Wyrd Sisters: A Discworld Novel

By Terry Pratchett

In Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters, Granny Weatherwax teams with two other witches—Nanny Ogg and Margat Garlick—as an unlikely alliance to save a prince and restore him to the throne of Lancre, in a tale that borrows—or is it parodies—some of William Shakespeare's best-loved works.

Meet Granny Weatherwax, the most highly regarded non-leader a coven of non-social witches could ever have. Generally, these loners don't get involved in anything, must less royal intrigue. But then there are those times they can't help it. As Granny Weatherwax is about to discover, it's a lot harder to stir up trouble in the castle than some theatrical types would have you think. Even when you've got a few unexpected spells up your sleeve.

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Wyrd Sisters is the sixth Discworld book and the second in the Witches collection. The Witches collection includes:

• Equal Rites
• Wyrd Sisters
• Witches Abroad
• Lords and Ladies
• Maskerade
• Carpe Jugulum

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061807152

Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

Reviews for Wyrd Sisters

[jlharmon · 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!

[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!

[darceypaige-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book of Terry pratchett's I every read. When I was about seven my mum had this and feet of clay, I was obsessed with the covers. I would sometimes stare at them for a good hour. I would play with them when ever I could get my hands on them. I love the covers still to this day. I love the written words even more. I find it unfair so much comical genius is given to one man alone *sigh* No who am I kidding I LOVE the fact! This one is about the witches. Granny weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat. These three characters have enough spark to light a huge village and half the world with.Another thing I adore about them is they seem so foolish, so witty and sometimes downright rude but really they are a force to be reckoned with. No matter how silly it sometimes gets you also know that no matter what they face they win. plain and simple. In this novel you see the king killed and suddenly become a ghost, you see the real heir as a baby took by loyal servants and left with the witches and you see the scoundrel over take the throne. The witches decide to hide the baby with a traveling theatre and give him three gifts as godmothers should. The scoundrel demands that the witches be brought in and I love that fact the guards do not want to. Utterly fantastic. This is the book of all books that began my whole discworld fanatic life, from if i'm honest childhood. I really, really do not like to ruin these books with the telling of them that will do them no justice (for me there are no words good enough to even just explain the wit.) If you haven't read the discworld collection this could be a great place for you to start, if you don't mind a bit of backtracking (this will have no effect to the other stories, you will not miss anything but you must read the rest) Happy reading *smile as big as the cheshire cat*

[iamiam_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

[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.

[laurochka-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

OK - typical discworld.

[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.

[silva_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first Pratchett book that I read, and I literally laughed until I cried. And that's saying something. His writing is absolutely incredible, because while it's satirical, the story line is fascinating all on its own. I look forward to devouring each and every one of Sir Pratchett's books with great glee.

[jessiqa_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wyrd Sisters is the first book in the Discworld series to involve the witches of Lancre, a small kingdom whose king has just been killed (or clumsily fell down the stairs to his death, depending on who is telling the story). This means that you can easily read this book without having read any other Discworld book. Granny Weatherwax is a formidable witch who doesn't trust what she can't see with her eyes and, frankly, doesn't trust many people either. Nanny Ogg is a mother and grandmother of so many I doubt even she can keep count. But you can always count on her for a dirty joke or two, at which Granny will scoff. Magrat Garlick is a new-age witch, who likes her crystals and candles, but still has a lot to learn as far as the other two (more traditional) witches are concerned. What's concerning them right now is the baby that's been left at their feet, a royal baby who father is now dead. They do the proper thing and hide the child and the crown and settle back into normal life in Lancre. Except Lancre itself is no longer normal. What does one do when the very country itself (more than just the people within it) rejects the usurper to the throne? What does the usurper do to rewrite history? Should the witches even involve themselves in the matter?As with all Pratchett novels, this one is very funny. The footnotes are often the best part, explaining, for instance just why the Theives have a Guild and why guild members must therefore give receipts to those they rob. The story involves many references to Shakepeare's plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and others. The characters are by turns endearing, intriguing, and in some cases horrifying. Death makes his usual cameo appearance and steals the show, literally. This is my favorite series, and I'm eagerly rereading the whole set.

[smiler69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one came highly recommended by an LT friend as a possible starting point in the series (there are many, as the series need not at all be read in order, save for a few cases). This is a fantastic take on Shakespeare's Macbeth, and if you've actually read or seen the play, you'll get a lot out of the various jokes and insides made about that specific play and Shakespeare's approach to speech and playwriting in general. If you haven't, it's a jolly good story about three witches who decide to form a covenant to help the true heir to the throne take up his post, after a mad new king has done away with his predecessor to take power. The witches would have left well enough alone had the new king and his duchess been decent rulers, but the king is showing sings of advanced bipolar activity and his queen is a power-hungry sadist, which puts the whole kingdom on edge. One of my favourite quotes is the following: "There are thousands of good reasons why magic doesn't rule the world. They're called witches and wizards. It was probably some wonderful organization on the part of Nature to protect itself. It saw to it that anyone with magical talent was about as ready to co-operate as a she-bear with a toothache so all that dangerous power was safely dissipated as random bickering and rivalry. There were differences in style of course. Wizards assassinated each other in draughty corridors, witches just cut one another dead in the street. And they were all as self-centred as a spinning top. Even when they help other people, they're secretly doing it for themselves."Pratchett's humour is priceless in that he obviously has a vast classical culture which he blends with contemporary and timeless themes which result in a very clever commentary on our modern and very screwed up world, but all this done in with very British-humour, which I simply can't resist. I can now be counted among the many Terry Pratchett fans and there will be a lot more Discworld in my future, and probably other non-Discworld books too. Strongly recommended, and yes, a good place to start with the Discworld, along with Small Gods (which is where I actually started) and Guards! Guards!, both excellent and very funny.

[dark_phoenix54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this Discworld novel, Terry Pratchett takes on Shakespeare with a trio of witches, the killing of a king, ghosts in abundance, and an heir that is spirited away for safety. If you’re familiar with Shakespeare, there are a lot of laughs. While there are still a lot of laughs if you’re not, you may get the feeling that you’re missing something. I’ve read a few of the Bard’s plays, but I frequently felt that I should have been getting a reference and wasn’t. A sort of whoosing feeling going over my head. But most of the story doesn’t rely on Bardic references. Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick join Granny Weatherwax as witches of Lancre, and, despite the witches habit of not interfering with things, find themselves having to right the wrong of the king’s murder. Between seeing how the witches- not being city, or even town or village people- react to theater (they don’t understand the conventions of men dressed as women, of fake sword play or the like), watching as too many inspirations hit Hwel the dwarvish playwright (causing a lot of rewriting, as some of his inspirations are more Charlie Chaplin than Hamlet) and wondering if the witches will be able to get the rightful heir onto the throne there is a lot funny stuff. Not one of Pratchett’s best, but definitely worth a read.

[Riley Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Pratchett is always hilarious and enjoyable. This was a splendid subversion of expected tropes. Very fun read.

[Laura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love the dynamic between the witches, the frantic Shakespearian writing of Hwel and the elocution of Tomjon, and the menace of the Duke and Duchess!

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wyrd Sisters is the sixth Discworld novel and a pretty good one to start with, although I still would recommend Guards! Guards!, Going Postal, or maybe Small Gods over it.Wyrd Sisters is a story of witches and kings and Shakespeare and, of course, destiny. But destiny, says Wyrd Sisters, is something that you create.“Destiny is important, see, but people go wrong when they think it controls them. It’s the other way around.”When the king of Lancre is murdered by the villainous Duke and his wife, the Duchess, a local coven of three witches find themselves in a whole heap of trouble. The plot riffs of off Macbeth, and there are plenty of references to other of Shakespeare’s works. I’m not particularly familiar with Shakespeare, and I had the feeling that I was missing some of the jokes. Still, with a Discworld novel there are so many jokes that missing just a few doesn’t make it any less funny.I love the characters of the witches! Granny Weatherwax is hilariously arrogant but so capable that its easy to believe she could do anything. Nanny Ogg is a fairly amiable person, the matriarch of a huge clan encompassing her fifteen children and sprawling hordes of grandchildren and great grandchildren. Magrat Garlick, the youngest of the witches, is an earnest young women who believes in occult jewelry and magical knives but at the end of the day shows a tendency towards practicality. Together, they are hilarious and unstoppable.All around Wyrd Sisters is a very fun book with a lovable group of women at its core. I would recommend it to about anyone (my non-fantasy reading grandmother loves these books!) and especially to anyone with a fondness for Shakespeare.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

[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).

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

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

[Jan Dumas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nice bit of brain candy

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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

[sueincyprus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the earlier Discworld books, and one of my favourites. Something of a spoof on MacBeth with a touch of Hamlet and King Lear, so it helps to be familiar with these Shakespeare plays - but it's not vital. Subplots abound, lots of humour, very enjoyable. Just as good on re-reading ten or so years after the last time.

[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.

[atreic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Arguably the point where Discworld stops being 'early Discworld' and becomes Discworld. A Macbeth parody, and although Granny Weatherwax appeared in Equal Rites, pretty much the first book in the Witches series. Fun, page turny, twisty, Good triumphs, Bad loses, and it's all just a little bit more complicated than that. It's always nice to see a theatre played properly.