Comments for I Shall Wear Midnight

I Shall Wear Midnight: 09/02/14

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett is the 38th Discworld novel and the last of the Tiffany Aching books. Tiffany is back on the Chalk as their witch. And that means dealing with the unpleasantries of life, such as domestic violence. As this is the Disc, there are things that feed off the anger of people, and now one of these things has come to the Chalk.

Meanwhile, change has come to the Chalk with the death of the Baron. Tiffany therefore has to go and bring home the new Baron, Roland. It's her first time in the big city and you can imagine what can happen when a witch and her Nac Mac Feegles descend on Ankh-Morpork!

As this is the end of the Tiffany Aching series, it's time for Roland and Tiffany to assume the roles laid out for them. Roland must do his part as the Baron and use his influence to guide the development of the Chalk. Tiffany as the witch takes on her grandmother's role, being a shepherdess and a mentor for the Baron.

It's also a chance to see Tiffany as a full-fledge (albeit young) witch among her peers. Through Tiffany's friendship with the Roland, his wedding will be a big draw of both witches and nobility, including Magrat who is both. So it's fun to see Granny, Nanny, and Magrat all together again, even though Magrat has stepped aside from witchcraft for the most part, leaving her place in the trio to Agnes (Carpe Jugulum).

Like so many good YA series, this is one that grows with its readers. In the course of four books (Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight we see Tiffany grow. We see her go from raw talent, through initial lessons, to making mistakes and fixing them, to her first big responsibility as a full fledged witch.

Five stars

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