SPOILERS I Shall Wear Midnight *Spoilers*
- Thread starter Tonyblack
- Start date
Not much of a spoiler, but, the kelda is definitely brown!
Alright, so that was a very old conversation, but I just wanted to have the last word
Alright, so that was a very old conversation, but I just wanted to have the last word
SPOILER said:
And I think it was lovely (and slighty uncharacteristic ) of Terry to let Tiffany have a happy ending 
And without the massive helpings of sugar that some authors seem to think the readership actually wants for it's favourite characters
) of Terry to let Tiffany have a happy ending And without the massive helpings of sugar that some authors seem to think the readership actually wants for it's favourite characters
poohcarrot said:
Finished it. A damn fine read, but hardly a children's book, I'd say.
You'll never guess who the witch is on the cover. 8)
You'll never guess who the witch is on the cover. 8)
I feel quite lucky that I've kind of grown up with the Tiffany Aching books- when Wee Free Men was published, I was 11
Finished it last night, I can see why Terry said this is probably the last Tiffany book as it is difficult to see what he does with her next.
I agree with Pooh it's not really a childrens book or even young adult which is it's official category.
I guessed it was Esk a couple of pages before it was revealed, as oddly I had been wondering if she would ever reappear a few months ago.
I agree with Pooh it's not really a childrens book or even young adult which is it's official category.
I guessed it was Esk a couple of pages before it was revealed, as oddly I had been wondering if she would ever reappear a few months ago.
I know who the old witch is, Esk is first introduced as Smith and only later does she reveal her first name and suddenly take us back to Equal Rites. Mind you the throw away line about looking after her son has got potential for a further story.
Not sure I like time travel in Discworld though, with Esk it sort of works because she was really odd to start with and was always seen as something really unusual, but Tiffany ?
Not sure I like time travel in Discworld though, with Esk it sort of works because she was really odd to start with and was always seen as something really unusual, but Tiffany ?
OK, it's the way time travel occurs in this book I'm not sure about. It is different from previous examples. I'm going to reread tonight so I may be happier second time round. A second reading often improves my appreciation of the book. I wasn't keen on Unseen Academicals until the fourth reading when it really started to sink in
I've just this minute finished reading it.
It occurred to me that Tiffany's foe in this book was ignorance. Demonising witches and executing them is something that maybe in the past now, but that type of ignorance is still very much with us with such things as racism and homophobia.
I enjoyed this book more (I think) than Unseen Academicals, because in UA there was a lot of ideas but the story didn't flow so well. In this book, we pretty much follow Tiffany and what happens to her - that makes for a better narrative flow. One of the problems with Wintersmith was the way the story went off in different directions as we followed story threads of various characters. ISWM didn't do that at all and I think the story works better for it.
Nice to see that Angua has a promotion!
It occurred to me that Tiffany's foe in this book was ignorance. Demonising witches and executing them is something that maybe in the past now, but that type of ignorance is still very much with us with such things as racism and homophobia.
I enjoyed this book more (I think) than Unseen Academicals, because in UA there was a lot of ideas but the story didn't flow so well. In this book, we pretty much follow Tiffany and what happens to her - that makes for a better narrative flow. One of the problems with Wintersmith was the way the story went off in different directions as we followed story threads of various characters. ISWM didn't do that at all and I think the story works better for it.
Nice to see that Angua has a promotion!
Did it seem a bit of a cop-out to you that amost all of the ignorance was due to a spell gone wrong? People just are that ignorant, and it might reach fever pitch levels sometimes, but it's always there. Alright so we might not know anyone who wants to execute witches, but any woman will tell you that there are still men (and even women) who think that women just aren't up to the job. And as you say, there is still racism and homophobia. And it doesn't take magic for this to happen, or for it to get out of hand.
But in ISWM, all the bad feeling wasn't the people's fault, and it went away overnight - phew!
But in ISWM, all the bad feeling wasn't the people's fault, and it went away overnight - phew!
I'm not sure it went away completely - I seem to recall that it was always there, it just took someone to stir it up and the 'mob' mentality would kick in.
In a way the Cunning Man was the personification of hatred through ignorance. Yes he exists on the Discworld and needs to be defeated by Tiffany, but this is Terry using allusion to make a point. Ignorance can be defeated by logic and education - indeed, this is one of the reasons that Tiffany gets the school built - to teach understanding, not just facts.
The more people understand about other people the less they are likely to treat them with suspicion and hatred. I think this is the real message of the book.
In a way the Cunning Man was the personification of hatred through ignorance. Yes he exists on the Discworld and needs to be defeated by Tiffany, but this is Terry using allusion to make a point. Ignorance can be defeated by logic and education - indeed, this is one of the reasons that Tiffany gets the school built - to teach understanding, not just facts.
The more people understand about other people the less they are likely to treat them with suspicion and hatred. I think this is the real message of the book.
I just realized, i haven't really enjoyed a Pratchett's book since Wintersmith.
Making money and Unseen Academical were seriously boring (in my very humble opinion, i'm quite sure a lot of you love those books) and now this one...well...definitely the weakest Tiffany book and even more sad, i didn't laugh or was amused one single time. (again, it's just my opinion)
And really, once again a creature is after the girl ? Really ?
Tiffany got a happy end though, that's a nice touch.
And it's always nice to see Carott and Angua.
Ohh and let's not forget good old Esk.
All in all, some good points but i really can't say that this book interested me. (which really is a pain cause i'm huge fan of the first 3 books)
Making money and Unseen Academical were seriously boring (in my very humble opinion, i'm quite sure a lot of you love those books) and now this one...well...definitely the weakest Tiffany book and even more sad, i didn't laugh or was amused one single time. (again, it's just my opinion)
And really, once again a creature is after the girl ? Really ?
Tiffany got a happy end though, that's a nice touch.
And it's always nice to see Carott and Angua.
Ohh and let's not forget good old Esk.
All in all, some good points but i really can't say that this book interested me. (which really is a pain cause i'm huge fan of the first 3 books)
