mass market paperback, 200 pages
English language
Published Nov. 20, 1987 by V. Gollancz in association with Colin Smythe.
Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels, consistent number one bestsellers in England, have garnered him a revered position in the halls of parody along with Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen.In Equal Rites, a dying wizard tries to pass on his powers to an eighth son of an eighth son, who is just at that moment being born. The fact that the son is actually a daughter is discovered just a little too late...
Other than the climax just kind of going confusing at breakneck speed this was a fantastic book. Really love how arbitrarily self-assured Esk and Granny are. They are basically unstoppable in a university full of dweebs. Great fun.
The first flight on the rod scene, to me, is more epic than Luke getting the lightsaber.
Amazing rhyme of the two storylines of the main characters, a counter-position between the cozy and contained village life and dramatic path to the city, as well as events that followed, genius driven by dark conspiracy, ah. So much of this is absolutely badass.
Half a point nudged off for Pratchett's favorite idea of putting enough machinae around to pull dei out of those by their ears.
A wonderful story interwoven with some very appropriate, not-so-gentle points about gender preconceptions.
A dying wizard unintentionally passes on his wizardness to 8th daughter of an 8th son (he thought it was an 8th son). As she grows lots of preconceptions about gender roles are examined, challenged and discarded.
Lore (and even law) can and should change as we all grow and learn together.
A great line: I can see you've been getting ideas below your station. - Granny Weatherwax to Eskarina when she forgot herself and blindly accepted there were ~any~ places she didn't belong because she wasn't a man.
I was toying between three and four stars for this, but in the end decided to err on the generous side. It's not as funny as Colour of Magic, but we do get introduced to the brilliant Granny Weatherwax.
