darkchild99's Full Review: Terry Pratchett - Witches Abroad
"A bass note sounds. It is a deep, vibrating chord that hints that the brass section may break in at any moment with a fanfare for the cosmos, because the scene is that blackness of deep space with a few stars glittering like the dandruff on the shoulders of God.
Then it comes into view overhead, bigger than the biggest, most unpleasantly-armed starcruiser in the imagination of a film-maker: a turtle, ten thousand miles long. It is Great A'tuin, one of the rare astrochelonians from a universe where things are less as they are and more like people imagine them to be, and it carries on its meteor pocked shell four giant elephants who bear on their enormous shoulders the great round wheel of the discworld.
As the viewpoint swings around, the whole of the world can be seen by the light of its tiny orbiting sun. There are continents, archipelagos, seas, deserts, mountain-ranges and even a tiny central ice-cap. The inhabitants of this planet, it is obvious, won't have any truck with global theories. Their world, bounded by an encircling ocean that falls forever into space in one long waterfall is as round and flat as a geological pizza, although without the anchovies."
For those who know and love the Disworld series no introduction is necessary. However, for those few unfortunate people who have not yet encountered Granny Weatherwax, Rincewind the Wizzard, Captain Vimes or Death (no pun intended), then a bit of background may be necessary. Welcome to the Discworld, a land where magic and humour go hand in hand, populated by characters that will keep you giggling long after you have put one of Pratchett's books down. Witches Abroad is the twelfth novel in the Discworld series and is the second installment in the adventures of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick.
Terry Pratchett has been universally recognised as a master story-teller, who could make a brilliant stand-up comedian should his inspiration for the Discworld dry up. In Witches Abroad he once again brings together the Ramtop's unusual coven of witches as they take on the duties of fairy-godmothers. Not only is this novel as hilarious as its predecessors in the series, it is also food for thought as Pratchett examines the act of story-telling while weaving one that is gloriously complex and detailed. For all those who still have dim memories of the fairy-tales of childhood, here is a book that appeals to the senses, with Pratchett's vivid language, and the imagination.
Blurb:
It seemed an easy job...After all, how difficult could it be to make sure that a servant girl doesn't marry a prince? But for the witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick, travelling to the distant city of Genua, things are never that simple. Servant girls have to marry the prince. That's what life is all about. You can't fight a Happy Ending. At least - up until now...
The Plot (Thickens!)
When Desiderata Hollow passes on her job as fairy godmother to Magrat Garlick (with explicit instructions not to take Granny and Nanny "See? I got to get the three of them to Genua. Got to be all three. And that ain't easy, with people like them. Got to use headology. Got to make 'em send 'emselves. Tell Esme Weatherwax she's got to go somewhere and she won't go out of contrariness, so tell her she's not to go and she'll run there over broken glass") she sends the three squabbling witches to the magical city of Genua. On the way they pass through many different cities and learn how to speak 'foreign' "Gooden day, big-feller mine host! Trois beers pour favour avec us, silver plate."
The distant and magical city of Genua is brought to life in the skilled hands of Pratchett. From a distance Genua looked like a complicated white crystal growing out of the greens and browns of the swamp. At the very centre was the palace, tall and pretty and multi-turreted, like a toy castle. Every slim tower looked designed to hold a captive princess. The beauty and cruelty of a 'happy ending' is an interesting theme through the novel that made me rethink many of the stories of my childhood. Woven into the magic and humour of the tale are familiar motifs of wolves, woodchoppers, castles, sleeping princesses and frogs. Pratchett is the Kenneth Branagh of fairy tales - he breathes fresh ideas into old stories and brings new meaning to relived plots.
The Characters
Magrat, as usual, finds herself in the position of third ie. 'ignorant and unnecessary' witch, practising Ninja and preaching peace and goodwill. This adventure sees Magrat developing a real personaility, which she doesn't get to use until Lords and Ladies (but that's another review altogether!). Magrat would be the first to admit that she had an open mind. No mind could be more open without special surgical instruments. The power of being a fairy godmother goes a long way to giving Magrat some independence and there are many hilarious scenes as she struggles to live up to her magical legacy. The most amusing scenes are the ones where Magrat has to use the fairy godmother wand to get the three witches out of a few sticky situations. Unfortunately, it has a tendincy to resett to pumpkins which makes for some belly laughs.
Granny and Nanny never fail to make me smile. Perhaps it's because they remind me of some distantly-related elderly aunts of my own. Witches Abroad uncovers some of Granny's past and reveals a few of her weakness. Nanny bides her time but comes into her own in time to steal the show when her foot fits the glass slipper! A classic scene is one when Granny takes on the guise of a poor helpless old woman and sits down to play Cripple Mister Onion in order to win back money from a group of card sharks - Granny hobbled to the table and waved a hand vaguely at the cards. "So tell me," she said, "how do you play this game then?" No surprises as to who wins the game! In the battle between 'headology' and 'real magic' Granny always wins, but this time she gets a taste of 'swamp magic'.
The Verdict
I thoroughly enjoyed Witches Abroad on many different levels, but mostly for its ability to make me forget the real world for long enough to cramp my abdominal muscles with laughter. While every Discworld novel is fictional and holds you in its power mainly to make you giggle, there is always a serious message in Pratchett's writing. After reading Witches Abroad I walked away feeling that everything that happens in my life is meant to be - this is not say that I don't fight like hell when my 'destiny' doesn't suit me. I did learn, though, that my happy ending will not always be someone else's happy ending. Everyone has their own version of the perfect life and the joy is in spending time discovering what works for ourselves. It's good to remind ourselves of this from time to time.
This installment in the Discworld series brings some new characters and other familiar ones. Pratchett has a sly insight into human nature and manages to caricature even the smallest gesture of human behaviour. Beneath all of the laughter, there is recognition of our own vices reflected in the characters of the Discworld. This is what makes the series both entertaining and interesting. While most of the characters in the Discworld aren't even human (they range from trolls, dwarves and elves, to golems, vampires, gods and werewolves), all of the them display the same vanities and frailties that we observe and laugh at in ourselves. Pratchett makes these vulnerabilities apparent and in so doing, makes us appreciate our strengths.
When Death takes her fairy godmother, Princess Emberella is left in the care of her other not-so-good-and-wise godmother. It s up to the three witches...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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