A Book Review: Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #6)

In 1988, Macbeth and Hamlet had a baby in Discworld; the result, is a comedy called Wyrd Sisters. This book is the 6^th installment in Terry Pracehtt's Discworld series. Wyrd Sisters is witty and humorous, and it might even put a few smiles on Shakespeare's face if he could read it.

Synopsis:

In a castle chamber, the moonlight wrestled against the darkness to produce the ghostly silhouette of a man, who stood in a deafening silence and whisphered: "Is this a dagger which I see before me?"

A few minutes later, a dagger buried itself into the king and his body thumped against the stone floor. On that night, the kingdom of Lancre began to wobble. Now, it is up to three witches from the moor, the Wyrd Sisters, who usually meet up on Tuesday nights, to put the rightful king on the thone.

My thoughts on this book:

I had more fun reading Wyrd Sisters than Equal Rites. This little book is clever and entertaining. I was smiling and grinning at the Shakespearean references in this book, and my English teacher from highschool would be proud to know that I did not give back those classes to her. The story commented on the political system of monarchy, the phenomenon of theatre, and other moral values. But I particularly enjoyed the parts in the book that parodied the classical fairy tales. One cannot separate fairy tales from magic, so let's talk for a while, the role of magic in Wyrd Sisters.

There are two types of portrayal for magic in Discworld books. The first portrayal is where young men go to an university to receive a degree in magic. While they learn magic in great details but they are also restricted to their chosen discipline, all the while they refuse to acknowledge authorities in the same field. I believe this is a comment on the social sector of education and research in our world. The second portrayal for magic is the raw and the natural magic, and it can cause inanimate objects to think and walk, as if the nature itself is a character in the story that may intervene and resolve conflicts. In Wyrd Sisters, the spotlight was cast on this second portrayal for magic and I found this underlying theme fascinating and thought provoking.

Granny Weatherwax returned in Wyrd Sisters, but this book also introduced us to two more witches; Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick. I like these two characters. The constant bickering between Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg was particularly enjoyable to read; the dialogues were humorous. Meanwhile, this book also entailed a subplot of romance involving Magrat Garlick, and it added heart to the story.

Wyrd Sisters is the second book featuring the witches of Discworld. So far, I am enjoying these books more than the Rincewind/wizard books. To me, these books, casting the witches as the protagonists, have better writings and more interesting themes than those about the wizards. However, whether if I would end up liking the Witches books as much as I did with The City Watch, Moist Von Lipwig, and Ancient Civilization books, that remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Wyrd Sisters has a humorous and hearty story and I recommend it to book lovers.