Eskarina Smith was supposed to be the eighth son of an eighth son. This would have made her a wizard. Unfortunately, due to her father's stubbornness and considerable confusion at her birth she still received the wizard’s staff of power. Does that make her a wizard? Well, we all know women ... Read review
Advantages: Introduction to wit and Weatherwaxes Disadvantages: Poor supporting cast, open ending
...makes his political point of equal rites laboured.
Were Pratchett succeeds is in providing a short, sharp tale that while based in fantasy is obviously a political sideswipe at the "glass ceiling" for women prevalent in male dominated professions.
Nonetheless, this is a good read largely due to one liners from Granny Weatherwax and observations on life by Pratchett. He has an uncanny ability to make you laugh ... ...exception.
Smith: "Do you know how wizards like to be buried?"
Granny Weatherwax: "Yes!"
Smith: "Well, how?"
Granny Weatherwax: "Reluctantly."
"If broomsticks were cars, this one would be a split-window Morris Minor."
At 293 pages it is short enough to hold interest throughout and doesn't have the initial drag as some deeper fantasy ... more
Eskarina Smith was supposed to be the eighth son of an eighth son. This would have made her a wizard. Unfortunately, due to her father's stubbornness and considerable confusion at her birth she still received the wizard’s staff of power. Does that make her a wizard? Well, we all know women can't be wizards don't we?
The third novel in the Discworld series this serves an introduction to witches and wizards and reads somewhat like a "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" tale. Centring on Eskarina's attempts to decide whether she wants to be witch or wizard and whether she will be allowed to be either, and her journey from Bad Ass to Unseen University.
However, Pratchett clearly uses this novel as an introduction for readers to Granny Weatherwax the wizened old witch who cares not for learning but is all for common sense. She is an iron willed woman in a world of men and Pratchett makes this clear throughout as she dominates proceedings.
Unfortunately, as a result of Pratchett's keenness to show off Granny's talents the plot and other characters suffer as a result. Supposed main protagonist Eskarina is barely characterised and is simply described as strong willed but naive. Minor characters are also poorly realised. Simon, an apprentice wizard, is vital to the plot but barely features and other than being given a stutter has no personality whatsoever. Archancellor Cutangle is also an important character but is given little part to play and is given the role of the "typical man" for Granny Weatherwax to browbeat.
Perhaps I am used to the strong male characters in Pratchett's later novels (Vimes and Ridcully to name a few), but to have a novel containing entirely stupid male characters is unrealistic and makes his political point of equal rites laboured.
Were Pratchett succeeds is in providing a short, sharp tale that while based in fantasy is obviously a political sideswipe at the "glass ceiling" for women prevalent in male dominated professions.
Nonetheless, this is a good read largely due to one liners from Granny Weatherwax and observations on life by Pratchett. He has an uncanny ability to make you laugh out loud in all his novels and this is no exception.
Smith: "Do you know how wizards like to be buried?" Granny Weatherwax: "Yes!" Smith: "Well, how?" Granny Weatherwax: "Reluctantly."
"If broomsticks were cars, this one would be a split-window Morris Minor."
At 293 pages it is short enough to hold interest throughout and doesn't have the initial drag as some deeper fantasy novels do while setting up a convuluted plot. It provides a good background for later novels although leaves you longing to know what happens to characters such as Eskarina and the ending seems rushed and half-hearted. Therefore, although not the best of the series, not the worst either and at £5.99 for the paperback its worth a look.
Advantages: good characters, interesting Disadvantages: not as good as some of his other novels
...latest book I’ve finished is Equal Rites – the third Discworld novel and the first foray into the chronicles of the Witches. Perhaps unfortunately for me, I read Carpe Jugulum beforehand – a Pratchett book which is brilliant in every way – so Equal Rites had a lot to live up to and just didn’t manage it in my opinion. The story is about a young girl called Esk (short for Eskarina). She is a wizard. Well, kind of. She ... ...as it was pre-Discworld) and Equal Rites isn’t a bad book either. I would recommend any fans to read it, but for those that haven’t ventured into the world of Pterry yet, choose something else to read first.
This lacks something. It may simply be experience, as this was Pratchett’s third Discworld novel and after two Rincewind books, a new venture for him with brand new characters. The witches’ books are amongst his ...
KarenUK 29.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Fun | Re-readable | Doesn't depend on having read previous books | Suitable for many ages Disadvantages: Not as funny as later books
...the story. That book was Equal Rites and now I'm going to share why this book still holds a special place in my heart….
Before I start telling you about this actual book, perhaps I should set the scene a little. This is the third instalment in the series of books that are set on the fantastical Discworld, a flat, disc shaped world where magic rules the lives of the various witches, wizards, heroes and other unfortunates that inhabit it. Oh, and ... ...shoulders of four elephants that in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. And so on to the story….
If there's one thing the Witches and Wizards of Discworld are sure of, it's that they're going to die, and in fact they have advance knowledge of the very moment of their demise. And so it is that Drum Billet is making his way through a thunderstorm, guided by his staff to (the about to be born) eighth son of an eighth son who will inherit the ...
sandemp 30.07.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: It is an enjoyable read Disadvantages: Not as good as the later Witches books
This is the third book in the Discworld series, the Discworld is, as its name suggests a flat disk. An idea thought up by the creator when he was in a more imaginative mood than usual. The disc is carried on the back of four elephants that stand on the back of an astrochelonian (giant space turtle to you and me:). It has a strong magical field which holds it together and as a result of this it has many strange features and odd inhabitants, though ... ...This book begins when a wizard starts getting sloppy about checking the sex of his successor, which just so happens to be a girl. The blacksmith is an eighth son and the child who is now being born is his eighth child and everyone knows what that means (the eighth son of an eighth son is always a wizard). Drum Billet thinks he has been clever and managed to pass his staff on to the blacksmith "son" before Death catches up with him, but unfortunately ...
Azurel 06.06.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: some very funny moments Disadvantages: not as good as some of his other books
...be wizards (hence the title equal rites).
Thats the beginning sorted right the next part of the story is the fact that our GRANNY WEATHERWAX helping our young navie ESKARINA, so that she can get into the unseen unversity* and learn how to be a wizard. However along the way there will be other characters trying to stop our young ESKARINA from getting into the unseen unversity*.
*The unseen unversity is the a unversity for wizards you go here to ... ...old witch who is very equal minded she believes in common sense and that all people should be equal in some sense.
ESKIRNA is a young navie wizard/ witch she plays a good part in this book but she is rarely used and GRANNY WEATHERWAX takes up most of the spotlight.
There are some other characters that come in the book as it goes along but they are some of the main ines and the funny ones.
THE DISCWORLD:
On every review i do of his books im gonna ...
grimworld 13.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Funny, light reading... Disadvantages: ... lacks the brilliance of later Discworld books.
Equal Rites is the third in the Discworld series of books. At the beginning an old wizard, who knows he has only a few minutes to live, journeys to a remote village with a silly name in order to pass on his staff to a deserving recipient. He knows that an eighth son of an eighth son has been born, and these are traditionally sorcerers. Off he goes then, looked at with interest by the many goats in the region, and the blacksmith's cat. He tells the ... ...… Equal Rites is typical of the early Discworld books - quite short, very readable, funny in many places, full of strange characters, and with a good plot. Like some of the other early novels set on the disc, it never quite achieves brilliance, mainly because author Terry Pratchett's writing style hadn't fully developed when he wrote this one. The satire is pretty straight-forward, which isn't to say it isn't good but it lacks depth and subtlety ...
CaptainDisaster 27.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
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Cost:£5.99 or $8.99
Where you can buy it: In all good bookstores
Age group:anywhere from 13+
If you like this book then maybe you should try some other of TerryPratchetts' books?:
*The Colour Of Magic
*The Light Fantastic
*EqualRites
*Mort
*Sourcery
*Pyramids
*Guards! Guards!
*Moving Pictures
*The three part trilogy Truckers, Diggers and Wings
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The Witches Trilogy By TerryPratchett (Hardback)
Book 1 - EqualRites
Book 2 - Wyrd Sisters
Book 3 - Witches Abroad
Year Released: 1994
Number of Pages: 592
This one book contains three of the Discworld novels written about Witches in the order that they were published. All three books are centred on the main witch called Granny Weatherwax and there are two other witches called Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick. They find themselves in all sorts of situations and mainly intrude on other people's lives.
EqualRites:
This is the 3rd Book in the Discworld Series and was released in 1987
Synopsis:
Wizards are supposed to be MEN, however there is always an exception to the rule and when Eskarina who is an eighth daughter of an eighth son was born and then inherited a powerful staff things changed. There is no such thing as ...
Product Information for "Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Fantasy
Series
Discworld Series
Title
Equal Rites
Author
Terry Pratchett
ISBN
0552152609; 0575039507
Manufacturer's product description
They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. There are some situations where the correct response is to display the sort of ignorance which happily and wilfully flies in the face of the facts. In this case, the birth of a baby girl, born a wizard - by mistake. Everybody knows that there's no such thing as a female wizard. But now it's gone and happened, there's nothing much anyone can do about it. Let the battle of the sexes begin... From the Back CoverThey say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.There are some situations where the correct response is to display the sort of ignorance which happily and wilfully flies in the face of the facts. In this case, the birth of a baby girl, born a wizard - by mistake. Everybody knows that there's no such thing as a female wizard. But now it's gone and happened, there's nothing much anyone can do about it. Let the battle of the sexes begin... See all Product Description
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