Wyrd Sisters - Books I enjoyed

Wyrd Sisters is the sequel to Equal Rites, the second book in the Witches subseries, a book I loved reading. Moreover, this is my 7th Discworld novel, so I knew what to expect going in. But what I didn't know is that I had handicapped myself by not being overly familiar with the material Terry Practchet was satirizing - Macbeth and Shakespeare in general. Had I read Macbeth or watched it before, the title, the puns, the subtle jabs and the homages would have had more weight to it.

This story has a cruel duke and duchess, the ghost of the king they murdered haunting the castle, his newborn son adopted by a travelling theater group, three witches who are drawn into the drama against their will and a fool.  While I am led to believe Macbeth was the larger target here, I was still amused by other references to classic fairy tales, nods to Brothers Grimm folklore and other plays.

Despite my deficiencies, I was still had a blast for the most part. The three witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick are the protagonists here. Granny Weatherwax is modeled after your classic crone. Her misplaced confidence and steadfastness tests the tolerance levels for the other characters. Nanny Ogg is a matriarch who can be described as kind yet overbearing. And there is Magrat Garlick, the young and the naive, who is often looked down upon by the other two. I already liked Weatherwax in the previous book, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much of a distinct presence Nanny Ogg had in the scenes they shared.

The antagonists, the duke and the duchess, have an air of menace and their actions have a bite to them. The witches don't see themselves as being superior to others. They just know they are, especially Granny. She is used to getting her way.  That's why in the part where the duke outsmarts the witches and gains the upper hand, I could feel Granny's raw seething anger, emanating from the pages. Without a doubt, it was one of the most captivating passages to kick off the second act (aka The Confrontation) I have read.

The supporting cast, all have their roles to play. They are fleshed out enough without going overboard. But on the whole, I felt the story was on the weaker side. The middle part especially meanders more than I would have liked it to have. But Sir Terry's signature humor, the characters and the chemistry between them make up for it.

This book does what made Equal Rites a fun a read, the interplay between the characters. There is more of it here than in Equal Rites, owing to a larger cast. But I liked Equal Rites more because it had more heart to it. The story meanders in the middle, a little more than usual, making it harder on my attention span. Though it has better highs.

It was an enjoyable read despite my lack of Shakespearean knowledge, and I have already picked up the next book, Witches Abroad.