SPOILERS Equal Rites Discussion *Spoilers*

[poohcarrot]

But I don't think there was anything special about her at all. From what I could see, a dog could have replaced her, as long as he was big enough to hold the staff in his mouth.

Did she have the staff when she noticed the precious stones were "spirkles" (or whatever they were called)?

And she was able to do the burrowing of the eagle, which uses magic.

I thought she had a certain amount of magical ability without the staff, being the 8th son/daughter of an 8th son.

 

[Trish]

When Death said that Billet would "be lucky to be an ant", I took it to mean that he had to be a tree before he qualified as an ant.

However, the timelines don't match up; the tree was planted before he died, and (presumably) was still around while he was an ant (unless Esk's dad cut it down soon after she left). Of course, with reincarnation lives don't have be consecutive.

Also, the reason he'd be lucky to be an ant is because of his karma, and he wasn't a very good tree (sour, wormy apples, and twisting branches to drop Esk's brothers), so I don't think that would have improved his karma very much.

I'm not sure if I'm remembering it correctly or not, but couldn't cats see Death in The Color of Magic, but were scared of him?

Billet "moved into" the apple tree to look after Esk.
The tree was gnarled and gave sour sour fruit, which is a reflection of Drum Billet while alive.

Esk's brothers more or less lived to torture her, but even they realized that their 'right' to do so ended at the foot of the apple tree.

Timelines...
It's about magic. Regular rules don't apply --a thing the UU wizards find out for themselves.


I didn't think highly of this book when I first read it. Then I read it again --slowly.

It's full of sly, wry jokes.
Sure, it's about sex. See the "regular rules" bit 2 paragraphs ago.

I particularly enjoyed the Zoons. So honest, they're considered untrustowrthy!

"And can you play a musical instrument?"
"Probably."

Equal Rites is worth a good, slow read. Other than Granny browbeating the dwarf to patch-up her broomstick, there aren't many laugh out loud lines.
But all the characters are against type... Granny wearing a red-lined cape. Esk granted wizard "power" although she's female. Billet actually managing to become a carbon-based lifeform.


Please, no more Rowling and Harry Potter.
I used to love the books, but each has become more wordy and nonsensical.

Yes, one must suspend disbelief while reading them.
Just not good taste.

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

Sorry Trish, just a few words then there will be no more Harry Potter, ok? It's just that I've read above "Molly=good cooking, Nimphadora =funny noses ecc " means no strong women. I'd just like to say that a woman to be strong doesn't have to be "a protagonist" "a leading character". For example, Hermione is the most intelligent student, but Ginny is the most powerful with magic, more powerful than Harry, who always win because there's always someone helping him. Molly is very strong, he can be a wife and a mother when nothing else is needed, but he can be a fighter when requested, ecc ecc.
END of HP.

Now on with Equal Rites, that i've read in italian and they translated L'arte della magia, The art of magic, nothing to do with the title but at least there's a line in the book that explains it...

What I'm really curious about is why Granny never give back the broom she borrowed from Hilta... it's the same that she uses from that moment on, in witches abroad and on.. she didn't even like brooms, yet she keeps another witch's broom !!

 

[Tonyblack]

I wondered that about the broom - it seems like Granny has that same broom throughout the books. But someone pointed out to me that maybe it wasn't the same broom - maybe it was just Granny's flying ability.

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

This is NOT an important question, I know, but at the beginning (on my book is page 42 of 172 total) it says "don't try to walk before you know how to run" ... : shouldn't it be "don't try to Run before you know how to walk" ???

 

[Tonyblack]

This is NOT an important question, I know, but at the beginning (on my book is page 42 of 172 total) it says "don't try to walk before you know how to run" ... : shouldn't it be "don't try to Run before you know how to walk" ???

I didn't spot that, but it fits with other mis-quoted phrases in DW such as 'a leopard can't change his spots' and 'we've passed a lot of water since then'.

Or it could be an error.

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

I wondered that about the broom - it seems like Granny has that same broom throughout the books. But someone pointed out to me that maybe it wasn't the same broom - maybe it was just Granny's flying ability.

But in witches abroad she says that she had it repaired from the dwarves... as in this book!!

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

This is NOT an important question, I know, but at the beginning (on my book is page 42 of 172 total) it says "don't try to walk before you know how to run" ... : shouldn't it be "don't try to Run before you know how to walk" ???

I didn't spot that, but it fits with other mis-quoted phrases in DW such as 'a leopard can't change his spots' and 'we've passed a lot of water since then'.

Or it could be an error.

But it's a DW error or a translator error? I was curious about that.. but I don't have the money to order it in english just to check that

 

[Tonyblack]

Can you describe the scene where that happens? I'll have a look in the US version I have here.

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

AND it says clearly that Hilta's broom was old and malfunctioning...
I just think TP forgot about that. He probably liked too much the idea of Granny running and running to start the broom..

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

Can you describe the scene where that happens? I'll have a look in the US version I have here.

ok, Granny talks to Esk, right before teaching her how to Borrow, and esk thinks of how she could...
"Don't you look at me in that way - said the old woman - one day you will thank me...

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

I can't think of much to say about this book, so I'll wait for someone to say something stupid and then argue with them. :twisted:

(Jan's usually good for a stupid comment or two. So is SWReader, but she's incapacitated at the moment.)

Eh, I've quite probably said something silly in the above, so please be gentle with me and leave some limbs attached

Um... I was only joking! Only trying to wind up Jan and hopefully bring a smile to the face of SWReader.

Wind away smartypants - I have other fish to fry on here and elsewhere just now so you won't see me in here too much for several more days, so make hay while the sun shines sunshine - the rain on your parade will arrive soon enough (monsoon proportions if swreaders back in the game! *blows her a kiss*)

As for saying something stupid, as Tony's observed you don't need me for that - and you're kippering yourself quite nicely and unassisted in Guidlty too.. :twisted:

Re HP women v HP actionmen - Rowling's hopeless anyway. Aren't Warlocks male Witches if they're suppose to be the same 'breed'? She doesn't know the true meaning of the term Wizard so just ignore that whole body of work - it isn't in the same league and so totally bogus to compare :twisted:

 

[Tonyblack]

AND it says clearly that Hilta's broom was old and malfunctioning...
I just think TP forgot about that. He probably liked too much the idea of Granny running and running to start the broom..

I agree! It is a funny idea - especially with Granny being normally so self-assured.

But dwarfs repair the broom in Witches Abroad as well and in ER the wizards talk about getting Granny a new broom so she can travel to the University. In a later book she says that she did indeed travel to A-M several times.

 

[kakaze]

This is NOT an important question, I know, but at the beginning (on my book is page 42 of 172 total) it says "don't try to walk before you know how to run" ... : shouldn't it be "don't try to Run before you know how to walk" ???

My (American english paperback) book says "Don’t try to walk before you can run."

It might have been an accident, but I don't think so. I think it's a reflection of Granny's personality, though it doesn't really fit in with what she's telling Esk at the time. I could see Terry putting that in just to see if anyone would catch it!

The "a leopard can't change his shorts" is a reference to the bit in Soul Music where Scum? buys a leopard from the circus and puts it into Crash's? bedroom.

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

A phrase I liked in this book was "the words that are really magical are those who fights attempting to escape and become real"
I know he's talking about Magic, but it sounds exactly like every word he writes to me, so magical it becomes real.

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

This is NOT an important question, I know, but at the beginning (on my book is page 42 of 172 total) it says "don't try to walk before you know how to run" ... : shouldn't it be "don't try to Run before you know how to walk" ???

My (American english paperback) book says "Don’t try to walk before you can run."

It might have been an accident, but I don't think so. I think it's a reflection of Granny's personality, though it doesn't really fit in with what she's telling Esk at the time. I could see Terry putting that in just to see if anyone would catch it!

!! So it wasn't the translator's error!!

 

[CrysaniaMajere]

I am even surprised. It's not at all impossible for the translation to be less than ok.. Over the years I've descovered many things badly translated, ever since I started reading in English. Sometimes it's a phrase that doesn't make sense, other times it's just that the translator didn't like the original and decided to change it!! That made quite angry

 

[kakaze]

As someone who'd done translation work, I think that translating a book with as many puns as the average Discworld book has, would be very difficult.

 

[poohcarrot]

Oh I think you underestimate your own ability to make stupid comments Pooh!

I don't think I do.

But you know I'm going to make stupid comments. I can't help it.

If anything, I underestimate my own ability to make sensible comments.

(PS who was it who came up with the theory that Equal Rites is "chock" full of sexual innuendo? )

 

[Tina a.k.a.SusanSto.Helit]

Well, Granny and Cutangle were on a "date" at the end. I don't know about "Chock" full tho.