Equal Rites is the third book in Terry Pratchett’s incredibly long running Discworld series and unlike the other Discworld books that I have recently re-read ( Going Postal, The Colour of Magic, Mort and Guards, Guards! – reviewed here ) it’s not one of the books I had many memories about. And I think I can see why, because in many ways Equal Rites is an awkward transition novel from the High Fantasy parody of the original first two novels into the more mainstream comic low fantasy novels (with a strong moral weight) that became the standard Discworld formula. So what is the story of Equal Rites? In short, just before his death a wizard hands his staff to his heir – an eighth son of an eighth son – only to find out that the baby he gave the staff to was actually a girl, which is impossible as everyone knows women can’t be wizards. The girl (Esk) then grows up, shows she has magical powers and is taken by Granny Weatherwax, the local witch, for training. However Esk’s magic ...
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