Rating: 
Summary: Still a bit early
Review: Equal Rites is, again, a step forward for the series. While Esk isn't as dynamic as one might hope, and Granny Weatherwax is only on her way to her "true self," Equal Rites is by no means a bad book.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: There are three ways to look at "Equal Rites". First we view it as a farce, just like Pratchett's first two Discworld novels. Second, we can view it as an honest story about a girl's coming of age. Thirdly, we can view it as a sophisticated parody of fantasy conventions. But any way you slice it, "Rites" works pretty well. This is the start of Pratchett's rise from screwball comedy to literary greatness.His talent shines forth in the careful blending of the three different approaches to telling the story. There will be long patches of apparently serious prose, during which we see the interaction between the little girl Esk and Granny Weatherwax. Then, right when you least expect it, Pratchett gets you with a killer punchline. I think that my favorite moment is when Granny Weatherwax launches a diatribe against the wizard's staff that symbolically divides her from her pupil, after which the omnipresent narrator comments: "The staff regarded her woodenly." He he. Is it any wonder this guy is the second best-selling author in British history? Also of note is Pratchett's clever word choices and bizarre imagery. In one scene in the library where the books escape, the narrator notes "a flock of thesauruses" flying past.
| 
