Rating: Summary: Something wickedly funny this way comes Review: Wyrd Sisters, the sixth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, is a very funny take-off of MacBeth. The Shakespearean allusions were a bit above my head without reading the online annotations, but even without that I found I was laughing a great deal. Plus, it has an interesting story playing on the old "lost son of a king" cliché.The three witches are my least favourite of the sub-series that Pratchett has in Discworld. Of course, that's because the other two (City Watch, Death) are so good, not because the witches are bad. They are still well worth the price of admission into their stories. Granny Weatherwax is a curmudgeon of sorts, often speaking of how the new people are "getting ideas" put in their head. "'Modern,' said Granny Weatherwax with a sniff. 'When I was a gel, we had a lump of wax and a couple of pins and had to be content. We had to make our own enchantment in them days.'" She doesn't understand a lot of new things, like theatre. In fact, one of the funniest scenes in the book is when Magrat and Nanny Ogg take her to the theatre and she tries to intervene in what's happening on stage. Nanny Ogg and Magrat are wonderful creations as well. Nanny is old, but she's a lot more open-minded. She can understand a lot of the new ideas going around. She's also good at what she does. Another great scene is when Felmet and his wife try to torture her. Let's just say it doesn't quite work. Magrat is the young witch, who thinks that symbols are very important. When they try to summon a demon to help them, she's the one who thinks that they need the "proper" ingredients in order to do it, rather than the makeshift ones that the other two bring in. Together, the threesome is a very entertaining bunch. The incidental characters are marvelous as well. There's the Fool, who only became a Fool because it was a family tradition. He really hates it. There's Hwel, the dwarf who never took to mining, so he became a playwright. Death makes a few appearances as well, also making his stage debut in a riotous manner. There isn't a wasted character in the bunch, and they are all well-rounded individuals who are interesting to read about. The plot is excellent as well. The only thing that marred it for me was the extensive Shakespearean allusions, and that's only because I didn't understand half of them. There were times when I knew I was missing a joke, which became a bit frustrating. It's one thing to miss a joke and not even see it, but when you see it but don't understand it, it's a bit of a letdown. Still, if it encourages people to go back to the original plays and read them, then so much the better. The book doesn't suffer for all of this, though. It is still a very entertaining read without it. This is a wonderful beginning to the Three Witches sub-series. I look forward to reading more of them. It's an excellent place to start your entry into Discworld.
Rating: Summary: A coven of wyrd sisters... Review: Terry Pratchett has always excelled at barbecuing sacred cows. Here, he takes on Shakespeare and some of the trappings of fairy tales and fantasy novels, with a coven of odd witches, a bell-covered Fool who's no idiot, and a king who is, technically, dead. King Verence of Lancre has been murdered by his cousin Felmet and Felmet's wife. The frustrated king is left haunting the castle as a ghost, and wondering what has happened to his infant son, the heir to the throne. The baby has, in fact, been dropped with a crown into the laps of three witches: Formidable Granny Weatherwax, mildly drunken and very maternal Nanny Ogg, and naive flowery Magrat. The witches decide to get the baby out of the country to keep him safe, and see him off safely with a troupe of kindly actors. But things are still awry. Felmet, now acting as king of Lancre, is pretty obviously going insane, and his unhappy Fool is the one who keeps giving him tidbits of advice. Felmet and his iron-willed wife decide to stamp out the witches through malicious lies and rumors. But the witches have a few tricks (and spells) up their sleeves, and with they intend to deal with Felmet with the help of the Fool, the dead king, and a lot of furry little animals... This book has it all: sweet stammering romance, Shakespearean quotes and jokes (Felmet's repeated questions about "Is this a dagger I see before me?"), time travel, ghosts, political strife, and twists on such themes as the long lost heir of a kingdom. There is a Shakespearean dwarf who pens brilliant plays all the time, who will amuse Shakespeare enthusiasts. Pratchett even manages a mild lesson that won't make readers grit their teeth, about how easily opinions can be shaped by false information from movies/books/magazines, or in this case, plays. Granny Weatherwax of "Equal Rites" is more appealing here, with Magrat and Nanny Ogg to serve as counterpoints. (After all, Samuel Vimes of the "Watch" novels wouldn't be as appealing without Carrot, Nobby, Colon, and the others) Granny is tough, indomitable, but not without her flaws and weaknesses. Nanny Ogg serves as a sillier witch, with her instant attraction to alcohol and tendency to sing obscene songs (something parents will want to edit out). Magrat is a much younger witch, with dreamy ideas about occult jewelry, good witch godmothers, candles, runes, and no romantic experience whatsoever. Felmet is entertainingly crazy, but Pratchett doesn't let readers forget that he is a bad guy; his wife, on the other hand, is both evil and frighteningly sane. The Fool is also a refreshing character, a jester with a brain who hates his job. Tomjon (the prince) is unusually endearing for a Long Lost Heir; he seems like a real person. King Verence, despite being dead, is very vital and great to read about. And, of course, Death has his part to play, despite his inability to remember his lines. Though not the best of Pratchett's novels, "Wyrd Sisters" is amusing and witty, wry and fun. A great read for teens and adults who love a good story.
Rating: Summary: Not the best... Review: Well, frankly I didn't like it very much. It had some great moments in it but everything was kind a slowish... altrough there are some extremly very funny moments the story is kind a weak. The crazy duke, and the controlling duckess were the only two gems in the whole story (and maybe the dwarf writer... he was kind of cool.) But maybe I just didn't like the whole withc thing (altrough Equal Rites was superb.)
Rating: Summary: One of the Best Books Ever Written, Anywhere Review: Take the essence of Macbeth, give it a twist, sprinkle it with hilarious characters, dialog, and situations, and then throw in several parallel structures. Shake well. You've got one of the best books ever written by anyone, anywhere (this book). It's a tough book to read because my eyes are repeatedly filling with tears from laughing so much.
Rating: Summary: Funny satire Review: If you've ready any of Pratchett's books you don't need anyone telling you to read another -- they are funny, witty -- not always the same thing -- and cheerful. If you've never read Pratchett, get ready for a zany adventure with oddball witches and an entire planet that might have been designed by the Monty Python troupe except it's less slapstick than Python and the characters -- while strange -- seem real rather than cardboard.
Rating: Summary: Kind of misleading, but still great Discworld. Review: I bought Wyrd Sisters expecting little. Equal Rites, for lack of better definition, [wasn't good]. I saw great potential in the characters, but I remember laughing only once or twice throughout the whole book. Thank God Pratchett lived up to the character's potentials this time. The back cover of the book says the main plot is about royal trouble, while it really is a parody of theatrical plays. Some of the scenes are laugh-out-loud funny. The book is pretty slow in the beggining, but it speeds up gradually. If you ever chuckled at one of the previous discworld novels, you will love this one. Yes, the improvement is that huge.
Rating: Summary: Those meddling witches! Review: Granny Weatherwax is back, and this time, she's got.. allies? Wyrd Sisters parodies witches quite well, explaining where the fairy tales have been misperceived and misrepresented. Conspiring again the unrightful ruler, it's funny to see the way these ladies get around and get things done. A funny love story also spans this novel adding to the hilarity.
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: Buy all of these now... Review: ...so we can create incredible demand so I don't have to pay 16.95 for some of the ones that Harper hasn't bothered to publish yet! This is one of the best -- anytime Granny (Esme to her friends -- er, I mean friend) shows up, it is bound to be entertaining. This one has everything, including flat chested women (you will recognize her sort from your local looney NuAhge store) and fools who would be kings, apparently. Buy this now. Terry Pratchet's sanity can't hold out for much longer, and even the paperback's will be worth something when he finally cracks. Highly, highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Hilarious! Review: One of Pratchett's best. This hilarious parody of MacBeth kept me laughing from cover to cover. Wyrd Sisters has all of the absurd humor that fans of the Discworld novels have come to love, and Pratchett's deadpan turns of phrases are good for at least one smile per page.
|