Not all puns are created equal, and that is never more evident than with a book title like Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett (Discworld book #3), as it is a book about equality in magic. As with my other Discworld reviews, here is a Discworld Reading Guide that may prove helpful.
Full disclosure: this is one of my favourite books of all time, and could easily be my number one favourite. It was the first Discworld book I read, and also my favourite of them all (although I still have quite a few to read). Obviously, I am going to review this in a positive light.
The primary plot of Equal Rites is that a birthday mis-gendering grants a young girl, Eskarina, the powers of a wizard, but wizards are always the eighth son of an eighth son, and therefore always boys. Girls can be witches or sometimes enchantresses, not wizards, but what’s done is done. Now it’s up to Granny Weatherwax (a highly respectable witch; she even has the hat for it) to shepherd the poor the girl towards mastering her abilities before someone ends up spending the rest of their life as a hog (probably one of Eskarina’s brothers, if one had to guess). Unfortunately for Granny, wizard magic is way outside her comfort zone, even if she won’t admit it, as it is a field she understands only slightly better than raising children.
Despite being a favourite, I haven’t read Equal Rites in many years. Possibly not since I was fresh out of high school, over 15 years ago. Having reread it recently, I can now see how much of this book bled into my own writing, from the way it handles magic as primarily belief-centric (aka ‘headology’), to its personification of inanimate forces, and even my interest in clever women and girls as lead characters. In that regard, Equal Rites continues to deliver the same experience I fondly recall. What I appreciate about this book, more than the first two Discworld novels, is that it follows a concise plot. That is, it feels less random. Overall, it’s fun, light-hearted, and full of action and humour.
New fans of the franchise that are reading in order may not enjoy this book as much as the first two, since it introduces an entirely new cast (with the exception of the lovable Death). However, I strongly assert that Granny Weatherwax is one of the best characters ever written. If for no other reason, Equal Rites is worth reading simply to meet Granny. I unequivocally adore her and her humble approach to life and magic, even if she thinks that the best use for a book is in the outhouse.
