Equal Rites

4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Esk is the eighth son of an eighth son and so destined to be a wizard. Except, wait, she's a daughter, and girls can't be wizards. Undeterred, she and the witch who has been training her set out for the Unseen University to convince wizards their rules are, so to speak, old hat.

Review
In this third Discworld novel, Pratchett is finally fully settled in. It's got a solid plot, interesting characters, and an arc that works at the length. Sure, there are bits that get glossed over, but by and large it reads much more effectively than its two predecessors.

Pratchett's tackling a serious subject here – gender equity – but with a light touch, a good amount of humor, and fair dose of magical smoothing; Esk never really faces much in the way of obstacles. Through the magic of ... magic, everything just pretty much goes her way. Despite that, she and Granny make a pretty fun and engaging team, and equity wins in the end without gender-bashing. It's a nice, light story, not a societal critique.