Equal Rites

A Discworld Novel

Hardcover, 224 pages

English language

Published March 28, 1988 by Victor Gollancz.

ISBN:
978-0-575-03950-6
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5 stars (1 review)

The wizard Drum Billet knows that he will soon die and travels to a place where an eighth son of an eighth son is about to be born. This signifies that the child is destined to become a wizard; on the Discworld, the number eight has many of the magical properties that are sometimes ascribed to seven in other mythologies. Billet wants to pass his wizard's staff on to his successor.

However, the newborn child is actually a girl, Esk (full name Eskarina Smith). Since Billet notices his mistake too late, the staff passes on to her. As Esk grows up, it becomes apparent that she has uncontrollable powers, and the local witch Granny Weatherwax decides to travel with her to Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork to help her gain the knowledge required to properly manage her powers.

But a female wizard is something completely unheard of on the Discworld. Esk …

28 editions

Fantastic - Sir Terry really finding his style. Finally we meet Granny Weatherwax!

5 stars

Fantastic. Loved this one.

I think it's the third one in the Discworld series, chronologically, but it's the first one where I feel Sir Terry's true style became apparent.

In this novel, we meet for the first time Granny Weatherwax - probably my favourite Discworld character. Yes, there are many fantastic characters, but Granny Weatherwax always occupies a soft spot for me.

We learn about Borrowing, and how Granny can't Borrow bees; we encounter Headology - how people will believe certain things and words can prod them in the right direction.

The story itself is great - about a young girl, supposed to have been the eighth son of an eighth son - and therefore a wizard - she was in fact born a girl. So she inherits wizard magic in her genes, yet her genes do not match her physical appearance nor the way society treats her as a …

Subjects

  • Fantasy
  • English Science Fiction And Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Fantasy - General