Title: Witches Abroad
Author: Terry Pratchett
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 288
Rating: 8/10
Terry Pratchett – Witches Abroad
What happens when the Disc’s witches go on holiday? Well, we’re about to find out! Witches Abroad tells the story of what happens when Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick travel to Genua to try to make sure that a servant girl doesn’t marry a prince, in a desperate break from tradition. But, as the book’s blurb says, “You can’t fight a Happy Ending.”
Witches Abroad is one of my favourites out of the novels that Pratchett wrote about the witches, although I must admit that I did always prefer them as supporting characters, rather than as the main attraction. Still, here they’re at their best, and their dialogue will have you howling with laughter. I was also a fan of the story line, here – in some ways, it’s a little bit meta, and it’s interesting to watch Pratchett having fun with his narrative, especially since this is one of the earlier books in the series.
If you’re a fan of the witches as characters then I’d definitely recommend this, but if you’re completely new to Pratchett then I’d suggest checking out something like Guards! Guards! instead. That’s not to say that Witches Abroad isn’t a fantastic novel, because it is – it’s just that it’s up against a lot of tough competition. That said, the good thing about Pratchett’s work is that even though you do pick up a few extra nuances if you read the books in order, they all tend to work pretty well as standalones, too. Because of that, if you want to start with Witches Abroad then by all means do so! Have fun.
Terry Pratchett
