Patch

This third trip into Discworld feels like the first time Pratchett really starts to stretch his world beyond pure parody and toward something that breathes on its own. Equal Rites is a story about witches and wizards, about who gets to hold power and why - but it’s also about stubbornness, small kindnesses, and seeing what lies under the surface.

The plot follows Eskarina Smith, a girl who inherits a wizard’s staff (a profession strictly for men, or so everyone insists). Enter Granny Weatherwax - formidable, pragmatic, and wise in all the ways that have nothing to do with book-learning. I adored Granny immediately. She’s a character who feels rooted in the soil and wind of the world, someone who knows that a cup of tea and a sharp look can be as powerful as any spell.

The humour is there - sharp, quick, absurd in the best way - but what struck me most was the heart. Pratchett is already asking real questions: Who gets to decide what magic is? Who gets to learn it? And what does it mean to change a tradition that doesn’t want to bend?

🌿 Favourite takeaway: Granny’s insistence that witchcraft isn’t about flashy magic, but about knowing. About paying attention. It’s less about power, more about care. A quiet philosophy I can get behind.

It’s not quite as polished as later Discworld books, and the pacing wobbles in places, but I loved watching the series start to grow into itself here.

🌙 Four stars. Funny, warm, and quietly subversive - a turning point in the Discworld journey.

Would recommend for: readers who like their humour laced with sharp truths, anyone who loves wise old women who take no nonsense, fans of stories where tradition meets change.