Wintersmith

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Stephen Briggs

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

At nine, Tiffany Aching defeated the cruel Queen of Fairyland. At 11, she banished an ancient body-stealing evil. At 13, Tiffany faces a new challenge: a boy. And boys can be a bit of a problem when you're 13.

But the Wintersmith isn't exactly a boy. He is winter itself: snow, gales, icicles, all of it. When he has a crush on Tiffany, he may make her roses of ice, but his nature is blizzards and avalanches. And he wants Tiffany to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever.

Tiffany will need all her cunning to make it to spring. She'll also need her friends, from junior witches to the legendary Granny Weatherwax. Tiffany will need the Wee Free Men, too! She'll have the help of the bravest, toughest, smelliest pixies ever to be banished from Fairyland - whether she wants it or not. It's going to be a cold, cold season, because if Tiffany doesn't survive until spring...spring won't come.

Share the fantasy: listen to more of Tiffany's adventures in The Wee Free Men (Unabridged) and A Hat Full of Sky (Unabridged).

©2006 Terry and Lyn Pratchett (P)2006 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Yet another rollicking, clever, and quite charming adventure." (Booklist)
"Replete with dry and intelligent humor, this latest in the series is sure to delight" (School Library Journal)

Sir Pratchett at his best.

My children and I enjoyed the story. The performance was very immersing. Each character had its own accent and tone.

Pratchett plus Briggs equal Unbeatable

Honestly, I could listen to Steven Briggs voicing the Nac Mac Feegle all day everyday. “Crivens!” “Waily-waily…” “Oh, aye.”

What's with the annoying musical interludes?

This book is great. It might be my favorite of the Nac Mac Feegle Discworld books. I'm really enjoying reading about Tiffany Aching's journey through adolescence with the (sometimes unfortunate) companionship of the Wee Free Men. Stephen Briggs's reading is fantastic as always. He is excellent at differentiating character voices without making them too ridiculous. He is always able to pace his reading style to match the urgency of the story. This SHOULD be a 5-star review.

Except for the twinkly, horrible music that pops up periodically. It doesn't fit with the tone of the book. It really takes me out of the story whenever it comes on. It doesn't even seem to fall at appropriate intervals, like chapter breaks. It just comes in, seemingly at random. I wish I could easily advance through it, but unfortunately, it often seems to overlap the storytelling. I want it to be gone so that I could fully enjoy this audiobook.

I can't get enough!

I began the Disc World series with 'I Shall Wear Midnight', which follows the adventures a young witch or "hag" named Tiffany Aching. Since, I have been completing other Disc World novels with the same character and I just can't get enough. Terry Pratchett's stories are not only hilarious but also parrallel real life conflicts we may have encountered with society or even conflicts we may have struggled with ourselves. So in a humorous way, there is always something to learn. Listening to Pratchett's audio books was incredibly easy and was so entertaining that I preferred to listen to his novels rather than watch television. The narrarator is so incredibly talented that I could even call him " a one man show". I felt completely immersed in the novel as another character through the narrator's spectacular acting. These are amazing stories from an amazing author with an amazing narrator. Terry Pratchett, although recently departed from this world, has left behind a legacy that will forever stay in our hearts and minds.

Great read!

The story is a typical Terry Pratchett; funny, fantastic, sarcastic, and witty. The narrator did a great job overall, but spoke way too fast. I had to slow it down to 90% to get it to a normal sounding speed.

Absolutely wonderful adventure!

This is another adventure to remember! Full of wit and romance! Just a sentence could take your breath away!

another fabulous reading

The Tiffany Aching series is so entertaining. I listen to these with my teenage daughter. We have fallen in love with every character.
About the reader: I love reading .. to myself and aloud to my kids. But Stephen Briggs brings a life to the characters that I never could. Brilliant.

one off the best Pratchett's books

I've listened to it many times, not only enjoying the story and humor, but admiring the author's skills with words.

Horace v The Luggage?

I'm now torn about my favorite character in the series. I loved The Luggage, mainly for the fantasy of taking it through LAX international terminal. But, Horace (no spoiler, you'll have to find out) might be edging up as a favorite.
I would love to see a Horace v Luggage smack down...

Excellent book as always.

Discworld always makes you think while entertaining you at the same time. This book was no different.