Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett

Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett - 368 pages

Pratchett often called on satire to fuel the roots of his stories, so if you're into Shakespeare, this is definitely one to pick up.  Here we meet the early coven: Esme "Granny" Weatherwax, Gytha "Nanny" Ogg, and Magrat Garlick. on their first escapade together (or, mostly together and hardly ever totally at odds with each other, really).  At stake is the future of a kingdom under the rule of a mad despot and his white hot iron wife, the destiny of a young man born to royalty but given to the stage for safekeeping, and three witches who are determined to hold it all together by very pointedly not interfering in the theatrical nightmare that unfolds.

I love this story because it shows us the beginnings of the friendship between Esme and Gytha, which over the course of the next several books develops past a simple professional rivalry into one of the most insightfully-written, entertaining, and well-developed friendships I've read in any fictional work.  This is a friendship that shakes the Disc in many ways over the course of the next several novels about their adventures, and to see the original conception of that friendship is ridiculously special.

Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett

Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett - 272 pages

So, here we are at the beginning of my literary love affair with Granny Weatherwax, who has become one of my personal (if fictional) heroes.  To be fair, the first time I read this book, I was in middle school and feeling deeply affected by the idea that perceived gender roles were limiting my ability to expand my adolescent horizons (specifically, I'd been told earlier that year that I couldn't play the saxophone because girls played flutes and that was that).  Fast forward to twenty (plus) year later, and here I am, still wondering sometimes why exactly we're still dealing with social issues like glass ceilings and wage gaps.  Still relevant?  This book.

I will say, as one of Pratchett's early adventures with the witches, this one is lacking the depth and breadth of character you'll get six books in, and some of Esme's opinions were fairly shocking considering her later adventures, but again...this was the first real toe in the pool of her lifetime as told by Sir Pratchett, and reading it again after having read the whole arc of her story was just as thought-provoking as the first time all those years ago.

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Snuff by Terry Pratchett - 398 pages

For over 30 years Pratchett has been unleashing books detailing the adventures to be found in Discworld - a world similar enough to ours for the jibes to ring home but different enough that Pratchett makes even politics fun!  Snuff follows one of the most beloved characters, Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, as he attempts to take a vacation in the country.  Smuggling, slavery, and murder are just a few of the crimes uncovered during Vimes' attempt to take a break.  The characters are hilarious as always and Discworld is a fun place to visit and see as a reflection of our society in a special twisted way.