The Wee Free Men & A Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett
What better author to start my year off with than the inimitable Sir Terry Pratchett? The fabulous Discworld series is my go-to when I need good, clean, fun reading. These books are always clever, hilarious, smart, and touching. I read these two because they, unlike many of the Discworld books, follow the same main character in chronological order.
Tiffany Aching starts out a precocious nine-year-old who lives a quiet existence making cheese and butter on her parents' farm, minding her obnoxious and perpetually sticky little brother in between stints of reading the dictionary. The adventure begins when she calmly does away with a frightening creature out of a fairy tale using her brother as bait and an iron cooking pan as a weapon. What follows is a delightful romp with the Nac Mac Feegle, tiny blue men who sound (and act) pretty stereotypically Scottish. When Tiffany's brother is stolen by the Queen and taken away to Fairyland, a realm of terrifying dreams made real, Tiffany is the only one able to save him. She has the Chalk in her bones, the land of her home country, and her Granny Aching's legacy and wisdom to guide her. The majority of this book is funny, yes, but there are also moments of breathtaking beauty and introspection.
In the second book, we see Tiffany as an eleven-year-old, still precocious but a little unsure of herself as she ventures off of the Chalk to apprentice with an older witch. Our enemy in this installment is a hiver, a dangerous being as old as the universe who seeks out power and strength, and Tiffany has both. The book is equally about how she deals with the hiver as how she deals with her peers. I can see why these are sometimes shelved in the Young Adult section, as they follow the standard coming of age plot, with added flavor provided by the Nac Mac Feegle and a world filled with magic. As always, Sir Terry does not disappoint, and I am left feeling happy and satisfied.
Shop indie!
Tiffany Aching starts out a precocious nine-year-old who lives a quiet existence making cheese and butter on her parents' farm, minding her obnoxious and perpetually sticky little brother in between stints of reading the dictionary. The adventure begins when she calmly does away with a frightening creature out of a fairy tale using her brother as bait and an iron cooking pan as a weapon. What follows is a delightful romp with the Nac Mac Feegle, tiny blue men who sound (and act) pretty stereotypically Scottish. When Tiffany's brother is stolen by the Queen and taken away to Fairyland, a realm of terrifying dreams made real, Tiffany is the only one able to save him. She has the Chalk in her bones, the land of her home country, and her Granny Aching's legacy and wisdom to guide her. The majority of this book is funny, yes, but there are also moments of breathtaking beauty and introspection.
In the second book, we see Tiffany as an eleven-year-old, still precocious but a little unsure of herself as she ventures off of the Chalk to apprentice with an older witch. Our enemy in this installment is a hiver, a dangerous being as old as the universe who seeks out power and strength, and Tiffany has both. The book is equally about how she deals with the hiver as how she deals with her peers. I can see why these are sometimes shelved in the Young Adult section, as they follow the standard coming of age plot, with added flavor provided by the Nac Mac Feegle and a world filled with magic. As always, Sir Terry does not disappoint, and I am left feeling happy and satisfied.
Shop indie!
Comments
Post a Comment