I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld Novels) Book

Tiffany Aching is a trainee witch and has served as the main character in The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith and I Shall Wear Midnight. Although not technically part of the 'proper' Discworld series, Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching novels are set on the Disc, predominantly in the Chalk and Ankh Morpork, and are in keeping with the general tone and aesthetic of the series. The reason that these four novels are generally excluded from the main Discworld cannon is that they are classed as children's books and so are more often found in the Teenage section of bookshops rather than the Fantasy section. I, however, believe, like many long-term Pratchett fans, that such a distinction is artificial and that the Tiffany Aching stories are just as worthy of being read and appreciated by adults as all the rest of the great books that Sir Terry has written so far.

The title of I Shall Wear Midnight comes from a quote in A Hat Full of Sky attributed to Tiffany Aching: "When I'm old I shall wear midnight, she'd decided. But for now she'd had enough of darkness." It's fitting therefore that the Tiffany Aching in this book is more grown-up and facing far more perilous dangers in this novel than she has in the previous three.

It's not easy being a witch but Tiffany Aching has always done her best, but just recently her best doesn't seem to be good enough anymore. An ancient evil has arisen, an ancient evil that drags up stories about wicked old witches and makes the very act of wearing a pointy hat seem like a decidedly bad idea. There's worse yet to come, as this particular ancient evil is hunting down one witch in particular - our Tiffany of course - and he's finally been able to track her down .

I Shall Wear Midnight is another fabulous Discworld novel filled with adventure, laughs, witches and magic. It has been a delight to watch Tiffany grow and develop her powers and to find her witchy place in the world. This is the darkest novel featuring her to date as Tiffany is here forced to shoulder the full responsibility for her steading and all the human failings that come with it. There are some excellent cameos from Discworld regulars to enjoy here: the Nac Mac Feegles, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and even Death all pop up to help Tiffany achieve her moment in the sun. Terry Pratchett is a master of fantasy but he's also a fantastic humorist and this book had me laughing out loud in many places. Despite the humour, this latest outing for Tiffany Aching is actually quite profound and emotional on the subject of good versus evil and on the idea of growing into one's responsibilities. I Shall Wear Midnight is the perfect ending to a wonderful series of books.

Tiffany Aching the young witch from The Wee Free Men A Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith is back in a new adventure featuring Discworld characters both familiar to fans (such as Tiffany the Wee Free Men Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg) and new (meet Wee Mad Arthur the Nac Mac Feegle on the City Watch whose only previous appearance was a brief cameo in Feet of Clay and city witch Mrs Proust - a fabulous Pratchett creation). Oh and there's a magic book or two a twist through time a Cunning Man - and a Giant Man of chalk...