I am usually a fan of theories relating to Death and the guards. I tried reading another of the books in the witches series and didn't get into it. This one I was hooked into straightaway. Each time I started to feel that a location was starting to drag, it changed and I was surprised at how many twists he introduced into such a 'simple' plot. I have to admit I didn't like the last third of the book. I think I missed something and then it stopped making sense. It was good to try another of the witch series, but the guards are still my favourite.

Pratchett’s third Discworld novel, EQUAL RITES, is not his best work but the first where he begins to show his true voice. Watching Pratchett find his feet is both entertaining and comforting.
EQUAL RITES by Terry Pratchett
An ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Equal Rites was originally published in 1987 and republished in 2012.

When the dying Wizard Drum Billet passes his staff onto the eighth son of an eighth son, said son turns out to be a girl named Eskarina “Esk” Smith. When Esk displays great wizarding powers anyway – gender conformity be damned – but little control over them, local witch Granny Weatherwax decides to bring her to the only place that can teach Esk: the Unseen University of Ankh-Morpork.

Great comfort read

Equal Rites is Pratchett’s first book about the Discworld Witches and marks a clear departure from his first two Discworld novels, The Colour of Magic and A Light Fantastic. Though still tropey and with a romance subplot that feels like checking off an item on the Fantasy To-Do List, Equal Rites is Pratchett finding his feet and his voice, giving it the comfortable feeling of familiarity. His humour and barely concealed anger propel the story forward and over the more bumpy bits.

There is no doubt that Equal Rites is not peak Pratchett yet. For modern audiences the gender discussion will feel outdated and a bit clunky, as will the “villains”, such as there are, and the finale. More importantly, though, it also introduces us to the character of Granny Weatherwax who, unlike Esk, turns into one of the main protagonists of the Discworld novels. Interestingly, Granny Weatherwax’ first appearance reads almost the same as her later ones, establishing again that Pratchett got more confident with his style. Overall, Equal Rites is a quick, entertaining read that feels like a cosy blanket on a cold, dreary day.

Rating

Even though I adore Pratchett and his Witches, this was my first time reading Equal Rites. I was really impressed how like him the novel already sounded, especially compared to The Colour of Magic and A Light Fantastic. His (first) version of feminism was decidedly less impressive but didn’t take away from the overall experience of a great three-star comfort read.

I love Granny Weatherwax. I will always love Granny Weatherwax. Although she was only ever a grandmother by honorary status, that thread of steel within her character reminds me of my own dear departed grandmother. Equal Rites is the book where we meet her for the very first time and that on its own makes it very special. That being said, this third book in the series is still very much Discworld in beta. It is my personal belief that the series did not hit its stride until later volume Mort and that Granny Weatherwax did not emerge in her full glory until Wyrd Sisters. Still, her early partnership with Esk shows the early signs of what would become one of the true iconic characters within the series and also one of the all time finest fictional witches. All hail!

Book 3 of 41 and yet again another great. Pratchett never fails to write a thoroughly enjoyable book. This one has every needed to a fantastic fantasy novel, from wizard successors…there’s enough to get you hooked. Great British humour throughout.

The earlier Discworld novels are not my absolute favourites, but it is always a pleasure to read anything by Pratchett. The character of Eskarina is appealing and it's nice to revisit Granny Weatherwax's first appearance.

I've been dipping in and out of the Discworld books over the past few years. I plan to do more in the coming few months (mainly the novels featuring DEATH. I read Reaper Man years ago and class it as one of my favourites. One that I should reread before I dare tackle the next DEATH book, Soul Music - which is on my kindle as we speak), but I seem to have been going towards the Witches series, reading Wyrd Sisters, Masquarade and now, Equal Rites (which is classed as the first book in the Witch series, but at the same time, reads as a standalone).

Wizards in the Discworld know when they are going to die. So, before Drum Billet does, he goes and passes his staff to the eighth son of an eighth son. But he didn't check the newborn's gender until it was much too late...

For you see, girls can't be wizards. It's the lore in the in the chauvinistic (not to say misogynistic) world of magic. And yet, here we are with our first female wizard. And it's up to local witch Granny Weatherwax to somehow train and keep an eye on the girl as she grows into her magic...

You can tell that this is an early Discworld book as Terry Pratchett is still figuring this series out, but you can tell he's almost got it. He's nearly there with the world, the characters, the ideas... and yet, he doesn't always stick the landing. Which probably explains where some people say to not start the series with the early Discworld books and start a little later in the series (with Mort, Wyrd Sisters or Guards! Guards!)

I liked this, but I didn't exactly love it. I love the idea of how this tries to tackle sexism through the lenses of witches and wizards. And this is the book where we first meet Granny Weatherwax.

Granny, like Death, is one of Discworld's best characters, in my honest opinion. She's someone you wouldn't want to cross, but you want her on your side. She's a badass who doesn't fools gladly, but she is flawed as she takes herself and her ideas of magic far too seriously. She is the perfect foil for Nanny Ogg (who we first meet in Wyrd Sisters, who is fun loving and doesn't take life too seriously).

The plot was a tad slow for my liking - like I said, this feels like Terry Pratchett was finding his feet with the Discworld, and yet he's not quite there.

While this might not be my fave out of the three Witches books I've read so far, I enjoyed myself hugely with Granny and I plan to dip my toe into more Witches novels or even the Tiffany Asking novel as we see Granny and Nanny pop up in those...

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‘𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 𝙨𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.’

Everybody knows there’s no such thing as a female wizard. So when the wizard Drum Billet accidentally passes on his staff of power to an eighth daughter of an eighth son, a girl called Eskarina (Esk, for short), the misogynistic world of wizardry want nothing to do with her.
Thankfully Granny Weatherwax, the Discworld’s most famous witch, has plenty of experience ignoring the status quo. With Granny’s help, Esk sneaks her way into the magical Unseen University and befriends apprentice wizard Simon.
But power is unpredictable, and these bright young students soon find themselves in a whole new dimension of trouble. Let the battle of the sexes begin . . .

Oh Discworld, how I’ve missed you!
I am a massive fan of Terry Pratchett and have the Discworld series somewhere in my loft, the original cool covers, not the newly released ones (swipe to see) I have been trying to find them on and off for months but no luck so far 🤷🏻‍♀️ So when I saw that @netgalley had Equal Rites available to request I jumped at it and was luckily approved.
I loved throwing myself back into Discworld, especially with Granny Weatherwax, one of my favourite characters! It was almost like reading it anew as I had forgotten a lot of the story and truly loved it all over again. Still a series to make me laugh out loud at inappropriate times and places, this time at 2am when my poor husband is trying to sleep! (Sorry love ❤️)
If you still haven’t read any Pratchett I urge, nay BEG you to read some, you really won’t regret it.
Now to resume the loft hunting as I want to start at the beginning (when I say I search, of course I mean my hubby 😂)
Favourite Discworld characters, let me know!

I need to come clean: Terry Pratchett is one of my favourite authors, if not my very favourite. He is an author that I have come back to again and again and is an author that bears repeated reading. It is great to get the opportunity to reread certain titles particularly after a long break, and 'Equal Rites' was one of the first of his books that I read back in 1992, when I was but a child.
However, it is also a risk to come back to a book or any piece if art you have loved in your youth, but I've always felt that Terry Pratchett was a timeless author and rereading 'Equal Rites' some 35 years after it was first published has proved this to be the case.

It's only after a thinking long and hard about 'Equal Rites' that I realised I had only read it once, but the story was still surprisingly fresh in my mind, and that says a lot about the writing. However, my memory of this book was that it was NOT one of my favourite of Sir Terry's, and not one of his best…
But what a benefit 30 years of life experience provides to certain perspectives! Not only is this wonderful but it also has a real prescience; not only showing the place where we were, but also the place to which we were heading in contemporary society. And all through the eyes of witches and wizards in a very fantastical world... But that is the wonder of great fiction, allowing us to see ourselves and society even if using the most abstract or foreign lens.

'Equal Rites' it's not one of the most obvious of Sir Terry’s to start with if you've never read his work before. It is not quite at the start of the Discworld series and it is probably not quite at the point to where his style developed but it is well plotted and it does have quite a few jokes and humorous parts. But this is one of Pratchett’s more serious books, tackling the subject of gender equality and societal expectations and I think that this subject was possibly more important to him that it somehow superseded the need for out-and-out jokes.
It is however a very interesting book to read as a Pratchett fan as it forms a definite bridge between his very early fantasy ‘parody’ books and what became the modern icon of the Discworld novels.

Having said that, it is a standalone title which tackles an important subject from fairly unusual angle and is very definitely a jumping off point for many of the ideas and characters which he developed in later books in the series. And although I have said that it is maybe not as funny or certainly doesn't have as many jokes as later books it is still considerably better written and certainty more humorous than most other humourist writers produce on a good day. Pratchett was only getting started when he wrote this book and things only got better from here.
And the new covers are so very appealing!

Another excellent book by STP.
Blasting through the pomposity of gender stereotypes with his usual acerbic wit.

Wow, it’s been a long time since reading a Terry Pratchett novel.
A reread of Equal Rites is a definite overdue revisit of Discworld and its incredible characters, fantasy, and humour.

Ah man, I’ve forgotten how much joy can be obtained from single sentences, and not just once, but over and over again as you find yourself marvelling over the absolute brilliance of how words can be thrown together in a manner that creates beauty and humour. I found myself on many occasions looking around to share how incredible a sentence is, to someone, anyone, before moving on in the book.

I feel sorry for those that have never experienced Discworld; it is definitely something everyone should experience at least once.

I hate to admit it, but it's been a while since I've read a Terry Pratchett. I read most of them through my teens and twenties, and now I'm mumble years old I'm clearly due a reread!

Knowing what later books are like while reading this one is an odd experience. This is book three in the series, and while it's a lot better than book one, Terry still hadn't reached the heights of his brilliance. Metafors (as Granny would have it) are a lot less subtle than they would be later, characters haven't quite settled into themselves yet, and worst of all, there's only one footnote!

All that not withstanding, this is still an amazing, funny, touching read, introducing one of Terry's key characters and setting up the Ramtops which would feature heavily in later novels. Some of the ideas he uses later appeared here for the first time too, and it's lovely to see them coming into being here.

Terry Pratchett is an author that everyone should read, whether they're a fantasy fan or not. I really enjoyed reading this one and I highly recommend it.

So loved this I have struggled with Terry Pratchett before but I guess it must have been the wrong book. This Book tells the story of Tiffany Aching and Granny Weatherwax it is absoluteley brilliant I stayed up late to finish this book and was really happy with it 5 stars definitely I loved the book and the cover and would recommend this to anyone.

In time honoured tradition,Drum Billet, a wizard, passes on his powers to the 8th son of the 8th son in order for them to receive his magical powers to be a wizard before he dies.. But somewhere along the lines there's a mix up and nobody checks the baby to see if it's a boy!!! Well it's actually a girl which they all quickly realise!!!. There's no such thing as a lady wizard!!! No one has every been one before and it's normally only males that take that job!!!
So all the education for this young lady called Eck falls upon a witch called Granny. She hasn't really got much of a clue really as she's a witch and Eck is a wizard.!!! Their adventures in order to train Eck and all the people they come across made me laugh out loud!!! Hilarious!!!
I give this book 5 stars purely for the.comedy effect running throughout the whole story. It was also a really easy read where time can get away from you if you're not careful!!!
I had a free arc from Netgalley so thank you! This was my honest review.
#Netgalley, #randomhouse, #terrypratchettbooks

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
I give this book 4.5 stars

The last thing the wizard Drum Billet did before Death 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 that the baby in question was a son.
Everybody knows that there's no such thing as a female wizard.
Let the battle of the sexes begin . .

This is my introduction into this author and the Discworld series.
I think Terry Pratchett was a clever and talented storyteller who crafts books that are so much more than just fantasy. I found Esk and Granny Wearherwax to be beautifully drawn and rather unique characters that l fell in love with. I got completely lost in the descriptive and imaginative Discworld with its magic,chaos subtle satire and deeper meanings.
A joy to read and l will be rushing off to buy the the rest of the series.
With thanks to Netgalley, Terry Pratchett and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Corgi for my chance to read and review this book.

I continue with my rereading of the Terry Pratchett books that were reprinted quite recently. This should have been read before the previous one that I reviewed (Wyrd Sisters), but it does not make much difference except show one of the characters in a whole different light.
The story had the trademark humour, and I relished every minute of it. But since I cannot honestly give all the books the same rating, I introspected a little and decided I liked this a little lesser than I did some others in the series and rated it accordingly.
If you are unfamiliar with the Discworld books, this is not too bad a place to start (even if the city watch series is funnier). We begin in a small town where a dying wizard has come to literally pass on his magic. He dies a little too early before he finds out that he has blessed a girl with wizardry(women in the world usually are witches if they have anything to do with magic at all). This seventh child of a seventh child turns out to not be like her peers, and although she knows something is being kept from her, she has a thirst for learning. It is a very positive portrayal of an engaging child/young lady in the situations she finds herself. The magic, however, wants something, and it helps her on the way. During her journey, she finds herself protectors - the interference by a couple of whom might save her life and that of many other people.
There are nonsensical (while simultaneously being intelligent) debates thrown around as people try to make sense of the awkward new scenario that everyone finds themselves in.
It is an interesting adventure, with all the hallmarks of making people chuckle and read aloud passages to any unsuspecting passerby. I know I say the last part for a lot of humourous books, but as long as I continue to experience that, I will have to mention it!
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett is the third book in the fantastic Discworld Novels. These Books are a superb read and a must read for every Young teenaged child up to an adult. I remember reading the Discworld books in order, when I was teenagers (many, many moons ago) lying under my quilt at night time with a ever ready battery powered torch (Now I am showing my age) I could not wait to go to bed to open my Terry Pratchett book's and read what happens next in the Discworld adventures with the great Turtle and its adventures.

So, when I go a chance to read this book again........I didn't need my ever ready battery torch - I had a kindle to read it from. OMG I was transported back in time to by small bedroom hiding under my quilt reading it. This book was still magical from the first time I had read it.

Equal Rite is a fantasy stereotypes by the notorious badass and witty witches that I just loved. Excellent book from start to finish.

If you have not read any of his books?! where have you been.......I highly recommend all of his books.

Biggest Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Corgi for my copy of Sir Terry Pratchett's Small God's Book for a review.

Granny Weatherwax is a stalwart of the Discworld series. She appears in several books and it was a joy to meet her in this one.
What else can you expect from Equal Rites? Well, there's Terry Pratchett's usual genius, satire and creativity as he puts his own spin on feminism with a side of magic. There were some moments which made me genuinely chortle out loud. The Pleistocene pun in particular got a big laugh from me.
#pickupapratchett

This is another brilliant book in the Author's Witch series and I would recommend reading some of the previous books first to set the characters in place .

A woman cannot be a 'wizard' or so say the male 'wizards' at least that's what they think - that is until wizard Drum Billet passed on his staff on to the eight son of an eight son whilst awaiting Death's touch- or so he thought - the baby was in fact a daughter !!
Erskina is determined to take her place as a wizard and with the help(?) of Mrs Weatherwax she might just succeed despite the obstacles put in her way by those misogynistic male wizards .

This is another book by the Author that's full of crazy humour and events , of twists and turns aplenty that keeps the reader fully invested in the outcomes

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

4,5* upped to 5
I wouldn't recommend to start reading the Witch series with this book: it's as entertaining as any other Pratchett's book and there's some interesting ideas but it's also a bit slower.
Eskarina wants to become a wizard but it's a male-only profession, helped by Ms Weatherwax she will succeed.
I can't say it's bad book, there's no bad Discoworld book, it less brilliant than other and it can be thoroughly enjoyed after reading Wyrd Sisters.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Equal Rites is the first book in the Witches series. A fun novel, that I enjoyed without having the usual head scratching my thriller reading gives me.