Terry Pratchett's Wintersmith is the third book in his recent Discworld young adult series (The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky) that charts the progress of Tiffany Aching and the Mac Nac Feegles, the host of small blue men sworn to protect her.
A 13-year old witch who has chosen attire of blue and green over the traditional black, Tiffany apprentices herself to Miss Eumenidess Treason. Miss Treason, approximately 100 years Tiffany's senior, is a real witch's witch who not only dresses completely in black, but lives in a cottage painted black, raises black goats and chickens, and makes black cheeses. It's the black cheeses that Tiffany dislikes the most.
Miss Treason, who went blind and deaf late in life, is practiced at the witch's art of Borrowing, which allows her to use the eyes and ears of nearby animals or people to see and hear through. Instead of human heart, Miss Treason wears a clock on her belt that goes clonk clank instead of tick tock.
A 13-year old witch who has chosen attire of blue and green over the traditional black, Tiffany apprentices herself to Miss Eumenidess Treason. Miss Treason, approximately 100 years Tiffany's senior, is a real witch's witch who not only dresses completely in black, but lives in a cottage painted black, raises black goats and chickens, and makes black cheeses. It's the black cheeses that Tiffany dislikes the most.
Miss Treason, who went blind and deaf late in life, is practiced at the witch's art of Borrowing, which allows her to use the eyes and ears of nearby animals or people to see and hear through. Instead of human heart, Miss Treason wears a clock on her belt that goes clonk clank instead of tick tock.
Tiffany endures Miss Treason's eccentricities for three months before the dark night on the cusp of Winter during which Miss Treason brings Tiffany into the forest to witness the Morris dance, in which six shadowy figures dance with even less perceivable entities, a dance designed to bid farewell to the tender kiss of Summer and to welcome Winter's cold embrace, a dance that Tiffany is unable to prevent herself from joining.
Ah, the mingling of Gods and humans, especially where romance is concerned - it's a motif as old as literature itself, and yet when given a Terry Pratchett treatment becomes wonderfully fresh and playful.
Not a God exactly, the Wintersmith is Winter itself. He is an elemental who controls the ice, the wind, the snow, and who generally paints the Earth in cold hues during his seasonal reign. The Wintersmith knew not the desires of the human heart - not, at least, until Tiffany Aching threw herself into the dance with him. Now he desires Tiffany.
Ah, the mingling of Gods and humans, especially where romance is concerned - it's a motif as old as literature itself, and yet when given a Terry Pratchett treatment becomes wonderfully fresh and playful.
Not a God exactly, the Wintersmith is Winter itself. He is an elemental who controls the ice, the wind, the snow, and who generally paints the Earth in cold hues during his seasonal reign. The Wintersmith knew not the desires of the human heart - not, at least, until Tiffany Aching threw herself into the dance with him. Now he desires Tiffany.
Tiffany is a wonderfully sympathetic heroine, naïve and well-meaning with a heart of gold and witchcraft enough to get her into trouble, but too little to get her out again. Enter the Mac Nac Feegles, best described of course by Pratchett himself:
"A small group of little men was creeping across the floor. Their skins were blue and covered with tattoos and dirt. They all wore very grubby kilts, and each one had a sword, as big as he was, strapped ot his back. And they all had red hair, a real orange-red, with scruffy pigtails. One of them wore a rabbit skull as a helmet. It would have been more scary if it hadn't kept sliding over his eyes."
A chorus of comic relief in this epic tale of Gods and humans, the Mac Nac Feegles, characterized mainly by their love of drink and fighting, scurry throughout the novel in upholding their solemn duty to protecting Tiffany Aching, "the big wee hag."
Wintersmith is a quick and pleasurable read that stands quite solidly on its own. I'd recommend however that you start with the first two books in order to get your full quota of Terry Pratchett chuckles.
"A small group of little men was creeping across the floor. Their skins were blue and covered with tattoos and dirt. They all wore very grubby kilts, and each one had a sword, as big as he was, strapped ot his back. And they all had red hair, a real orange-red, with scruffy pigtails. One of them wore a rabbit skull as a helmet. It would have been more scary if it hadn't kept sliding over his eyes."
A chorus of comic relief in this epic tale of Gods and humans, the Mac Nac Feegles, characterized mainly by their love of drink and fighting, scurry throughout the novel in upholding their solemn duty to protecting Tiffany Aching, "the big wee hag."
Wintersmith is a quick and pleasurable read that stands quite solidly on its own. I'd recommend however that you start with the first two books in order to get your full quota of Terry Pratchett chuckles.
