A Hat Full of Sky

Rating:
Summary: This book is not just for Children!
Review: I enjoyed the first book so much, "Wee Free Men" that I had to read the second book, " A hat full of Sky " . As an adult ,I really enjoyed reading both books and hope there might be a third.

Rating:
Summary: A Witch For the People
Review: A Hat Full of Sky is the thirty-second novel in the Discworld series, following Monstrous Regiment. This novel is a sequel to the story in The Wee Free Men, wherein nine year old Tiffany Aching met the Nac Mac Feegles, or Pictsies, a less attractive kind of fairies. When their Kelda -- or Queen -- died, the Feegles chose Tiffany as her (temporary) replacement. Tiffany proved her mettle by whanging the Queen of Fairy with a frying pan and was later recruited as a witch by Granny Weatherwax.

In this novel, two years later, Tiffany goes away from the Chalk Country to discover her witch powers as the apprentice of Miss Level in the Ramtops. The Feegles are still watching out for her and note that she is being followed by a Hiver, a nonmaterial spirit who possesses humans or animals. After some moments of jealousy, the new Kelda, Jeannie, sends her husband Rob Anybody and fifty Feegles to protect Tiffany from the Hiver.

Miss Perspicacia Tick escorts Tiffany to the town of Twoshirts on the cartier's cart. Along the way, Miss Tick keeps having feelings that something is watching them. When they meet Miss Level in the woods near Twoshirts, both senior witches have the same feeling. However, nothing menacing is to be found in the vicinity, so Tiffany reluctantly climbs on the broomstick behind Miss Level and off they fly to her new residence.

Before they leave, Miss Level asks Tiffany if she is afraid of heights and Tiffany says that she is not; however, she should have told Miss Level that she is really afraid of depths. Since Tiffany had forgotten to wear woolen trousers to protect against the cold, Miss Level mostly flies just above ground level, except when she is flying straight up a waterfall. Tiffany tries to keep her eyes shut as much as possible, for the ground is just a blur as they fly over. Every time they come to a fence or hedge, Miss Level says "Here we go!" or "Ups-a-daisy!", which does not help Tiffany's queasy stomach. She throws up twice on the journey.

After they arrive, Miss Level immediately takes Tiffany to her room and lets her prepare for bed. Of course, she brings up a tray of beef stew for supper, which Tiffany manages to eat despite the efforts of an invisible sprite to take away the dishes. Tiffany discovers the next day that the invisible creature is an ondageist, who tidies up things. She also discovers that Miss Level has two (2) bodies with only a single mind.

In this story, Tiffany is attacked and possessed by the Hiver before the Feegles can reach her. The creature uses her mind and abilities to appear as a powerful witch and it scares the dickens out of Annagramma, a fellow apprentice who likes to put down her sisters. When the Feegles arrive, they cross over into her mind to fight the creature. Miss Weatherwax also comes to help with the Hiver. Together they all toss it out on its ear, but it is still around and it can't be killed. Moreover, Tiffany feels that she is missing something.

Tiffany learns a lot about herself and her beloved Granny Aching while she is residing in the Ramtops. In fact, she learns that she has a lot of Granny Aching within herself. Despite Annagramma's cuts and put-downs, Tiffany rises above petty jealousy to accomplish remarkable deeds and to accept the accolades of Granny Weatherwax herself.

Overall, this novel is as fully satisfying as the first tale about Tiffany. The scene where Tiffany dances with the bees is filled with vicarious joy! How can the author produce such a humorous book that also makes the reader feel so alive? Another winner in the Discworld series!

Highly recommended for Pratchett fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of self-reliant young ladies who are willing to face their shortcomings, but also willing to accept their strengths.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: Another good read by Pratchett
Review: Ah, the lovely sight of a new Pratchett novel in my mailbox....

This time, eleven year old Tiffany is leaving her beloved Chalk, off to apprentice to a real witch, the somewhat odd Mrs Level. Add in an ancient, bodyless creature who want to take over Tiffany's mind, a rather unique poltergeist, a coven of junior witches, the indomitable Granny Weatherwax, and of course the Nac Mac Feegle - four inch tall, red-haired, blue skinned pictsies who will drink, fight or steal anything.

This is, technically, a children's book, but falls into that rare but treasured class of literature that can be read with equal enjoymenet by children and adults alike. Pratchett's insightful, humorous view of human nature, if anything, comes through more clearly in his children's books, and the use of language is certainly not watered down for younger readers.

In summary, an excellent read for all ages, and a satisfactory sequel to the Wee Free Men.

And track down a copy of Only You Can Save Mankind by the same author while you're at it...

Rating:
Summary: Dances with bees **
Review: At a mere eleven years old, Tiffany Aching has won a war and lost a gran. She's killed the "Quin" of the Faeries - with a skillet! Her grandmother, a woman of Power, was a subtle force among the Chalk Downs shepherd community. With such a background, it's inevitable that she is destined for an interesting life. She's already been a kelda to the Nac Mac Feegles - the pictsies who scutter among the barns and bushes of the local farms. Now, she's been selected by the doyenne of the Ramtops' witches, Mistress Weatherwax, to be trained in The Craft.

Tiffany's clearly inherited some of her gran's Power, but is too young to understand or cope with it. Something else wants that Power. The hiver is a formless thing constantly seeking minds to inhabit. While not truly evil, its effect is deadly. It's inhabited Tyrannosaurs, sabre-toothed tigers and wizards. Yet it's still not sated. Tiffany's young, untested and vulnerable mind seems an ideal roost for the hiver. Thus, the story, told as only Pratchett can relate it, becomes a contest of wills - Tiffany's, the hiver, her mentor, Nac Mac Feegle and all.

So, is this just another simple fantasy about witchcraft and the eternal struggle between "good" and "evil" - a dark versus light dichotomy? Not in Pratchett's knowledgeable hands. The Feegle, Tiffany's staunch allies, are thieves and boozers, in strife with anything that moves. Miss Level, Tiffany's assigned trainer, leads a double life - and more than one of those. The Chalk Downs aren't just white rocky paddocks - they bear a history of life reaching millions of years in the past. Part of the Power is understanding that heritage, and perhaps putting it to use. And just why was the Uffington White Horse carved on a hillside so that can't be seen clearly until you're above it? And why is the carving in parts instead of a complete rendition? Um . . . and is it really a cat? Pratchett's ability to challenge the reader instead of merely being entertaining is unexcelled. This book is a prime example.

Tiffany's confrontation with the hiver reveals its hidden origins. They are as remote as Time itself. While the hiver enters but one mind at a time, it represents an aspect of all living things. Pratchett's resolution of the hiver's invasion of the young witch's mind is superbly crafted. But the story doesn't end with that denouement. Tiffany must attend on Granny Weatherwax, who initiated this situation. In this finale, Pratchett draws one of the most glorious passages of his career. Esme Weatherwax can Borrow - entering the minds of creatures more subtly than the hiver's occupation. Is it her in the swarm of bees Tiffany encounters? Or have they collectively responded to the presence of so powerful a witch? Whatever the cause, Tiffany and the swarm perform a dance - of victory? of acceptance? or just for the pleasure of it?

With his superb style - a recipe of mirth, pathos, philosophy and irony, Pratchett has again shared his genius with us. All of us. As many have noted, putting a "readers' age" restriction on this book is a flawed limitaton. Pratchett, in whatever he writes, is unaged and ageless. Adults and children alike will find entertainment and value here. The best approach, in this reviewer's opinion, is for adults to buy this book and read it aloud - to anybody. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

(...)with humble apologies and thanks to Michael Blake

Rating:
Summary: Love the Nac Mac Feegle!!
Review: Beginning after the events of "The Wee Free Men", "A Hat Full of Sky" centers on Tiffany Aching, and her efforts to properly learn witching. The event's occur within the DiscWorld. The Nac Mac Feegles' once again make their presence felt, in the purportining of various items & general odour.. and are absolutely brilliant. Tiffany herself is a more lacklustre, whilst Death briefly manifests.

So the first half of the book moves along joyfully, with Tiffany leaving the Chalk and apprenticing to a witch who is about double what she seems. The antics of the Nac Mac Feegle got spurts of laughter from me, most notably the scene wherein many little men make one large... thing.

They follow Tiffany in order to protect her from a creature which they know to be unbeatable, after an initical hiccup with their new Kelda who is Rob Anybody new wife.

The method of travel is colourful and beguiles away a good few chapters, with usual TP wit and verve.

When it comes to the battle, the NMC are shunted aside to focus further on Tiffany, which is unfortunate as I found her transformation into a narcissitic pre-teen whilst possibly true to life, not at all entertaining.

The book also has too many half endings, before actually concluding, & Granny Weatherwax figuring in the preceedings at some point.

It was with some disappointment that I concluded the book & realised that I had not enjoyed it as much as anticipated. It would seem this book has been more written for the pre-teens than the previous, and not at all necessarily. Here goes a family anecdote: My siblings practically started reading on TP's books, first with Carpet People & Truckers & Diggers, & then onto the more DiscWorld when they were still 10-14. I do believe he is the only reason they are semi-literate today...

Summation: Naturally it was enjoyable, with the authorship of TP, but not as much as even Maurice and His Amazing Educated Rodents, which was also a book for young readers. Loved the first half, impatiently read through the last.


Rating:
Summary: Pratchett at his best
Review: I really, really enjoyed this book. Of course, I also loved "The Wee Free Men," so I was primed for it. I enjoyed seeing Tiffany's journey continue. She had been accustomed to doing things by feel and making them up as she went along. Now she has to work within a structure, and she doesn't like it much. Nor is Tiffany alone. Rob Anybody, the Pictsies' Big Man, is a newlywed, and he also fumbles the unwritten rules of marriage.

I also really enjoyed the contrast of the humble, helpful hedge witches vs. the overblown, haughty ones who sincerely believe clothes make the witch. If I have one small complaint, it's that the bossy, obnoxious Annagramma hadn't been slapped down harder by the end. That's just me, though. In real life, obnoxious people can often go for quite a long time without having a clue as to how wrong they are.

Deby Fredericks
author of "The Magister's Mask"

Rating:
Summary: Better Than Ever
Review: I'll leave the detailed reviews to the others, but just wanted to comment that as with Wee Free Men, this book is classified "Young Adult" but is really just Pratchett at his best. It's back to the basics of what always made me love the Discworld books to begin with: a great story with insightful commentary on human behavior snuck in and plenty of material that will make you laugh out loud as you read it.

I liked Wee Free Men and Hat Full of Sky is easily even better.

So don't let the Young Adult classification scare you away if you don't normally fit into that catagory, if you've been reading the Discworld series you'll greatly enjoy this.

Rating:
Summary: Much better than Wee Free Men
Review: I've read every single one of Terry Pratchett's books. Wee Free Men was rather dull but A Hat Full of Sky is not only more interesting, it's also much funnier. I'd give it 4.5 stars. You should read Wee Free Men first, but it's definitely inferior to this book.

Rating:
Summary: Irreverent Humor and Deeply-Rooted Magic
Review: It's sometimes said in theatre that it takes a talented comic to play a tragic role successfully--and that the reverse is not true. Pratchett has the born comedian's deep and loving understanding of the tragedy of the human condition, and it is his gift to us to make us laugh instead of weep...

Tiffany Aching, unquenchable heroine of "The Wee Free Men," faces new challenges as she leaves her beloved home on the Chalk Downs to begin her training as a witch. New faces, new landscapes, the half-scary company of girls her own age, and a very ancient quasi-evil thing, pursuing her for her powers inborn...

No one does it like Mr. Pratchett--this blend of irreverent humor and resonant, edge-of-myth magic. The puns are inexcrably bad (when the Wee Free Men try to impersonate a human being, animating a scarecrow, the one in the head complains, "I talk to my knees, but they don't listen to me."), and the magic is undescribingly profound--Tiffany, as did her grandmother before her, seems to embody the very essence of the land she loves. Impossible to do every moment of one's waking life, of course, and Tiffany has to learn the value of not-quite-lies, half-truths, and stories. Granny Weatherwax, witch extraordinaire and my absolute favorite Pratchett character, plays a much stronger part in this story than in "Wee Free Men," mixing her pride, her practical psychology, and the most intricate of magics. It's a wonderful, wonder-full story, and I can't wait to read more of Tiffany as she grows.

Rating:
Summary: Can you wear The Biggest Hat of Them All?
Review: Once you've beaten the Evil Fairy Queen, there's not much to do but to continue your education. So you go away. Going away is important, because... well... It allows you to come back. What you don't know, is that you're being followed. Not by your unpleasant little brother, not by the boy you obviously don't like, but by something that cannot be killed (not even by your little helper strange-looking blue kinda fairy fighers). And that's only the beginning of your adventure! Once you set out into the real world, you'll meet the Biggest Witch of All again (not that she would ever agree she was actually The Witch In Charge). You get to meet Death. Personally. And your blue kinda fairy fighters kick some ass! If you ever want to read a serious adventure, don't leave this on the bookshelf! You'll find out what it takes to be a witch (and to wear a really nice pointy hat).