http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1317024...

This is a book of two halves, really. The first half (and a bit more) is rather standard mockery of cliches, as the three Witches (not my favourites among Pratchett's recurring characters) experience the delights of foreign travel and people who don't speak your language.

But when they get to their destination, the city of Genua, towards the end of the book, things really take off; it is as if the Brothers Grimm hit New Orleans - and who is that woman who looks like Granny Weatherwax? A lot of Pratchett's writing is about Story, in a way, no doubt reflecting the amount of time he has spent thinking about narrative in the last few decades, but I don't remember any of the novels (after the first couple) highlighting it quite like this.

So, harmless enough at the beginning, much more serious at the end. ( )

I had wanted to read a Terry Pratchett book for a while, I knew I would start with one about the Witches. I enjoyed the characters, and the fantasy elements, although I found the story a little weak. Somehow I expected more......Great hidden humour, I feel I may of missed some of the jokes, maybe I will read another pratchett in the future. ( )

Random Comments review ( )

For Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick, things are never simple. When they go on a mission to Genua to stop a wedding that was not meant to be it turns out to be more complicated than usual. They have got Mrs. Gogol's voodoo, Nanny Ogg's grouchy, domineering, one-eyed cat Greebo, and a second-hand magic wand courtesy of the late Desiderata, that seems to only do pumpkins. ( )

The usual witches are on a mission, and noone should prevent Granny Weatherwax from interfering in the narrative. Magrat inherits the job of fairygodmother; indeed, she sets poor standards in terms of magic. Travelling is not easy, but the action finally settles in an alternate bayou/Louisiana swamp place, with Mrs Gogol as the local voodoo witch. Despite their differences, Granny and Mrs Gogol will learn to work together to achieve a satisfying ending. The Story must go on! ( )