Terry Pratchett

a novel of Discworld

Equal rites

Equal Rites

Sarah Sammis

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett is the third Discworld novel and the first of the witch books. It's also the first hint of the social discourse that has become the mainstay of the series.

The book opens with a wizard wanting to pass on his powers to the eighth son of an eighth son before he dies. In his haste he passes his powers to the daughter of an eighth son. When she comes of age she will need to learn how to use her powers. All young wizards go to the Unseen University. There's just one problem; it's an all male school.

A lot of the book (as the title implies) is a discussion then on the perceived differences between men and women, including for Discworld, differences in men and women's magic. Men become wizards, use spell books and wands, wear funny hats and robes. Women becomes witches and do practical magic (midwifery, healing, and so forth). Esk while she's destined to be a wizard, can't a man be destined to be a witch?

Equal Rites begins Pratchett's exploration of the society he's built in Ankh-Morpork. From this point on (with a few exceptions), the Discworld books will toss in a problem and use it to deconstruct some aspect of society. Later books expand this exploration to other parts of Discworld and other cultures.

Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent, bestselling novels have garnered him a revered position in the halls of parody next to the likes of Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen. In Equal Rites, a dying wizard tries to pass on his powers to an eighth son of an eighth son, who is just at that moment being born. The fact that the son is actually a daughter is discovered just a little too late.

A Novel of Discworld

Gillian Rose

I really enjoyed this one! The witches are fun characters, especially Esk. I know we're going to continue to jump throughout different parts of this universe, but the witches are great. Can't wait for more.

Sade A

I don't think there's ever been a lady wizard before. I rather think it might be against the lore. Wouldn't you rather be a witch? I understand it's a fine career for girls.
  

Story of a woman's life. 

Equal rites is one of those books that makes otherwise hard themes fun and quite possibly more palatable to read. This is not to say that it doesn't resonate or do justice to the subject matter but it does so in such a humorous way that in this case at least, you see the foolishness of girls' being denied 
  'equal rites'





  4 stars would totally recommend as an amazing read if you'd like to get into the Discworld universe.

wolfen gray

oh man,,, hanging out with my favorite witch, Granny Weatherwax, on the Discworld, sitting on the back of four elephants, standing atop the giant cosmic turtle's shell, hurtling through space, might be the best thing that's happened to me this month. No but really it's been a while since I have had this much fun with a book. it's fast-paced, imaginative and written in a most entertaining way and is very funny. And also the characters are so amazingly unique and utterly genuine. it's a real treat for me. I enjoyed it enormously. Gonna go read second book now because self care.

Omar AlHashmi

Good start for the witches series. So far I have only read two books of Rincewind's storyline when it comes to Pratchett. I loved that character. Here in this book, there was a big focus on Esk whom I did not find amusing at all. However as my friend pointed out to me, the series will continue with Granny Weatherwax as the main character. Which is great, because she is a really good character. Wish there had been more laughs though. There were still a few chuckles here and there which is what I expected of Pratchett.

The last thing the wizard Drum Billet did before he died was to pass on his staff of power to the eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately for his colleagues in the chauvinistic world of magic, he failed to check on the newborn baby's sex.

Alex T Hughes

Pretty entertaining but had the same problems to other early entries do: the plots are weak and stringy, and the characters just haven't found themselves yet.

Michael M.

‘Persistently amusing, good-hearted and shrewd’ The Sunday Times The Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it’s not half so bad as a lot of ignorance. The last thing the wizard Drum Billet did, before Deathlaid a bony hand on his shoulder, was to pass on his staff of power to the eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately for his colleagues in the chauvinistic (not to say misogynistic) world of magic, he failed to check that the baby in question was a son. 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 . . . ____________________ The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Equal Rites is the first book in the Witches series.

(Discworld Novel 3)

Kate

"This is all very creditable," he said, "but perhaps we can wait till morning?"
A flash of lightning illuminated Granny's face.
"Perhaps not," Cutangle conceded.

"Unlike Granny, who dressed like a very respectable raven, Hilda Goatfounder was all lace and shawls and colors and earrings and so many bangles that a mere movement of her arms sounded like a percussion section falling off a cliff."

It is known as the Discworld. It is a flat planet, supported on the backs of four elephants, who in turn stand on the back of the great turtle A'Tuin as it swims majestically through space. And it is quite possibly the funniest place in all of creation. The last thing the wizard Drum Billet did, before Death laid a bony hand on his shoulder, was to pass on his staff of power to the eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately for his colleagues in the chauvinistic (not to say misogynistic) world of magic, he failed to check on the new-born baby's sex... Terry Pratchett turns his acute satirical eye on sexual equality and chauvinism in his hilarious third Discworld novel.

Olivera Mitić

3.5 
I liked the beginning much more than the end.

Анастасия Розова

3.5/5
*Read for class.
Feminism in a fantasy world? Hell yeah, sign me right up! 

First of all. Have you seen this title? HAVE YOU? It's a pun! And I love puns with all my heart, so the title alone was funny to me, let alone the books. Terry Pratchett knows how to make jokes, that's for sure. I sort of loled or at least openly smiled in metro more than once and I'm not ashamed.

I hadn't really gotten attached to the characters by the end of the book, but I hope to continue with this series, so I still have time. But despite that, I found Granny Weatherwax to be a great woman. She has stereotypical thinking concerning women, BUT she is willing to support and help when it comes to that, and that's what I appreciated. She is also a very wise woman, let me tell you. We all have something to learn from that old witch. ;3
Now, our main character, Esk. Like I said, didn't get attached, maybe will in the future. But she was rather interesting, spunky and stubborn like hell, I respected that. She was trying to get what she wanted not just by saying "I want to", but by working for it.

The plot does seem a little bit inconsistent and jumpy at times, but it's a short book, so it's hard to forget what was going on in the part you just jumped from before you get right back again. And I hear (and know in practice) his writing style gets better, so I'm excited to that in this series about witches.

Glad this was the book I chose for my Fantasy in foreign literature class and I'm SO ready to make a report on it.

What I had hoped for was a ton of girls power driven plot with showing up the stuffy old wizards at how a woman can be a wizard. What I got was a lot of cool information about witches in Discworld, and some half explained stuff about wizards in Discworld.

What kept this, still delightful, book from getting five stars? The plot was kind of happenstance and the final explanations seemed to be a little too broad. So she's a wizard who can learn at Unseen University now? Or is the title of wizard what makes the staff listen? I'm quite confused, but will continue to follow the story line.

It is one of those charming, laugh out loud books that never lasts long enough.

Emma Lechner

"Terry Pratchett is one of the most popular authors writing today. He lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he 'doesn't want to get a life, because it feels as though he's trying to lead three already'. He was appointed OBE in 1998. He is the author of the phenomenally successful Discworld series and his trilogy for young readers, The Bromeliad, is scheduled to be adapted into a spectacular animated movie. His first Discworld novel for children, THE AMAZING MAURICE AND HIS EDUCATED RODENTS, was awarded the 2001 Carnegie Medal. "

Equal rites a novel of Discworld

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