Terry Pratchett 3: Equal Rites

Onto the third Discworld book, and we can see Terry Pratchett starting to hunt bigger game. This book is about magic and sex, as in biological sex, and really goes in on exploring a theme in a way that none of his later books do. It does this by looking at male magic vs female magic. Neither is seen as superior, but they are different.

What is female magic? “Magic out of the ground, not out of the sky.” Nursing and psychology. It’s therapeutic in nature, it puts the world back together, it keeps things on track and keeps things moving. It’s concerned with the mundane, with everyone’s journey through life. Healing, supporting, reconstituting, sympathetic - it’s not always clear that there’s any magic going on at all, but it is.

And male magic? More like maths and physics, the sort that creates nuclear weapons. Transgression. Crossing boundaries. Ideas. Power. Prestige. Legibly impressive and grand.

As Granny Weatherwax puts it: “books and stars and jommetry.”

The two come into conflict, and out of the conflict comes synthesis. The witches learn that brute force magic is useful sometimes. The wizards learn that it isn’t always the best option.

“The best book I have ever read for exploring the difference between the sexes” - Echoes Underground Podcast, December 2024