Lords And Ladies
(Discworld Novel 14)
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
'People didn't seem to be able to remember what it was like with the elves around. Life was certainly more interesting then, but usually because it was shorter. And it was more colourful, if you liked the colour of blood . . .'
On Midsummer Night, dreams are especially powerful. So powerful, in fact, that they can cause the walls between realities to come crashing down. And some things you really don't want to break through.
The witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick return home to discover that elves have invaded Lancre. And even in a world of wizards, trolls, dwarfs, Morris dancers - and the odd orangutan - they're spectacularly nasty creatures.
The fairies are back - and this time they don't just want your teeth . . .
'His spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on Sunday
'Cracking dialogue, compelling illogic and unchained whimsy' The Sunday Times
Lords and Ladies is the fourth book in the Witches series, but you can read the Discworld novels in any order.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pratchett (Small Gods) has won an ardent following with his tales of Discworld and his particular brand of comedic fantasy. This latest installment, however, is unlikely to widen his readership. It's circle time on the Discworld; portentous round depressions are showing up everywhere, even in bowls of porridge. Worlds are weaving closer to one another, with unpredictable results. Only the three wacky witches, formidable Granny Weatherwax, crusty Nanny Ogg and scatterbrained Magrat Garlick, can ensure that the worst does not happen: the return of the elves. Trouble is, almost everyone else in the kingdom of Lancre is eager to welcome the ``lords and ladies'' back. They've forgotten that elves are nasty creatures who live only to torture their prey--humans especially. It's a tempting premise, but underdeveloped by Pratchett, who relies too heavily on his trademark humor, veering into the silly and sophomoric, to fuel the early portions of this fantasy. Only in the last third of the novel does he strike a successful balance among action, imagination and comedy. There is much fun to the tale once the smiling, sadistic elves actually appear, befuddling the townfolk with their beauty and illusion. An earlier arrival would have done much to strengthen this uneven novel.