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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Our current theme is song inspirations, where we were given a random song from a random genre and had to pick a book based on the song. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!
Book: “The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett
Publishing Info: Doubleday, May 2003
Where Did We Get This Book: The library!
Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound
Song Inspiration: “Fairies Wear Boots” by Black Sabbath
Book Description: 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 that is equal parts suspense and humor, Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett returns to his internationally popular Discworld with a breathtaking tale certain to leave fans, new and old, enthralled.
Kate’s Thoughts
We all know full well by now that I am not the biggest fantasy fan, genre wise. It just usually doesn’t hit for me, so I came into this rendition of book club with not a lot of experience with Terry Pratchett. I have read “Good Omens”, the super fun novel he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman, but I haven’t read any of his “Discworld” series. I did, however, love the humor and cheekiness of “Good Omens”, so I was excited to have a chance to see Practchett on his own. “The Wee Free Men” was my second experience with him, and I found his voice absolutely delightful.
“The Wee Free Men” is part witch tale, part coming of age, part humor filled romp. There were multiple laugh out loud moments for me, with Pratchett just excelling in quippy moments and dialogue that cracked me up while also having genuinely heartwarming beats about family and growing up. I liked Tiffany and I liked her journey of learning about her role as a witch (a role that has been in her family, whether overtly known or not), and while there were still fantasy pitfalls that I don’t connect with as much, it wasn’t so overwrought that I lost interest. I liked the mythos involving the Wee Free Men, the fairies, and other mystical beings that show up (I was cackling when there was mention of Headless Horsemen, so many fun references to other fantasy tales!) to shine or cause trouble. But I alsoliked watching Tiffany have to overcome obstacles in hopes of finding her younger brother and saving him from a cruel queen. And oh man, the Wee Free Men. How feisty and how charming!
“The Wee Free Men” is a goofy and delightful fantasy story from Terry Pratchett, an author who is deeply missed in the genre. I could see myself reading more “Discworld” due to his voice and whimsy. It’s a fun book.
Serena’s Thoughts
As much as I am the fantasy reader for this blog, I, too, am not overly familiar with Terry Pratchett’s work. I’ve read a few stand-alone books here and there, but, like Kate, I haven’t read any of the books in his famous “Discworld” series. Honestly, I’m kind of intimidated by the entire idea! But if this book is any indication, I should definitely check it out.
In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Catherynne M. Valente’s “Fairlyand” series. Not only did Tiffany’s straight-forward approach to courage and adaptability to the strangeness around her remind me of September, but the overall tone of the story was very similar. There was a whimsical style to the storytelling that is very engaging. And the laugh-out-loud witty moments were often paralleled neatly beside incredibly insightful reflections on human nature and relationships. Like Kate mentioned, there are also a lot of fun references and Easter Egg like nods to various other fantasy elements and tropes. It’s the kind of story that, tonally, can read like it’s meant for a younger audience, but then when you really dive in, many of the jokes and quips depend on the deeper well of knowledge present in adults.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was, quite simply, a fun time. And the type of fun where the book almost tricks you into missing the fact that it actually has a lot of deeper thoughts to convey.
Kate’s Rating 7: A cute and at times poignant fantasy tale from a cheeky author who is greatly missed, “The Wee Free Men” is funny and endearing.
Serena’s Rating 8: Fun and creative, this book will likely appeal to fantasy readers who enjoy the absurd but reflective nature of authors like Catherynne M. Valente and her ilk.
Book Club Questions
- Have you read any other Discworld books before this one? If so, as it’s a Young Adult targeted novel, how does it compare to the other books in the series?
- What did you think of the mythology that Pratchett created for this story? Did you like certain characters or beings more than others?
- Terry Pratchett is known for being a big tongue in cheek with his fantasy stories Do you like the tone that he used for this book?
- What did you think of Tiffany’s journey in the novel?
- Did you catch any homages or tributes to other fantasy stories in this book?
- What did you think of the description of Fairyland?
- Do you think you would read any more Tiffany Aching books? Any other Discworld books?
Reader’s Advisory
“The Wee Free Men” is included on the Goodreads lists “Best Heroine in a Fantasy Book”, and “Wise Women, Witches, Midwives, Healers, and Strong Girls”.
Next Book Club Pick: “Snapdragon” by Kat Leyh
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