I Shall Wear Midnight
 |
|
| Author | Terry Pratchett |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series |
Discworld 38th Novel - 4th Tiffany Aching story |
| Subject |
|
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
|
Publication date
|
2 September 2010 |
| ISBN | |
| Preceded by | Wintersmith |
| Followed by | The Shepherd's Crown |
I Shall Wear Midnight is an Andre Norton Award-winningcomic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld. It is the fourth novel within the Discworld series to be based on the character of Tiffany Aching. It was published on 2 September 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on 28 September in the United States.
It centres on Tiffany Aching, who is now fifteen years old and getting on with the hard work of being a witch. The title is taken from a quotation in A Hat Full of Sky: "When I'm old I shall wear midnight, she'd decided. But for now she'd had enough of darkness."
In an interview at the Guardian Book Club, Pratchett remarked that the book is an urban fantasy.
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. Esk 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.
...
Wikipedia