★★★★☆ Granny Weatherwax gets headologized

Witches Abroad

Terry Pratchett

Witches Abroad is the twelfth novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the third in the Witches subseries, after Equal Rites and Wyrd Sisters, which introduced Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and the unfortunate Magrat Garlick. They are the central figures of Witches Abroad, but the first three witches we meet are not Magrat, Granny, and Nanny. One of these first three is Desiderata Hollow, who is about to die. but has unfinished business left. She needs to get Magrat, Granny, and Nanny to take care of it, so she uses headology.

Got to be all three. And that ain’t easy, with people like them. Got to use headology. Got to make ’em send ’emselves. Tell Esme Weatherwax she’s got to go somewhere and she won’t go out of contrariness, so tell her she’s not to go and she’ll run there over broken glass.

"There" is the distant city of Genua, where the third of the first three witches has cast herself as the Good Witch in a fairy story. So Magrat, Granny, and Nanny head off to Genua, where they deal with the fairy story.

Witches Abroad feels like two books. The first half of the book is the story of Magrat, Granny, and Nanny's trip to Genua. This is fun in a Terry Pratchett travelogue kind of way. The three witches bicker, and Nanny speaks "foreign" to everyone they meet. For instance, she explains to Magrat and Granny that "dairy air" is "foreign for bum." Nanny and Granny play poker (well, in the Discworld it's called "Cripple Mr Onion") with card sharps. I'll let you guess how that turns out, but it is perfect and delicious.

Halfway through the book (literally at 50% by kindle progress meter) they arrive at Genua, and the story becomes more serious. It's not like the jokes stop -- it's still a Pratchett novel, after all -- but there is now a real plot and real stakes, and diverse "treasons, stratagems, and spoils."

Witches Abroad is two things, a very amusing witch's travelogue followed by a twisted reimagining of Cinderella. Both of these are good things.

Witches Abroad on Amazon

Goodreads review

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