Some Books Are More Equal Than Others (Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: Pingu

Product:	Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
Date:	02/10/01 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny

Disadvantages: Very few

For me Equal Rites is a kind of turning point in the Discworld series. The first two books were just comic fantasy in a very slapstick, Douglas Adams style - albeit with some very unique imaginative touches. There is magic at every turn, new fairy tale creatures on every page. Basically Pratchett seemed to believe that the key to a great fantasy was to cram in as many fantasy elements as possible.

The most recent books are at the opposite extreme. There is a phenomenal power generated by their almost complete restraint. The fact that magic is almost never used makes it that much more remarkable. Characters are explored as characters, rather than as stereotypical elves, trolls, heroes, etc. In fact in the later books you could almost forget that any of them are fairy tale creatures; basically everyone becomes human. And you could almost believe that Ankh Morpork was London. Thus when the fantastic does happen it is much more powerful, and usually generates more hilarity.

The restraint starts in Equal Rites with the character of Granny Weatherwax. Although a witch, it turns out that, much to the disappointment of her young apprentice Eskarina, witching seems to be all about using herbs and psychology and very little actual magic - Headology as Granny calls it. But at the end of the book, just when you are convinced that this is all there is to Granny, she has a magical show down with a wizard, and wins. The revelation that she has immense power, but refuses to use it in her everday practise somehow makes her even more powerful.

The book is about the young girl Eskarina. Destined to be the eighth son of an eighth son - a condition which normally makes the individual a wizard - she surprises everyone by being a girl. The problem is that the wizard who sought her out at birth, to pass on his powers and his staff, forgot to check down in the nappy region, and has already done the deed before anyone realises. When she gets older it becomes clear
that its not going to be possible to pretend it just didn't happen, so Granny takes Esk to Ankh Morpork to get wizard training. But of course girls aren't allowed to be wizards. Thus begin Esks attempts to infiltrate the stuffy world of the Unseen University.

Still the book doesn't have the power of the latest novels, but it is halfway there, and is a great read in itself. Definitely worth the effort and money.

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