I Shall Wear Midnight audiobook

Darkness comes across Discworld, shattering the once light and extremely funny fantasy universe. Possible explanations for this change in style and toneWas it his illness, was it growing, deeper cynicism about the world, did Pratchett intend to depress the heck out of the reader? Whatever the reason, if you can´t handle hard boiled, depressing content, you should consider not reading the last 2 Tiffany Aching novels (and Raising Steam, strongly influenced by the impact of his illness on his writing). Or, if you prefer to keep living in the happy, extremely funny world of the earlier and middle Discworld. Evolution towards darknessWhat was a mixture of deep thoughts distilled to cynical innuendos with slapstick elements, puns, and crazy ideas, has become the drawing of the darkness of the human condition, society, and immense stupidity and potential for evil. There is the hate infecting the dumb ones, the Cunning man coming to seed torture and murder, the ingratitude and bigotry of the average joes who are quick at crippling and burning witches, but extremely tolerant and open towards any kind of gossip, manipulation, and demagogic content. The possible laughs can´t be unleashedThe novel has some of the patented Pratchett puns and fun too, but it can´t ignite the known rhetoric powder, because the frightening and depressing passages are such hardcore downers that it would need more to feel lighthearted and blithe again. It´s great literature, but nothing one knowing the Discworld would expect or hope for. From meta cynicism to direct dirty sarcasmIt has kind of come down from the theoretical, deeper, high brow criticism to the dirty, gritty, real filth and disgust enabled by so many deluded individuals. I wonder if it would have gone this route if he wouldn´t have got terminally ill, if Tiffany couldn´t have had better teenage and adult years if her father wouldn´t have died far too early. If we could have seen her evolve as a character in a still growing universe that could have made fun of all the madness that happened since one of the greatest satirists of all time left us forever in 2015.Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe... The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.

I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld, #38; Tiffany Aching, #4), Terry PratchettI Shall Wear Midnight is a comic fantasy novel by English writer Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld. Tiffany is working as the Chalk's only witch in a climate of growing suspicion and prejudice. When the local Baron (for whom she had been caring) dies of poor health, she is accused of murder. Tiffany travels to Ankh-Morpork to inform the Baron's heir, Roland, who happens to be in the city with his fiancée Letitia. On the way Tiffany is attacked by the Cunning Man, a frightening figure who has holes where his eyes should be.In the city she meets Mrs Proust, the proprietor of Boffo's joke shop, where many witches buy their stereotypical witch accoutrements. When they find Roland and Letitia the Nac Mac Feegles, who have as usual been following Tiffany, are accused of destroying a pub. Tiffany and Mrs. Proust are arrested by Carrot and Angua, and (nominally) locked up – although it is mostly, in fact, for their protection as people start to resent witches.When they are released the next day, Tiffany meets Eskarina Smith (not seen since the events of the third Discworld novel, Equal Rites), who explains to her that the Cunning Man was, a thousand years ago, an Omnian witch-finder, who had fallen in love with a witch. That witch, however, knew how evil the Cunning Man was. She was eventually burnt to death, but as she was being burned she trapped the Cunning Man in the fire as well. The Cunning Man became a demonic spirit of pure hatred, able to corrupt other minds with suspicion and hate. Eskarina announces that the Cunning Man is coming. Tiffany and the Feegles return to the Chalk, where they find the Baron's soldiers trying to dig up the Feegle mound. She stops them, and goes to see Roland, who throws her in a dungeon (which she locks on the inside, and where she is brought bacon, eggs, and coffee in the morning). It is later learned that the Cunning Man was responsible for these actions. ...تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز پنجم ماه فوریه سال 2021میلادیعنوان: دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه) کتاب سی و هشتم: نیمه شب بایست بپوشم؛ نویسنده تری پرچت؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیایی - سده 20مدیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه)، یک سری از کتابهای فانتزی هستند، که روانشاد «تری پرچت»، نویسنده ی «انگلیسی»، نگاشته ‌اند؛ داستان‌های این سری در جهانی با نام «دیسک‌ ورلد (جهان صفحه)» می‌گذرند؛ که صفحه‌ ای تخت است، و بر شانه‌ های چهار فیل، با هیکلهای بزرگ، قرار دارد؛ این فیل‌ها نیز، به نوبه ی خود، بر روی پشت یک لاک‌پشت غول‌آسا، با نام «آتوئین بزرگ» قرار دارند؛ در این سری از کتابها، بارها از سوژه های کتاب‌های نویسندگانی همچون «جی.آر.آر تالکین»، «رابرت هاوارد»، «اچ پی لاوکرافت» و «ویلیام شکسپیر» به گونه ای خنده دار، استفاده شده ‌است؛از سری «دیسک ‌ورلد» بیشتر از هشتاد میلیون نسخه، در سی و هفت زبان، به فروش رفته‌ است؛ این سری در برگیرنده ی بیش از چهل رمان (تاکنون چهل و یک رمان)، یازده داستان کوتاه، چهار کتاب علمی، و چندین کتاب مرجع، و مکمل است؛ از این سری، چندین رمان تصویری، بازی کامپیوتری، نمایش تئاتر، سریالهای تلویزیونی اقتباس شده ‌است؛ روزنامه ی «ساندی تایمز» چاپ «انگلستان» از این سری به عنوان یکی از پرفروش‌ترین سری کتاب‌ها نام برده، و «تری پرچت» را، به عنوان پرفروش‌ترین نویسنده ی «انگلستان»، در دهه ی نود میلادی دانسته است؛رمان‌های «دیسک‌ورلد» جوایز بسیاری از جمله جایزه «پرومتئوس»، و مدال ادبی «کارنگی» را، از آن خود کرده ‌اند؛ در نظرسنجی «بیگ رید»، که «بی‌بی‌سی» در سال 2003میلادی، در «انگلستان» انجام داد، چهار رمان سری «دیسک‌ورلد»؛ در فهرست یکصد کتاب برتر قرار گرفتند؛ همچنین مردمان «انگلیس»، در این نظرسنجی، چهارده رمان «دیسک‌ورلد» را، در شمار دویست کتاب برتر، دانستند؛ تا کنون، از این سری، چهل و یک رمان، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «تری پرچت» که پیش از درگذشتش؛ در ابتدای سال 2015میلادی، از بیماری «آلزایمر» رنج می‌بردند، اعلام کردند که خوشحال می‌شوند که دخترشان، «ریانا پرچت»، به جای ایشان، به ادامه ی این سری بپردازند؛ تا جلد بیست و ششم رمان این سری، رمان «دزد زمان (2001میلادی)» به دست «جاش کربی»، به تصویر کشیده شده ‌اند، اما نسخه ‌های «آمریکایی»، که انتشارات «هارپرکالینز» آن‌ها را، منتشر کرده، دارای تصاویر روی جلد متفاوتی هستند؛ پس از درگذشت «جاش کربی»، در سال 2001میلادی، نقاشی‌های روی جلد کتاب‌های بعدی این سری، بدست «پائول کربی» کشیده‌ شدندکتابهای اول و دوم: «رنگ جادو»؛ کتاب سوم: «زنان جادوگر»؛ کتاب چهارم: «مرگ»؛ کتاب پنجم: «سورسری (برگردان فارسی جادوی مرجع)»؛ کتاب ششم: «خواهران ویرد»؛ کتاب هفتم: «هرم ها»؛ کتاب هشتم: «نگهبانان! نگهبانان»؛ کتاب نهم: «اریک»؛ کتاب دهم: «تصاویر متحرک»؛ کتاب یازدهم: «مرد دروگر»؛ کتاب دوازدهم: «جادوگران خارج»؛ کتاب سیزدهم: «ایزدان خرد (خدایان کوچک)»؛ کتاب چهاردهم: «لردها و بانوان»؛ کتاب پانزدهم: «مردان مسلح»؛ کتاب شانزدهم: «موسیقی روح»؛ کتاب هفدهم: «اوقات جالب»؛ کتاب هجدهم: «ماسکراد»؛ کتاب نوزدهم: «پاهای خشت (فیت آو کلی)»؛ کتاب بیستم: «هاگفادر»؛ کتاب بیست و یکم: «جینگو»؛ کتاب بیست و دوم: «آخرین قاره»؛ کتاب بیست و سوم: «کارپه جوگلوم»؛ کتاب بیست و چهارم: «فیل پنجم»؛ کتاب بیست و پنجم: «حقیقت»؛ کتاب بیست و ششم: «دزد زمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هفتم: «آخرین قهرمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هشتم: «ماوریس شگفت‌انگیز و موش‌های آموزش‌دیده‌اش»؛ کتاب بیست و نهم: «ساعت شب»؛ کتاب سی ام: «مردان آزاد وی»؛ کتاب سی و یکم: «هنگ بزرگ»؛ کتاب سی و دوم: «کلاهی پُر از آسمان»؛ کتاب سی و سوم: «گوینگ پوستال»؛ کتاب سی و چهارم: «تود!»؛ کتاب سی و پنجم: «وینتراسمیت»؛ کتاب سی و ششم: «بدست آوردن پول»؛ کتاب سی و هفتم: «دانشگاهی‌های نادیدنی»؛ کتاب سی و هشتم: «نیمه‌شب بایست بپوشم»؛ کتاب سی و نهم: «اسنوف»؛ کتاب چهلم: «بالا آمدن مه»؛ کتاب چهل و یکم: «تاج چوپان»؛تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 17/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

In this 38th Discworld novel, we once again meet Tiffany Aching. She’s the Chalk’s witch now and supported by the Nac Mac Feegle. However, lately, people have started criticizing her, daring to question what she does. Something unheard of. When the baron dies, Tiffany goes in search of the baron’s son (whom she saved a few books back) so he can take his dead father’s place (he’s away to buy stuff for his soon-to-be-wife). Thus, she ends up in Ankh-Morpork of all places - and discovers that the situation is even worse there. Apparently, it’s The Cunning Man’s work. No, he’s not really a man, though he used to be. In the meantime, he’s more like an idea whose time has come. Tiffany needs to find a way to defeat The Cunning Man before witches are burnt and things escalate for good (well, bad).The highlight was seeing Tiffany and the Wee Free Men in the Disc’s most famous … well, notorious … city. The other witches encountered there - not least of which was Escarina Smith, of course - as well as the run-ins with The Watch were just the most mentionable highlights here.Many people say that Tiffany’s adventures are weak volumes in the series, that the author’s foray into what many call the YA genre was mistake even. I’m here to tell you it’s all poppycock. The writing was fast-paced and sharp in its observations about human nature, the puns intelligent and fantastic. The dialogues were laugh-out-loud-funny. The animal sidekicks (always a gem in the witches books) were wonderful. The actual topic here, the mystery or threat so to speak, was full of an assortment of mythological tidbits and cultural history, deliciously brought together by the lovely cast of characters.So yes, I was once again enchanted. I was angry on behalf of all the hard-working witches and how they had been treated. I was downright homicidal about the nurse, a certain soon-to-be mother-in-law and Amber’s parents (to name but a few). I was delighted by the mischief of our favorite blue-skinned lads. In short: the book, as usual for Terry Pratchett, has snark, meaning, and - most importantly - heart.

Re-read 7/29/20:I jumped into the fire with Tiffany. :)Run, rabbit, run!Original Review:Extremely enjoyable witch novel. This sub-branch of the whole disc-World always has the ability to make me giddy and giggly with the feeling that imminent practicality is the most magical skill in the world. It's a consistent feeling, of course, and not endemic to this novel. On the other hand, for all of the Aching novels that all appear to be about coming-to-age, there's a delightful variety in how one can come of age. I got the distinct impression that this 16-year-old woman just got wiser and has received a great deal of Esteem, in a very Maslovian way. It filled my heart to the brim.And by the way, fantastic use of foreshadowing. I'm not even referring to the hare. I caught many of the other ones before they bore fruit (barely) and had to reread the lines I thought I was paying attention to because I kept laughing out of turn when the larger set-up kept kicking me in the shins. So very enjoyable for any novel, but for the Discworlds, I might just put this one at one of the tops.Fantastic stuff. :)

Re-read 10/7/21: I discovered this year that I do not like reading books for the first time in audio, because I get impatient. And yet I like having a book to listen to while I'm crafting in the evenings. I went from Wintersmith to this one, and it did not disappoint. See below, plus I really loved the ending this time: (view spoiler)[Tiffany comes into her own, and the beautiful midnight dress is perfectly symbolic of that, as is the golden hare necklace. I really don't think The Shepherd's Crown was necessary, and given that Pratchett passed away before really completing it, I think my headcanon has to be that this book and not that is the culmination of the Witches/Tiffany Aching sub-series. (hide spoiler)]Read 8/30/15: I realized some ten pages into this book that I'd only ever read it once before, which is unusual for me; I go to Terry Pratchett's books in the times when I can't handle anything else. (This happens often.) It seemed appropriate, given that the US release of The Shepherd's Crown is Tuesday, and turned out to be exactly what I needed on a Sunday evening.There were things I remembered: Tiffany's changed relationship with Roland, the Nac Mac Feegle in Ankh-Morpork, Letitia the very damp Duchess's daughter with unsuspected depth. What I'd forgotten is the strong theme of responsibility that ties the whole thing together. Tiffany Aching, as the new witch of the Chalk, bears responsibility for hundreds of people, most of whom fear her, or possibly fear what she represents. One of Tiffany's gifts is balancing between good and evil, pain and peace, and at the beginning of the book she's become so obsessed with playing that role that she's forgotten, just a little, why it is she's doing it. She's justifiably proud of her skills--she's the girl who kissed the winter, after all--but it's made her somewhat distant from the people she has to serve. So when a formless evil sets its sights on her, she's put in a position where all her skills are, if not useless, at least ineffective to fight her opponent. Woven into the plot is Tiffany's need to grow and understand the world in ways outside her experience. By the end, she knows why witches face tragedy and suffering and the hard choices the way they do, and for all her skills, it's that moment when Tiffany is a true witch.I remember being a little put off by the dissolution of Tiffany and Roland's romance (this is not a spoiler, it's revealed in the first few pages) because that relationship had been telegraphed fairly well in previous books. But the explanation even Tiffany has to accept is that the two of them really were just thrown together, and mistook their both being alone and different for being compatible. Their relationship as future Baron and witch makes a lot more sense, and I like Roland's fiancée Letitia very much, even before we find out her secret. (view spoiler)[Letitia as accidental witch amuses me. It fits with young Amber, who seems despite her race to be a born kelda; both girls have abilities no one suspected and both embrace those skills with a sort of careless "well, of course I can do this, what do you mean it's unusual?" that sets up a different type of witch from the ones we've seen to date. Giving a terrifying skeleton a teddy bear to calm him down is brilliant. (hide spoiler)]But the heart of any Tiffany Aching story is the Feegles, who were mostly played for laughs in Carpe Jugulum but have steadily become--like pretty much everything about the Discworld--a serious, solid presence in the story. Not that they aren't still hilarious; I love Daft Wullie, who is guaranteed to say the wrong thing every time. But the image of Rob Anybody ready to start a war to defend his wife and family--that's deadly serious. And there are so many serious moments between the funny ones that it's a little strange to look back over the Discworld series and realize those early books were written by the same man.I have no idea what to expect from the final Discworld book. Terry Pratchett's later works, after his illness was serious, aren't quite to the same quality as the earlier ones. What I'm looking for, I think, is a sense of closure. Raising Steam, for all its faults, brought to an end several plot threads that had been unreeling for several books, and I found that satisfying. I look forward to seeing how the final chapter in Tiffany's story plays out.

I don't find many books that I'd gladly give to my girl and say "this, this is what being human is". In the Tiffany Aching series, Pratchett nailed it and in this, the final book (which can be read alone), Pratchett nails the story too. The others have featured metaphors-come-to-life as antagonists, but they were very active antagonists. In this book, the antagonist is more in the background: he exists, there's pursuit, but it's all playing second fiddle to Tiffany's battle with her feelings and the prejudices of others.There aren't enough stars for this character and this book. You might not like Pratchett's style or his sense of humour but his sense of humanity, and what it means to be human, is unparalleled. He makes us find sympathy for people even as he unveils their ugly side, and writes as though he loves us, warts and all.Loved it to the point of being all teary at the end because of just how fucking perfect it was.

I still feel weird putting these under the heading of "children’s books." They aren't, really, and never have been. Even when the main character was just a ten year old girl.So. This is the last of the Tiffany Aching books and the last time we will ever hear of Granny Weatherwax or Nanny Ogg ever again, thanks to Mr. Pratchett's disease. I am given to understand that most of this book was, by necessity, dictated.And it's not a bad book. Quite good, given the circumstances. But a lot of characters from the Discworld seemed to just show up out of no where. It was like they were saying goodbye. Parts of it felt, when I read them, the way that last scene from the movie Labyrinth felt when I watched it. You know, when Hoggle and Ludo and everyone are telling Sarah goodbye. "If you should need us ..."Man. I'm sort of tearing up. Hold on a sec.AND we finally get to find out what the hell happened to Esk. I've been wondering about her for years. No lie. It was nice. It felt tidy and correct.Parts of this book were really rather rough. It was much darker in places than many of his other books. I mean, any book that starts out with the near-death of a thirteen year old pregnant girl because her father tried to beat her into the ground is going down a rather particular path, if you know what I mean.Other parts felt a little rushed. Like the love-interest. I'm not spoiling anything to say there is one in this book. Nor am I spoiling anything to say that it felt very sudden.However, over all, this is an excellent end to the Aching series and a rather good book from my favorite author of Modern fantasy.Highly recommended.

Terry Pratchett is a genius! This book is the fourth in the Tiffany Aching Adventures, and my favorite so far, I think. Tiffany is a sixteen-year-old witch, self-assured and very wise beyond her years, yet still down to earth (or, in her case, chalk) and still sixteen. She is once again joined by her small, blue, kilted, ale-drinking, fist-fighting, hygienically challenged, oft-invisible clan of Nac Mac Feegles who provide the story's comic relief. Her nemesis this time is the Cunning Man--the pure, stinking essence of evil left eons ago when a witch-burning fanatic was drawn into the flames himself by one of his young victims. Tiffany realizes that a bit of him exists in all of us as the seed of doubt, fear and xenophobia that can grow into hatred, prejudice and mob violence all too easily. She finds herself facing off against him at a time of change and transition; the old Baron has died peacefully, just a few days before his son, Roland, is to be married. Several of Tiffany's witch sisters arrive for the occasion including Mistress Weatherwax, her severe but ultimately caring mentor, and the bawdy Nanny Ogg (who most willingly fills the bride-to-be in on some wedding night secrets and advice, wink-wink nudge-nudge). As usual, Pratchett had me in alternating tears of hilarity and tenderness and empathy. And, as always, the book ends with the reader feeling a cathartic cleansing, and the sense that Tiffany Aching is in her place, doing her job the best she knows how, and all is right with the world.