I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

[lightreads]

I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching, #4) by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is more of the same for this subseries – which is a good thing! More adolescent witch adventures, more growing up too fast, more dry humor with teeth underneath.



Critics go on about how magic in fantasy novels is a metaphor for political power or social power or insert power here. Which is usually a really unsatisfying reading to me because fantasy novel magic is so often inborn, inexplicable, a random or genetic gift. Which is a good metaphor for social power, often, but it’s not very interesting – you are powerful because you are, and you are because you are. Okay then.



I read this months ago, but I still remember what I liked about it. Tiffany is a really powerful witch, but not in the usual fantasy novel way. Her power is in direct proportion to how smart she is, and how careful. She doesn’t have some inexplicable inner spring of magic, and this book is very clear: Tiffany wasn’t born chosen. She made herself a witch because there was a terrible need; because someone died in a small, common, horrible way; because someone had to do something, and she was there. That is a magic whose metaphors I can get behind. IN fact, the metaphors pretty much collapse. These aren’t books with stupid extended training montages where young people learn magic by chanting a lot. Tiffany learns by living. That’s not a metaphor at all, that’s good literature.



I love that. And I love that Tiffany doesn’t always wear power well, that she struggles for compassion, that she feels isolated. I love how almost everyone in this book is faking it inside whatever role they’re living.



I don’t love some slightly odd ways this book talks about post-violence trauma, but that’s a whole other conversation.





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Comments

[ecaterin]

Squeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm behind - haven't read book 3 yet, but we LOFF the Tiffany Aching books here. I read the first two aloud to the boys a bunch of times, complete with totally goofy Wee Free Scottish accents :D At one point when my oldest had a pile of allowance to spend, he chose to buy a big illustrated version of Wee Free Men over all the other options, and despite the fact that we had the paperback at home. And the illustrations are smashing - but he was 10yo, and that was what he wanted most, AN AWESOME BOOK.

Clearly my work here is done :D

GOTTA GET BOOKS 3 AND 4.

[lightreads]

Just one warning -- the fourth one discusses and implies a lot of pretty intense stuff -- parental death, domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, infidelity and rage, attempted suicide, mob violence. I mean, the book opens with the aftermath of a girl beaten so badly she miscarries. It's all handled in the usual Pratchetty way, but your kids might have questions after.

[livingbyfiction.livejournal.com]

Tiff is the most darling empiricist there ever was. I love how she Batmans.

And ah ha ha on the lack of training montages.

This and the first book were my favorites of the series. Hooked up to powerful rails of feeling: losing Granny Aching, outgrowing parents, outgrowing first love. Was nice to check in with Esk, too.