I found it interesting that Terry Pratchett had been so good in writing down poignant thoughts that would make you pause and think, without him being preachy. This book reminds me of Studio Ghibli’s movies exactly for the same reason. The ideas are always oh so subtle, but it made you feel a certain way about how you used to be and, hopefully, a gentle nudge to be better.

My first introduction to Terry Pratchett’s work was the novel “Good Omens”. I love how “naive” the characters always are, regardless of their omnipotent status or power. Who can forget Death’s answer when being asked, “you’re Hell’s Angels, then? What chapter are you from?” with “REVELATIONS. CHAPTER SIX.” It’s always that “good intentions”, and we all know that the road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions. Hence in this novel, I was delighted when I saw Death’s greetings, “GOOD AFTERNOON.”

Tiffany Aching is a really interesting character. I love how imperfect she is. She knew she didn’t love her brother, Wentworth, at least not the kind of siblings affection, but she knew she’s selfish by stating, “my brother!” in front of the Queen of the Faeries. Her imperfections were not her weapons or “that cute side of her”. It was her side that she suppressed because society asked her to “love and care” her siblings, no matter how annoying (and sticky) they are.

I also love how vivid the places and the emotions were. I know Terry Pratchett was good, but never realized he was this good. He wove words and sentences to express something in an abstract yet really clear in our mind. For example, a “cold and thin feelings inside the chest” to describe homesickness. He also respected his characters. No character is too small for him, and it seemed like he always made sure each character, even the background ones, would have something to do or say. My favorite part: When the Nac Mac Feegles fought and bickered with each other when they disguised themselves as a “human” in “A Hat Full of Sky”.

I wish I could write more about this book. Unfortunately, this book is too vast and too wonderful for me to put everything in a blog post. Right now, I’m feeling so sleepy. Relieved, that I finally finished the book (it has two stories in it: “The Wee Free Men” and “A Hat Full of Sky”), and I don’t think I could do this book justice based on my current writing skill.