Tuesday 31 August 2010

Review: Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett

'Crivens!'

Tiffany Aching put one foot wrong, made just one little mistake...

And now the spirit of winter is in love with her. He gives her roses and icebergs and showers her with snowflakes, which is tough when you're thirteen, but also just a little bit...cool.

If Tiffany doesn't work out how to deal with him, there will never be another springtime...

Discworld Series:
The Colour of Magic (Rincewind book 1)
The Light Fantastic (Rincewind book 2)
Equal Rites (Witches book 1)
Mort (Death book 1)
Sourcery (Rincewind book 3)
Wyrd Sisters (Witches book 2)
Pyramids
Guards! Guards! (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 1)
Eric (Rincewind book 4)
Moving Pictures (Industrial Revolution book 1)
Reaper Man (Death book 2)
Witches Abroad (Witches book 3)
Small Gods
Lords and Ladies (Witches book 4)
Men at Arms (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 2)
Soul Music (Death book 3)
Interesting Times (Rincewind book 5)
Maskerade (Witches book 5)
Feet of Clay (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 3)
Hogfather (Death book 4)
Jingo (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 4)
The Last Continent (Rincewind book 6)
Carpe Jugulum (Witches book 6)
The Fifth Elephant (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 5)
The Truth (Industrial Revolution book 2)
Thief of Time (Death book 5)
The Last Hero (Rincewind book 7)
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
Night Watch (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 6)
The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching book 1)
Monstrous Regiment (Industrial Revolution book 3)
A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching book 2)
Going Postal (Moist von Lipwig book 1) (Industrial Revolution book 4)
Thud! (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 7)
Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching book 3)
Making Money (Moist von Lipwig book 2) (Industrial Revolution book 5)
Unseen Academicals (Rincewind book 8)
I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching book 4)
Snuff (Ankh-Morpork City Watch book 8)
The World of Poo
Raising Steam (Moist von Lipwig book 3) (Industrial Revolution book 6)
The Shepherd's Crown (Tiffany Aching book 5)

Discworld Related books:
The Discworld Mapp - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Briggs
Terry Pratchett's Discworld Colouring Book - Paul Kidby
Terry Pratchett's Discworld Imaginarium - Paul Kidby

Visit Terry Pratchett's website for more information

Review:
Tiffany is now 13 years old and is living with witch Miss Treason to continue her training. The trouble starts when Miss Treason takes her to the winter dance (the opposite of a Morris dance). Despite the warnings she has been given Tiffany is caught up in the music and joins in with the dance - ending up with the spirit of winter (the Wintersmith) mistaking her for summer and falling in love with her. Now the Wintersmith has Tiffany in his sights it is up to her to find a way to stop him - and if she fails summer will never arrive.

Wintersmith is the 35th book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and the 3rd book featuring Tiffany Aching. Although I have read this book previously I am currently re-reading the Tiffany books in anticipation of book 4 (I Shall Wear Midnight) which is released on Thursday (2nd September). You don't need to have read the whole Discworld series in order to enjoy A Hat Full of Sky but I would recommend reading the Tiffany Aching series in order starting with The Wee Free Men. These books are a great introduction for young adults who have yet to discover the Discworld series but fans of the series will also love getting to see characters they already know and love.

Tiffany has been in training for 2 years now and already knows that being a witch is hard work - it isn't as simple as just casting spells and is much more to do with getting to know people and helping with the tasks that nobody else wants to do. Working alongside Miss Treason she realises she still has a lot to learn - including how to put on a good show. When she inadvertently catches the attention of the Wintersmith she finds herself in a situation that she has no idea how to deal with. She knows the Wintersmith's attention is a dangerous thing but she can't help being flattered by it. But how can she correct her mistake and make sure that summer returns when it's supposed to?

Both Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg feature a lot more in this instalment than they have in previous books in the Tiffany Aching series. I love both of these characters and enjoy getting to see them through Tiffany's eyes. The Nac Mac Feegles stole the show again, making me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. It has been nice watching Tiffany's character grow throughout the series and you can see the changes in her as she gets closer to becoming an adult. Roland has also done a lot of growing up throughout the series changing from a spoilt and whiny boy to a likeable and brave young man. I didn't like him at all in the first book to but he has really grown on me. This is probably my favourite book in the Tiffany series and I can't wait to read the 4th and final book I Shall Wear Midnight.

If you're a fan of Terry Pratchett and Tiffany Aching then you'll love this instalment in the series. I'd recommend this series (and any of the Discworld books) to anyone who enjoys a good humorous fantasy story.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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