The Wee Free Men

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Stephen Briggs

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Armed only with a frying pan and her common sense, Tiffany Aching, a young witch-to-be, is all that stands between the monsters of Fairyland and the warm, green Chalk country that is her home. Forced into Fairyland to seek her kidnapped brother, Tiffany allies herself with the Chalk's local Nac Mac Feegle, aka the Wee Free Men, a clan of sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men who are as fierce as they are funny. Together, they battle through an eerie and ever-shifting landscape, fighting brutal flying fairies, dream-spinning dromes, and grimhounds (black dogs with eyes of fire and teeth of razors) before ultimately confronting the Queen of the Elves, absolute ruler of a world in which reality intertwines with nightmare. And in the final showdown, Tiffany must face her cruel power alone.

In a riveting narrative equal parts suspense and humor, Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett returns to his internationally popular Discworld with a breath-taking tale certain to leave fans, new and old, enthralled.

©2003 Terry Pratchett (P)2003 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Briggs reads the prose with rhythmic glee and suspenseful understanding....This tale is especially recommended for all girls who wonder why boy characters like Harry Potter seem to get all the magical action." (AudioFile)
"The book is full of witty dialogue and a wacky cast of characters....A funny and thought-provoking fantasy, with powerfully visual scenes and characters that remain with readers. A glorious read." (School Library Journal)

Funny and sweet

I enjoyed “The Wee Free Men.” In trying to describe this book to a friend, it seems to be a cross of “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and “Monty Python.” I’m sure that does not make any sense but it will once you listen to this book. The lead character is a 9-year old girl who is strong and sees right through non-sense such as the fairy tales that only tell one side of the story. She wants to know the witches’ perspective on the story and does not believe in fairy princesses. The Wee Free Men are like little Scottish Vikings –for lack of a better word - that guide her through a fantasy world where she has to battle the ice-queen with common sense. I wondered at times if the author was smoking something funny or just a bit nutty when describing this fantasy world… it’s at times really hilarious and other times a bit dreamy and strange. All in all this would be great for older children and adults alike. Stephen Briggs did a great job narrating but I should mention that you will miss some things because of his Scottish brogue.

Wonderful

This book is funny, charming, exceedingly original, and wonderfully narrated. You will not be disappointed.

Can't get enough of the Wee Free Men!

This book is one of my personal favorites. Tiffany is marvelous. She is practical and bold. She is a doer and a thinker. She also wants to be a witch. Terry Pratchett's idea of witchcraft appeals to me immensely. He has the idea that witchcraft is looking at something, seeing what needs to be done and doing it. There are big magical workings and very fun magical workings, but those are for special occasions and not to be used much. He tells kids that mostly it is a lot of work, although they don't get into any real learning until the next book. I know he wrote these books as a child's introduction to the Disc World. These books are perfect for any age. They are clean, so witty, and amazingly funny. I tell my children, "Waily! waily! waily!" when they are whiny. I can't get enough of the Wee Free Men. I had this book on CD but bought it on Audible for consistency. I have all the others on Audible already. If you need a fun book or series to listen to on a medium range car trip, this one is it. My boys love Tiffany and the Wee Free Men as much as any of the girls in our family. I love this whole series. They are all excellent Terry Pratchett books. If you want to really enjoy a fairytale-type atmosphere, I think this might be a perfect fit. As always Stephen Briggs is perfect at these narrations. His accents are amazing. This is a must-read in children's fantasy. It does deal with some nightmares so probably not for children under about 6, unless your children are not scared by much of anything. Hope you and yours enjoy this as much as we do. Enjoy!

My favorite!

What about Stephen Briggs’s performance did you like?

Stephen Briggs is fantastic. I can't imagine a better narrator.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Laugh 'til your stomach hurts

Any additional comments?

What I can I say? The Tiffany Aching, Wee Free Men audiobooks are my absolute favorites.

The story line is fun, the characters are perfect, and the narrator's performance is first rate. These are actually my favorite of the Discworld books so far.

hilarious and well done!!

couldn't pull myself away from it! I haven't laughed that good in awhile! great narration as well!

What an Excellent Work!

All the way around this was an excellent book. The story was so much better than I hoped it would be. And the narration was, as normal, very very good. I would recommend this audiobook to anyone, whether they're just starting the Terry Pratchett Discworld adventure or if they are well into it.

Amazing

This is awesome
So delightfully funny
I have to write nine more words so yea


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Great book, Well read

Loved it! A lovely book for children of any age, even 50. I will listen to this again.

Whimsical, fun read

Tiffany is written do well. I appreciate that she is smart, curious, brave, pragmatic, but also allowed to be a child.

charming, funny, topical. as usual.

Feels a bit like Harry Potter but less existentially frightening. I'm thinking it would make a good young adult novel, for a very astute young adult.