I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

I Shall Wear Midnight is the fourth installment in the Tiffany Aching series for young adults.  The title is likely to be a reference to the poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph:

When I am old I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

Tiffany is a young witch who is coming of age; however, she is not yet psychologically ready to swap her brightly coloured clothes for the traditional midnight-black garb worn by her sister witches.  She spends her time looking after the people of the Chalk Hills, easing their pain as they muddle their way through life and, for some, easing their way out of it.

But something has happened that ushers a malevolent force, the Cunning Man, into the world, and he is looking for Tiffany.  His mere presence causes people to become distrusting of, and then hostile towards their witches.  Will Tiffany be able to take the great step into full witch-hood and defeat the Cunning Man?  Her challenge is to accomplish this task without the help of the Nac Mac Feegle (the blue-skinned pixies that feature in the three previous Tiffany Aching books) or to fall into darkness.

I have mixed feelings about this book.  It is well written, but it rehashes many of the themes Pratchett covered in his Granny Weatherwax stories: the need to respect others, particularly the weakest; helping others overcome the darker side of their nature in order to make the world a better place; and finding the strength within oneself to overcome external adversities.  

Also missing to a large degree is the sparkling wit and insight that was the hallmark of Pratchett's earlier writings.  I Shall Wear Midnight is a dark tale, and Pratchett has pulled no punches as he weaves domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and the social neglect of the old, the infirm and the lonely into the story.  These are all worthy themes and are adroitly expounded; but they are grim truths and, in this case, they are ones whose gravity is not ameliorated by the usual measure of Pratchett's levity.  

Alas? Maybe. Yes, mixed feelings in this review.  I Shall Wear Midnight is a good novel, but it is not nearly one of Pratchett's best.  Read it for itself, by all means.  It is worth it.  Sometimes sci-fi and fantasy stories can succeed just as well with Truths as do realist novels, just don't expect the usual loads of laughs.

I am aware that Sir Terry Pratchett is ill, and has been for some time.  I send my best wishes to him and his family.  He has made the world a better place (for me, at least) with his Discworld stories.

Publishing details: (E-book) RHCB Digital, London, 2011