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Discworld #32
Un sombrero de cielo
Una bruja de verdad no saldría tranquilamente de su cuerpo en cualquier momento, dejándolo vacío. Pero Tiffany, que a sus once años está a punto de convertirse en aprendiza de bruja, no se lo piensa dos veces. Sin embargo, hay un espíritu antiguo, diabólico e indestructible vagando por allí, a la espera de un cuerpo libre para invadir...
Un sombrero de cielo es el encantador nuevo libro de Terry Pratchett protagonizado por Tiffany Dolorido y los Pequeños Hombres Libres, una banda de hombrecillos azulados, pendencieros y borrachines que no escatiman esfuerzos para defender a la joven bruja. Pero esta vez ni ellos ni Yaya Ceravieja, la bruja más poderosa del mundo, serán capaces de protegerla. Cuando llegue el momento de la verdad, Tiffany tendrá que recurrir a toda su fuerza interior para intentar salvarse a sí misma.
Un sombrero de cielo es el encantador nuevo libro de Terry Pratchett protagonizado por Tiffany Dolorido y los Pequeños Hombres Libres, una banda de hombrecillos azulados, pendencieros y borrachines que no escatiman esfuerzos para defender a la joven bruja. Pero esta vez ni ellos ni Yaya Ceravieja, la bruja más poderosa del mundo, serán capaces de protegerla. Cuando llegue el momento de la verdad, Tiffany tendrá que recurrir a toda su fuerza interior para intentar salvarse a sí misma.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published April 29, 2004
About the author
Terry Pratchett
622 books40.5k followersBorn Terence David John Pratchett, Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe.
Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983. In 1987, he turned to writing full time.
There are over 40 books in the Discworld series, of which four are written for children. The first of these, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, won the Carnegie Medal.
A non-Discworld book, Good Omens, his 1990 collaboration with Neil Gaiman, has been a longtime bestseller and was reissued in hardcover by William Morrow in early 2006 (it is also available as a mass market paperback - Harper Torch, 2006 - and trade paperback - Harper Paperbacks, 2006).
In 2008, Harper Children's published Terry's standalone non-Discworld YA novel, Nation. Terry published Snuff in October 2011.
Regarded as one of the most significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to literature” in 1998, and has received honorary doctorates from the University of Warwick in 1999, the University of Portsmouth in 2001, the University of Bath in 2003, the University of Bristol in 2004, Buckinghamshire New University in 2008, the University of Dublin in 2008, Bradford University in 2009, the University of Winchester in 2009, and The Open University in 2013 for his contribution to Public Service.
In Dec. of 2007, Pratchett disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. On 18 Feb, 2009, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on 12th March 2015.
Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983. In 1987, he turned to writing full time.
There are over 40 books in the Discworld series, of which four are written for children. The first of these, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, won the Carnegie Medal.
A non-Discworld book, Good Omens, his 1990 collaboration with Neil Gaiman, has been a longtime bestseller and was reissued in hardcover by William Morrow in early 2006 (it is also available as a mass market paperback - Harper Torch, 2006 - and trade paperback - Harper Paperbacks, 2006).
In 2008, Harper Children's published Terry's standalone non-Discworld YA novel, Nation. Terry published Snuff in October 2011.
Regarded as one of the most significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to literature” in 1998, and has received honorary doctorates from the University of Warwick in 1999, the University of Portsmouth in 2001, the University of Bath in 2003, the University of Bristol in 2004, Buckinghamshire New University in 2008, the University of Dublin in 2008, Bradford University in 2009, the University of Winchester in 2009, and The Open University in 2013 for his contribution to Public Service.
In Dec. of 2007, Pratchett disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. On 18 Feb, 2009, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on 12th March 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,424 reviews
May 12, 2023
One of Terry Pratchett’s best.
I don’t often gush for a book, but this one was very good. Pratchett’s 2004 Discworld story Hat Full of Sky (and second featuring Tiffany Aching and her friends the pictsies – the Nac Mac Feegle wee free men) was a joy to read.
I’d like to see this made into a film just to see how a clever and talented director handled Miss Level. Like all of Pratchett’s Discworld books, this is wryly funny and sardonically playful and he takes on some heavy themes like family, tradition, peer pressure and isolation but wrapped up in a fun sized parade of interesting characters and entertaining scenes. Sir Terry also mixes in some serious horrific elements with the invasive Hiver.
Part of the fun was Pratchett’s devilishly inventive way of weaving in popular references and I was thrilled to pick up on the Frank Herbert Dune - Bene Gesserit allusion (witches). Pratchett had a mischievous streak and this wink and nod silliness comes across and makes our PRATCHETT-SMILE-O-METER work overtime.
This one also had that little something extra that makes a book special, it all came together nicely as a Los Angeles rug belonging to Maude’s mom. This may seem like an oblique comparison, but I was reminded of Charles Portis’ 1968 western novel True Grit. In that wonderful book, Portis had two of his most enigmatic characters share the stage. In Hat Full of Sky, Pratchett spends plenty of time with Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany and their interactions and dialogue is what makes this rise above the rest.
Highly recommended.
*** 2021 reread -
Great book, one of his best.
While I know that Tiffany and Granny Weatherwax are two of my favorite Discworld characters, during this read I paid closer attention to the rest of the cast and am again amazed at Sir Terry's wonderful ability to create such colorful and yet completely believable players.
Miss Tick and Miss Level, two witches who help Tiffany begin her apprenticeship, are drawn with fantastic detail to their makeup. We again spend time with Rob Anybody and the rest of the Wee Free Men Nac Mac Feegle, any now Rob is the Big Man. We also see again The Toad, the Feegle's attorney.
The character that stood out was Jeannnie, the Feegle clan's kelda. Early on she let Tiffany know that was her clan, but Pratchett has demonstrated a more complex and multi-faceted characterization for her than I realized the first read.
I don’t often gush for a book, but this one was very good. Pratchett’s 2004 Discworld story Hat Full of Sky (and second featuring Tiffany Aching and her friends the pictsies – the Nac Mac Feegle wee free men) was a joy to read.
I’d like to see this made into a film just to see how a clever and talented director handled Miss Level. Like all of Pratchett’s Discworld books, this is wryly funny and sardonically playful and he takes on some heavy themes like family, tradition, peer pressure and isolation but wrapped up in a fun sized parade of interesting characters and entertaining scenes. Sir Terry also mixes in some serious horrific elements with the invasive Hiver.
Part of the fun was Pratchett’s devilishly inventive way of weaving in popular references and I was thrilled to pick up on the Frank Herbert Dune - Bene Gesserit allusion (witches). Pratchett had a mischievous streak and this wink and nod silliness comes across and makes our PRATCHETT-SMILE-O-METER work overtime.
This one also had that little something extra that makes a book special, it all came together nicely as a Los Angeles rug belonging to Maude’s mom. This may seem like an oblique comparison, but I was reminded of Charles Portis’ 1968 western novel True Grit. In that wonderful book, Portis had two of his most enigmatic characters share the stage. In Hat Full of Sky, Pratchett spends plenty of time with Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany and their interactions and dialogue is what makes this rise above the rest.
Highly recommended.
*** 2021 reread -
Great book, one of his best.
While I know that Tiffany and Granny Weatherwax are two of my favorite Discworld characters, during this read I paid closer attention to the rest of the cast and am again amazed at Sir Terry's wonderful ability to create such colorful and yet completely believable players.
Miss Tick and Miss Level, two witches who help Tiffany begin her apprenticeship, are drawn with fantastic detail to their makeup. We again spend time with Rob Anybody and the rest of the Wee Free Men Nac Mac Feegle, any now Rob is the Big Man. We also see again The Toad, the Feegle's attorney.
The character that stood out was Jeannnie, the Feegle clan's kelda. Early on she let Tiffany know that was her clan, but Pratchett has demonstrated a more complex and multi-faceted characterization for her than I realized the first read.
June 13, 2008
The Nac Mac Feegles hae got me tawkin' lae 'em. Crivens! It's a wee bittie story o' hags right enough, the big wee hag o' the hills bein' the verra center o' it all, but it may gi' ye a bad case o' the thinkin'.
I dinna like tae stop readin'.
(To the the Bigjobs: Discworld just keeps getting better and better. Keep a sharp eye out and you will see many references to other stories hidden in the telling.)
I dinna like tae stop readin'.
(To the the Bigjobs: Discworld just keeps getting better and better. Keep a sharp eye out and you will see many references to other stories hidden in the telling.)
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February 20, 2019
"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving."
[First read: 8th June, 2013. 4 Stars.
Second read: 23rd July, 2018. 4 Stars.]
The second of the Tiffany Aching series on Discworld came quickly after the first, with only one other Discworld novel separating them. Tiffany is now a few years older and is off to start learning Witching from Miss Level, a witch living in a cottage in the middle of the woods, far away from the open land of the Chalk where Tiffany knows she belongs.
We meet Tiffany once more and she's much the same as she was in The Wee Free Men, headstrong and wonderful, wanting to learn, needing to find things out and general being an amazing little girl indeed.
In A Hat Full of Sky, however, Tiffany gets the Pratchett treatment even more than she had before, and that includes a bag full o' flaws put right in to her. Tiffany isn't perfect and that's why she's so wonderful. She's a little plain (no funny coloured hair or differently coloured eyes, thank you ) and, whilst she has extraordinary witching power, she's got hang ups just like the rest of us. Tiffany can be a little childish, a little selfish, a little annoying, a little big-headed and a little too proud. She's fully developed and three-dimensional and that is the freshest of breaths of fresh air.
"It was too easy to slip into careless little cruelties because you had power and other people hadn't, too easy to think other people didn't matter much, too easy to think that ideas like right and wrong didn't apply to you."
The plot is pretty much standard Discworld with a childlike twist (considering this is a children's book at it's heart). The Wee Free Men of the previous book (the Nac Mac Feegle or pictsies to you) return, but this time they don't have a huge and central starring role, and that gives the book a better outlook and readability. Whilst the Nac Mac Feegle are a great addition, in The Wee Free Men it always felt like they were taking over the entire book.
A Hat Full of Sky is also bolstered by a bigger starring role from Granny Weatherwax and it's here you can clearly see the similarities between Tiffany and Granny, and you get the feeling that Tiffany is the younger version of Granny that Terry always wanted to write about in-depth. They have a kinship about them beyond the "we both of us are witches" and the general sharing of power. Whilst no-one could ever hold a candle to Granny, Tiffany certainly has a certain edge to her, and it's shown here very well.
[First read: 8th June, 2013. 4 Stars.
Second read: 23rd July, 2018. 4 Stars.]
The second of the Tiffany Aching series on Discworld came quickly after the first, with only one other Discworld novel separating them. Tiffany is now a few years older and is off to start learning Witching from Miss Level, a witch living in a cottage in the middle of the woods, far away from the open land of the Chalk where Tiffany knows she belongs.
We meet Tiffany once more and she's much the same as she was in The Wee Free Men, headstrong and wonderful, wanting to learn, needing to find things out and general being an amazing little girl indeed.
In A Hat Full of Sky, however, Tiffany gets the Pratchett treatment even more than she had before, and that includes a bag full o' flaws put right in to her. Tiffany isn't perfect and that's why she's so wonderful. She's a little plain (no funny coloured hair or differently coloured eyes, thank you ) and, whilst she has extraordinary witching power, she's got hang ups just like the rest of us. Tiffany can be a little childish, a little selfish, a little annoying, a little big-headed and a little too proud. She's fully developed and three-dimensional and that is the freshest of breaths of fresh air.
"It was too easy to slip into careless little cruelties because you had power and other people hadn't, too easy to think other people didn't matter much, too easy to think that ideas like right and wrong didn't apply to you."
The plot is pretty much standard Discworld with a childlike twist (considering this is a children's book at it's heart). The Wee Free Men of the previous book (the Nac Mac Feegle or pictsies to you) return, but this time they don't have a huge and central starring role, and that gives the book a better outlook and readability. Whilst the Nac Mac Feegle are a great addition, in The Wee Free Men it always felt like they were taking over the entire book.
A Hat Full of Sky is also bolstered by a bigger starring role from Granny Weatherwax and it's here you can clearly see the similarities between Tiffany and Granny, and you get the feeling that Tiffany is the younger version of Granny that Terry always wanted to write about in-depth. They have a kinship about them beyond the "we both of us are witches" and the general sharing of power. Whilst no-one could ever hold a candle to Granny, Tiffany certainly has a certain edge to her, and it's shown here very well.
March 24, 2021
A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld, #32; Tiffany Aching, #2), Terry Pratchett
A Hat Full of Sky is a comic fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld and written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004.
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett is a fantasy novel about a girl who is learning her place as a witch.
Early in the novel, Tiffany Aching leaves her home in the chalk country (based on England's chalk country) to act as an apprentice and maid for the elderly witch Miss Level.
Her former teacher, Miss Tick, who is also a witch, escorts her to the town of Twoshirts. While waiting for Miss Level to arrive, they are attacked by a Hiver.
The Hiver cannot be killed or seen and it takes over your mind. The encounter is only for a few seconds, and then the Hiver leaves but it gives Tiffany and Miss Tick a fright. Miss Level comes along on a broomstick and takes Tiffany to her cottage in the mountains.
After settling in Tiffany discovers that Miss Level has two bodies and she has a spirit named Oswald who cleans her house.
After settling into the cottage, Tiffany goes to a group of apprentice witches her age with Petulia. The leader of the group is called Annagramma and many characters find her condescending and rude.
Tiffany leaves the group upset after telling them about her imaginary hat. While in her room at the cottage, the Hiver finds her and takes over her body and mind.
At first Tiffany doesn't realize what has happened, but when she does, it is too late for her to take action. The Hiver (as Tiffany) causes chaos, steals Mr Weavall's money and causes Annagramma to fear her.
Upon arrival at the cottage, the Hiver kills one of Miss Level's bodies. Rob Anybody who is one of the Nac Mac Feegle (which are fairies that are very loyal to Tiffany after she previously helped them) goes into Tiffany's mind along with some of his friends to try to fight the Hiver out of her mind.
They decide that smells from her past will bring forth the actual Tiffany and she will be able to break free.
With the help of the Nac Mac Feegle, Tiffany fights the Hiver out of her mind, but she is still left with the memories of previous victims of the Hiver.
Mr. Weavall discovers that Tiffany stole his money, but the Feegles put gold in place of the copper he had saved up. Tiffany decides that the Hiver must be dealt with so she proceeds to pursue it in the mountains.
Mistress Weatherwax accompanies her although Tiffany is begrudging. They camp in the mountains and Mistress Weatherwax borrows an owl's mind to observe the Hiver as it lurks close by. Mistress Weatherwax tells Tiffany to call her Granny Weatherwax.
In the morning Tiffany and Mistress Weatherwax head off to the witch trials, an annual event where witches show what they have learned.
Upon arrival, Tiffany senses the Hiver moving in on her and turns to Granny Weatherwax only to find that she isn't there.
Panicking, she runs until she finds Granny Weatherwax who tells her it is time to face the Hiver alone. Tiffany welcomes the Hiver to her mind, and discovers that the Hiver doesn't understand humans, it just wants to seek shelter from the world because it senses everything.
Tiffany names the Hiver Arthur and teaches it how to die which is its ultimate goal. She shows it the way across the desert to death.
As she turns to exit the world of death, she finds that the door she entered has disappeared. Turning back around, Death confronts her but she is rescued by Granny Weatherwax.
Granny Weatherwax gives Tiffany her hat but she returns it because she wants to make her own. The novel ends on Tiffany returning to the chalk to take the place of her dead grandmother as the witch of the land. She decides to make her hat out of the sky.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز پانزدهم ماه جولای 2020میلادی
عنوان: دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه) کتاب سی و دوم: کلاهی پر از آسمان؛ نویسنده تری پرچت؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیایی - سده 20م
دیسک ورلد (جهان صفجه)، یک سری از کتابهای فانتزی هستند، که روانشاد «تری پرچت»، نویسنده ی «انگلیسی»، نگاشته اند؛ داستانهای این سری در جهانی با نام «دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه)» میگذرند؛ که صفحه ای تخت است، و بر شانه های «چهار فیل»، با هیکلهای بزرگ، قرار دارد؛ این فیلها نیز، به نوبه ی خود، بر روی پشت یک «لاکپشت غولآسا»، با نام «آتوئین بزرگ» قرار دارند؛ در این سری از کتابها، بارها از سوژه های کتابهای نویسندگانی همچون «جی.آر.آر تالکین»، «رابرت هاوارد»، «اچ پی لاوکرافت»، و «ویلیام شکسپیر»، به گونه ای خنده دار، استفاده شده است؛
از سری «دیسک ورلد» بیشتر از هشتاد میلیون نسخه، در سی و هفت زبان، به فروش رفته است؛ این سری در برگیرنده ی بیش از چهل رمان (تاکنون چهل و یک رمان)، یازده داستان کوتاه، چهار کتاب علمی، و چندین کتاب مرجع، و مکمل است؛ از این سری، چندین رمان تصویری، بازی کامپیوتری، نمایش تئاتر، سریالهای تلویزیونی اقتباس شده است؛ روزنامه ی «ساندی تایمز» چاپ «انگلستان» از این سری به عنوان یکی از پرفروشترین سری کتابها نام برده، و «تری پرچت» را، به عنوان پرفروشترین نویسنده ی «انگلستان»، در دهه ی نود میلادی دانسته است؛
رمانهای «دیسکورلد» جوایز بسیاری از جمله جایزه «پرومتئوس»، و مدال ادبی «کارنگی» را، از آن خود کرده اند؛ در نظرسنجی «بیگ رید»، که «بیبیسی» در سال 2003میلادی، در «انگلستان» انجام داد، چهار رمان سری «دیسکورلد»؛ در فهرست یکصد کتاب برتر قرار گرفتند؛ همچنین مردمان «انگلیس»، در این نظرسنجی، چهارده رمان «دیسکورلد» را، در شمار دویست کتاب برتر، دانستند؛ تا کنون، از این سری، چهل و یک رمان، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «تری پرچت» که پیش از درگذشتش؛ در ابتدای سال 2015میلادی، از بیماری «آلزایمر» رنج میبردند، اعلام کردند که خوشحال میشوند که دخترشان، «ریانا پرچت»، به جای ایشان، به ادامه ی این سری بپردازند؛ تا جلد بیست و ششم رمان این سری، رمان «دزد زمان (2001میلادی)» به دست «جاش کربی»، به تصویر کشیده شده اند، اما نسخه های «آمریکایی»، که انتشارات «هارپرکالینز» آنها را، منتشر کرده، دارای تصاویر روی جلد متفاوتی هستند؛ پس از درگذشت «جاش کربی»، در سال 2001میلادی، نقاشیهای روی جلد کتابهای بعدی این سری، بدست «پائول کربی» کشیده شدند
کتابهای اول و دوم: «رنگ جادو»؛ کتاب سوم: «زنان جادوگر»؛ کتاب چهارم: «مرگ»؛ کتاب پنجم: «سورسری (برگردان فارسی جادوی مرجع)»؛ کتاب ششم: «خواهران ویرد»؛ کتاب هفتم: «هرم ها»؛ کتاب هشتم: «نگهبانان! نگهبانان»؛ کتاب نهم: «اریک»؛ کتاب دهم: «تصاویر متحرک»؛ کتاب یازدهم: «مرد دروگر»؛ کتاب دوازدهم: «جادوگران خارج»؛ کتاب سیزدهم: «ایزدان خرد (خدایان کوچک)»؛ کتاب چهاردهم: «لردها و بانوان»؛ کتاب پانزدهم: «مردان مسلح»؛ کتاب شانزدهم: «موسیقی روح»؛ کتاب هفدهم: «اوقات جالب»؛ کتاب هجدهم: «ماسکراد»؛ کتاب نوزدهم: «پاهای خشت (فیت آو کلی)»؛ کتاب بیستم: «هاگفادر»؛ کتاب بیست �� یکم: «جینگو»؛ کتاب بیست و دوم: «آخرین قاره»؛ کتاب بیست و سوم: «کارپه جوگلوم»؛ کتاب بیست و چهارم: «فیل پنجم»؛ کتاب بیست و پنجم: «حقیقت»؛ کتاب بیست و ششم: «دزد زمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هفتم: «آخرین قهرمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هشتم: «ماوریس شگفتانگیز و موشهای آموزشدیدهاش»؛ کتاب بیست و نهم: «ساعت شب»؛ کتاب سی ام: «مردان آزاد وی»؛ کتاب سی و یکم: «هنگ بزرگ»؛ کتاب سی و دوم: «کلاهی پُر از آسمان»؛ کتاب سی و سوم: «گوینگ پوستال»؛ کتاب سی و چهارم: «تود!»؛ کتاب سی و پنجم: «وینتراسمیت»؛ کتاب سی و ششم: «بدست آوردن پول»؛ کتاب سی و هفتم: «دانشگاهیهای نادیدنی»؛ کتاب سی و هشتم: «نیمهشب بایست بپوشم»؛ کتاب سی و نهم: «اسنوف»؛ کتاب چهلم: «بالا آمدن مه»؛ کتاب چهل و یکم: «تاج چوپان»؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 03/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
A Hat Full of Sky is a comic fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld and written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004.
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett is a fantasy novel about a girl who is learning her place as a witch.
Early in the novel, Tiffany Aching leaves her home in the chalk country (based on England's chalk country) to act as an apprentice and maid for the elderly witch Miss Level.
Her former teacher, Miss Tick, who is also a witch, escorts her to the town of Twoshirts. While waiting for Miss Level to arrive, they are attacked by a Hiver.
The Hiver cannot be killed or seen and it takes over your mind. The encounter is only for a few seconds, and then the Hiver leaves but it gives Tiffany and Miss Tick a fright. Miss Level comes along on a broomstick and takes Tiffany to her cottage in the mountains.
After settling in Tiffany discovers that Miss Level has two bodies and she has a spirit named Oswald who cleans her house.
After settling into the cottage, Tiffany goes to a group of apprentice witches her age with Petulia. The leader of the group is called Annagramma and many characters find her condescending and rude.
Tiffany leaves the group upset after telling them about her imaginary hat. While in her room at the cottage, the Hiver finds her and takes over her body and mind.
At first Tiffany doesn't realize what has happened, but when she does, it is too late for her to take action. The Hiver (as Tiffany) causes chaos, steals Mr Weavall's money and causes Annagramma to fear her.
Upon arrival at the cottage, the Hiver kills one of Miss Level's bodies. Rob Anybody who is one of the Nac Mac Feegle (which are fairies that are very loyal to Tiffany after she previously helped them) goes into Tiffany's mind along with some of his friends to try to fight the Hiver out of her mind.
They decide that smells from her past will bring forth the actual Tiffany and she will be able to break free.
With the help of the Nac Mac Feegle, Tiffany fights the Hiver out of her mind, but she is still left with the memories of previous victims of the Hiver.
Mr. Weavall discovers that Tiffany stole his money, but the Feegles put gold in place of the copper he had saved up. Tiffany decides that the Hiver must be dealt with so she proceeds to pursue it in the mountains.
Mistress Weatherwax accompanies her although Tiffany is begrudging. They camp in the mountains and Mistress Weatherwax borrows an owl's mind to observe the Hiver as it lurks close by. Mistress Weatherwax tells Tiffany to call her Granny Weatherwax.
In the morning Tiffany and Mistress Weatherwax head off to the witch trials, an annual event where witches show what they have learned.
Upon arrival, Tiffany senses the Hiver moving in on her and turns to Granny Weatherwax only to find that she isn't there.
Panicking, she runs until she finds Granny Weatherwax who tells her it is time to face the Hiver alone. Tiffany welcomes the Hiver to her mind, and discovers that the Hiver doesn't understand humans, it just wants to seek shelter from the world because it senses everything.
Tiffany names the Hiver Arthur and teaches it how to die which is its ultimate goal. She shows it the way across the desert to death.
As she turns to exit the world of death, she finds that the door she entered has disappeared. Turning back around, Death confronts her but she is rescued by Granny Weatherwax.
Granny Weatherwax gives Tiffany her hat but she returns it because she wants to make her own. The novel ends on Tiffany returning to the chalk to take the place of her dead grandmother as the witch of the land. She decides to make her hat out of the sky.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز پانزدهم ماه جولای 2020میلادی
عنوان: دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه) کتاب سی و دوم: کلاهی پر از آسمان؛ نویسنده تری پرچت؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیایی - سده 20م
دیسک ورلد (جهان صفجه)، یک سری از کتابهای فانتزی هستند، که روانشاد «تری پرچت»، نویسنده ی «انگلیسی»، نگاشته اند؛ داستانهای این سری در جهانی با نام «دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه)» میگذرند؛ که صفحه ای تخت است، و بر شانه های «چهار فیل»، با هیکلهای بزرگ، قرار دارد؛ این فیلها نیز، به نوبه ی خود، بر روی پشت یک «لاکپشت غولآسا»، با نام «آتوئین بزرگ» قرار دارند؛ در این سری از کتابها، بارها از سوژه های کتابهای نویسندگانی همچون «جی.آر.آر تالکین»، «رابرت هاوارد»، «اچ پی لاوکرافت»، و «ویلیام شکسپیر»، به گونه ای خنده دار، استفاده شده است؛
از سری «دیسک ورلد» بیشتر از هشتاد میلیون نسخه، در سی و هفت زبان، به فروش رفته است؛ این سری در برگیرنده ی بیش از چهل رمان (تاکنون چهل و یک رمان)، یازده داستان کوتاه، چهار کتاب علمی، و چندین کتاب مرجع، و مکمل است؛ از این سری، چندین رمان تصویری، بازی کامپیوتری، نمایش تئاتر، سریالهای تلویزیونی اقتباس شده است؛ روزنامه ی «ساندی تایمز» چاپ «انگلستان» از این سری به عنوان یکی از پرفروشترین سری کتابها نام برده، و «تری پرچت» را، به عنوان پرفروشترین نویسنده ی «انگلستان»، در دهه ی نود میلادی دانسته است؛
رمانهای «دیسکورلد» جوایز بسیاری از جمله جایزه «پرومتئوس»، و مدال ادبی «کارنگی» را، از آن خود کرده اند؛ در نظرسنجی «بیگ رید»، که «بیبیسی» در سال 2003میلادی، در «انگلستان» انجام داد، چهار رمان سری «دیسکورلد»؛ در فهرست یکصد کتاب برتر قرار گرفتند؛ همچنین مردمان «انگلیس»، در این نظرسنجی، چهارده رمان «دیسکورلد» را، در شمار دویست کتاب برتر، دانستند؛ تا کنون، از این سری، چهل و یک رمان، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «تری پرچت» که پیش از درگذشتش؛ در ابتدای سال 2015میلادی، از بیماری «آلزایمر» رنج میبردند، اعلام کردند که خوشحال میشوند که دخترشان، «ریانا پرچت»، به جای ایشان، به ادامه ی این سری بپردازند؛ تا جلد بیست و ششم رمان این سری، رمان «دزد زمان (2001میلادی)» به دست «جاش کربی»، به تصویر کشیده شده اند، اما نسخه های «آمریکایی»، که انتشارات «هارپرکالینز» آنها را، منتشر کرده، دارای تصاویر روی جلد متفاوتی هستند؛ پس از درگذشت «جاش کربی»، در سال 2001میلادی، نقاشیهای روی جلد کتابهای بعدی این سری، بدست «پائول کربی» کشیده شدند
کتابهای اول و دوم: «رنگ جادو»؛ کتاب سوم: «زنان جادوگر»؛ کتاب چهارم: «مرگ»؛ کتاب پنجم: «سورسری (برگردان فارسی جادوی مرجع)»؛ کتاب ششم: «خواهران ویرد»؛ کتاب هفتم: «هرم ها»؛ کتاب هشتم: «نگهبانان! نگهبانان»؛ کتاب نهم: «اریک»؛ کتاب دهم: «تصاویر متحرک»؛ کتاب یازدهم: «مرد دروگر»؛ کتاب دوازدهم: «جادوگران خارج»؛ کتاب سیزدهم: «ایزدان خرد (خدایان کوچک)»؛ کتاب چهاردهم: «لردها و بانوان»؛ کتاب پانزدهم: «مردان مسلح»؛ کتاب شانزدهم: «موسیقی روح»؛ کتاب هفدهم: «اوقات جالب»؛ کتاب هجدهم: «ماسکراد»؛ کتاب نوزدهم: «پاهای خشت (فیت آو کلی)»؛ کتاب بیستم: «هاگفادر»؛ کتاب بیست �� یکم: «جینگو»؛ کتاب بیست و دوم: «آخرین قاره»؛ کتاب بیست و سوم: «کارپه جوگلوم»؛ کتاب بیست و چهارم: «فیل پنجم»؛ کتاب بیست و پنجم: «حقیقت»؛ کتاب بیست و ششم: «دزد زمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هفتم: «آخرین قهرمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هشتم: «ماوریس شگفتانگیز و موشهای آموزشدیدهاش»؛ کتاب بیست و نهم: «ساعت شب»؛ کتاب سی ام: «مردان آزاد وی»؛ کتاب سی و یکم: «هنگ بزرگ»؛ کتاب سی و دوم: «کلاهی پُر از آسمان»؛ کتاب سی و سوم: «گوینگ پوستال»؛ کتاب سی و چهارم: «تود!»؛ کتاب سی و پنجم: «وینتراسمیت»؛ کتاب سی و ششم: «بدست آوردن پول»؛ کتاب سی و هفتم: «دانشگاهیهای نادیدنی»؛ کتاب سی و هشتم: «نیمهشب بایست بپوشم»؛ کتاب سی و نهم: «اسنوف»؛ کتاب چهلم: «بالا آمدن مه»؛ کتاب چهل و یکم: «تاج چوپان»؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 03/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
January 13, 2009
This is technically a young adult book (and yes, I do read grown-up books, I just went on a bit of a YA tear after my Powell’s extravaganza), but the only reason for so labeling it is that the main character is a teenager. It is hard to explain how great this book is if you haven’t read any Pratchett, but, then again, why haven’t you read any Pratchett? His books about the Discworld started out a pun-filled parodies of fantasy novels, and have evolved into satires on our modern world that usually leave me with more profound thinking to do afterward that most “serious fiction.” A Hat Full of Sky is a sequel to The Wee Free Men and is about Tiffany Aching’s apprenticeship as a witch, far from her home on the chalk country. It’s also about being true to yourself, whoever you are and accepting the good of yourself with the bad, and trusting your instincts. But it isn’t hokey, or preachy, just true. And funny as hell – I will never stop laughing at the Wee Free Men.
So, go out and read some Pratchett, by gum! Start with the Wee Free Men, even if they are “kids books”, and then bust out the rest of the Discworld. You won’t regret it.
So, go out and read some Pratchett, by gum! Start with the Wee Free Men, even if they are “kids books”, and then bust out the rest of the Discworld. You won’t regret it.
April 11, 2015
Dedicated to the memory of Sir Terry Pratchett, who passed away soon after I started reading the book.
I have made, over the past twenty years, many friends among the inhabitants of the wacky disc-shaped world sailing through space on the backs of four elephants, carried in their turn by a giant turtle. Starting with Rincewind, then with Sam Vimes and his Ankh-Morpork guards, Lord Vetinari, the wizards of the Unseen University, the banana loving Librarian, the sentient multi-legged Luggage, Moist von Lipwig ... I could go on and on, but what I wanted to say that, out of all of them, I believe Tiffany Aching is the one that I love and admire the most.
Technically, the Tiffany books are Y.A., and have little connection with the rest of the series – mainly the presence of Granny Weatherwax as the chief witch on Discworld, not that witches have ranks or care much about authority. In her first outing, Tiffany Aching is too young to be a witch, but that didn’t stopped her from doing what needs to be done and stopping the Queen of the Faeries from invading her beloved Chalk . With the help of the Pictsies, Tiffany demonstrated that the most important talent a witch needs is to keep her eyes open and use her common sense, just like her beloved Granny Aching used to do.
In this second book, young Tiffany must leave the Chalk and be apprenticed to a more experienced witch who can show her how to develop and control her native talents, beyond making cheese – a sort of going to Hogwarts, but in a private tutoring form. Her destination is described as:
“Miss Level, Cottage in the Woods Near the Dead Oak Tree in Lost Man’s Lane, High Overhang, If Out Leave Letters in Old Boot by Door”
To complicate matters, Tiffany is unknowingly chased by a space entity ( ‘a hiver’) that homes in on users of magic like a guided missile , trying to lodge into their brains and subvert their will. Just when she needs their help most, she must leave the Pictsies back in the Chalk, under the supervision of their new hive queen.
The Nac Mac Feegle (also called Pictsies, The Wee Free Men, The Little Men, and “Person or Persons Unknown, Believed to be Armed”) : they are the most dangerous of the fairy races, particularly when drunk. They love drinking, fighting, and stealing, and will in fact steal anything that is not nailed down. If it is nailed down, they will steal the nails as well. [...]
The average Feegle man (Feegle women are rare – see later) is about six inches high, red haired, his skin turned blue with tattoos and the dye called woad, and, since you’re this close, he’s probably about to hit you.
These little blue scoundrels were responsible for most of the fun I’ve had with the first Aching novel, so I hoped they will not be absent for long. Indeed, I don’t think I reveal a major spoiler if I mention that Rob Anything, Slightly Sane Georgie, Daft Wullie, Awf’ly Wee Billy and their ‘pished’ mates will soon follow Tiffany into her exile, up to their usual hilarious and boisterous antics.
I wouldn’t love the Tiffany books so much if they were only about having fun. They prove in fact that Young Adult books can and should deal with the most important issues of self and destiny as the so-called ‘literary’ fiction. The lessons Tiffany learns in High Overhang will serve her for a lifetime.
Always face what you fear. Have just enough money, never too much, and some string. Even if it’s not your fault, it’s your responsibility. Witches deal with things. Never stand between two mirrors. Never cackle. Do what you must do. Never lie, but you don’t always have to be honest. Never wish. Especially don’t wish upon a star, which is astronomically stupid. Open your eyes, and then open your eyes again.
I don’t intend to go into details about Tiffany’s adventures in the company of her tutor, Miss Level, or about the rivalries with the other young witches in training. Most of them can be boiled down to the choice the young girl has to make between being true to her inner core of values and the wish to conform, to be popular and appreciated. Even the part of the chasing ‘hiver’ is used to reveal the fact that the demons we are often fighting are of our own making, uncomfortable truths about ourselves that we pretend we know nothing about, like streaks of meanness and selfishness and greed.
My favorite passage in the book is rather long, but it is an important illustration of the offbeat definition Pratchett gives for superpowers and how they are best deployed. In answer to why Granny Weatherwax sent her to a rather dumpy and unimpressive ‘research’ witch for training, Tiffany must chew on this:
Because she likes people. She cares about ‘em. Even the stupid, mean, drooling ones, the mothers with the runny babies and no sense, the feckless and the silly and the fools who treat her like some kind of servant. Now that’s what I call magic – seein’ all that, dealin’ with all that, and still goin’ on. It’s sitting up all night with some poor old man who’s leavin’ the world, taking away such pain as you can, comfortin’ their terror, seein’ them safely on their way ... and then cleanin’ ‘em up, layin’ em out, making ‘em neat for the funeral, and helpin’ the weeping widow strip the bed and wash the sheets – which is, let me tell you, no errand for the fainthearted – and stayin’ up the next night to watch over the coffin before the funeral, and then going home and sitting down for five minutes before some shouting angry man comes bangin’on your door ‘cuz his wife’s havin’ difficulty givin’ birth to their first child and the midwife’s at her wits’ end and then getting up and fetching your bag and going out again ... We all do that, in our own way, and she does it better’n me, if I was to put my hand on my heart. That is the root and heart and soul and center of witchcraft, that is. The soul and center!
It may sounds preachy here, out of context, but I believe the novel argues in a fun and moving way the case for treating people with kindness and for using your common sense in dealing with problems. The title becomes explicit later in the novel, as Tiffany has to choose what kind of pointy hat she will use now that she has been acknowledged by her brethren: a fashionable star-spangled one from the best shop in the village? Or Granny Weatherwax’s old, battered hat that she won in a prestige competition? or better yet, one that she will fashion herself from everything that is valuable and close to her heart? Until I get to read the next Tiffany Aching book, I will say goodbye to her, and sadly to her creator Sir Terry Pratchett, with one last quote that will serve well as a metaphor for why we are reading books, and with my gratitude for the journeys of wonder they have had me embark upon:
Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.
The words ran through Tiffany’s mind as she watched the sheep, and she found joy – at the new lambs, at life, at everything. Joy is to fun what the deep seea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained.
I’ve come back! she announced to the hills. Better than I went!
I have made, over the past twenty years, many friends among the inhabitants of the wacky disc-shaped world sailing through space on the backs of four elephants, carried in their turn by a giant turtle. Starting with Rincewind, then with Sam Vimes and his Ankh-Morpork guards, Lord Vetinari, the wizards of the Unseen University, the banana loving Librarian, the sentient multi-legged Luggage, Moist von Lipwig ... I could go on and on, but what I wanted to say that, out of all of them, I believe Tiffany Aching is the one that I love and admire the most.
Technically, the Tiffany books are Y.A., and have little connection with the rest of the series – mainly the presence of Granny Weatherwax as the chief witch on Discworld, not that witches have ranks or care much about authority. In her first outing, Tiffany Aching is too young to be a witch, but that didn’t stopped her from doing what needs to be done and stopping the Queen of the Faeries from invading her beloved Chalk . With the help of the Pictsies, Tiffany demonstrated that the most important talent a witch needs is to keep her eyes open and use her common sense, just like her beloved Granny Aching used to do.
In this second book, young Tiffany must leave the Chalk and be apprenticed to a more experienced witch who can show her how to develop and control her native talents, beyond making cheese – a sort of going to Hogwarts, but in a private tutoring form. Her destination is described as:
“Miss Level, Cottage in the Woods Near the Dead Oak Tree in Lost Man’s Lane, High Overhang, If Out Leave Letters in Old Boot by Door”
To complicate matters, Tiffany is unknowingly chased by a space entity ( ‘a hiver’) that homes in on users of magic like a guided missile , trying to lodge into their brains and subvert their will. Just when she needs their help most, she must leave the Pictsies back in the Chalk, under the supervision of their new hive queen.
The Nac Mac Feegle (also called Pictsies, The Wee Free Men, The Little Men, and “Person or Persons Unknown, Believed to be Armed”) : they are the most dangerous of the fairy races, particularly when drunk. They love drinking, fighting, and stealing, and will in fact steal anything that is not nailed down. If it is nailed down, they will steal the nails as well. [...]
The average Feegle man (Feegle women are rare – see later) is about six inches high, red haired, his skin turned blue with tattoos and the dye called woad, and, since you’re this close, he’s probably about to hit you.
These little blue scoundrels were responsible for most of the fun I’ve had with the first Aching novel, so I hoped they will not be absent for long. Indeed, I don’t think I reveal a major spoiler if I mention that Rob Anything, Slightly Sane Georgie, Daft Wullie, Awf’ly Wee Billy and their ‘pished’ mates will soon follow Tiffany into her exile, up to their usual hilarious and boisterous antics.
I wouldn’t love the Tiffany books so much if they were only about having fun. They prove in fact that Young Adult books can and should deal with the most important issues of self and destiny as the so-called ‘literary’ fiction. The lessons Tiffany learns in High Overhang will serve her for a lifetime.
Always face what you fear. Have just enough money, never too much, and some string. Even if it’s not your fault, it’s your responsibility. Witches deal with things. Never stand between two mirrors. Never cackle. Do what you must do. Never lie, but you don’t always have to be honest. Never wish. Especially don’t wish upon a star, which is astronomically stupid. Open your eyes, and then open your eyes again.
I don’t intend to go into details about Tiffany’s adventures in the company of her tutor, Miss Level, or about the rivalries with the other young witches in training. Most of them can be boiled down to the choice the young girl has to make between being true to her inner core of values and the wish to conform, to be popular and appreciated. Even the part of the chasing ‘hiver’ is used to reveal the fact that the demons we are often fighting are of our own making, uncomfortable truths about ourselves that we pretend we know nothing about, like streaks of meanness and selfishness and greed.
My favorite passage in the book is rather long, but it is an important illustration of the offbeat definition Pratchett gives for superpowers and how they are best deployed. In answer to why Granny Weatherwax sent her to a rather dumpy and unimpressive ‘research’ witch for training, Tiffany must chew on this:
Because she likes people. She cares about ‘em. Even the stupid, mean, drooling ones, the mothers with the runny babies and no sense, the feckless and the silly and the fools who treat her like some kind of servant. Now that’s what I call magic – seein’ all that, dealin’ with all that, and still goin’ on. It’s sitting up all night with some poor old man who’s leavin’ the world, taking away such pain as you can, comfortin’ their terror, seein’ them safely on their way ... and then cleanin’ ‘em up, layin’ em out, making ‘em neat for the funeral, and helpin’ the weeping widow strip the bed and wash the sheets – which is, let me tell you, no errand for the fainthearted – and stayin’ up the next night to watch over the coffin before the funeral, and then going home and sitting down for five minutes before some shouting angry man comes bangin’on your door ‘cuz his wife’s havin’ difficulty givin’ birth to their first child and the midwife’s at her wits’ end and then getting up and fetching your bag and going out again ... We all do that, in our own way, and she does it better’n me, if I was to put my hand on my heart. That is the root and heart and soul and center of witchcraft, that is. The soul and center!
It may sounds preachy here, out of context, but I believe the novel argues in a fun and moving way the case for treating people with kindness and for using your common sense in dealing with problems. The title becomes explicit later in the novel, as Tiffany has to choose what kind of pointy hat she will use now that she has been acknowledged by her brethren: a fashionable star-spangled one from the best shop in the village? Or Granny Weatherwax’s old, battered hat that she won in a prestige competition? or better yet, one that she will fashion herself from everything that is valuable and close to her heart? Until I get to read the next Tiffany Aching book, I will say goodbye to her, and sadly to her creator Sir Terry Pratchett, with one last quote that will serve well as a metaphor for why we are reading books, and with my gratitude for the journeys of wonder they have had me embark upon:
Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.
The words ran through Tiffany’s mind as she watched the sheep, and she found joy – at the new lambs, at life, at everything. Joy is to fun what the deep seea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained.
I’ve come back! she announced to the hills. Better than I went!
February 1, 2020
Looking back on all the Tiffany Aching books in Discworld, I have nothing bad to say about any of them except that they are sometimes.... not that special.
Damned by faint praise!
In actuality, the whole thing is very charming, often clever, and it is definitely an eye-opener for our 11-year-old witch. But as for learning the witchy trade? Yep, it's fairly cool and definitely a trip for the heads-that-be, but other than having a hive-mind baddie that wants a very special wish, the whole thing is a light adventure in dealing with classmates and bad teachers.
I still enjoyed it, though. This is Pratchett! He's almost always funny! :)
Damned by faint praise!
In actuality, the whole thing is very charming, often clever, and it is definitely an eye-opener for our 11-year-old witch. But as for learning the witchy trade? Yep, it's fairly cool and definitely a trip for the heads-that-be, but other than having a hive-mind baddie that wants a very special wish, the whole thing is a light adventure in dealing with classmates and bad teachers.
I still enjoyed it, though. This is Pratchett! He's almost always funny! :)
October 30, 2021
І все ж таки цикл про Тіфані - це мій космос, моє "Ким я хочу стати, коли виросту", але ніколи не стану, бо є в цьому щось неймовірне, незбагненне й щемке до сліз. Уміння вписати в пригодницький сюжет для 10-12-річних настільки їдкі й тривожні екзерсиси з філософії мислення. Бо ж думання про думання - штука не така вже й складна, якщо маєш до цього таку-сяку схильність чи спеціально набуті навички. А от підказати іншим, як думати про те, як думаєш, коли думаєш - це вже рефлективна рекурсія рівня "Дякую вам, сер Террі, що навідали наш світ".
January 31, 2020
*sighs contently*
Only a few days ago I talked to a GR friend about those authors and their books that make you feel at home, all cozy and comfy. Terry Pratchett and his Discworld series is my ultimate home. I cannot stress that enough.
This 32nd volume was another in the sub-series about Tiffany. It's been a few years since the last Tiffany book. She's slightly older now and her parents are tricked into letting her become an apprentice - making cheese. Unfortunately, it also means Tiffany has to go away from the Chalk for a while. Then again, a great thinker once said that you have to leave in order to really appreciate what you're coming back to.
Naturally, Tiffany's studies aren't ONLY about cheese.
There are bullies in her school. There are some talents that are getting away from here as well, so of course she needs to be kept grounded before she starts cackling! And who better to help her than the Nac Mac Feegles! After all, they need their big wee hag because she tells the country what it is and it tells her who she is.
But great power poses the danger of it getting (in-)to your head - literally. And let's not forget the danger of wishes!
So yes, Granny makes an appearance on top of all the other witches, tea and biscuits and all. Yay!
It's easy to see this as just another fantasy book with a coming-of-age story. But that would be like seeing only the flat bits of Earth. ;)
What sets Sir Terry so firmly apart is how effortlessly he mixes a funny adventure including some raunchy "pixies" with very deep thoughts about death / coping mechanisms as well as the corruption by power and what really matters in life.
Just look at those quotes I liked/highlighted to see what I mean!
I seriously love his version of witches who barely ever use actual magic but instead show how pointless it often is anyway since you can use headology or just plain common sense. Actually listening to people, actually seeing things, actually paying attention, caring and applying some knowledge (medicine and other kinda scientific methods) while working people (no, not WITH people *lol*). Taking responsibility when nobody else wants to. Gets to me every time. And it's one of the reasons why the books involving Granny and other witches are my favourites of the series. Yes, still and always.
Granny Weatherwax no longer needs any kind of introduction or summary. But it is important to note that Tiffany herself has already become a very special character - and this is only her second book! She might be only 11 in this volume, but she's already thoroughly fleshed out, has her head and heart in the right place and I'm now convinced where this is headed (I had a hunch before but this made it clear, though I don't want to think about it yet). She's smart, quirky, loveable, headstrong ... a proper hag. ;)
We weren't in a familiar surrounding this time but the magical problem, the lessons we learn alongside Tiffany, the fun we always have when following the Nac Mac Feegles (whether they are drinking, stealing, fighting or saving their favourite hag) - it's all rather magical after all.
Only a few days ago I talked to a GR friend about those authors and their books that make you feel at home, all cozy and comfy. Terry Pratchett and his Discworld series is my ultimate home. I cannot stress that enough.
This 32nd volume was another in the sub-series about Tiffany. It's been a few years since the last Tiffany book. She's slightly older now and her parents are tricked into letting her become an apprentice - making cheese. Unfortunately, it also means Tiffany has to go away from the Chalk for a while. Then again, a great thinker once said that you have to leave in order to really appreciate what you're coming back to.
Naturally, Tiffany's studies aren't ONLY about cheese.
There are bullies in her school. There are some talents that are getting away from here as well, so of course she needs to be kept grounded before she starts cackling! And who better to help her than the Nac Mac Feegles! After all, they need their big wee hag because she tells the country what it is and it tells her who she is.
But great power poses the danger of it getting (in-)to your head - literally. And let's not forget the danger of wishes!
So yes, Granny makes an appearance on top of all the other witches, tea and biscuits and all. Yay!
It's easy to see this as just another fantasy book with a coming-of-age story. But that would be like seeing only the flat bits of Earth. ;)
What sets Sir Terry so firmly apart is how effortlessly he mixes a funny adventure including some raunchy "pixies" with very deep thoughts about death / coping mechanisms as well as the corruption by power and what really matters in life.
Just look at those quotes I liked/highlighted to see what I mean!
I seriously love his version of witches who barely ever use actual magic but instead show how pointless it often is anyway since you can use headology or just plain common sense. Actually listening to people, actually seeing things, actually paying attention, caring and applying some knowledge (medicine and other kinda scientific methods) while working people (no, not WITH people *lol*). Taking responsibility when nobody else wants to. Gets to me every time. And it's one of the reasons why the books involving Granny and other witches are my favourites of the series. Yes, still and always.
Granny Weatherwax no longer needs any kind of introduction or summary. But it is important to note that Tiffany herself has already become a very special character - and this is only her second book! She might be only 11 in this volume, but she's already thoroughly fleshed out, has her head and heart in the right place and I'm now convinced where this is headed (I had a hunch before but this made it clear, though I don't want to think about it yet). She's smart, quirky, loveable, headstrong ... a proper hag. ;)
We weren't in a familiar surrounding this time but the magical problem, the lessons we learn alongside Tiffany, the fun we always have when following the Nac Mac Feegles (whether they are drinking, stealing, fighting or saving their favourite hag) - it's all rather magical after all.
April 30, 2020
Another fantastic book by Terry Pratchett. Wonderful sequel to Wee Free Men.
Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegle continue their alliance with the previous hilarious and touching outcomes.
Another must read for Pratchett and fantasy fans.
Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegle continue their alliance with the previous hilarious and touching outcomes.
Another must read for Pratchett and fantasy fans.
February 22, 2022
Crivens! I am so glad that my SRR friends mentioned buddy-reading this series! I really like young Tiffany, our apprentice witch. She is growing up nicely and learning how to deal with the expectations of others, peer pressure, and other tricky situations. Through sheer ignorance, she leaves her body at the wrong moment and a hiver takes possession of her, proceeding to make trouble.
As in the last book, Tiffany has assistance from the Nac Mac Feegle, fae folk who prevent the book from being too serious or too preachy. Their determination to drink fuels much of the hilarity, with Daft Wullie at one point claiming he can safely drink rat poison because he's “no' a rat.” Their taste for Special Sheep Linament (moonshine) is on display too. The Nac Mac Feegle (also called Pictsies, The Wee Free Men, The Little Men, and “Person or Persons Unknown, Believed to be Armed”)
Tiffany gets a gift from Roland, the Baron's son rescued from Fairyland in book one. The image of the Horse carved in the chalk becomes an important image during her dealings with the hiver. (And their behaviour as they interact makes me wonder where this friendship is going). But perhaps her most important lesson is the human connection. It's difficult to be content with the daily grind of taking care of people and things, but it needs to be done and satisfaction can be derived from it.
As in the last book, Tiffany has assistance from the Nac Mac Feegle, fae folk who prevent the book from being too serious or too preachy. Their determination to drink fuels much of the hilarity, with Daft Wullie at one point claiming he can safely drink rat poison because he's “no' a rat.” Their taste for Special Sheep Linament (moonshine) is on display too. The Nac Mac Feegle (also called Pictsies, The Wee Free Men, The Little Men, and “Person or Persons Unknown, Believed to be Armed”)
Tiffany gets a gift from Roland, the Baron's son rescued from Fairyland in book one. The image of the Horse carved in the chalk becomes an important image during her dealings with the hiver. (And their behaviour as they interact makes me wonder where this friendship is going). But perhaps her most important lesson is the human connection. It's difficult to be content with the daily grind of taking care of people and things, but it needs to be done and satisfaction can be derived from it.
April 28, 2018
It’s been two years since Tiffany Aching and her allies, the Wee Free Men, stormed Fairyland, knocked the Queen out with a frying pan, and rescued both Tiffany’s little brother Wentworth and Roland, son of the Baron of the Chalk.
This exploit brought Tiffany to the notice of the Witches, under the leadership of the formidable Mistress Weatherwax. Now they’ve arranged for her to be apprenticed to Miss Level, who lives in the mountains and is considered a bit “odd” even by witch standards.
Tiffany learns that there’s precious little magic involved in her world’s version of witchcraft—spells and potions are left to wizards, who tend to be pompous buffoons. Instead, witchcraft mostly consists of midwifery, hospice care, herbal lore and medicine, helping out with children and farm animals, standing up to local bullies, and settling village disputes. Our heroine finds all this unworthy of her time. If you’ve read the previous book, you know this is very unlike Tiffany.
Is this just a prelude to teen angst, or is there something more sinister at work?
And how did Tiffany become open to this malign influence? Was it Annagramma and the other silly witch girls her own age, who have become preoccupied with wizardly trappings and might have summoned a spirit beyond their strength? Or did Tiffany inadvertently do this to herself with her new trick of hopping in and out of her body with a word?
Whatever’s afoot, Rob Anybody and his clan of fearsome Feegles are on the case. They even have a plan, consisting of a paper scrap with “PLN” scribbled on it.
Content Advisory
Violence: The creatures taken over by the hiver generally wind up dying violently, so bent on power that their fellows see no choice but to destroy them. For instance, all that remained of Professor Bustle could fit in a mason jar.
.
The Feegles, as usual, will attack anything that moves.
No shown deaths and no gore.
Sex: When Tiffany visits Mrs. Earwig’s (pronounced Ah-wij) house she notices the décor, which includes paintings of young covens dancing beneath the full moon, accompanied by men/gods/male spirits with horns—and neither the young women nor the young men are wearing a stitch. The paintings are described broadly, with no details. They make Tiffany uncomfortable, but as kids under peer pressure often do, she swallows her initial feeling and convinces herself that “that’s real witchcraft.”
A few fleeting references to village paternity scandals.
Language: The Nac Mac Feegle catchphrase is still “Crivens!”, which my friend The Batman tells me is a distant descendant of the oath “Christ’s veins.” How the phrase got into this universe, which has no clear time/space relationship to our world and presumably stands outside what the Church calls salvation history, is a mystery. Then again, one of the Feegles was singing “You Are My Sunshine” at one point…I’m probably overthinking this.
Tiffany uses the word “gravitas” and Granny Weatherwax asks brusquely, “What’s gravitarse?”
Substance Abuse: The Feegles are in it. There will be boozing. No one else drinks. Most of the community elders like to chew tobacco.
Nightmare Fuel: The hiver is a frightening creature. It has no body and barely any mind, but it lives forever, and it takes over the bodies of other creatures to shield itself from the torment of such an existence. Those it possesses become increasingly deranged and megalomaniacal until they are either killed by their fellows, or self-destruct, thinking in their hubris that they can’t die.
Miss Level somehow is a single individual whose brain and soul is split between two identical bodies. This allows her to seemingly bilocate, and in her youth she joined the circus as a pair of twins. She’s a sweet character, but that subplot seemed a bit Miss Peregrine-ish for this book.
The Feegles try to pass themselves off as an animate scarecrow, but they are terrible actors, and when the “torso” starts fighting with the “knees” the gawky figure splits in two, to the great horror of all present.
Politics and Religion: The afterworld consists of a desert that the souls must cross. No one has ever come back to tell what’s on the other side. Death is personified as a vague, towering dark figure who speaks in all caps and no quotation marks. He notices Rob there and says, I WAS NOT EXPECTING A NAC MAC FEEGLE TODAY. IF I’D KNOWN HE WAS HERE, I’D HAVE WORN PROTECTIVE GEAR.
“You have friends,” Granny tells Tiffany at one point. The girl hears a bird singing overhead and looks up. “Not up there,” the old woman clarifies. Hardly Pullman material, but worth noting here.
Conclusion
A masterful look at the start of adolescence, peer pressure, and the things that really matter, A Hat Full of Sky is appropriate for young teens but has enough meat and subtlety to be enjoyed by adults too. Tiffany is a worthy heroine surrounded by a delightful supporting cast. Pratchett clearly based this part of Discworld on the rural part of England where he grew up, and because the setting is full of concrete detail it comes alive in a way few fantasy lands do. Recommended.
This exploit brought Tiffany to the notice of the Witches, under the leadership of the formidable Mistress Weatherwax. Now they’ve arranged for her to be apprenticed to Miss Level, who lives in the mountains and is considered a bit “odd” even by witch standards.
Tiffany learns that there’s precious little magic involved in her world’s version of witchcraft—spells and potions are left to wizards, who tend to be pompous buffoons. Instead, witchcraft mostly consists of midwifery, hospice care, herbal lore and medicine, helping out with children and farm animals, standing up to local bullies, and settling village disputes. Our heroine finds all this unworthy of her time. If you’ve read the previous book, you know this is very unlike Tiffany.
Is this just a prelude to teen angst, or is there something more sinister at work?
And how did Tiffany become open to this malign influence? Was it Annagramma and the other silly witch girls her own age, who have become preoccupied with wizardly trappings and might have summoned a spirit beyond their strength? Or did Tiffany inadvertently do this to herself with her new trick of hopping in and out of her body with a word?
Whatever’s afoot, Rob Anybody and his clan of fearsome Feegles are on the case. They even have a plan, consisting of a paper scrap with “PLN” scribbled on it.
Content Advisory
Violence: The creatures taken over by the hiver generally wind up dying violently, so bent on power that their fellows see no choice but to destroy them. For instance, all that remained of Professor Bustle could fit in a mason jar.
.
The Feegles, as usual, will attack anything that moves.
No shown deaths and no gore.
Sex: When Tiffany visits Mrs. Earwig’s (pronounced Ah-wij) house she notices the décor, which includes paintings of young covens dancing beneath the full moon, accompanied by men/gods/male spirits with horns—and neither the young women nor the young men are wearing a stitch. The paintings are described broadly, with no details. They make Tiffany uncomfortable, but as kids under peer pressure often do, she swallows her initial feeling and convinces herself that “that’s real witchcraft.”
A few fleeting references to village paternity scandals.
Language: The Nac Mac Feegle catchphrase is still “Crivens!”, which my friend The Batman tells me is a distant descendant of the oath “Christ’s veins.” How the phrase got into this universe, which has no clear time/space relationship to our world and presumably stands outside what the Church calls salvation history, is a mystery. Then again, one of the Feegles was singing “You Are My Sunshine” at one point…I’m probably overthinking this.
Tiffany uses the word “gravitas” and Granny Weatherwax asks brusquely, “What’s gravitarse?”
Substance Abuse: The Feegles are in it. There will be boozing. No one else drinks. Most of the community elders like to chew tobacco.
Nightmare Fuel: The hiver is a frightening creature. It has no body and barely any mind, but it lives forever, and it takes over the bodies of other creatures to shield itself from the torment of such an existence. Those it possesses become increasingly deranged and megalomaniacal until they are either killed by their fellows, or self-destruct, thinking in their hubris that they can’t die.
Miss Level somehow is a single individual whose brain and soul is split between two identical bodies. This allows her to seemingly bilocate, and in her youth she joined the circus as a pair of twins. She’s a sweet character, but that subplot seemed a bit Miss Peregrine-ish for this book.
The Feegles try to pass themselves off as an animate scarecrow, but they are terrible actors, and when the “torso” starts fighting with the “knees” the gawky figure splits in two, to the great horror of all present.
Politics and Religion: The afterworld consists of a desert that the souls must cross. No one has ever come back to tell what’s on the other side. Death is personified as a vague, towering dark figure who speaks in all caps and no quotation marks. He notices Rob there and says, I WAS NOT EXPECTING A NAC MAC FEEGLE TODAY. IF I’D KNOWN HE WAS HERE, I’D HAVE WORN PROTECTIVE GEAR.
“You have friends,” Granny tells Tiffany at one point. The girl hears a bird singing overhead and looks up. “Not up there,” the old woman clarifies. Hardly Pullman material, but worth noting here.
Conclusion
A masterful look at the start of adolescence, peer pressure, and the things that really matter, A Hat Full of Sky is appropriate for young teens but has enough meat and subtlety to be enjoyed by adults too. Tiffany is a worthy heroine surrounded by a delightful supporting cast. Pratchett clearly based this part of Discworld on the rural part of England where he grew up, and because the setting is full of concrete detail it comes alive in a way few fantasy lands do. Recommended.
March 2, 2009
Freakin' Terry Pratchett rules. What in the world have i been doing with all my life? I have so many books to read! However i sit inspired by the bravery of Rob Anybody and, therefore, i shall fling myself head first with no helmet...one fearsome book at a time. A Hatful of Sky is a follow up to The Wee Free Men. It picks up just where the other left off and continues Terry's incredibly witty fantasy which clearly stand a bar above other fanatsy.
January 17, 2023
Growing up would be twice as hard without Nac Nac Feegles
Their gag potential is immense, especially with a now added female touch. Instead of just sacking and looting, as usual, their moral sense improves a tiny little bit towards less criminal. Not too much of course to not spoil the fun.
Don´t fear the hiver
Many philosophical implications, but I´ll just go with the one that discipline, auto self mind control, and a kind of forced positive psychology are the best steps to avoid getting first haunted and later controlled by your dark side. Tiffany learns this the hard way,
Why go to Hogwarts if one can be homeschooled
That´s at least more personal and comes without the usual school stereotypes and tropes. And Pratchett uses it to show the different ideologies witches use and reflect in their teaching style.
Weatherwax vs Tiffany Aching
And the air starts burning. The friendly competition and punchlines are especially wonderful for the readers already knowing Granny and Nanny Ogg. Look forward to how their student teacher friendship develops in the following parts of the series, it´s one of the red lines besides the coming of age stuff.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
Their gag potential is immense, especially with a now added female touch. Instead of just sacking and looting, as usual, their moral sense improves a tiny little bit towards less criminal. Not too much of course to not spoil the fun.
Don´t fear the hiver
Many philosophical implications, but I´ll just go with the one that discipline, auto self mind control, and a kind of forced positive psychology are the best steps to avoid getting first haunted and later controlled by your dark side. Tiffany learns this the hard way,
Why go to Hogwarts if one can be homeschooled
That´s at least more personal and comes without the usual school stereotypes and tropes. And Pratchett uses it to show the different ideologies witches use and reflect in their teaching style.
Weatherwax vs Tiffany Aching
And the air starts burning. The friendly competition and punchlines are especially wonderful for the readers already knowing Granny and Nanny Ogg. Look forward to how their student teacher friendship develops in the following parts of the series, it´s one of the red lines besides the coming of age stuff.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
September 12, 2020
"I'm made up of everyone I've ever met who's changed the way I think.”
“If you don't know when to be a human being, you don't know when to be a witch.”
Tiffany has grown and spread her wings a bit. Lots of new learning and meeting with various characters. Her teacher was particularly memorable.
As funny as the first book. I got lost in the earlier parts but middle way forward it's all "Crivens!" and those sorts of stuff.
“If you don't know when to be a human being, you don't know when to be a witch.”
Tiffany has grown and spread her wings a bit. Lots of new learning and meeting with various characters. Her teacher was particularly memorable.
As funny as the first book. I got lost in the earlier parts but middle way forward it's all "Crivens!" and those sorts of stuff.
February 7, 2022
Gosh I loved everything about this. Got misty-eyed more than once. A perfect book for growing children, and for fully grown folks who like to see solid fantasy with a bit of depth and plenty of humor in it.
October 5, 2022
тіффані болячка займає окреме місце в моєму серці
November 18, 2019
Имаше една много поучителна карикатура, в която на малкото момченце от началото на живота му дават да си играе с колички и конструктори, а на малкото момиченце – с кукли. И после няколко мъже се чудят защо толкова малко жени стават инженери. Тери Пратчет отдавна се занимава с жените и тяхното място в мъжкия свят на Диска, а Шапка пълна с небе е втората „книга за млади читатели“ от поредицата за малката вещица Тифани Сболки.
В едно интерв�� за блога на отворената феминистка, което тя май няма да публикува по други причини, обяснявам защо филмите с принцеси, книжките с принцеси и изобщо цялата „принцесна“, розова, приказна индустрия, която владее малките момичета практически от раждането им, е изключително вредна за изграждането им като мислещи, самостоятелни хора.
Принцесите са еманацията на идеята за жената като безпомощна, глупава кукла, която няма друга цел в живота, освен да бъде красива и да чака някой принц да я спаси. Как едно момиче ще има желанието и амбицията да учи, да напр��в�� нещо със себе си, ако през първите 15 години от живота й я заливат филми, книги, комикси и списания с принцеси и барбита, а според всички хора около нея тя трябва най-вече да е „послушна“, „добро момиче“ и най-вече „красива“?
Тъй като в днешния свят принцеси няма, голяма част от момичетата израстват с желанието да приличат на идола си Парис Хилтън и се превтъщат в коври, чиято цел в живота е да се гримират и да се заловят за някой „принц“ който да ги издържа.
Поредицата за Тифани Сболки на Тери Пратчет е само един малък спасителен сал в океана от розово, който владее света на малките момичета. Шапка пълна с небе е предназначена колкото за тях, толкова и за техните майки и се опитва с всички сили да покаже, че не е толкова важно как изглеждаш, а по-скоро какво правиш, и че да мислиш самостоятелно не е толкова лошо (всъщност никак лошо не е).
В едно интерв�� за блога на отворената феминистка, което тя май няма да публикува по други причини, обяснявам защо филмите с принцеси, книжките с принцеси и изобщо цялата „принцесна“, розова, приказна индустрия, която владее малките момичета практически от раждането им, е изключително вредна за изграждането им като мислещи, самостоятелни хора.
Принцесите са еманацията на идеята за жената като безпомощна, глупава кукла, която няма друга цел в живота, освен да бъде красива и да чака някой принц да я спаси. Как едно момиче ще има желанието и амбицията да учи, да напр��в�� нещо със себе си, ако през първите 15 години от живота й я заливат филми, книги, комикси и списания с принцеси и барбита, а според всички хора около нея тя трябва най-вече да е „послушна“, „добро момиче“ и най-вече „красива“?
Тъй като в днешния свят принцеси няма, голяма част от момичетата израстват с желанието да приличат на идола си Парис Хилтън и се превтъщат в коври, чиято цел в живота е да се гримират и да се заловят за някой „принц“ който да ги издържа.
Поредицата за Тифани Сболки на Тери Пратчет е само един малък спасителен сал в океана от розово, който владее света на малките момичета. Шапка пълна с небе е предназначена колкото за тях, толкова и за техните майки и се опитва с всички сили да покаже, че не е толкова важно как изглеждаш, а по-скоро какво правиш, и че да мислиш самостоятелно не е толкова лошо (всъщност никак лошо не е).
May 21, 2022
My daughter and I decided to listen the the Tiffany Aching series on our roadtrip to Atlanta, Georgia. We had already completed the first one, so as we started out this morning, we loaded the second one, A Hat Full of Sky on my iPod. It has been so much fun to listen to the combination of wit and wisdom wonderfully read by Stephen Briggs. Here are the quotes that caught our ears especially as we travelled:
"I'm made up of everyone I ever met who's changed the way I think."
"I was not snoring! I was just resting gently while I tickled an owl closer."
"You are very ugly for fairies." (the Nac Mac Feegle)
"If you are filled with anger there's no room for fear."
"'Ooh, store-bought Teatime Assortment,' she said, taking four biscuits and quickly putting three of them in her pocket. 'Very posh.'"
"They say when vampires bit her [Granny Weatherwax]; they started to crave sweet tea and biscuits."
"If you change a person into a frog you have to decide what to do with all the stuff that doesn't fit into the frog." Later, "That's the bits he doesn't need right now. Sort of Spare Brian."
Mistress Weatherwax to Tiffany: "I want to speak to the person who went to fight the Fairy Queen armed only with a frying pan."
"Stars is easy. People is hard."
"We heard a song – it went “Twinkle twinkle little star…” What power! What wondrous power! You can take a billion trillion tons of flaming matter, a furnace of unimaginable strength, and turn it into a little song for children! You build little worlds, little stories, little shells around your minds, and that keeps infinity at bay and allows you to wake up in the morning without screaming!"
"I'm made up of everyone I ever met who's changed the way I think."
"I was not snoring! I was just resting gently while I tickled an owl closer."
"You are very ugly for fairies." (the Nac Mac Feegle)
"If you are filled with anger there's no room for fear."
"'Ooh, store-bought Teatime Assortment,' she said, taking four biscuits and quickly putting three of them in her pocket. 'Very posh.'"
"They say when vampires bit her [Granny Weatherwax]; they started to crave sweet tea and biscuits."
"If you change a person into a frog you have to decide what to do with all the stuff that doesn't fit into the frog." Later, "That's the bits he doesn't need right now. Sort of Spare Brian."
Mistress Weatherwax to Tiffany: "I want to speak to the person who went to fight the Fairy Queen armed only with a frying pan."
"Stars is easy. People is hard."
"We heard a song – it went “Twinkle twinkle little star…” What power! What wondrous power! You can take a billion trillion tons of flaming matter, a furnace of unimaginable strength, and turn it into a little song for children! You build little worlds, little stories, little shells around your minds, and that keeps infinity at bay and allows you to wake up in the morning without screaming!"
May 1, 2023
Підцикл про Тіфані не перестає мене дивувати. Це пізній Пратчетт, і відчутно це буквально у кожному рядку: в тому, як він вибудовує історію, в поетичних описах, в отому думанні про думання, в тому, як він пише про Афінґтонського Білого Коня, та в усьому. Дуже особливі книжечки в його немаленькому доробку і можуть добряче заскочити зненацька навіть тих, хто вже чимало перечитав дискосвітніх томиків.
Наша Тіфані з часу подій першої книжки підросла на два роки і було вирішено, що прийшла пора їй покинути рідні краї і повчитися відьмацьких премудростей в досвідченої панни Рівень. Сама панна і її хатинка — без сумніву магічні по саме нікуди, але Тіфані відьмацькі будні уявлялися якимись не такими... буденними? Не знаю, чи то підлітковий протест підкрався завчасно, чи то природня впертість далася взнаки, та вилилося все це в те, що вилилося, зате нашій Тіфані вдалося вирости як персонажці і переосмислити своє ставлення до багато-чого.
А що ж наші блакитні чоловічки? Та тут же, на місці. Допомагають своїй колишній кельді і відповідають за гумор.
P.S. Троха сердита на "Аґрафку", що вони винесли спойлер на обладинку.
Наша Тіфані з часу подій першої книжки підросла на два роки і було вирішено, що прийшла пора їй покинути рідні краї і повчитися відьмацьких премудростей в досвідченої панни Рівень. Сама панна і її хатинка — без сумніву магічні по саме нікуди, але Тіфані відьмацькі будні уявлялися якимись не такими... буденними? Не знаю, чи то підлітковий протест підкрався завчасно, чи то природня впертість далася взнаки, та вилилося все це в те, що вилилося, зате нашій Тіфані вдалося вирости як персонажці і переосмислити своє ставлення до багато-чого.
А що ж наші блакитні чоловічки? Та тут же, на місці. Допомагають своїй колишній кельді і відповідають за гумор.
P.S. Троха сердита на "Аґрафку", що вони винесли спойлер на обладинку.
September 3, 2014
For a children’s book it has more complexity than I would've expected. I remember after reading Tiffany Aching’s first book I thought it was just so strange and didn't get what was going on at the end. The climax in this one had a similar sort of the thing going but I understood it better this time around. Maybe it’s because I'm older or that Pratchett explained it easier this time, I don't know.
So here we have Tiffany in the beginning of her witch training and things are not going the way she thought. Things get worse since a Hiver (which is deadly and can’t be killed) seems to be after her, though she doesn't know it. Tiffany is a great character. Her point of view is straight forward but in a unique way. The reader is not only in Tiffany's head so if Tiffany misses something or is in denial we have the Wee Free Men to make there blunt though sometimes strange observations.
The Wee Free Men have to help Tiffany which I’m glad about. I was worried they wouldn’t be a big part in this story since Tiffany was no longer living in the chalk. But we do see them later on and we learn more of their traditions and their beliefs. The Wee Free Men are so funny and bring so much to the story because of it. The whole trying to pass as a person had me laughing and rereading passages.
Definitely worth a try if you into untraditional children fantasy, but then if you are you probably already know about Terry Pratchett.
So here we have Tiffany in the beginning of her witch training and things are not going the way she thought. Things get worse since a Hiver (which is deadly and can’t be killed) seems to be after her, though she doesn't know it. Tiffany is a great character. Her point of view is straight forward but in a unique way. The reader is not only in Tiffany's head so if Tiffany misses something or is in denial we have the Wee Free Men to make there blunt though sometimes strange observations.
The Wee Free Men have to help Tiffany which I’m glad about. I was worried they wouldn’t be a big part in this story since Tiffany was no longer living in the chalk. But we do see them later on and we learn more of their traditions and their beliefs. The Wee Free Men are so funny and bring so much to the story because of it. The whole trying to pass as a person had me laughing and rereading passages.
Definitely worth a try if you into untraditional children fantasy, but then if you are you probably already know about Terry Pratchett.
April 10, 2018
I waited for nearly two years after reading The Wee Free Men, fearing that the next book wouldn't stand up to it. I shouldn't have worried!
Tiffany still has first, second and third thoughts.
“First Thoughts are the everyday thoughts. Everyone has those. Second Thoughts are the thoughts you think about the way you think. People who enjoy thinking have those. Third Thoughts are thoughts that watch the world and think all by themselves. They’re rare, and often troublesome. Listening to them is part of witchcraft.”
The Nac Mac Feegle are still hilarious.
“Oh, we saw some muckle eldritch places when we wuz raiding for the Quin,” said Rob Anybody. “But we gave that up, for she wuz a schemin’, greedy, ill-fared carlin, that she was!”
“Aye, and it wuz no’ because she threw us oout o’ Fairyland for being completely pished at two in the afternoon, whatever any scunner might mphf mphf…” said Daft Wullie.
“Pished?” said Miss Level.
“Aye…oh, aye, it means…tired. Aye. Tired. That’s whut it means,” said Rob Anybody, holding his hands firmly over his brother’s mouth.
Tiffany still has first, second and third thoughts.
“First Thoughts are the everyday thoughts. Everyone has those. Second Thoughts are the thoughts you think about the way you think. People who enjoy thinking have those. Third Thoughts are thoughts that watch the world and think all by themselves. They’re rare, and often troublesome. Listening to them is part of witchcraft.”
The Nac Mac Feegle are still hilarious.
“Oh, we saw some muckle eldritch places when we wuz raiding for the Quin,” said Rob Anybody. “But we gave that up, for she wuz a schemin’, greedy, ill-fared carlin, that she was!”
“Aye, and it wuz no’ because she threw us oout o’ Fairyland for being completely pished at two in the afternoon, whatever any scunner might mphf mphf…” said Daft Wullie.
“Pished?” said Miss Level.
“Aye…oh, aye, it means…tired. Aye. Tired. That’s whut it means,” said Rob Anybody, holding his hands firmly over his brother’s mouth.
February 19, 2020
This book was in actuality a reread, even though I did not realize this until I began reading it. I loved it the first time through and even more so now. So now I have only one more never read Terry Pratchett book to experience for the very first time. I wish he was still with us and writing...
February 13, 2019
This is the second book in the Tiffany Aching series and it has some really memorable moments in it. Granny Weatherwax plays a much more prominent role here too!
Before I get into the review, the obligatory free plug. I write too Mainly fantasy and folklore.
Right! Apologies for that. Onto the review. I read this to my daughter Emily. Ever since I told her about the Wee Free Men she was fascinated and after reading her the first book she's a convert. We've already started Wintersmith! I think she enjoys me reading these because of my enthusiastic, if flawed portrayals of pictsie scottish accents.
The book starts some time after the conclusion of The Wee Free Men Tiffany has been assigned to a well-meaning witch called Miss Level. She's still at home at the start of the book and the initial chapters follow her on her journey to Miss Level's cottage. Before she sets out though she makes a grave mistake. Lacking a decent mirror, Tiffany has learned that she can study her appearance by stepping out of her body. This seems to be quite a respectable feat for any witch, but Tiffany is able to do this without any training, though this leaves her vulnerable because she's never even been taught the dangers of leaving her body let alone how to protect herself.
The act attracts the attention of a Hiver. A parasitic mind which is as old as time itself. It latches itself onto the minds of the powerful, gradually wearing away their inner-self until there is nothing of the person left - then the Hiver leaves to find a new host. You can't fight a Hiver, and they can't be killed. Much to the dismay of Rob Anybody and the Feegles!
Fortunately Tiffany leaves before the Hiver can catch up with her. However the Feegles are aware that the Hiver is after Tiffany. Jeannie - the Kelda to this end orders Rob to take a band of Feegles and save Tiffany.
While Tiffany travels with Miss Perspicia Tick on a cart, the Feegles take a more unorthodox approach to locomotion. After stealing a bundle of old clothes off washing lines, they stuff the clothes with themselves and try to pass themselves off as a human in order to take cars and horses and so on. Obviously to hilarious effect. The whole debacle is typical of Feegle thinking and amusing to say the least.
When Tiffany gets to Miss Level's cottage she finds Miss Level is interesting in that she has two bodies which work in unison. Miss Level also has the opposite of a poltergeist - she has a spirit that meticulously tidies up.
After settling in Tiffany soon gets to meet the other local young witches who have been apprenticed in the area. Notably Petulia and the somewhat despotic Annagramma. After being mocked by Annagramma having told them about her imaginary hat given to her by Granny Weatherwax, she returns home to Miss Level. Again she leaves her body, but the Hiver has caught up with her and enters her body first.
At first Tiffany doesn't realise anything is wrong. The Hiver grants her immeasurable power and kills one of Miss Level's bodies and embarks upon a magical rampage turning shop assistants into frogs (Which creates a massive floating pink blob of spare 'person' because of the size difference - euch!) And more. She immediately becomes feared and respected as she gains the ability to use powerful magic on a whim.
Luckily the Nac Mac Feegle catch up and decide to use the Craw Step to enter her mind and fight the Hiver out. This endeavour doesn't go well until they decide to use some strong smells from Tiffany's past to bring out the 'real' her. This works and the Hiver is pushed out - but it doesn't give up easily.
At this point Tiffany enlists the help of Granny Weatherwax, who begins by helping her right some of the wrongs she caused while she was possessed by the Hiver. Then they head into the mountains and Tiffany begins to learn a little about borrowing. Granny tells her to call her Granny, something which it's inferred means Granny is showing her a great deal of respect.
Granny and Tiffany then lead the Hiver to the witch trial. (Not what you'd expect. Think more 'Sheepdog Trials for witches' than tieing toes to thumbs and throwing in ponds etc... ) There, Tiffany learned more about the Hiver and that it shelters in people's minds to escape from the world. It doesn't actually understand the harm it's causing. The Hiver wants to die, Tiffany helps it by opening a door and leading it to the desert. It's unclear where they are or what happens, but this is clearly the realm of the dead. The Hiver is told to cross the desert with other lonely spirits wandering the black sand of the desert.
Terrifyingly, while this works, the door vanishes, leaving Tiffany stranded in the desert. Death appears and tells her to make her way across the desert to the mountains with the rest of the dead. Luckily at this point Granny Weatherwax opens a new door and pulls her back into the world of the living.
The witch trials ensue, though of course none of the acts are half as impressive as Tiffany and Granny's show of removing a Hiver from the world. There's an unspoken respect of Tiffany Granny. They don't actually enter the trials, because they don't need to. It also seems Granny Weatherwax has found a young, but kindred spirit in Tiffany. So much so that she gives Tiffany her hat.
Later Tiffany returns the hat to Granny because she wants to make her own hat. She returns to the chalk as the witch of the land and returns to Granny Achings hut where she decides to make the sky her hat, like her Granny before her.
***
So the verdict?
This is a weird book. I have no idea what a Hiver is or where the inspiration for it came from. I seem to recall trying to research this a long time ago but don't recall ever getting to the bottom of it. It's one of the many, many questions I'd have asked the late great Sir Terry Pratchett if I'd ever had the good fortune to happenstance upon him in a pub. The battle of wills between Tiffany and the Hiver was very satisfying though, and the effects the Hiver has on Tiffany when it seizes her were really enjoyable too. Especially seeing Annagramma getting some comeuppance and being taught some humility. You can really feel Tiffany and Granny getting close in this book. Tiffany is clearly way ahead of her peers in witchcraft and she understands Granny better than probably even most of the older witches. Great scenes at the end. The trials were a really fun setting and it's always a pleasure to make the acquaintance of death. He's definitely a favorite character in the Discworld series. His appearance here is brief but poignant. The scene of the door and the black desert is really eerie. It's fantastic writing. Really imaginative and expertly portrayed.
All in all, this is a really hard book to fault.
Martyn Stanley
Before I get into the review, the obligatory free plug. I write too Mainly fantasy and folklore.
Right! Apologies for that. Onto the review. I read this to my daughter Emily. Ever since I told her about the Wee Free Men she was fascinated and after reading her the first book she's a convert. We've already started Wintersmith! I think she enjoys me reading these because of my enthusiastic, if flawed portrayals of pictsie scottish accents.
The book starts some time after the conclusion of The Wee Free Men Tiffany has been assigned to a well-meaning witch called Miss Level. She's still at home at the start of the book and the initial chapters follow her on her journey to Miss Level's cottage. Before she sets out though she makes a grave mistake. Lacking a decent mirror, Tiffany has learned that she can study her appearance by stepping out of her body. This seems to be quite a respectable feat for any witch, but Tiffany is able to do this without any training, though this leaves her vulnerable because she's never even been taught the dangers of leaving her body let alone how to protect herself.
The act attracts the attention of a Hiver. A parasitic mind which is as old as time itself. It latches itself onto the minds of the powerful, gradually wearing away their inner-self until there is nothing of the person left - then the Hiver leaves to find a new host. You can't fight a Hiver, and they can't be killed. Much to the dismay of Rob Anybody and the Feegles!
Fortunately Tiffany leaves before the Hiver can catch up with her. However the Feegles are aware that the Hiver is after Tiffany. Jeannie - the Kelda to this end orders Rob to take a band of Feegles and save Tiffany.
While Tiffany travels with Miss Perspicia Tick on a cart, the Feegles take a more unorthodox approach to locomotion. After stealing a bundle of old clothes off washing lines, they stuff the clothes with themselves and try to pass themselves off as a human in order to take cars and horses and so on. Obviously to hilarious effect. The whole debacle is typical of Feegle thinking and amusing to say the least.
When Tiffany gets to Miss Level's cottage she finds Miss Level is interesting in that she has two bodies which work in unison. Miss Level also has the opposite of a poltergeist - she has a spirit that meticulously tidies up.
After settling in Tiffany soon gets to meet the other local young witches who have been apprenticed in the area. Notably Petulia and the somewhat despotic Annagramma. After being mocked by Annagramma having told them about her imaginary hat given to her by Granny Weatherwax, she returns home to Miss Level. Again she leaves her body, but the Hiver has caught up with her and enters her body first.
At first Tiffany doesn't realise anything is wrong. The Hiver grants her immeasurable power and kills one of Miss Level's bodies and embarks upon a magical rampage turning shop assistants into frogs (Which creates a massive floating pink blob of spare 'person' because of the size difference - euch!) And more. She immediately becomes feared and respected as she gains the ability to use powerful magic on a whim.
Luckily the Nac Mac Feegle catch up and decide to use the Craw Step to enter her mind and fight the Hiver out. This endeavour doesn't go well until they decide to use some strong smells from Tiffany's past to bring out the 'real' her. This works and the Hiver is pushed out - but it doesn't give up easily.
At this point Tiffany enlists the help of Granny Weatherwax, who begins by helping her right some of the wrongs she caused while she was possessed by the Hiver. Then they head into the mountains and Tiffany begins to learn a little about borrowing. Granny tells her to call her Granny, something which it's inferred means Granny is showing her a great deal of respect.
Granny and Tiffany then lead the Hiver to the witch trial. (Not what you'd expect. Think more 'Sheepdog Trials for witches' than tieing toes to thumbs and throwing in ponds etc... ) There, Tiffany learned more about the Hiver and that it shelters in people's minds to escape from the world. It doesn't actually understand the harm it's causing. The Hiver wants to die, Tiffany helps it by opening a door and leading it to the desert. It's unclear where they are or what happens, but this is clearly the realm of the dead. The Hiver is told to cross the desert with other lonely spirits wandering the black sand of the desert.
Terrifyingly, while this works, the door vanishes, leaving Tiffany stranded in the desert. Death appears and tells her to make her way across the desert to the mountains with the rest of the dead. Luckily at this point Granny Weatherwax opens a new door and pulls her back into the world of the living.
The witch trials ensue, though of course none of the acts are half as impressive as Tiffany and Granny's show of removing a Hiver from the world. There's an unspoken respect of Tiffany Granny. They don't actually enter the trials, because they don't need to. It also seems Granny Weatherwax has found a young, but kindred spirit in Tiffany. So much so that she gives Tiffany her hat.
Later Tiffany returns the hat to Granny because she wants to make her own hat. She returns to the chalk as the witch of the land and returns to Granny Achings hut where she decides to make the sky her hat, like her Granny before her.
***
So the verdict?
This is a weird book. I have no idea what a Hiver is or where the inspiration for it came from. I seem to recall trying to research this a long time ago but don't recall ever getting to the bottom of it. It's one of the many, many questions I'd have asked the late great Sir Terry Pratchett if I'd ever had the good fortune to happenstance upon him in a pub. The battle of wills between Tiffany and the Hiver was very satisfying though, and the effects the Hiver has on Tiffany when it seizes her were really enjoyable too. Especially seeing Annagramma getting some comeuppance and being taught some humility. You can really feel Tiffany and Granny getting close in this book. Tiffany is clearly way ahead of her peers in witchcraft and she understands Granny better than probably even most of the older witches. Great scenes at the end. The trials were a really fun setting and it's always a pleasure to make the acquaintance of death. He's definitely a favorite character in the Discworld series. His appearance here is brief but poignant. The scene of the door and the black desert is really eerie. It's fantastic writing. Really imaginative and expertly portrayed.
All in all, this is a really hard book to fault.
Martyn Stanley
August 9, 2022
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my LOCUS Y-A list.
I think I’ll always have a soft-spot for imaginative young-adult speculative fiction and as the good people at Locus did such a grand job with picking their Sci-Fi winners, I’ll trust them to single out some special y-a books too.
I've never tried to write a review on my phone before, but my darling wife has just reinstalled Warcraft for the first time since Fin was born and has claimed the PC for the foreseeable future, so I guess I'd better practice. (iPhone autocorrect keeps trying to rename my son Gin. This tickles me.)
This is book two in the Tiffany Aching sequence. Isn't sequence the perfect word? Discworld is a series of books, but its weaved of many smaller series within that (witches, guards, Death, Rincewind, etc) - and aside from "series within the bigger series", I've never known the right way to describe them. But the back of this book describes it as book two in the Tiffany Aching sequence and that's the perfect word. It filled a little void in my vocabulary.
So - I think of A Hat Full of Sky as 'the one with the Hiver'. The Hiver is an invisible, magic beastie that possesses people and send them bonkers. Tiffany accidentally lets it into her head and has to watch as a helpless passenger as it takes her body on a rampage (which is a lot of fun - read the scene where she turns a shop assistant into a frog and a 'balloon'!) Then Tiffany has to battle the beastie out of her bonce, with a little assistance from the legendary Granny Weatherwax. The big symbolic climax with the horse carving breaking free from the chalk was... immense! I was proper choked-up.
I'm going to borrow this quote from Nick Whyte's review:
"'AAaargwannawannaaaagongongonaargggaaaaBLOON!' which is the traditional sound of a very small child learning that with balloons, as with life itself, it is important to know when not to let go of the string. The whole point of balloons is to teach small children this."And also this one from Arminzerella:
It's that "as with life itself" that really makes it memorable.
"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving."I've never met a Pratchett story I didn't like and A Hat Full of Sky maintains that fine record. I think the Tiffany books lack a little of the depth and/or whimsy that my very favourite Discworld books have, but they're also signficantly better than the weaker Discworld books. Overall they are excellent YA books that I'm very happy to highly recommend.
After this I read: Ship Breaker
November 27, 2020
3.5 ⭐
No llega a la altura del primero para mí, pero me ha sacado un par de carcajadas, sobre todo cuando los Nac Mac Feegle intentaban pasar desapercibidos para los humanos... entre los humanos 🤣.
La ternura y la sabiduría del último capítulo, así como los nuevos personajes (como Petulia) que entran en la vida de Tiffany, han subido la puntuación.
Bueno, un goce. Deseando leer el siguiente.
No llega a la altura del primero para mí, pero me ha sacado un par de carcajadas, sobre todo cuando los Nac Mac Feegle intentaban pasar desapercibidos para los humanos... entre los humanos 🤣.
La ternura y la sabiduría del último capítulo, así como los nuevos personajes (como Petulia) que entran en la vida de Tiffany, han subido la puntuación.
Bueno, un goce. Deseando leer el siguiente.
January 27, 2020
Slavināt Pračeta Diskzmei nav nekādas nepieciešamības. Grāmata is smieklīga un interesanta, nakmaku fīgli rullē un Tifānija arī.
August 31, 2009
I can not seem to convince anyone to try Discworld.
Damndest thing, I would think that his great stories, great insight, and amazing humor would be an easy sell, but I can't convince most readers I know to so much as read the first page in my copy of "The Colour of Magic," even if they're voracious fantasy readers.
Maybe it's the fact that I use the words "fantasy" and "funny" in the same sentence. Most fantasy writers are the most humorless artists imaginable, so it seems like the dissonance is too strong for most people to even hear what I'm saying.
"A Hat Full of Sky" is Pratchett's second Tiffany Aching book and his third young adult novel. At this point I can barely determine how this series is different from other books in the Discworld series other than the fact that it's protagonist is herself a young adult. Most young adults who enjoy this book would probably like the rest of the series since Discworld is smarter and vastly less appalling than most YA fiction.
All of the elements from the last book are present here. Little blue brownie creatures called the Nac Mac Feegles who belligerently defend Tiffany, a new magical threat to be dealt with, and Pratchett's observations about the way witches think. The key additions are other young witches Tiffany has to deal with and Granny Weatherwax.
The other witches work quite well as a foil, because you can't very well discuss a young girl without discussing what crap teenagers are to each other. It's just life, and he handles it well.
In the second half of the book Weatherwax becomes a central figure. What always amuses me is that different Discworld books portray the same character differently. In the witch series Weatherwax is a main character and often portrayed as cantankerous and difficult, whereas in the Aching books she's viewed basically as a god among witches. It's a fun touch for the regular readers, and she's an interesting character to play off the quietly logical Tiffany.
Pratchett is getting very good in his more mystical books and making the climax less trippy and dream logic stuffed. The pacing was top-notch, and the book flowed well as a whole.
If I haven't made this abundantly clear, you should be reading this series. Right now. DO IT!
Damndest thing, I would think that his great stories, great insight, and amazing humor would be an easy sell, but I can't convince most readers I know to so much as read the first page in my copy of "The Colour of Magic," even if they're voracious fantasy readers.
Maybe it's the fact that I use the words "fantasy" and "funny" in the same sentence. Most fantasy writers are the most humorless artists imaginable, so it seems like the dissonance is too strong for most people to even hear what I'm saying.
"A Hat Full of Sky" is Pratchett's second Tiffany Aching book and his third young adult novel. At this point I can barely determine how this series is different from other books in the Discworld series other than the fact that it's protagonist is herself a young adult. Most young adults who enjoy this book would probably like the rest of the series since Discworld is smarter and vastly less appalling than most YA fiction.
All of the elements from the last book are present here. Little blue brownie creatures called the Nac Mac Feegles who belligerently defend Tiffany, a new magical threat to be dealt with, and Pratchett's observations about the way witches think. The key additions are other young witches Tiffany has to deal with and Granny Weatherwax.
The other witches work quite well as a foil, because you can't very well discuss a young girl without discussing what crap teenagers are to each other. It's just life, and he handles it well.
In the second half of the book Weatherwax becomes a central figure. What always amuses me is that different Discworld books portray the same character differently. In the witch series Weatherwax is a main character and often portrayed as cantankerous and difficult, whereas in the Aching books she's viewed basically as a god among witches. It's a fun touch for the regular readers, and she's an interesting character to play off the quietly logical Tiffany.
Pratchett is getting very good in his more mystical books and making the climax less trippy and dream logic stuffed. The pacing was top-notch, and the book flowed well as a whole.
If I haven't made this abundantly clear, you should be reading this series. Right now. DO IT!
May 9, 2020
2010 August 17
2004 August 20
Well, Voyage of the Dawn Treader is out, and Terry Pratchett is in for the read aloud. As fond as I am of the former, I'm perfectly willing to cast it aside. Tiffany Aching is a marvelous character who thinks all the time. As does Pratchett. Unlike Lewis, Pratchett's world is rich and detailed and it works. The Nac Mac Feegle are delightful low-comedy anti-fairies and a good foil to the thoroughly mundane business of sheep-farming.
As an aside, Pratchett has just described a giant horse carved into the chalk, and made several mentions of skylarks, all of which pleases the XTC fans in the house.
***
2014 August 7
Apparently I read this in August. When I read Good Omens last week I thought the authors hadn't gotten their eleven-year-olds quite right, that they were too young. Pratchett make eleven-year-old Tiffany feel just right.
2004 August 20
Well, Voyage of the Dawn Treader is out, and Terry Pratchett is in for the read aloud. As fond as I am of the former, I'm perfectly willing to cast it aside. Tiffany Aching is a marvelous character who thinks all the time. As does Pratchett. Unlike Lewis, Pratchett's world is rich and detailed and it works. The Nac Mac Feegle are delightful low-comedy anti-fairies and a good foil to the thoroughly mundane business of sheep-farming.
As an aside, Pratchett has just described a giant horse carved into the chalk, and made several mentions of skylarks, all of which pleases the XTC fans in the house.
***
2014 August 7
Apparently I read this in August. When I read Good Omens last week I thought the authors hadn't gotten their eleven-year-olds quite right, that they were too young. Pratchett make eleven-year-old Tiffany feel just right.
April 8, 2017
A Hat Full of Sky is the 2nd book in the Tiffany Aching subseries of Discworld. I really enjoyed this one, maybe slightly more than I enjoyed the first Tiffany Aching book. It had an equally good story, and I thought it was a bit funnier.
In this book, Tiffany is now eleven and she leaves her home on the chalk for the first time so she can learn how to be a proper witch. She travels to the mountains where she’ll serve as an apprentice for a witch named Miss Level, who is a bit unusual. Meanwhile, a power-hungry entity has sensed Tiffany’s power and is about to catch up with her.
The Nac Mac Feegles had some particularly funny moments in this book, and I also liked Miss Level. Tiffany is still a great and likeable character who is easy to root for. There were also some good messages in the story about being nice to people you don’t really want to be nice to, helping people you don’t really want to help, and doing the things that need to be done even if you really don’t want to do them.
In this book, Tiffany is now eleven and she leaves her home on the chalk for the first time so she can learn how to be a proper witch. She travels to the mountains where she’ll serve as an apprentice for a witch named Miss Level, who is a bit unusual. Meanwhile, a power-hungry entity has sensed Tiffany’s power and is about to catch up with her.
The Nac Mac Feegles had some particularly funny moments in this book, and I also liked Miss Level. Tiffany is still a great and likeable character who is easy to root for. There were also some good messages in the story about being nice to people you don’t really want to be nice to, helping people you don’t really want to help, and doing the things that need to be done even if you really don’t want to do them.
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