Watch out for the Nac Mac Feegle
Aching sets out to find her younger brother. But she is not alone. Accompanying her is a band of pictsies, the Nac Mac Feegle, little blue men who love to drink, steal and fight. Together, they will travel to Fairyland to confront the Queen and rescue both Tiffany's brother and the son of the local Baron. Along the way Tiffany discovers that she has special insights, and comes to understand her destiny, filling the shoes of her late Granny Aching.
A fun fantasy, with a smattering of silly and amusing scenes, this book also provides a bit of social commentary, but is mostly just good entertainment.
Solid and Sturdy, For Its Intended Young Adult Audience...
In terms of this particular Discworld-derivative idea, I haven't been overly fanatical about Terry's decision to "youthanize." Please don't read anything overtly negative into that little pun: The Aching books are superb.
However, I always felt that Terry's Discworld is such an excellent and timeless literary creation that it never needed to be cross-marketed or tailored for any one set of readers over another. Discworld is always so well-delineated and conceived that it's capable of bringing youthful devotees up-to-speed and jaded old poops like myself into a purely giddy, almost childlike state of devilish euphoria, at the same time.
Basically, Discworld has always been versatile *just* as it's been written. Deliberately making a kiddie-version of that world seemed (to me) redundant, but then again...I am no longer a kid! I write this review mainly for those adult fans of Pratchett who may expect to enjoy the Aching books as much as they enjoy the adult Discworld novels. After all, grown-ups can and do get very excited about Young Adult books from time to time--look at the Rowling phenomenon as it continues to play-out among some adults (a particular enthusiasm I have never shared or thought remotely convincing).
Adult fans can unquestionably enjoy these YA books by Pratchett, just don't expect them to be the same as his adult novels. Apples and oranges, as they say. That's my point.
In any case, Terry certainly can write for the young adult crowd; there's no doubt. best of all, Terry's narrative voice does not "talk down" to young adults, as others sometimes do, in the sense that he sacrifices the delicious wisdom that is part-and-parcel of the overarching Pratchett craftsmanship.
Though I believe Terry Pratchett (as a writer) is always light-years more stocked in the Talent Department than someone like J.K. Rowling, for example, I don't think 'Wee Free Men' is quite as good as 'Hat Full of Stars' or 'Wintersmith'. The plotting of 'Wee Free Men' seemed a tad aimless and lazy when compared with the other two Tiffany Aching books, even with my "kid head" screwed-on. Young adults can pick-up on these things, but it's a minor quibble, I assure you.
Pratchett could fall out of bed and still be better than 90 percent of the people writing similar Young Adult material these days. If you're a parent looking to interest your 11-16 year-old in superb material and get a kid ready for the joyful wealth of "adult" Discworld in the future, Tiffany Aching is your girl.
The Wee Free Men
Another delightful adventure in the discworld of Terry Pratchett. I absolutely love the Nac Mac Feegles. There are times that I start laughing so hard that I can't continue reading.
Wacky and Delightful
Finally a book with just the right mix of heart, action, fantasy, humanity and wacky unpredictability! This was my first voyage into Pratchett land and what a journey. I'd heard about his Discworld books but never got round to actually cracking the spine of one. Honestly, I have no idea if Wee Free takes place on Discworld or not. But no matter where the story takes place, Tiffany is a great, active heroine and the Wee Free Men are an absolute riot! That said, for our own wee ones, some of the under 10 or 11 set may have trouble figuring out just what the Nac Mac Feegle are saying as Pratchett has them chatting with their Scottish brogues fully intact. Things like, "...Crivens, we dinna want tae answer..." and "The Quin'll get tired o' the wee lad after a coupla months, mebbe." After a few pages of the Free Men's dialogue, though, it does get easier to understand and by your third page of it, those crazy little blue guys in kilts will have you rolling of the floor.
Keep 'em coming Terry, you crazy old coot.
Crivens! This little bigjob's a witch!
Pratchett really shines in his young readers stories of Tiffany Aching. Tiffany is a 9 year old girl born and raised on the chalk, where her family tends sheep. While she tries to cope with her sorrow over the death of her grandmother (a witch who never said as much), it becomes clear that she has inherited her granny's talent for witching. This is the first book in the Tiffany Aching series, which delves into the world of the tiny Mac Nac Feegle, tattooed blue sprites with flaming red hair and tempers to match. Here the MNFeegles help Tiffany with the general business of witching, and the specific business of rescuing her sticky little brother Wentworth from the Queen of Faerie.
Like all of Pratchett's books, The Wee Free Men is laugh-out-loud funny (almost too clever for young readers), and a joyous romp through the crazy Discworld that Pratchett has created.
- C.A.Wulff author of Born Without a Tail
(98 reviews)
