Customer Reviews

Lords and Ladies (Discworld Novel)

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One of Pratchett's favorite comedic tools is inversion; in Lords and Ladies, he inverts the elves of Shakespeare and Tolkein. In Pratchett's hands, they are far from noble and dangerously evil.

For decades, the Elves have been kept out of the little kingdom of Lancre by a circle of stones called the Dancers, made of meteor iron. But while the Lancre witches, Esme Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick, have been away (as described in "Witches Abroad"), a few young gels have been playing at witchcraft, dancing up by the Dancers with their knickers off. That's always dangerous. It could let the Elves back in. Especially since it is Circle Time, when all those universes line up and the walls between them get thin.

Can Granny, Nanny and Magrat protect Lancre from the Lords and Ladies? They'll need help, not just from Hodgesaargh, master of the mews and Mr. Brooks, the Royal Beekeeper. It may take Wizards Archchancellor Ridcully (former suitor of Esme Weatherwax!), Ponder Stibbons, the Bursar and the Librarian; and the Lancre Morris Dancers, who, despite their vows, may have to do the Stick and Bucket Dance just one more time. It may even take Ynci, the half-mythical former queen of Lancre. After all, the wedding of King Verence and Magrat is supposed to happen.

What makes this and almost all of the Pratchett books extraordinary isn't just his lampooning of myth, comedic inversions, literary allusions, spoofs of physics and hysterical dialog; Pratchett give you something to think about. The power of myth, for example, and why glamour, good looks and style may be dangerous. A Pratchett novel makes you thoughtful.

The Witches series isn't my favorite, but among the Witches stories this is one of the best. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg are among the best-developed of Pratchett's regular characters. They are fully realized here - warts and all.

A book to read and re-read with pleasure. Very highly recommended.

The first Discworld book I read. I was on holiday in Italy, and so wreatchedly ill I had too stay in my tent. A fellow camper lent me "Lords and Ladies". Its cheered me up no end!

I have since read the other witches novels, but I still think this one is the best. A great parody of midsummer nights dream with extra imagination. The Ogg family are brilliant, and the morris men and Wizards make a welcome appearence. I love the bit were Magrat fights off the elves in the castle. Those elves were such chilling villians- bring them back Terry!

"Before we go back to those dark old ways I'll see you nailed!" My favourite quote- those words certainly did slice the air. If you like the Disc this novel is essential. I would also recomend "Guards,Guards!", "The light Fantastic" and the one I reading at the moment-"Soul music"- which is turning out to be the best one I've read so far!

The three witches, especially Granny Weatherwax, have always been my favorite denizens of the Discworld, and they do nothing to disappoint the reader over the course of Lords and Ladies. Add in a few of Unseen University's highest-ranking wizards, and you're guaranteed to have one wild time in the kingdom of Lancre. This novel wasn't quite as funny as Pratchett's earlier witch novels, but it shows Granny Weatherwax in a whole new light and makes for a very entertaining read all the way around.

Lords and Ladies opens with the three witches returning home to Lancre after their encounter with the Godmother in the novel Witches Abroad. They arrive just in the nick of time. A group of young girls have started doing some witching of their own; dancing around (with or without their drawers on) some of the ancient stones up in the hills isn't good for anybody, especially when the barriers between the worlds are rubbing close together and beings on the other side are just waiting to pounce on anyone capable of weakening the borders a wee bit more. The Elf Queen has set her sights on crossing over into reality, but there just isn't room in this reality for Granny Weatherwax and the Elf Queen. Granny knows what regular people forgot long ago - all that glamour and beauty that Elves project is just a mask. Elves are really nasty little buggers who care about human beings only insofar as they can torture them for their own amusement. Things are really nip and go here, as Granny Weatherwax isn't her old self these days - she can't even see the future anymore, and that doesn't bode well for anybody.

Of course, the citizens of Lancre are all distracted by the upcoming nuptials of King Verence and Magrat Garlick. Wyrd Sisters tells the story of Verence's witch-assisted rise from the king's Fool to the King of Lancre, as well as the budding romance between Verence and Magrat. Magrat is of course the third member of the witches' trio, a young lass with eternally plain looks, great interest in the traditions and proper ceremonies of witchcraft, and a naivety and generosity of nature that frequently drives Granny up the wall. She and Verence are as shy as the day is long, but they are to be married on Midsummer's Eve. Granny and Nanny Ogg tend to treat Magrat as a child, and she finally gets so perturbed she abandons the coven and settles in to learning the ways of being a Queen - which mostly involves being incredibly bored.

All kinds of folks arrive for the royal wedding, including Giamo Casanunda, the world's second greatest lover ("he tries harder," a process which invariably involves the use of a stepladder), and a caravan of wizards from Unseen University. Archchancellor Ridcully is extremely excited about it because he used to live in Lancre. He goes on and on about this girl he once knew and wanted to marry, a girl who happens to be Granny Weatherwax. It's hard to imagine Granny as a young woman, but Lords and Ladies shows us a side of the old crone we've never seen before. Magrat really starts to come into her own, as well, after the Elves capture Verence. Of course, everything comes down to a big fight with the Elves, but that's the least exciting part of the novel, as far as I'm concerned. It's much more fun just watching Pratchett put all his players in place for the ending.

Pratchett is absolutely on fire in a number of passages here, especially when young Ponder Stibbons tries to explain his theory of parallel universes and multiple forms of existence to Archchancellor Ridcully. Granny and Nanny Ogg are always hilarious, the whole makeup of Lancre sets up many a joke, and Verence's dependence on book knowledge sets up one of the funniest bits in the whole Discworld series. Lords and Ladies is enough to get a new reader hooked on Pratchett's unique genius, but you won't truly appreciate this novel unless you read Wyrd Sisters and Witches Abroad first.

Funny. There seems to be a Law of Nature that fantasy and science fiction series descend rapidly in quality after the first few books. Terry Pratchett is a notable exception to this rule. The first few Discworld books are a pleasant enough way to spend an afternoon. The later books are considerably more than that. In them Pratchett's characters have deepened and the engrossing storyline is only the top layer of the book. This is one of the best of the Discworld books I've read (my favorite so far is Monstrous Regiment). I'm sure both that I'll be rereading it and that I'll be pick up subtleties I missed this time around.

OK. You have to fight the badest, meanest and glamorous representation of evil: AN ARMY OF ELVES! Yes, you read right. How would you do such a thing? Well, you can rally a bunch of men armed with iron that are more afraid of Nanny Ogg (protected by her dwarf date, who knew, huh?) that of beautiful elves; in front you put the "queen to be" Magrat in full iron armor and chain mail and a battle axe (who wants to save her future captured husband and King), bodyguarded by three seniors wizards from Unseen University, (who where invited to the wedding, and went only to breath some fresh air), one fo them the oragutan librarian himself. Maybe you think that's chaotic enough. THINK AGAIN. Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully is shooting arrows from its magical crossbow trying to save the greatest witch in Discworld and his only love: Granny Weatherwax, who happens to be involved in a word debate with the Elf Queen. And just to put some flavour on the mix, millions of bees are very, very angry and are looking for something to sting, while a lonely unicorn is hunting Granny to introduce her to Death itself. And to finish, a Horned God finally return to the surface. Need I say more?

I read it when it came out. I loved it. I read it again later on. And recently I read it again and I still think it is my favourite Discworld book. The depiction of elves (a contentious issue from the other reviews) is in the older style as being selfish, manipulative and cruel rather than the Tolkien based depiction of fair, wise and gentle creatures. The elves here are like Rude Mechanicals on Mean-Speed. Actually, if you really want to get an appreciation of this book, (and half the jokes) read Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream first.

Of course, Granny, Nanny and Magrat are here again as well as Ridcully, the Bursar (who may never recover) and the Librarian, whose adventures outside the safety of Ankh-Morpork make for the sorest abdominals you have had in your life!

The book has sex (in the form of Casanunda and NANNY OGG), death (great gobs of it) and well, not rock'n'roll, but elvish singing... which might be worse. It has a new feminist icon, an insight into the geneology of words and a belly laugh a page.

UNBEATEN.

PS. Go look up what a quark is, if you don't get the joke about up, down, sideways, etc...

...like that is a change. The nature of elves and their world is explored, the inadvisability of scheduling a wedding for the longest day is considered, the importance of a green bathrobe to an ape is discussed, and the true nature of crop circles is revealled. Despite all the folks who irrationally come forward admitting to the fabrication of crop circles as a prank, it is revealled that they are, in fact, a harbinger of an incursion by elves.
The Librarian's inner nature, insights regarding the Faery, and appropriate role in a wedding are illuminated. The curtain around Granny Weatherwax's romantic life is drawn aside (and hastily closed again). The King of Lancre figures in there somewhere. And Magrat Garlick comes to appreciate the value of a breastplate, despite an excess of airspace.

"Lords and Ladies" was the first Discworld book I read, and this was a terrible thing. Having read all of his works to date, I find myself struck with shakes and chills as we wait for his next work. And I swore up and down that I could quit any time I liked.

Still, this one is Pratchett on form. From Ankh Morpork to Lancre, with witches, wizards, and elves, Shakespeare, crop circles, New Age friviolity, and a host of other topics are ruthlessly skewered by Pratchett's word processor. Mr. Pratchett, please don't stop!

This is the fourteenth book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld - a flat world, supported on the backs of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle. Anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does.

With Magrat's marriage to Verence, King of Lancre, coming up, what could possibly go wrong? Actually, a lot! The border between realities is getting thin, and someone is trying to come through - the elves. Everyone remembers elves - beautiful, regal, powerful, etc. - but what they don't remember is that they are also vicious, murderous and completely unscrupulous. But, the witches remember; they remember a time when men went out hunting and never returned, and when babies disappeared from cradles. And now it is up to Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, plus any help that they can recruit to save the (disc)world!

This is another *great* Terry Pratchett book, one of his best! I have been a fan of this author for a long time, and this book does not let you down. As is often the case in Discworld books, a couple of "regulars" put in an appearance (Archchancellor Ridcully, the Librarian, Casanunda the World's Second Greatest Lover, and of course DEATH), but this is definitely a witch book. This is a great story, one that will inexplicably keep you on the edge of your seat and rolling on the floor laughing, both at the same time! This is a great Discworld book, one that I highly recommend.

Pratchett has the rare gift of writing humor that is not only funny, but literate, well-crafted, and sneakily wise and compassionate. Unlike many authors, he says the serious things he wants to say not by inserting a lecture, but by a deft turn of phrase, or simply by telling the story of what happens to his characters, A reader will not only end up rolling on the floor laughing, but thinking. In this story, elves (who have a power to control human thinking that puts even television and public relations execs to shame) take over the small kingdom of Lancre, while Magrat and King Verence are uneasily stumbling towards marriage. Magrat, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg, together with such assorted characters as Casanunda the lecherous dwarf and Jason Ogg, the smith whose head is about as thick as his anvil, fight to stop them. Granny Weatherwax, who knows that there's no point making a big entrance unless you're also prepared to make a mess, is also involved in a battle of wills with Diamanda, who thinks that witchery is something you do, rather than something you are. You'll definitely laugh. Guarantee. You might cry if you happen to feel like it or if you get so distracted reading it that you let someone drop something heavy on your foot. Or, of course, if the elves start eyeing _your_ life as a good thing to muck about with.

The stick and bucket dance has to be one of the funniest passages ever written - I guess you probably need to be english and know what Morris dancing is about to understand it fully.

The Ogg family - well words don't do them justice - just wait till you read about Gytha Ogg taking a bath. if you read this book in a public place you will get very odd looks as you will be lughing out loud. Highly recommended from an avid Pratchett fan.