Skip to main content

Tiffany Aching Series

Aaaaannnnnd now I know why everyone who loved Pratchett before Dodger came out was less than impressed by that book. It's like a completely different person wrote these books. I waited so long to read any Discworld books because I had a strong suspicion I would be hooked. Yet I felt like I could no longer go on as a lover of fantasy, particularly British fantasy, without reading at least the four Tiffany Aching books: The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight. The Summer Series Challenge was the perfect kick in the pants I needed to get this done.

I'm going to do something a little different and not give my thoughts on each book, but instead talk about what I loved of the series as a whole.

Tiffany: I think you should be proud of not being worse than just deeply introverted and socially maladjusted. This was said by an enemy of Tiffany, an enemy trying to convince her to give up. Yet the words are not untrue. Sometimes the truth has more power, and this does describe Tiffany well. She is a girl who would be described as awkward, often invisible in plain sight, one who thinks and watches, and only speaks when necessary. Man can I relate to her and how her mind works, which helped to suck me into the story from the beginning.  Watching her grow up and come into her own, accepting who she was and owning it over the course of the four novels was a delight.

The Nac Mac Feegle: The Nac Mac Feegle are the most dangerous of the fairy races, particularly when drunk. They love drinking, fighting, and stealing, and will in fact steal anything that is not nailed down. If it is nailed down, they wills teal the nails as well. I'm probably not supposed to think they're adorable. They would hate that. I can't help it. Everything about their cursing, drinking, fighting, stealing ways makes me want to pat them on their little heads. When they are at their most fiercely aggressive I want to scoop them up and hug them. I'm sure they would appreciate this about as much as my son does when I do it to him. They are an integral part of Tiffany's story in addition to being comic relief and adorable. Who she is is very much tied in with the Nac Mac Feegle. Rob Anybody, the leader, is a ferocious protector of Tiffany and is a major player in shaping who she becomes as the series progresses.

Roland: Admittedly-and it took some admitting-he was a lot less of a twit than he had been. On the other hand, there had been such a lot of twit to begin with. Roland is rescued by Tiffany in book one, but because he is older and trained to fight everyone assumes it happened the other way around. Tiffany allows them to believe this. Roland allows them to believe this, but much to his credit he is not entirely comfortable with it. Which is surprising because when we first meet him Roland really is a twit. But he grows through the books, even if he sometimes still does twitty things. I also liked the realistic development of the relationship between Tiffany and him. I like how Pratchett played with the reader's expectations here.

The Older Witches (particularly Granny Weatherwax): These are true mentors. They don't teach. They don't instruct. They watch and let the younger witches learn. Granny Weatherwax is like that teacher you always wanted to impress, but who didn't impress easily, and when she was impressed it was hard to tell. I like how she's more than a little ruthless too. She is unwilling to bend rules, even for Tiffany, who she likes very much. She gives advice and lets Tiffany do her own thing, but is not gong to bend the rules of the universe to save her or get her out of trouble. She lets her live with the consequences and does not treat her like a special snowflake (even if she literally is one at one point). How refreshing. 


Preston: For reasons.

The Writing: These books are clever and oh so humorous. They are not laugh out loud funny (okay-maybe occasionally). It is more the sort of humor that has you smirking as  you read. It is subtle and tongue-in-cheek. I love this sort of understated humor. The stories of magic, fights with monsters, love, reconciliation, friendship, and family told within the pages of the four books are fun and fast paced yet also filled with heart and soul. I flagged so many pages when I was reading. So many fun quotes, so much wisdom, so much humor, so much great figurative language. I am in awe.

So now I want to read more Discworld books. Discworld people tell me, where should I go next? Do I just start from the beginning with #1 or is there a better route to take? 

Comments

Sage Blackwood said…
Oh, yay! Now I feel the vicarious delight of a devotee meeting a new convert. Is he great or what? My notebook is full of favorite Pratchettisms. ("Trouble is always easy to find when you have enough people looking for it.") My gateway Pratchett was The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, picked up at a used book sale-- wow, was it only five years ago? Now, of course, I buy them new.

Everyone's tastes are different, but mine are for the post-1992 Pratchetts. I think Small Gods is the first one where his true literary brilliance shone through. (Although Pyramids, which is 1989, is also rather fine.) I don't care as much for the earliest ones featuring Rincewind. But some people swear by those.

Pratchet at his best imho:

Thief of Time
Small Gods

The merely stunning:

Going Postal
Jingo
Pyramids
Night Watch
Hogfather
Thud
The Truth
Monstrous Regiment
Nation (ya, not Discworld)
The Amazing Maurice
Feet of Clay

The sadly only excellent:

Guards! Guards!
Men at Arms
Reaper Man
Making Money
Fifth Elephant
Unseen Academicals
Witches Abroad

Your mileage will of course vary. But oh, you are about to meet such wonderful characters. Lord Vetinari and Susan Sto-Helit. The witches of course you've already met, and Death.

You can read them out of order, although there are certain sequences-- the Captain Vimes sequence, the Moist von Lipwig sequence. Those still make sense if read out of order, though.

By the way, thank you for your kind words about Jinx. It really made my day when you said you felt like it was written for you.
Charlotte said…
I think you and Bit should read The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents together.

but as to what you should read next...it's tricy. Starting in late summer last year, I read them all in order publication, and it was pretty fun, but sadly the very first two are not the bestest. I'd read either Mort or Gaurds, Gaurds, next.

My own personal favorite of the series is Night Watch, which stunned me....
Brandy said…
Thanks so much! This was exactly the sort of information and enthusiasm I was looking for. I just need to process it now. :)
Brandy said…
Oh I like new books Bit and I can read together. I don't think she's quite ready for me to read the these to her so I will get The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents and give it a try.

Thanks!
Kritika said…
I love this series! I didn't know the fourth book existed though, haha
My favorite Terry Pratchett book is The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. I keep meaning to read more of his books, but it hasn't actually happened yet. Sighs.
- Kritika @Snowflakes and Spider Silk
Brandy said…
Everyone seems to love the Rodent book. I think that will definitely be the next one.
I love that you think the Nac Mac Feegle are adorable! I haven't started this series yet, but I'm really looking forward to reading it now. I also love that sort of subtle, intelligent humour. It's definitely my sort of thing. Thanks for sharing, Brandy. :)
Brandy said…
They are HILARIOUSLY adorable. I hope they never turn these into a movie because I don't want my visual of them ruined.

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t