The quest to work my way through the audio versions of the entire Discworld catalogue is up to book number 30 with The Wee Free Men, the first of the Tiffany Aching series, a young adult(ish) witchy set of books that are simply and utterly wonderful. Fun and entertaining, it was also a perfect time to revisit the history of the Picts and wonder yet again at the range and breadth of Terry Pratchett's novels, and the way he can weave so many threads together to create such wonderful stories.
This line from the blurb sums it up: "The not-quite-teen set will delight in the Feegles' spicy, irreverent dialogue and Tiffany's salty determination. Novices to Pratchett's prose will find much to like here, and quickly go back to devour the rest of his Discworld offerings."
Wee Free Men
Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching needs magic--fast! Her sticky little brother Wentworth has been spirited away by the evil Queen of Faerie, and it's up to her to get him back safely.
Having already decided to grow up to be a witch, now all Tiffany has to do is find her power. But she quickly learns that it's not all black cats and broomsticks. According to her witchy mentor Miss Tick, "Witches don't use magic unless they really have to...We do other things. A witch pays attention to everything that's going on...A witch uses her head...A witch always has a piece of string!"
Luckily, besides her trusty string, Tiffany's also got the Nac Mac Feegles, or the Wee Free Men on her side. Small, blue, and heavily tattooed, the Feegles love nothing more than a good fight except maybe a drop of strong drink! Tiffany, heavily armed with an iron skillet, the feisty Feegles, and a talking toad on loan from Miss Tick, is a formidable adversary. But the Queen has a few tricks of her own, most of them deadly.
Tiffany and the Feegles might get more than they bargained for on the flip side of Faerie! Prolific fantasy author Terry Pratchett has served up another delicious helping of his famed Discworld fare. The not-quite-teen set will delight in the Feegles' spicy, irreverent dialogue and Tiffany's salty determination. Novices to Pratchett's prose will find much to like here, and quickly go back to devour the rest of his Discworld offerings.
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