Wyrd Sisters: (Discworld Novel 6)

Written by Terry Pratchett

Narrated by Tony Robinson

Things like crowns had a troublesome effect on clever folks; it was best to leave all the reigning to the kind of people whose eyebrows met in the middle.

Three witches gathered on a lonely heath. A king cruelly murdered, his throne usurped by his ambitious cousin. A child heir and the crown of the kingdom, both missing. The omens are not auspicious for the new incumbent, for whom ascending this tainted throne is a more complicated affair than you might imagine, particularly when the blood on your hands just won't wash off and you're facing a future with knives in it...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Transworld Digital
• Release date: Jan 4, 2007
• ISBN: 9781407032054

Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) fue un célebre escritor inglés que desde hace más de tres décadas ha fascinado a millones de lectores en todo el mundo con sus novelas fantásticas, divertidas y satíricas. Su prolífica obra consta de unos setenta libros, que han sido traducidos a casi cuarenta idiomas, y lleva vendidos más de ochenta y cinco millones de ejemplares en todo el mundo. En 2009 fue nombrado caballero de la Excelentísima Orden del Imperio Británico por sus servicios a la literatura. ¿Su secreto? Nada escapaba a la mirada inteligente, desenfadada e irónica de este autor que, en la mejor tradición satírica británica, subvertía todos los géneros. Además de creador del Mundodisco y de la serie de historias emplazadas allí, es autor de la novela independiente Perillán y coautor, con Stephen Baxter, de la serie La Tierra Larga.

Reviews for Wyrd Sisters

[kaethe_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pratchett retells Cinderella with more than a few twists. It's an excuse to set his three witches off adventuring around the Discworld, and it lets Greebo out to get into trouble. I love the travel, but especially the interplay between the very different women. And the cat, of course.

Feb 9, 2007
One of my favorites. I love the witches so much.

Personal copy

[jpalfrey-459036 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The three witches join forces against an evil king, while the Discworld sees the rise of a superb actor and a dwarf playwright. First appearances of Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick.

This was the first thoroughly good Discworld book, and remains one of the best of them, written back when Pratchett was really funny; although, reading it again now, I see that he had some tendency to moralize even then.

Not high literature of course, but a good story and good fun, with assorted references to drama through the ages, Shakespeare in particular.

[catseyegreen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The coven of witches- Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat become involved when the King of Lancre is murdered and they wind up with his infant son.
Great fun like all the witch books. Leonard of Quirm gets a brief mention in this one, I think it is the first.
re-read 3/5/2024 for the Diskworld challenge.

[elorin-114220 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Magrat, Esme, and Gytha get together for a coven meeting. Meanwhile, the king of Lancre has died and become a ghost. The Duke who inherits is not well loved by the country and he hires a playwright to set the historical record straight.

[wvlibrarydude · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Macbeth visits disc world. Hilarious.

[ianmoyes-578299 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Nanny Ogg.

[lyrrael · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm really sorry, guys, I know y'all love Pratchett and that he's the utter pinnacle of comedic and snarky fantasy fiction, but I just don't click with him. Please don't hate me. I got to 65% and just wasn't enjoying myself. :(

[caseyadamsstark · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare in the hands of an absurdist. The characters in Pratchett's Discworld books have always been worth getting to know (IMO), and the Wyrd Sisters-Granny Weatherwax, Gytha Ogg and Magrat are a testament to that sentiment. A king is murdered, his heir to the throne too young to rule, and a coven of witches take it upon themselves to hide the young lad until he is old enough to assume the throne. But their meddling sets the young prince on a career path in, of all places, the theater.

I enjoy the character development in Pratchett's books. Another light and fun read for me.

[kavinay-677830 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This helps make up for enduring Macbeth as taught in high school.

[kslade-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun, tongue-in-cheek fantasy novel. My first taste of Pratchett.

[mbmackay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book 6 of the Discworld series.
Much the same style as earlier volumes, but with the minor variation that this plot consisted of one major thread, while earlier books had multiple threads that came together at the end.
The wry humour is still there, but I'm starting to wonder if the occasional smiles are worth the 350+ pages of reading (eg quaffing is much the same as drinking, but you spill more). But, still, a pleasant diversion.

[miss.mesmerized · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When King Verence of Lancre is murdered by his cousin, Duke Felmet, the three witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick know that this will not mean any good. By coincidence, they happen to get the old king’s son Tomjon and his crown and take care of both until the boy is old enough to fight his uncle. However, the kingdom is angry about their new leader long before and therefore, something must be done immediately. A slight adjustment of time will help them to send an equal to the new king.

Terry Pratchett’s “Wyrd Sisters” is the sixth instalment of the Disc World Series and was first published in 1988. Due to its very own universe, the novel has not lost the slightest bit of its appeal in more than 30 years. The three witches instantly remind you of the three famous witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth and, accordingly, they are only the beginning of a brilliant adaptation of the Bard’s great tragedy – just that it is not a tragedy but utterly funny.

Continuing to explore Disc World leads to small new feature one can detect in every new novel. I totally adore how Pratchett created this world with such a love for detail that remind you of the real world but that is just a bit different to fit into the flat planet’s peculiarities. Especially the animals – this time a cat – are intriguing and charming.

Even though each instalment has its own appeal, I was highly interested in this one due to see how the author transformed Shakespeare’s plays. Surely, I was far from disappointed. Chief playwright Hwel calls his theatre “The Dysc”, the witches meet in a stormy night and – of course just like in Macbeth – ask the famous question when they will meet again, the play within a play and the ghost of the former King quite obviously are taken from Hamlet – there is much more to uncover which is just great fun.

There is not much more one can say apart from calling the novel a masterpiece.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been listening to the audio for the past month, as narrated by Celia Imrie, but either my copy, or the production as a whole was so horribly done - 90% of the thing sounds like it was recorded from underneath a feather pillow - that towards the end I finally cracked and last night picked up my hardcover edition and finished it off.
 
That's not to say Celia Imrie did a bad job - she didn't, she was excellent (although her Nanny Ogg voice was too shaky and sometimes made her difficult to understand).  If you're tempted to listen to this book on audio, and you see this particular edition, listen to a sample first and make sure you're edition is not muffled under a pillow.
 
As for the story - taken at face value, it was ok.  But you can't take any Pratchett at face value, and the veiled subtext upgraded it, for me, to good (with bonus points for the mugging scene).  I love Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg.  I wasn't quite getting the appeal of Greebo, until the scene with the Fool - that moment where he looks down at the Fool from atop of his head was sublime, (and Celia did it perfectly).  As for the Fool himself, I think I liked him more for having heard him narrated, than I would have had I read him from the start; Celia infused an intelligence in him I'm not sure I'd have given him, given the repetitious nature of his speech.
 
I think I failed to receive the characters of the Lord and Lady Felmut the way the author intended them.  If satirically humorous is what he was aiming for, I definitely failed.  These two just came across bitter, twisted and creepy - I should say Lord Felmut did; Lady Felmut just seemed to me a straight caricature.  And since I'm complaining (not really) I'll add that while I loved the element of The Land, I wish Pratchett had not been quite so vague about it and it's connection to the throne.  I understood it well enough but would have enjoyed it more with a tiny pinch more detail.  And I understood the dynamic at the end, between the two brothers, until Granny, Nanny and Magrat got through with me.  And how old is Magrat supposed to be anyway?
 
Overall, even though it doesn't sound like it, I did enjoy the story - it's Pratchett after all, and even his weak books are better than a lot of best efforts.  I'm going to try Witches Abroad on audio too, because even though this edition's sound quality sucked, I think I get more enjoyment out of the stories when they're read by someone who obviously understands Pratchett's writing.  But I'm definitely checking out the samples first.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All the Disc's a stage.

This one was a full-on blast. Witches, actors, struggling playwrights, time travel...I mean, what more do you need?

[lorifox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. The three witches and Death are fun characters whose hilarious escapades are always enchanting.

[ravenwood1984 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When treachery deprives Lancre of almost all of its

[bobbybslax · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the meta quality to this entry and the ending was pretty fun. It lagged a little in the middle, but pretty good on the whole. (+1 vote)

[whiskeyinthejar-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars

I read this for the Free Space for Halloween Bingo

She gave the guards a nod as she went through. It didn’t occur to either of them to stop her because witches, like beekeepers and big gorillas, went where they liked.

Part of the Discworld but also the Witches series, Granny, Nanny, and Magrat run and steal the show. I would describe this as kind of a Monty Python take on Macbeth and Hamlet (with a little bit of King Lear, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and probably splashes of more I missed). If you're a reader of the Discworld, you'll be ready for the little bit chaotic, humor, brick wall bleakness, and underlining too true takes on humanity.

A kingdom is made up of all sorts of things. Ideas. Loyalties. Memories. It all sort of exists together. And then all these things create some kind of life. Not a body kind of life, more like a living idea. Made up of everything that’s alive and what they’re thinking. And what the people before them thought.”

We start off with the murder of a King, who becomes a ghost, our three witches taking a baby from soldiers, the new mad King and his reveling in her evilness wife, and a wise fool. Even though the witches normally try to stay out of things, Granny decides that she needs to set things to rights and have the true heir on the throne. I enjoyed the first half, which was more Macbeth, than the magically fast forward 15 years Hamlet like second.

The duke smiled out over the forest. “It works,” he said. “The people mutter against the witches. How do you do it, Fool?”
“Jokes, nuncle. And gossip. People are halfway ready to believe it anyway. Everyone respects the witches. The point is that no one actually likes them very much.”

Shining through and underlining all these seemingly chaotic going-ons, are some excellent hot takes on propaganda and how history is recorded, by who, why they are writing events and figures the way they are, and how this influences and shapes future attitudes. This is an aspect of history that I don't think is talked about enough, questioning the motives behind historical recorders.

“But I’m his Fool,” said the Fool. “A Fool has to be loyal to his master. Right up until he dies. I’m afraid it’s tradition. Tradition is very important.”
“But you don’t even like being a Fool!”
“I hate it. But that’s got nothing to do with it. If I’ve got to be a Fool, I’ll do it properly.”
“That’s really stupid,”said Magrat.
“Foolish, I’d prefer.”

Granny is the immediate stand-out in this but the Fool is the dark horse. In all this spoofing, he has some of the most thought provoking quotes; they bordered on dystopian at times. I couldn't help reading this through a current political climate lens and it hurt at times reading the scenes with the Fool, the new King, and his wife. Even when we get the second part of the witches work to change things, it doesn't end up quite to their preference but maybe for the best? This would be a great book club selection as I highlighted the heck out of this and could have endless discussions about it.

I've mentioned before how humor is a tough one for me, so that hurt my overall enjoyment along with the frenetic/chaotic tone pushing against my more structured self. Many friends have said this is one of their favorites from the disc world and I can see why, the three witches will delight you, I felt the second half let them down a bit. Even though things may not have worked out exactly like Granny wanted, I leave you with some inspiration from her,

Granny Weatherwax was often angry. She considered it one of her strong points. Genuine anger was one of the world’s great creative forces. But you had to learn how to control it. That didn’t mean you let it trickle away. It meant you dammed it, carefully, let it develop a working head, let it drown whole valleys of the mind and then, just when the whole structure was about to collapse, opened a tiny pipeline at the base and let the iron-hard stream of wrath power the turbines of revenge.

[griffin22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the first Discworld novel I ever read, I picked up the hardcover from a ‘new books’ display while waiting at the library, and never looked back. Excellent book in an hilarious series. The three witches of Lancre get involved in the royal succession, and something suspiciously like a certain Scottish play (it’s bad luck to say the name).

[herenya_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The King of Lancre is murdered by his cousin, his young son is hidden with a group of travelling thespians and three witches break with custom by meddling in politics.

This has some fabulously funny Macbeth references and lots of clever descriptions. I liked the witches, especially Granny Weatherwax (“the most highly-regarded of the leaders they didn’t have”) and Magrat. However, I found some of the witches’ cattiness and pettiness frustrating. The plot is also more predictable than some of Pratchett’s.

I wonder if I’d have been more invested in the story had there been more character growth (or more personal stakes) and less parody… The balance of jokes to character development is closer to what I once assumed Pratchett’s stories were like, back in the days before I’d read any, and the reason why I took years to read them. It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t start with this one.

Anyway, I liked this enough. I expect I’ll read more about the witches.

The wind howled. Lightening stabbed at the earth erratically, like an inefficient assassin. [...] In the middle of this elemental storm a fire gleamed among the dripping furze bushes like the madness in a weasel’s eye. It illuminated three hunched figures. As the cauldron bubbled an eldritch voice shrieked: “When shall we three meet again?”
There was a pause.
Finally another voice said, in a far more ordinary tones: “Well, I can do next Tuesday.”

[5eva5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Granny Weatherwax and the other witches are charged with caring for the murdered King's infant son and end up freezing the kingdom for 15 years so that the child can grow up and take his rightful place on the throne. Terry Pratchett was a genius. His characters are about as funny as characters can get and his world building is very close to flawless. The books can be read in any order, but I'm going for publication order the first time around. Death is my favorite character and Rincewind follows close behind, but there is not one storyline that isn't as good or better than most other stories I've read.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, now, I *did* enjoy this one more than the other Discworld books so far. I appreciate how Pratchett plays with Shakespeare, the Fool is a fantastic character, Granny Weatherwax is really growing on me, and Death makes an adorable appearance.

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best DiscWorld books that I have read so far!

[nonesuch42 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The real start to the Lancre witches books is great. I really liked Equal Rites, but this book was different. It wasn't really about women breaking into a male field. It was about women doing witch magic. A different path, but no less entertaining. Nanny Ogg sure is something. And Granny. And Magrat. I'm glad Lancre has them to take care of it. Also, the Shakespeare allusions/parody were wonderful. Makes me almost want to read Macbeth!

[dlmorrese · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just reread this for about the umpteenth time because it was a selection in one of the Goodreads groups.

**Spoilers**

Wyrd Sisters is, obviously, a parody of Shakespeare's Macbeth (with references to other plays). I personally find it far more enjoyable than the original, but then it's closer to my age and cultural experience than Shakespeare is.

It's a story about expectations. You see the parallels to the play and think this will mirror what happens in it. It doesn't. The witches also have expectations (about the son returning heroically to overthrow the usurper). Nope. A clever twist at the end about the parentage of Tomjon and the Fool also overturns an expectation. Pratchett often surprises, but perhaps he's just warning us about assumptions.

Wyrd Sisters is also a story about stories, and about the power of words and how they can create a subjective reality in people's minds. Early on in the book, the Fool states this succinctly. "'In the Guild,' said the Fool, 'we learned that words can be even more powerful than magic.'"

That they can. Pratchett's certainly are.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have a love/hate r'ship with the Discworld books.
I enjoy every encounter I have with Rincewind, the Luggage, and the Librarian.
Carrot is mildly interesting
Bits of concepts throughout the series are clever.
Pretty much the rest of the characters, and books, annoy and/or frustrate me.

[laytonwoman3rd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Discworld novel featuring Granny Weatherwax and a couple more witches, a man who might be king and a woman who would very much like that he should be. The best sort of ridiculous nonsense, taking off on Shakespeare, Tolkien and lots of others things in a Monty Python sort of way with dashes of Eddie Izzard. Never stretches itself too far; just when I say to myself "I SEE what you're doing there", he stops doing that and switches to something else. Tear-jerkingly funny at times. Highly recommended to those who savor this sort of silliness.
Review written May 2012

[quibee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun read which played with fantasy tropes and Shakespeare in a lovely mix. There was murder of a king, three old crones on a hilltop, a lost heir and everything you could imagine, but all told in the mad Discworld way. 3.5 stars.

[karin7-11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In Discworld, set on top of four elephants standing on the back of a star turtle, Granny, Nanny Ogg and Magrat are three witches minding their own business, as much as witches ever mind their own business, when they are thrust with the care of an infant heir to the throne and his crown. Mindful of how easy it is for the nefarious to find these, they craft a plan to hide both with a couple who run a travelling theatre, and each gives the baby, now called Tomjon, a gift to help him through life. In the meantime, the ghost of his father is doing his best to stop his evil assassin from wreaking havoc in the kingdom, but, sure enough, the kingdom begins to complain, and the witches must break all rules in order to set things right, more or less as much as they can be.

This is a humorous romp through an imaginary world, freely playing on Shakespeare and other literary sorts, with some rather fun lines (“You earwax-coloured little twerp” being one of the my favourite Discworld insults.). I have to say that there were times I laughed aloud, but the story wasn’t as brilliant as many of the things that took place in it, so for me it was a solid three. Enjoyable, but nothing to keep me up all hours of the night. I plan to read more Terry Pratchett, however, now that I’ve discovered, much to my surprise, how fun his writing can be.

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Why how clever an overly wordy, clever, twisted, and self-amusing novel based on Hamlet.....

A King is dead by the hand of his cousin & cousin's wife. Cousin hates the kingdom & the life of the kingdom hates him. The royal heir has disappeared as has the crown. The murdered King is now a ghost. The new king has visions of blood on his hands that can not be washed away.

The land, flora, & fauna of the kingdom is so unhappy they all end up in front of the Main witch's house wanting her to "fix" the problem. The Fool falls in love w/ one of the 3 witches and then is sent to find the heir. The witches move the kingdom into the future in order for the rightful heir to return & claim his kingdom....

Terry Pratchett is far too clever for himself, and there is too much nonsense in his writing... so much that it became tedious 2/3 of the way through. It seems as he was writing for himself in a very self-congratulating manner: "Wow, Look how very clever this sentence is!"

Too overwritten, so much so, I lost the main sense of the story..... PAH!