Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Equal Rites (The Witches of Discworld, #1) (Discworld, #3)

by Terry Pratchett

The last thing the wizard Drum Billet did, before Death laid a bony hand on his shoulder, was to pass on his staff of power to the eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately for his colleagues in the chauvinistic (not to say misogynistic) world of magic, he failed to check on the new-born baby's sex...

A third hilarious adventure by the author of The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic.

Reviewed by layawaydragon on

5 of 5 stars

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I loved this book. It took a bit to get into but it's completely enjoyable. Very funny and insightful. Even though I've read the Tiffany Aching young adult series before this book, it didn't ruin the enjoyment at all. I wish I could explain this better. Terry Pratchett is one my list of all time favorites and gets recommended to everyone.

I love Granny, but it just goes to show sometimes the biggest challenge for women to overcome and be equal is the Chill Girlz brigade holding women in their place. Granny of course comes around and sees the light so speak and it's really hard to hold Granny's previous acceptance of sexist placement against her. This books really does bring up a lot of feminist issues and handles them so well. Like this magical thought of "Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars" crap, the going in the back door way as a maid to get into college, the stereotypes, talking over and ignoring women and the assumptions.

All of Terry Pratchett's disc world is funny and insightful. It really makes you think and it makes you enjoy the journey. I love how the world is build and described. I could go on and on raving about it.

Piss poor review but I loved it, it's awesome and everyone should read it for themselves.

Some Quotes:

Granny & Esk exchange (pg. 79)

"Women can't be wizards," said Granny bluntly. "It's against nature. You might as well have a female blacksmith."

"Actually I've watched dad at work and I don't see why-"

"Look," look said Granny hurriedly," you can't have a female wizard any more than you can have a male witch, because-"

"I've heard of male witches," said Esk meekly."


On page four:
"It was, in fact, one of those places that exist merely so that people can have come from them.

The universe is littered with them: hidden villages, windswept little towns under wide skies, isolated cabins on chilly mountains, whose only mark on history is to be the incredibly ordinary place where something extraordinary started to happen. Often there is no more than a little plaque to reveal that, against all ecological probability, someone very famous was born halfway up a wall."



Granny, page 38,

"If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing badly," said Granny, fleeing into aphorisms, the last refuge of an adult under siege."


Granny & Esk, page 54:
"Exactly correct. That's one form of magic, of course." (Granny)

"What, just knowing things?" (Esk)

"Knowing things that other people don't know,"said Granny."


There are many, many more of course. Lots of funny bits, insights and satirical material to material to make you think.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 August, 2012: Finished reading
  • 7 August, 2012: Reviewed