I Shall Wear Midnight

Publisher's Summary

It starts with whispers.

Then someone picks up a stone.

Finally, the fires begin.

When people turn on witches, the innocents suffer. . . .

Tiffany Aching has spent years studying with senior witches, and now she is on her own. As the witch of the Chalk, she performs the bits of witchcraft that aren't sparkly, aren't fun, don't involve any kind of wand, and that people seldom ever hear about: She does the unglamorous work of caring for the needy.

But someone - or something - is igniting fear, inculcating dark thoughts and angry murmurs against witches. Aided by her tiny blue allies, the Wee Free Men, Tiffany must find the source of this unrest and defeat the evil at its root - before it takes her life. Because if Tiffany falls, the whole Chalk falls with her.

Chilling drama combines with laugh-out-loud humor and searing insight as beloved and bestselling author Terry Pratchett tells the high-stakes story of a young witch who stands in the gap between good and evil.

©2010 Terry and Lyn Pratchett (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Another Treasured Pratchett

Every book Terry Pratchett writes is a treasure, and this book is no exception. In Pratchett's fourth book in the TIffany Aching series, he again produces an astutely clever and astounding narrative reflecting the basic natures of humanity, both the good and bad, the just and unjust, the altruistic and spiteful. The nearly 16-year-old Tiffany must navigate the superstitious hatred and violence that is targeting "witches" in general and Tiffany in particular and stop the Clever Man who is generating it. This book delves into the meaner side of humanity, including family-directed violence. Pratchett skillfully navigates these issues in this YA book in such a manner that while the material itself may be considered as for a mature audience, the presentation is ideal for both YA and mature readers alike. Stephen Brigg's performance, as usual, is brilliant and fabulously entertaining, especially his performance of the Nac Mac Feegles. If you enjoyed the other Tiffany Aching novels, i think you will thoroughly enjoy this one, too.

21 of 21 people found this review helpful

I Absolutely Loved It

I loved this book. I loved that Tiffany has grown so believably from the first book through the fourth. I loved that the story tackled such big issues. I loved that Tiffany visited Ahnk Morpork and fit so nicely into the larger Discworld. I loved seeing Carot and Anqua and Vimes (I always love seeing Vimes) and The Times and everything that makes the Discworld such a fully realized and amazingly created place. I loved the plot. I loved the sense of threat. I loved that you could appreciate this book even if it was your first discworld book ever, and I loved that there were so many characters and references to past discworld books that made it even better for long time fans.

And boy did I love the ending. It was beautiful. It was done so well. It actually brought a tear to my eye.

To me, each Tiffany Aching/Wee Free Men book has been better than the last, and this book is a briliant, insightful, exciting, beautiful book I'd recomend to anyone.

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Bewitching

To say I’m a bit of a fan of Terry Pratchett is to understate my affection considerably. However the part of the Pratchett cannon that I have never been that keen on are the “Witches” books. It’s not that they aren’t entertaining, I just never found them as compelling as others. So I picked up this edition with slight trepidation. As it turns out I need not have worried. This book is a terrific read; it stands well on its own and is better than any of the previous Witches novels. Pratchett weaves together magic, psychology and medicine together into a completely believable self consistent world which touches on many other aspects of Disc. Like most Pratchett fans I was concerned to read about the health problems he is having, but it appears that it hasn’t impacted his ability to tell a funny, clever touching and compelling story which entertains all ages. I have always found the Nac Mac Feagles the most annoying of the Disc World characters. In this book however they are enormously entertaining; they even make a strange kind of sense. There is a segment where they wreck a pub causing great trouble for our heroine Tiffany. To set things right they completely rebuild it…back to front. If you are a Pratchett fan you will love this book, if you aren’t, read this and will rapidly become one.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Always a fun listen

I have been waiting since october to get a chance to listen to the newest installment of discworld. I already went out and bought the book, but these stories translate so well into a spoken narrative. The new Tiffany Aching book is a little bit slower to start than the rest, but it is still a fantastic read. The themes are a little more adult (nothing lewd) as Tiffany is getting older, but it is still child friendly. There are some great feegle moments to look forward to in this book. So while its not Pratchett's best work, it is still very good.

Now i just have to wait for the US to publish Jasper Ffordes new book....

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

This is the best of the series

This is my most favorite series and I think this is the best of all four of the books. I know this is the last Tiffany book and it is too sad for words. I have listed to the first three at least 10 times each, each time I hear something I missed in the past. I trust this will be true for this book as well.
I loved the Bromeliad Trilogy almost as much. Stephen Briggs is the best Narrator ever; I just wish he was the one to do Good Omens, (another favorite of mine).

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Tiffany Aching is my favorite!

Tiffany Aching is my favorite of the Discworld characters. This is definitely a departure from Wintersmith, in that Tiffany has come to terms with all of her new responsibilities. It's wonderful to see her character progress and mature. I would recommend the Tiffany Aching books over any other Discworld storylines, and not just because of the Nac Mac Feegles.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Great but not enough Feegles!

As always, I loved this Tiffany book, but I want more Feegles! Frankly, I could listen to a book that is all about the Feegles with Tiffany as a minor character, but this is the next best thing.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

harry potter meets hichhickers guide to the galaxy

Terry Pratchett's style reminds one almost immediately of the late Douglas Adams. Immensely enjoyable story line with vibrant characters fun for all ages.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

One of the best of this series

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed all of this latest release. There were lots of good antics and philosophies of the macFeegles and a fresh plot.

I enjoyed the insights into the everyday working life of Tiffany as she cares for her stedding. I also liked the introduction of two new characters with powers that can be part of future plots.

As always, this read does a great job.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I Shall Wear Midnight

I would advise you to read this. Terry Pratchett's fantasy novels are rarely stories about evil villains who are plotting to destroy the world, and this is no exception. This is a story about human defect with fantasy overtones. An evil ghost has returned to kill Tiffany, and has used its ancient hate to turn the people of the Chalk against her. This ghost exemplifies the worst in humanity. It is petty, it takes things out of context, it hates things which it loves. It is worse than the Queen, the Hiver, and the Wintersmith. The Clever Man is human.
On other fronts, Tiffany has had to come to terms with and address the fact that time has brought a wedge between her and Roland, her almost boyfriend.
The climax of this story is notably sad, and very dark. There is a happy ending, and I think that Tiffany was happy.
Of all the Tiffany Aching books this is probably the only one I would not give to a under 12 year old kid to listen on their own. I would want to be there to explain things. Tiffany heals a pregnant girl who was beaten by her father to the point of miscarriage, she prevents a suicide, she has to deal with an entire town turned against her. She acts responsibly in the face off all this. I think that this is one of Pratchett's bests books, and am happy that this is wrapping up the Aching series, as well as the Witches series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful