Wyrd Sisters

Magrat had used a lot of powder to make her face pale and interesting. It combined with the lavishly applied mascara to give the guard the impression that he was looking at two flies that had crashed into a sugar bowl.

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld Book #6)

By Terry Pratchett
1998
332 Pages

Witches are not by nature gregarious, and they certainly don’t have leaders. Granny Weatherwax was the most highly-regarded of the leaders they didn’t have. But even she found that meddling in royal politics was a lot more difficult than certain playwrights would have you believe…

Though they all take place in the same fantastical setting, the novels of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series jump around in place, in time, and in who is most prominently featured. This book, the sixth to be published, is the second outing for Granny Weatherwax, who was last highlighted in #3- Equal Rites. This time, with the “help” of two other witches, she gets involved with a plot that can only be described as Shakespearean.

Wyrd Sisters was a fast read with a hell of a lot of fun. The coven of Lancre, despite all of Granny’s avoidance tactics, gets mixed in with succession crisis after the Bard’s own heart. Recicide? Check. Witches? Obviously. Ghosts? Can’t miss them! Mistaken identities, hidden princes, and a nice helping of Death? Yes yes yes. Though don’t mistake me- this book is a comedy through and through!

The humor includes snide and sarcastic observations, tongue in cheek asides about theater, quips about the absurdity of the Discworld, and more meta references than I could even begin to list. It was, overall, a rollickingly funny adventure that built upon Pratchett’s world even further.

Should You Read This?

This is one of the best Discworld books I’ve read so far- right up there with Mort. If you want to jump into the series but are intimidated by the dozens of books, I’d imagine this one wouldn’t be too difficult to use as a jumping off point. While Granny shows up in an earlier book, that title isn’t essential to understanding what is happening, especially since every other character is new.

Over six books we’ve looked at cities both large and small, at the magic of Wizards and Witches, and experienced a plethora of rulers that run the entire gamut of competency. Oh, and we’ve met Death. Many, many, times. It has been a fun journey so far!
Summary from Goodreads