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Lords And Ladies
(Discworld #14)
by
‘His spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction’ Mail on Sunday
The Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .
The fairies are back – but this time they don’t just want your teeth …
It's ...more
The Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .
The fairies are back – but this time they don’t just want your teeth …
It's ...more
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Paperback, 400 pages
Published
February 14th 2013
by Corgi
(first published November 1992)
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Start your review of Lords And Ladies (Discworld #14)

Mar 07, 2018
Mario the lone bookwolf
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
pratchett-terry
Ritual magic is gone mad, even more lunatic than the lucky fool, in a Shakespearean mythology overload.
The idea of the special, magic days inspired by natural phenomenon, astrology, and seasons is as old as humanity, but in this case, it goes a bit hawire and crop circles are just the beginning.
Unsuspected, unknown elements that go against the stereotypical description of anything magic or real, are a splendid comedy trope, as they question the whole logic of expectations regarding anything, eas ...more
The idea of the special, magic days inspired by natural phenomenon, astrology, and seasons is as old as humanity, but in this case, it goes a bit hawire and crop circles are just the beginning.
Unsuspected, unknown elements that go against the stereotypical description of anything magic or real, are a splendid comedy trope, as they question the whole logic of expectations regarding anything, eas ...more

“Witches can generally come to terms with what actually is, instead of insisting on what ought to be.”As anyone who knows me can attest to, I tend to gush over Pratchett's books, with all his wit and wisdom and the ability to create incredibly clever and very serious humor rooted in uncomfortably deep understanding of human mind.
“Personal’s not the same as important. People just think it is.”Lords and Ladies of the Lancre Witches subcycle of the Discworld books was the first Pratchett W ...more

Elves on the Discworld.
In Guillermo del Toro’s 2008 film Hellboy 2, the Elvin character Prince Nuada makes a point about humans remembering why they fear the dark. These elves are dark creatures, thoroughly unfaeirie like and even un-Tolkien like.
Terry Pratchett’s 1992 Discworld novel (the 14th) Lords and Ladies describes a similarly negative vision of elves. I could not help wondering if del Toro gained some inspiration from Pratchett’s dark elves.
Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Og and Magrat are just ...more
In Guillermo del Toro’s 2008 film Hellboy 2, the Elvin character Prince Nuada makes a point about humans remembering why they fear the dark. These elves are dark creatures, thoroughly unfaeirie like and even un-Tolkien like.
Terry Pratchett’s 1992 Discworld novel (the 14th) Lords and Ladies describes a similarly negative vision of elves. I could not help wondering if del Toro gained some inspiration from Pratchett’s dark elves.
Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Og and Magrat are just ...more

Review to follow tomorrow, hopefully 😬
So another fabulous, hilarious romp through the special world, that is the Discworld. In Lancre, King Verence is getting ready for his wedding to the witch Magrat. Guests have been invited, celebrations are being prepared, plays are being practised (which may not be a good thing) and Verence has sent away for a special manual on what to do on his wedding night, except he has spelt "Marital" wrong and passes on the resultant manual to his guard to learn Kung ...more
So another fabulous, hilarious romp through the special world, that is the Discworld. In Lancre, King Verence is getting ready for his wedding to the witch Magrat. Guests have been invited, celebrations are being prepared, plays are being practised (which may not be a good thing) and Verence has sent away for a special manual on what to do on his wedding night, except he has spelt "Marital" wrong and passes on the resultant manual to his guard to learn Kung ...more

i agree wholeheartedly, this is my FAVORITE of the Witch series. I love Granny v Lily in "Witches Abroad," but if you delighted in Mrs. Weasley gettin all Sigourney Weaver on Bellatrix L in the last Harry Potter, YOU'LL LOVE the whole last third of the book. i squirmed with glee as soon as Magrat put on that armor. the principle of a cat in a box being any of 3 various states till you open the box: alive, dead, bloody pissed off is all i know about physics, or need to know.
...more


Lancre, Granny's "turf". Very bad idea to invade here and challenge a certain witch. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
In this 14th volume of the Discworld series our three witches Granny Esme Weatherwax, Nanny Githa Ogg and Magrat return after their adventure in Genua to find all preparations made for a certain royal wedding. Since I never much cared for Magrat, I also didn't really mourn her no longer being a witch but a queen-to-be(e).
However, the festivities are first hindered by a pair of cold feet and then ...more

Another delightful tale in The Witches subsection of Prachett's amazing Discworld series, the fact that it immediately follows on from Witches Abroad made it even more enjoyable.
I really love spending time with these characters in particular.
There's so many aspects that make this series great and this case it was the appearance of crop circles that led to parallel worlds and in turn murderous elves!
Pratchett's take on folklore is humorously horrific.
While all the various mentions to A Midsummer ...more
I really love spending time with these characters in particular.
There's so many aspects that make this series great and this case it was the appearance of crop circles that led to parallel worlds and in turn murderous elves!
Pratchett's take on folklore is humorously horrific.
While all the various mentions to A Midsummer ...more

Mar 26, 2013
Bradley
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
2018-shelf
The great Re-Read of Discworld continues... with the witches. :) This is a pretty direct followup from Mag's romantic adventure with the king-to-be and culminating in the grand wedding between the two.
As weddings go, every grand personage of the Discworld (or so it seems) has been invited to the wedding, but of course, things don't go all that well with all those crop circles and the E***S who must not be named.
Pretty funny, all told, but it's Og and her suiter who steals the show. And Old Weat ...more
As weddings go, every grand personage of the Discworld (or so it seems) has been invited to the wedding, but of course, things don't go all that well with all those crop circles and the E***S who must not be named.
Pretty funny, all told, but it's Og and her suiter who steals the show. And Old Weat ...more

Feb 24, 2019
Ivan
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
satire-and-humor
My 1000th read here on GR and first 5 stars this year (not counting re-read).

Part of the Pratchett reread with the SpecFic Buddy Reads group.
This book has Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick returning home to Lancre from their time away (see Witches Abroad). Magrat gets to finally resolve her situation with King Verence and begin dealing with her post-Witch situation. Granny and Nanny both have a lot going on as well, with the faculty of the Unseen University and Casanunda paying visits. Oh, and an incursion into our reality by murderous Elves and their Quee ...more
This book has Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick returning home to Lancre from their time away (see Witches Abroad). Magrat gets to finally resolve her situation with King Verence and begin dealing with her post-Witch situation. Granny and Nanny both have a lot going on as well, with the faculty of the Unseen University and Casanunda paying visits. Oh, and an incursion into our reality by murderous Elves and their Quee ...more

Elves.
When you think of elves, what do you think of? The tall, fair-skinned beings of Tolkien's Middle Earth? The ebony warriors from Dungeons & Dragons? Delicious cookies?
Not on Discworld. On Discworld, the Elves are folk of legend, and dark legend at that. People there remember the elves, although not very well. They remember through old wives' tales, about leaving milk for the fairies and not going near the standing stones. Ask someone in the kingdom of Lancre, and they'll think of elves as y ...more

Feb 04, 2020
Allison Hurd
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
man-author
I wanted a balm, and Discworld always works to pick me back up. This book is much darker than previous ones, and, I think, a bit more...well-worn? It wasn't my favorite of the witch series so far, but it was still a very good read.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)
Things to love:
-The subject. Elves being evil is a cause near and dear to my heart.
-Backstor ...more
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)
Things to love:
-The subject. Elves being evil is a cause near and dear to my heart.
-Backstor ...more

"Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad."
This book reminded me that I need to re-read ...more
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad."
This book reminded me that I need to re-read ...more

It started slow and I was beginning to wonder how is it possible that a story with Granny Weatherwax could be like this. Then it picked up a bit and almost until one heart-stopping moment near the end it was just an ok story with occasional brilliant flashes that I have come to expect from a Discworld book.
As usual, Nanny Ogg was hilarious. Granny's out of the character behaviour got a satisfactory explanation.
The lords and ladies are elves and they want to come back. Since they are murdering m ...more
As usual, Nanny Ogg was hilarious. Granny's out of the character behaviour got a satisfactory explanation.
The lords and ladies are elves and they want to come back. Since they are murdering m ...more

The gals have been gone a while, and lots of things can happen in eight month's time.
Magrat is still planning to marry the new king (and former fool) of Lancre, and anyone who's everyone will be attending the Royal Wedding, including our favorite Librarian. (If only they can get him to put on some clothes...)
But wait...strange things are happening. (Well, stranger things than the strange things that normally happen in Discworld.)
Even the bees are worried.
Granny Weatherwax is reunited with an ol ...more
Magrat is still planning to marry the new king (and former fool) of Lancre, and anyone who's everyone will be attending the Royal Wedding, including our favorite Librarian. (If only they can get him to put on some clothes...)
But wait...strange things are happening. (Well, stranger things than the strange things that normally happen in Discworld.)
Even the bees are worried.
Granny Weatherwax is reunited with an ol ...more

Rereading this was a revelation of sorts. I had forgotten that this book was about elves and also how much I had learned from Granny Weatherwax in this novel.
Needless to say I enjoyed the read immensely and can't wait to continue traveling in Discworld.
...more
Needless to say I enjoyed the read immensely and can't wait to continue traveling in Discworld.
...more

This is part of the Witches subseries of Discworld. While most Discworld books can be read in any order, it does help to have read Wyrd Sisters first.
The witches return home after being Witches Abroad so one of them can get married. Meanwhile crop circles are turning up, drawing the attention of the wizards, who travel to this remote kingdom. With parallel universes dangerously close, the elves are threatening to break through. Elves are haughty, beautiful, and evil. Their magic makes everyone b ...more
The witches return home after being Witches Abroad so one of them can get married. Meanwhile crop circles are turning up, drawing the attention of the wizards, who travel to this remote kingdom. With parallel universes dangerously close, the elves are threatening to break through. Elves are haughty, beautiful, and evil. Their magic makes everyone b ...more

I love Pratchett's spin on fantasy. He takes a well-known faerie tale (elves) and shines a totally different light on them:
"Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind ...more
"Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind ...more

Books like 'Lords and ladies' are the reason why I seem to return to Pratchett's universe time and time again. You can always count on this author to produce something new with his already established character sets and settings...and that's a fantastic draw.
I won't go into summary for the plot or story. There are tens of reviews written already that have that covered...so I'll just justify those 5 marks up there. And since I feel I'll be adding this to any review I write, the stars do not repr ...more
I won't go into summary for the plot or story. There are tens of reviews written already that have that covered...so I'll just justify those 5 marks up there. And since I feel I'll be adding this to any review I write, the stars do not repr ...more

In my last review I admitted that I was a big fan of re-contextualised mythology, and I think anyone who has any interest in fantasy will find that they are too.
In Lords and Ladies, Pratchett re-draws the boundaries where elves are concerned. Trying to push the fae folk back from Tolkien's ("pretty = lovely") vision towards their German/Scandinavian folkloric roots ("pretty = dangerous") is -to this day- an almost entirely unique direction to head in, and an interesting one. After all, people ar ...more
In Lords and Ladies, Pratchett re-draws the boundaries where elves are concerned. Trying to push the fae folk back from Tolkien's ("pretty = lovely") vision towards their German/Scandinavian folkloric roots ("pretty = dangerous") is -to this day- an almost entirely unique direction to head in, and an interesting one. After all, people ar ...more

The witches are returning to Lancre after the events of Witches Abroad to find that nothing much has changed in their absence, except that some young girls have been meddling with witchcraft and allowed the elves to cross from their dimension in to the Lancre hills and are once more attempting to enslave the Disc. Granny is getting forgetful, Nanny is getting amorous and Magrat is going to be Queen on Midsummer's Night. What chance does the Disc have when it's in the hands of comic artisans, bum
...more

Millenium hand and shrimp!
As I continue my publication-order Great Discworld Reread, this is the first book that I feel unequivocally deserves a five-star rating. I gave five stars to The Colour of Magic in honour of the full series and its place in my life; the book itself was not technically perfect. I agonized over my rating for two interim books: Guards! Guards! and Small Gods; both are standouts, but both fizzled for me just a little towards the end. The climax of Guards! Guards! lacked the ...more
As I continue my publication-order Great Discworld Reread, this is the first book that I feel unequivocally deserves a five-star rating. I gave five stars to The Colour of Magic in honour of the full series and its place in my life; the book itself was not technically perfect. I agonized over my rating for two interim books: Guards! Guards! and Small Gods; both are standouts, but both fizzled for me just a little towards the end. The climax of Guards! Guards! lacked the ...more

Sep 03, 2016
YouKneeK
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
completed-series,
fantasy
Lords and Ladies is the fourth book in the Witches subseries of Discworld. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the previous two Witches books. I thought the humor, while present, wasn’t nearly as strong as it was in the last two.
I think the humor seemed weaker because our main characters (Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat, of course!) were often off doing separate things, and a big part of what makes me laugh in these books comes from dialogue between Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. On the ...more
I think the humor seemed weaker because our main characters (Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat, of course!) were often off doing separate things, and a big part of what makes me laugh in these books comes from dialogue between Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. On the ...more

I have bought so many copies of this book to give away, because it is such a wonderful book. A funny, wise, thoughtful masterpiece, taking "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and all the old elf legends and looking at them with clear-eyed practicality. I love everything that Terry Pratchett ever wrote, but if I could only take one of them to a desert island, it would be this one.
...more
...more

[First read: 19th August, 2011: 5 stars.
Second read: 25th July, 2013: 5 stars.]
Pratchett has an unbelievable knack for taking an idea that has been around for centuries, stretching it out with a rolling-pin and kneading it into something majestic and full of such originality you wonder how any could have missed it beforehand.
Those Witches are at it again. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg are back from travels to fight against the Lords and Ladies--Elegant folk, fair, beautiful... glamourous.
In te ...more
Second read: 25th July, 2013: 5 stars.]
Pratchett has an unbelievable knack for taking an idea that has been around for centuries, stretching it out with a rolling-pin and kneading it into something majestic and full of such originality you wonder how any could have missed it beforehand.
Those Witches are at it again. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg are back from travels to fight against the Lords and Ladies--Elegant folk, fair, beautiful... glamourous.
In te ...more

Mar 12, 2009
Nicole
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
julia Andersen
A fun twist on the basic ideas found in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Granny Weatherwax was especially awesome in this one; she is such a wonderful character. Magrat did some surprising things, too.
I just have a little quibble about Pratchett's writing style--at times it can be like reading a play without enough attributions, the way he will set dialogue aside instead of attaching the action that goes with it. But his humour and other cleverness overcome that little distraction. ...more
I just have a little quibble about Pratchett's writing style--at times it can be like reading a play without enough attributions, the way he will set dialogue aside instead of attaching the action that goes with it. But his humour and other cleverness overcome that little distraction. ...more

Another Discworld re-read, and another uptick in my original rating. I think that as much as I enjoyed and learned from Terry Pratchett when I was younger, there's something about reading this series in my late 30s that brings an entirely different perspective to it and appreciation for/understanding of the characters and the choices that they make. I genuinely believe that Granny Weatherwax is one of the best characters in literature.
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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2021 Reading Chal...:
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19 | 25 | Nov 15, 2020 10:30AM | |
All About Fantasy!: October BOTM Fae/Faeries Theme - Lords and Ladies | 2 | 10 | Oct 02, 2018 05:31PM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Edition trouble | 14 | 48 | Nov 29, 2011 05:36PM |
Born 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, i ...more
Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, i ...more
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