For decades I have been urging teenage boys to read the late Sir Terry Pratchett’s Disc World novels. Especially 13 year olds. These books are funny, and wise. Funny enough to engage boys in novel length reading, as long as they share Pratchett’s sense of humour, apparently light-weight, gently spoofing fantasy fiction, but also rather wise as each book has a humane sub-text, smuggling in attitudes that are anti-misogyny, anti-racist, anti-xenophobic, in fact anti anything that smacks of small-minded meanness, prejudice or hate.
A cast of Wizards, Witches, Trolls, Dwarves, Werewolves, Vampires, Humans and Igors provide plenty of variety and laughter. Igors, by the way, are Frankensteinian creatures, cobbled together from spare body parts, who are very skilled in repairing others human’s bodies. An almost omnipresence is that of Death, usually with his pale horse, Bincky. Some of the books focus on The Watch, Ankmorporth’s police force, a force consisting of many different life forms and led by the (eventually) wonderful Commander Sam Vimes. Other books are about the Wizard’s Unseen University – where a huge library of magic books is overseen by a Librarian who was at some point transformed into an Orangutan when the magic leaking from the books reached critical point. Some plots involve Rock Music and Opera, racial stereotyping and exploitation, feminism (including the ordination of women) football, science, the postal service, the banks, Church, steam trains, the Movies and many other foci.
And then there are the Witches. Teenage boys may not be so interested in the Witches, but girls might well find them engaging. Pratchett’s publishers list some books for ‘younger’ readers, YAs. I had never read any of them until my attention was caught by some later books concerning Tiffany Aching, a young witch. I have now read three of them, Wintersmith (2006), I shall Wear Midnight(2010) and The Shepherd’s Crown(2015) and I recommend them to any girls aged 12 or over. And women of any age. And men. And boys.
Why? Because they are just as well written, just as funny and just as wise as the rest. And they address different issues. Although Tiffany is young, just rising 13 when we first meet her, she has to face issues of domestic violence, teenage pregnancy (not hers!), emerging sexuality and death, and the consistent YA themes of power and responsibility. They also bring us Tiffany’s informal guards, the Mac Nac Feegle tribe of diminutive warriors, otherwise called the Wee Free Men.
It is good to find books that young people and their parents – or grandparents – can enjoy and talk about together, especially when they touch issues that might be hard to talk about without the focus of a book. I rank Terry Pratchett’s books alongside the very different offerings of Philip Pullman, Patrick Ness and Malorie Blackman. I rejoice that Ness’s trilogy ‘Chaos Walking’is finally being filmed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identityand Edge of Tomorrow) starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, but will not be released until the spring of 2019. But you do not have to wit until then to enjoy the discworld. You will know within a few pages if his style tickles you. I may take a little longer to see if his satires amuse you, his concerns move you, and your heart warms to his gentle but deep passions.
