Witches Abroad
1991
- english fantasy fiction
- discworld (imaginary place)
- fiction
- fantasy
- witches
- occult fiction
- fiction, fantasy, general
- discworld (imaginary place), fiction
- granny weatherwax (fictitious character), fiction
- fiction, humorous
The story
Be careful what you wish for...Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named Desiderata who had a good heart, a wise head, and poor planning skills—which unforunately left the Princess Emberella in the care of her other (not quite so good and wise) godmother when DEATH came for Desiderata. So now it's up to Magrat Garlick, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg to hop on broomsticks and make for far-distant Genua to ensure the servant girl doesn't marry the Prince.But the road to Genua is bumpy, and along the way the trio of witches encounters the occasional vampire, werewolf, and falling house (well this is a fairy tale, after all). The trouble really begins once these reluctant foster-godmothers arrive in Genua and must outwit their power-hungry counterpart who'll stop at nothing to achieve a proper "happy ending"—even if it means destroying a kingdom.
What it’s like
Brisk, sly, and warmly absurd, like a comic fairy tale told by someone who knows exactly where the traps are. The prose is quick and full of wry asides, with running jokes that land on the page and a narrator who winks at the reader while the story hurtles along. Bright, cluttered scenes of a sunny, half-imagined Europe give way to dusty roads, gaudy palace halls, and a rain-soaked finale, all rendered in crisp, economical sentences rather than lush description. Its mood is cheerful and mischievous with an undercurrent of genuine melancholy about endings and what people owe one another. The pace is fast and episodic, with short chapters that tumble into each other, so it suits a long-haul flight, a lazy afternoon, or a comfort reread. The three witches are the heart of it: a prickly, proud old woman, a nervous young one finding her nerve, and a warm, scheming grandmother figure, and their gradual, grudging bond carries the book. Violence is comic and brief (monsters, a few tussles, a bit of mayhem), never graphic or frightening, and there is no sexual content. Best for readers who want witty, gentle fantasy with heart and no real dread.
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