I Shall Wear Midnight - Terry Pratchett



I Shall Wear Midnight is the fourth Discworld novel about trainee witch Tiffany Aching. The first three were marketed as trainee Discworld books for younger readers, but Midnight has the size and heft of a standard one. Observant cover-judgers will also note that it says 'A Discworld Novel' instead of 'A Story of Discworld'. Only the chapter divisions hint at its YA past.

I have to confess that I gave up on the Tiffany Aching series after the second in the series as it was a little too determinedly written for children. But the Doubleday marketeers apparently want me to think again and who am I to turn them down? I'm glad that I did so, as I Shall Wear Midnight is a great read that can stand tall among its peers. I have repented and will be buying Wintersmith at the earliest opportunity.

Maybe, though, it felt more grown-up simply because Tiffany has grown-up. She is now 16 and is the witch in charge of the Chalk region. That she is both recognisably the same Tiffany we have known since she was 9 and yet convincingly on the verge of adulthood shows what an excellent job Pratchett has made of her character development. It also gives him a chance to consider at length the difference between your numerical age and your age measured by experience. Tiffany often behaves in a much more grown-up way than you might expect from an average 16 year old, but having seen so much of the sharp end of life as a witch this is hardly surprising.

Midnight follows the familiar template of Tiffany fighting off a supernatural enemy, but this is a much darker tale than before thanks to the stench surrounding the Cunning Man*. Fortunately the Feegles (a race of little quasi-Scottish warriers) are still around to bring some light relief. It's also nice to meet the Lancre witches once again and to get reacquainted with another old friend from the witch books when Tiffany travels to Ankh-Morpork.

As with Unseen Academicals, this is a book full of satisfyingly rich detail. In the case of Midnight it serves to make a witch's vocation seem as real and necessary as a teacher or doctor. Arguably it does this better than any of the other witch books. It's also a tighter book than Unseen Academicals, with a lot more drive coming from the (admittedly simpler) plot. There is no doubt here that Pratchett is still at the top of his game.

* My one criticism of the book is that given his name, I thought it was strange that he doesn't exhibit much in the way of cunning. But he's certainly got serious children-scaring credentials.


I Shall Wear Midnight
by Terry Pratchett
First published in 2010

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