A Review By The Rev David Boulton

This is the thirty-eighth “Discworld” novel and the fourth to feature Tiffany Aching, the young witch and her tiny allies, the formidable Nac Mac Feegle (the Wee Free Man), who together are some of Terry Pratchett’s finest creations to date. As with all the “Discworld” books, I Shall Wear Midnight exhibits Pratchett’s enthusiasm for language, his love of wordplay and puns, his fertile invention and his gift for intelligent, literary comedy.

 I Shall Wear Midnight sees teenage Tiffany in charge of her own ‘steading’ (the Discworld name for a witch’s ‘parish’) and having to grow up quickly. She needs all her native wisdom, her famous Second and Third thoughts just to survive. This volume is considerable darker than the previous three Tiffany Aching books; in fact, it is downright scary in places because it deals with an old and tangled mess of evil, spite, hatred and malice.

Pratchett’s “Discworld” books have evolved over the years, from being simply intelligent and very funny literary spoofs on the sword-and-sorcery genre to being novels that are warm, witty and full of insight and wisdom, and still very, very funny.

The Rev’d David Boulton is Diocesan Curate and Webmaster for the Free Church of England, a Visiting Preacher in the West Midlands for The Leprosy Mission, England & Wales and Area Representative for Open Doors.