The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

While all of Terry Pratchett’s books are fun to read, I found myself distinctly underwhelmed by this Discworld novel, especially in comparison with books like Night Watch, Going Postal or Small Gods.

The Wee Free Men tells the story of Tiffany Aching, a girl whose family have always been shepherds on the chalk downs. Fairy tale monsters and returning to the world, and it’s up to Tiffany, with the help of the wee free men, to stop them and rescue her baby brother.

The wee free men, or Nac Mac Feegle, are very small, immensely strong Scotsmen with blue tattoos. The Nac Mac Feegle are amusing, and Tiffany is quite convincing as a resourceful and intelligent child, but the book lacks some of the charm and humour that first attracted me to the Discworld series.

Although it isn’t my favourite of his works, like all of Terry Pratchett’s writing The Wee Free Men is far better than most fantasy novels out there.

Tags: Discworld, Terry Pratchett, Tiffany Aching