Liz and I decided last year that as a birthday treat to ourselves, we would get total control of the book choice for #WednesdayYA during our birth month. And since I kick off March birthdays on the 1st, March is under my control (mua ha ha).
That means, if we don't like this month's club read, it's fully on me (and the author. Actually, it'll be mostly their fault, tbh). But I have a feeling that won't be the case, because I've heard excellent things about both the author and the series that this month's read comes from, and I am SO in the mood for something quirky and crazy and memorable. Which is why, after pulling half a dozen books off my shelves and reading through the first few lines of each, I just had to go with...
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
"Another world is colliding with this one," said the toad. "All the monsters are coming back."
"Why?" said Tiffany.
"There's no one to stop them."
There was silence for a moment.
Then Tiffany said, "There's me."
Armed only with a frying pan and her common sense, Tiffany Aching, a young witch-to-be, is all that stands between the monsters of Fairyland and the warm, green Chalk country that is her home. Forced into Fairyland to seek her kidnapped brother, Tiffany allies herself with the Chalk's local Nac Mac Feegle - aka the Wee Free Men - a clan of sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men who are as fierce as they are funny. Together they battle through an eerie and ever-shifting landscape, fighting brutal flying fairies, dream-spinning dromes, and grimhounds - black dogs with eyes of fire and teeth of razors - before ultimately confronting the Queen of the Elves, absolute ruler of a world in which reality intertwines with nightmare. And in the final showdown, Tiffany must face her cruel power alone....
In a riveting narrative that is equal parts suspense and humor, Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett returns to his internationally popular Discworld with a breathtaking tale certain to leave fans, new and old, enthralled.
"Why?" said Tiffany.
"There's no one to stop them."
There was silence for a moment.
Then Tiffany said, "There's me."
Armed only with a frying pan and her common sense, Tiffany Aching, a young witch-to-be, is all that stands between the monsters of Fairyland and the warm, green Chalk country that is her home. Forced into Fairyland to seek her kidnapped brother, Tiffany allies herself with the Chalk's local Nac Mac Feegle - aka the Wee Free Men - a clan of sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men who are as fierce as they are funny. Together they battle through an eerie and ever-shifting landscape, fighting brutal flying fairies, dream-spinning dromes, and grimhounds - black dogs with eyes of fire and teeth of razors - before ultimately confronting the Queen of the Elves, absolute ruler of a world in which reality intertwines with nightmare. And in the final showdown, Tiffany must face her cruel power alone....
In a riveting narrative that is equal parts suspense and humor, Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett returns to his internationally popular Discworld with a breathtaking tale certain to leave fans, new and old, enthralled.
Now, this is technically the thirtieth book in the Discworld series, but if you're unfamiliar with Discworld, they're basically all stand-alone(ish) books set in the same weird world, so you can start basically anywhere (or so I've been told). But further taking the pressure off of this ginormous series, The Wee Free Men is actually the beginning to its own little cycle of stories within Discworld, the Tiffany Aching storyline, which is Pratchett's middle grade/YA entry into Discworld. So have no worries, you can jump right in at this book without having read anything else, which is exactly what Liz and I intend to do.
One further note: the first cover shown is from a Wee Free Men/Hat Full of Sky bind-up, but we're only reading the first story, WFM (though that is the edition we both have - if you have it too, no pressure to read both!).
Our liveshow discussion of the book, which I'm thinking will be an animated and fun one, since these books are so quirky, will take place on the last Wednesday of March, the 25th, at 8;30EST, on both youtube and twitter (hashtag #WednesdayYA). We sincerely hope you'll join us in reading and discussing it then, but if you're unable to make the discussion, remember the video will go live the following day, and will be posted here on the blog, so you can still join in the conversation.
Hope to see you then!
After Reading I Shall Wear Midnight (which occurs a few years after Wee Free Men, centered around Tiffany, but with appearances by the Feegle, I really want to read this one. It sounds hilarious! I want to be in good with the Nac Mac Feegle- I'm thinking your experience and discussion is going to be filled with hilarity. :)
ReplyDelete