Spoilers Ahead
Equal Rites, by Sir Terry Pratchett was his 3rd Discworld novel, originally published in 1986 and tells the story of young Eskarina as she inherits magic from a dying wizard, and grows up with the innate ability to use magic, despite being a woman.
The story kicks off with a dark and stormy night. A baby is being born, and an old wizard knocks on the door of the blacksmith. The blacksmith’s wife is the one having a baby, and the old wizard explains that he is going to die soon, and must pass on his power. Seeing as how the Blacksmith is the 8th son, and the baby being born is his 8th child, it is the most auspicious event. The blacksmith calls for the newly born babe, and from the bundle of cloths the midwife presents him with, a tiny hand rests on the Wizard’s staff. Boom, the transfer is complete.
“You duddering fool, it’s a girl!” The midwife exclaims. The old Wizard dies, and leaves the inconveniences of his actions to the living. The girl, Eskarina Smith, grows up with none of this knowledge, but as she grows, the magic inside of her is leaking at the seams, trying to break out. One day she turns one of her brothers into a pig, and the midwife (who is also the local witch), takes her under her wing to teach her the ways of witching, hoping that becoming a witch will be good enough to tame the magic inside of her, but even this is not enough. Granny Weatherwax writes letters to the Unseeing University on behalf of Esk, imploring them to take on this girl, despite how unorthodox it would be to have a female wizard.
After no replies, and more magical mishaps from Esk, Granny Weatherwax chooses to take Esk to the University herself before Esk accidentally flattens the village. On their travels, Esk encounters a number of challenges that she overcomes with ignorance of the way the world ‘should’ work, and an innate ability to use magic at the most opportune times.
Upon arrival at the University, Esk and Granny Weatherwax are laughed out of the room. “There’s never been a female wizard before! It’s against the Law!”. Granny and Esk take on servant jobs, to remain in the University, hoping that the doddering old fools leading the University will see Esk’s magic, and reconsider their position.
Eventually, things go haywire, Esk saves the day, Granny Weathereax and the Archchancellor Cutangle spend a bit of time together where they both grain appreciation for the others’ profession.
What I found incredible, is that Terry Pratchett can write a book in 1986, and thirty years later, the commentary still rings true. I wish I could be more jaded and say things like gender discrimination are a thing of the past, but alas, our world is still filled with chauvinistic and misogynistic tendencies.
The chauvinism in Equal Rites isn’t brute-ish or really even that masculine. There’s a sense of airy-ness to the whole situation. “We can’t have a woman Wizard because it’s never been done before” “There’s simply no precedent!”. It feels simple, and at the end of the day, it is simple. They change the law, and Esk becomes a wizard with no fuss.
Equal Rites was utterly entertaining, but not challenging. I love Terry Pratchett’s writing, and his use of simile and metaphor is utterly marvellous. “She had so many bangles that the slightest movement sounded like a percussion section falling off a cliff”. Then a bit later, when the character shifts slightly, “The drummer who had climbed halfway back up the cliff fell onto the toiling cymbalists”. Several lines in Equal Rites had my wife and I both laughing out loud. But at no point did I feel like Equal Rites was anything more than a funny, easy to read book. Yes, the commentary that the men in power were doddering old fools is poignant, but it wraps up rather easily in the end.
As an entry-point into the Discworld series, I think Equal Rites is a perfectly fine option. Ankh-Morpork is barely featured here, unlike the in The Colour of Magic and Guards, Guards!!, which are two often suggested entry points that feature the city quite heavily. But my opinion in this situation shouldn’t matter too heavily. I haven’t read every Terry Pratchett Novel, just… a dozen or so.
I never have a bad time with Discworld novels, and Equal Rites is no different. I felt a bit let down that there was no real main antagonist, which made the climax feel a bit ethereal to me. I don’t foresee myself coming back to Equal Rites any time soon, but I am looking forward to reading more of The Witches line of books.
