REVIEW: Equal Rites

Equal Rites
Author: Terry Pratchett

Wizards who are about to die always transfer their power to the eighth son of an eighth son before they gasp their last. But one night in the village of Bad Ass, a wizard mistakenly passes on his power to a newborn girl. Whoops. Never before has there been a female wizard in all of Discworld. This baby is going to have one heck of a time!

Equal Rites, the third book in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, is about Eskarine's adventures. She grows up living with a witch, Granny Weatherwax who teaches her about about herbs, healing and witchery. But, as Eskarine has a staff and wizardly powers that eek out by accident once in awhile, Granny realizes the girl needs to go to the Unseen University for wizard training. The problem? Girls aren't allowed to be wizards and therefore, the university doesn't admit girls. Esk sets out on a trek to attempt to gain admittance....and chaos ensues.

I really love this series. Pratchett's humor just makes me smile. And I love Esk....she is a child and completely innocent. She can't control her powers and often ends up in strange predicaments because of her magical staff. She notices things and helps people on her way to the wizard university and doesn't even realize she's using magic. In her mind, she's just being nice and helpful. Granny Weatherwax is wonderful too. Old, cantankerous and a wily witch in her own right, she's funny, endearing and just awesomely witchy. When the two of them arrive in Ankh Morpork, nothing will ever be the same again, especially the Unseen University. The battle of wills to get girls recognized as wizard material was awesomely epic.

A wonderful, funny journey through Discworld!!