yak_attak's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
While it comes to a fun head and is topped off with a rather nice moral-of-the-story, the meat of this Discworld adventure is just a travelogue series of sendups and parodies of various fairy tales. Which is great, and definitely something Pratchett excels at, but it's not his most nuanced or interesting work. Still, it's Pratchett - read it.
While it comes to a fun head and is topped off with a rather nice moral-of-the-story, the meat of this Discworld adventure is just a travelogue series of sendups and parodies of various fairy tales. Which is great, and definitely something Pratchett excels at, but it's not his most nuanced or interesting work. Still, it's Pratchett - read it.
esoclectic's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mimosaeyes's review against another edition
4.0
The first in the Witches subseries that really works, in my opinion, digging deep into the nature of stories and magic and free will. Also, really doing right by Granny Weatherwax. And let's not forget the amazing-ness that is . Very good.
Spoiler
Greebo temporarily taking on rapscallion human formhauntedbody's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
paigereitz's review against another edition
5.0
I've really been enjoying my dive into Pratchett, but this is definitely one of my favorites so far. A story about storytelling, and about the power of stories. Plus, Granny is in it, of course.
halberdbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Spooky season is here! And what better thing to read than a book about witches, about pumpkins, about the horror of being forced to become something you never were, and about cats? More than anything, Witches Abroad is about stories, and I absolutely love stories about stories. As the first Discworld book I ever read -- and the only so far -- I wanted to go back and reread it, to see if it was what I'd consider a formative text. It wasn't, really -- in retrospect, if you have to reread a text to remember what it taught you, it couldn't be THAT formative -- but it still is fantastic and well worth the reread. Problematic? Absolutely, in the original spirit of the word. But very good and very fun all the same.
celise_winter's review against another edition
5.0
"It's not staying in the same place that's the problem," said Nanny. "It's not letting your mind wander."
Witches Abroad is one of the most entertaining Discworld novels so far, if reading chronologically, in which Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat set off on an adventure to stop a peasant girl, Emberella, from marrying a prince. Along the way the witches encounter many stories, including one with a girl in a red riding hood and a rather confused big bad wolf. Not to worry though, the three witches have many talents in derailing things that are meant to be.
As usual, one's enjoyment of a Discworld novel is usually determined foremost by the cast of characters, and secondly by where on the scale of ridiculous the concept falls. Somewhere in the middle is usually good, and this one is just that. The three witches are such a perfect ensemble that the comedy comes through really well, and the story seems to unfold naturally around them. Sure, it's still ridiculous, but the parody of classic princess stories is easy to make sense of. Accompanied by Greebo, Nanny's vile cat Greebo (who could stop a stampede of bulls in its tracks with one glare), Death himself, and several recognizable storybook characters, this is will probably be one of the more memorable books once I've gotten through all 40.
Just as an extra note- I always get a kick out of how Death's never mentioned by name in most of the books besides his intro in Colour of Magic and in his own series, and is only indicated by the all-caps manner of speaking. I had a few laughs over that in this one, as small as his part might have been.
Witches Abroad is one of the most entertaining Discworld novels so far, if reading chronologically, in which Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat set off on an adventure to stop a peasant girl, Emberella, from marrying a prince. Along the way the witches encounter many stories, including one with a girl in a red riding hood and a rather confused big bad wolf. Not to worry though, the three witches have many talents in derailing things that are meant to be.
As usual, one's enjoyment of a Discworld novel is usually determined foremost by the cast of characters, and secondly by where on the scale of ridiculous the concept falls. Somewhere in the middle is usually good, and this one is just that. The three witches are such a perfect ensemble that the comedy comes through really well, and the story seems to unfold naturally around them. Sure, it's still ridiculous, but the parody of classic princess stories is easy to make sense of. Accompanied by Greebo, Nanny's vile cat Greebo (who could stop a stampede of bulls in its tracks with one glare), Death himself, and several recognizable storybook characters, this is will probably be one of the more memorable books once I've gotten through all 40.
Just as an extra note- I always get a kick out of how Death's never mentioned by name in most of the books besides his intro in Colour of Magic and in his own series, and is only indicated by the all-caps manner of speaking. I had a few laughs over that in this one, as small as his part might have been.