Equal Rites

Discworld, Book 3

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Indira Varma, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The audiobook of Equal Rites is narrated by Indira Varma (Game of Thrones; Luther; This Way Up). BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning actor Bill Nighy (Love Actually; Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) reads the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace; Shaun of the Dead) stars as the voice of Death. Featuring a new theme tune composed by James Hannigan.

'They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.'

Everybody knows there's no such thing as a female wizard. So when the wizard Drum Billet accidentally passes on his staff of power to an eighth daughter of an eighth son, a girl called Eskarina (Esk, for short), the misogynistic world of wizardry wants nothing to do with her.

Thankfully Granny Weatherwax, the Discworld's most famous witch, has plenty of experience ignoring the status quo. With Granny's help, Esk sneaks her way into the magical Unseen University and befriends apprentice wizard Simon.

But power is unpredictable, and these bright young students soon find themselves in a whole new dimension of trouble. Let the battle of the sexes begin....

Equal Rites is the first book in the Witches series, but you can listen to the Discworld novels in any order.

The first book in the Discworld series – The Colour of Magic – was published in 1983. Some elements of the Discworld universe may reflect this.

©1987 Terry Pratchett (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"If you've never read a Discworld novel, what's the matter with you?" (Guardian)

"Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own." (The Times)

Great Storytelling!

Sir Terry Pratchett is a legend for a reason. He is a master of allusion, reference, comedy, world building, and characterization. This is a story far too important to be ignored.

This new production does a brilliant job of bringing the Discworld books to life!

My First Discworld Book

This is my first Discworld book. My friends were constantly telling me I had to try the series and that I would love it and after this I’ll probably pick up another one.

The narration on this is amazing. Very immersive and I buy all the characters.

As far as the story goes, I really enjoyed Esk. I could relate to the kind of questions and the mentality of kids at that age. Especially the whole certainty she has of her convictions. I’ve taught a 6 year old before about baking and she often seemed very certain she had the right of it when trying to instruct me on how to use the mixer and whatnot.

“Esk, of course, had not been trained, and it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done. A person ignorant of the possibility of failure can be a halfbrick in the path of the bicycle of history.” (pg. 119)

The humor is great. I didn’t always vibe with it, but it generally worked for me. I thought this take on witches and wizards made me laugh and think at times.

Fantastic story with brilliant narration!!

Esk, a young girl, is accidentally granted wizardly powers. The local witch at the Ramtops - Granny Weatherwax, takes Esk under her wing to teach her how to control her new abilities. A series of magical mishaps makes it clear that Esk must go to the Unseen University to be trained by the wizards on how to control her powers. A very interesting journey of Esk and Granny from the Ramtops to Ankh-Morpork for accessing Unseen University then follows… A very engaging tale of the art of the possible vs. traditional rules, brilliantly hidden under a fantastic plot that only Pratchett can conjure up!! Bravo to the narrators - hard to stop listening once you get started!

Stellar performance

Charming story, made absolutely delightful to listen through by Indira Varma. Highly recommend this, and I immediately purchased the next one in the series upon completing this one.

Awesome

I have read the book before and enjoy the story. this performance was great.

Love the book. Love the reader

Smart and funny book. I enjoyed indira varmas’ performance. I felt the occasional reading from Bill Nigh unnecessary and jarring. Luckily it only happens a few times.

Brilliant story and narration!

Great writing, characterization and the new narration really brings the story to life! I love Terry Pratchett and highly recommend this book and all his others!

Fantastic!!

narration was excellent. the story pulls you into another fantastical realm while discussing a topic that feels all too real for many people. truly one of my favorites.

Ironic and Entertaining

Terrific narration, continues and smartly extends the world building begun in the first two books.

Well worth adding to your library along side the old ones

I own and have listened to all of these original audio books several times. They are my source of comfort and feel like home. When I heard they were being redone, I doubted anyone could improve on them. I was so wrong. Listening to this title again, narrated by Indira Varma, was like listening to this story for the very first time. It felt like a whole new book and the experience swallowed me right up, and I didn’t want it to end! I cannot wait to start adding every title of this new series to my library right alongside the old ones. I am so excited to re-listen with this fresh production, and I know these new recordings will definitely give me a more robust appreciation for the stories that weren’t necessarily some of my favorites in the series. New life has truly been breathed into these wonderful stories!