Three witches reluctantly take on a usurping duke, a troupe of actors and the power of stories in a comic riff on Macbeth and Hamlet
Three witches on a heath
In the small mountain kingdom of Lancre, King Verence has been murdered by his ambitious cousin, Duke Felmet, who is egged on by his formidable wife. A loyal servant escapes with the infant heir and the crown, and both end up in the hands of three local witches. There is the stern, proud and fiercely capable Granny Weatherwax, the cheerful, much-married Nanny Ogg, and the young, romantic Magrat Garlick, who believes in occult jewelry and good intentions.
Who will enjoy it
Pratchett fans, theater lovers and readers who enjoy literary jokes, strong older women and fantasy that is funny and wise in equal measure.
What you will get
A hilarious Discworld comedy in which three witches, a guilty duke and a troupe of actors collide in a playful send-up of Shakespeare.
Wyrd Sisters Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Fantasy · Discworld · Witches · Shakespeare parody
Length
368 pages · ≈ 11 h
More about this book
The witches hand the baby to a troupe of traveling players, hoping he will grow up safely, and then discover that the kingdom itself is unhappy with its new ruler. Felmet is haunted by guilt and by the blood on his hands that will not wash off, his wife plans to rewrite history with a play, and the late king's ghost hangs around the castle with nothing to do. The solution involves a stage, a playwright dwarf named Hwel and a bold piece of magic involving time.
Pratchett has enormous fun with Shakespeare, from the opening scene on a blasted heath to the play within a play, but the book is about more than jokes. It is a sharp meditation on the power of words and stories to shape what people believe, and on the difference between real power and the theatrical kind. Granny Weatherwax, unbending and unsentimental, is one of the great characters in fantasy, and her friendship with Nanny Ogg is a delight.
Readers unfamiliar with Macbeth will miss some gags, and the plot meanders a little in the middle. It still works perfectly as a standalone. About 368 pages in the Harper paperback.
Guards! Guards!
Mort
The Tragedy of Macbeth
A Hat Full of Sky
Maskerade
Hamlet
Men at Arms
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Going Postal
The Wee Free Men
The Color of Magic
The Light Fantastic