esme, who "borrows" minds, perceives the grief and gathers the coven to go beyond merely hiding the heir. Larger questions are at stake. Pratchett's ability to weave philosophical questions into what is advertised as "humorous fantasy" is what keeps him at the forefront of the genre. His witty approach gives the widest possible audience the chance to examine the issues he raises. If you miss them or overlook them, he still offers a fine story told in his engaging style. If you are new to Pratchett, you can start the Discworld series comfortably here. If you are an established fan, you will discover this to be one of his better efforts. It is something to read more than once without eroding the pleasure of the first encounter. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating:
Summary: One of Pratchett's best efforts
Review: Plays off MacBeth. Since I read these hopelessly out-of-order, it is nice to go back and figure out just how the former Jester became King and Magrat his (eventual) queen. The old King Verrence is murdered, but his ghost gets to hang around and haunt the castle, and his son is spirited away to join a troupe of roving actors and a dwarf playwright. This one moves well and finishes well (finishing well is kind of unusual for a Discworld novel), there are quite a few great puns, and we get to know the three witches better. It is up-to-the-eyeballs in Shakespearean references, avoids being too pat, and ranks as one of Pratchett's best efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Start of the witches
Review: Still early in the series, Wyrd Sisters is an example of the books to come. After all, who doesn't love a good Shakespeare parody?
Rating:
Summary: Wyrd Sisters in Wyrd Colors
Review: The Movie of the book is good (Amazon has it on DVD and VHS Staring Christopher Lee) but the Book is still better.
but i do prefer the British Corgi Edition of the book as it has the origonal cover art by Paul Kidby (he is one of the artists) and they are works of art, some of the hardcover versions have it, but the paper back versions that are put out by "Harper" are doomed to have the ugly stark covers that make my eyes hurt to look at, when they started publishing the US editions they decided to re-do all the covers in colors that make you go colorblind if you look at them too long. otherwise the book is excelent and they did'nt seem to edit the words by replacing them with words more common in the US edition,
Like replacing Chips with the word Fries.
if they ever make them with the excelent origonal cover art i will givw the book the additonal fifth star it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: A parody of Shakespeare that makes you laugh out loud
Review: This book is the second in the "witches" subset of the Discworld series. The first was "Equal Rites" which pales in comparison to this one. "Wyrd Sisters" is clearly a parody of Macbeth and other Shakespearan ideas. This is the story of three witches who set out to see justice done by restoring the rightful heir of Lancre to the throne. This is easier said than done, and they have to use not only some very powerful magic (Granny Weatherwax makes fifteen years pass in an instant!) but also some very practical skills ("headology"). As usual, Pratchett's satire is great. There are many interesting characters (DEATH is back and wants to act on stage, Magrat the witch with New Age ideas, the official Fool who hates being one, King Verence's ghost who misses having a good meal etc.). My favorite character in this book is Hwel the dwarf playwright who has the makings of Shakespeare himself. Pratchett's descriptions of the Theater and of life in the city of Ankh-Morpork make good reading. So why did I rate this four stars? I personally prefer the Death and Rincewind stories to the Witches'. That said, this book has greater depth in plot than the earlier ones, and is a very good read.
Rating:
Summary: Witches are Abroad !!
Review: This is one of the funniest and most charming books I've read in a while. Terry Pratchett uses the environment of his famous Discworld to tell a story of a coven of three witches (although two will argue it's not a coven) who meddle in the business of royal politics (although all two will argue it's not meddling). Those who enjoy a funny story will love this book, but those who enjoy a funny story and have read Shakespeare's Macbeth and Hamlet will enjoy it even more. Pratchett does a great job interweaving different aspects of classic plays and fairy tales with the overall plot and flavor of the story, while adding the comedic edge for which he is so well known. And those who have spent even a small amount of time studying modern witchcraft and Wicca will find a few scenes particularly funny. The story involves the typical royal intrigue and how the smallest twist of fate can change an entire kingdom, and when you throw in Pratchett's three witches, fate is forced to flee in terror. Include travelling actors, a Fool who isn't a fool, a disgruntled ghost, a paranoid king, and a thunderstorm that hopes to one day grow up and be a really big storm, and you're starting to get the idea how wacky things get. This book is definitely in the top three Discworld novels.
Rating:
Summary: Sharp and clever
Review: This was the first Terry Pratchett book I read, some fifteen or so years back, and it was, excuse the pun, utterly betwitching. I recently reread it and found it had mysteriously improved - probably because I'm a bit older and better read! If you've ever sat through a tortourus high-school stage version of MacBeth, or been irritated by a fatuous 'lost baby with a mysterious destiny' story (Harry Potter included), you'll also find this a funny and deeply satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: i laughed so hard people thought i was nuts!
Review: While I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters is my all time favorite! I love the twists in the plot as well as it's parallels to THAT Scottish play. I love the puns and what i call slow comedy, the kind that makes you think and will cause you to laugh out loud several days later. In fact the title of my review in fact refers to what happened when i first read this book while on a long commute to a friend's house on public transport. I was laughing so hard, people would move away b/c they thought i was nuts!
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