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: Shakespeare's never been in such a good shape
Review: A very good book, full of everything you may expect to find in one of Discworld novels, which is to say humour, a nice plot, hilarious characters and much more.
Wyrd sister takes elements from most of Shakespeare's plays and merges them together as only Terry Pratchett could do, making them outright funny as they were not supposed to be.
Some passages will just make you laugh out loud, such as the witches going at the theater, the summoning of the demon or the way Magrat finds out the Fool's name.
A must read.
Rating:
Summary: My 2nd favorite of the Discworld Books with the Witches
Review: I love the witches! Maskerade is my favorite of the books featuring the witches. Wyrd Sisters has the best character descriptions and the sly satire on wannabes is keen. It takes "Skin".
Rating:
Summary: All the Disc's a stage--and the players are hilarious
Review: Although we first met Granny Weatherwax in Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters gives us the three witches-Granny, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick-in all of their glory. These are my favorite characters in the Discworld, and loud peals of laughter are always to be found when this remarkable coven of witches gets together. The story itself is a thoroughly Pratchett-like concoction of Shakespeare, fairy tales, satire, and infinitely rich comedy. The king of Lancre, much to his surprise, has been murdered by the Macbethian Duke Felmet, and he is not at all happy about this. No one, in fact, is happy, including the very kingdom itself, which physically shows its rage at having a new king who despises his own royal domain. The witches are also not happy, as the Duke works continually to discredit them among the people-Granny Weatherwax just doesn't have any truck with that at all. Of course, in a story such as this, there has to be a long-lost child of the murdered king who will eventually come back to right the wrongs done his father and dethrone the regal malefactor-or something along those lines, anyway. Things are never quite that simple on the Discworld. The antics of the witches are hilarious. Granny Weatherwax is a stalwart personality who never admits she might be wrong or that there is something she is not familiar with. Nanny Ogg is a rather worldly witch who enjoys nothing more than getting blasted and drunkenly singing about hedgehogs or the fact that a wizard's staff has a knob on the end. Then there is young Magrat, quite plain in appearance, who believes the traditional ways of witchcraft are best and whose sometimes naïve, positive nature often conflicts with the thinking of her older cohorts; you have to love her, really. Her romance of sorts with the shy king's Fool is a rather comical yet sweet subplot to the novel. My favorite scene, one of the funniest I have ever read, concerns the witches' trip to the theatre; Granny has no understanding of theatre or drama, and her increasingly raucous reactions to the performance she sees is not to be missed. You don't have to know Shakespeare intimately in order to enjoy the numerous allusions to his work, particularly Macbeth and Hamlet, but I decided to read those two plays before reading Wyrd Sisters in order to make sure I caught as much of the comedy as possible. From the attempts of the duke to wash the blood from his hands to the manipulations of the duchess to the performance of a drama in order to call out the murderous king for his treacherous deeds, this fictional cauldron is swimming with Shakespearean ingredients. It's remarkably witty on a number of levels, yet the constant humor does nothing to take away from an intriguing and not wholly predictable plot. Even if you don't agree that the three "wyrd sisters" are the funniest and most remarkable characters inhabiting the Discworld, I do not see how you could possibly fail to find much enjoyment and humor in this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: These Sisters are really "Wired!"
Review: I thought this was a marked improvement on Equal Rites, a much more complete introduction to Granny Weatherwax and the Ramtop Witches. Nanny Ogg is very funny, and so is Magrat Garlick, especially in her interactions with the Fool. IT is so classic just to read about the three witches when they cook up spells and always argue about the ingredients. Here we also read a lot about ghosts, in particular the dead king Verence of Lancre. Of course, there are also all those Shakespearean gibes, especially with MacBeth. That alone is worth reading this book. But there is much more, much, much more...
Rating: 
Summary: Just not to my taste, I guess
Review: For some reason, Pratchett just doesn't excite me, and I wish I knew why, because I love fantasy, I love humor, and when an author joins the two you'd think I'd be in the best of both worlds. But Pratchett leaves me cold. I've read three or so of his books, and while I find them mildly amusing, I just can't get excited about them. I heartily enjoyed his collaboration with Neil Gaiman, Good Omens, but it's been like pulling teeth to get me to try another Pratchett solo work. For some reason, I keep wanting to compare Pratchett to Piers Anthony, which is a severe low blow to Pratchett, who would have to stoop a long way to achieve the level of hackdom that Anthony has mired himself in. Still, I'd like to see Pratchett hang up the Discworld and do more stand-alones like Good Omens. At the end of this book, I asked myself if it had been worth reading. Did I learn anything? No, but I really hadn't expected to. Had I been amused? Slightly, even once laughing out loud. Was I entertained? Not enough. Obviously, if you're a Pratchett fan and he does appeal to you, then ignore me. But I'm sure there are others out there like me? Right?
Rating: 
Summary: Too bad Tony Robinson read the book
Review: Not a bad book but Tony Robinson needs to quit reading for Terry Pratchett. I don't think she catches all the jokes and that means they're not conveyed with the proper inflection to the listener. Her trying to voice the witches' voices makes you want to throw the book away and move on. Good book. Lousy reader. Bummer.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: This was definately not one of his best books. It was boring and the plot dragged on, the characters weren't interesting enough to care about, it took me two months too read this book because I forced myself to read it. Everything seemed to be the same, I was glad when it was over. Even though this book was a disappointment I will definately recommend many of his other books, such as Mort and Colour of Magic.
Rating:
Summary: The book's not bad but the reader needs help
Review: Tony Robinson really needs to stick to reading Agatha Christie or something. The book is pretty good but, unfortunately, the reading of the audiobook is quite annoying. Sometimes it's hard to make out what people are saying because, in an effort to make voices unique, they end up talking in a tone that reminds one of fingernails on a chalkboard overlaid with breaking glass. It's not a pretty sight. A lot of the humor is lost because the reader can't convey it properly. Bummer.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Discworld romp with Shakespeare
Review: Granny Weatherwax and her fellow witches, Nanny Ogg and Magrat, are usually content to tend to their terrified populace and avoid meddling in others' affairs (much). But when the King of Lancre is killed, and the diapered heir falls into their hands, they meddle away, sending the child off with a bunch of Thespians (exactly where is Thespia, anyway?). But that is not enough, when the new king tries (gasp) taxing witches, it is not long before it becomes clear that something must be done . . . A fun time, satirizing Macbeth and Hamlet, and, now and then, other bits of Shakespeare. Don't miss the scene of Magrat gathering flowers as the stupefied Fool looks on--borrowed straight from Ophelia's mad scene! Read with a drink on one side and your complete Shakespeare on the other!
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