When the Discworld’s first female wizard comes into her own, tradition—and a certain formidable witch—takes notice. Equal Rites is a sharp, hilarious romp through magic, mentorship, and the question of who gets to wield power in the first place.
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Start or resume Shelf TalkThese picks are popular with readers who enjoyed this book. Possible spoilers below.
In Equal Rites, did you enjoy the sharp, gender-savvy satire of magical institutions?
If you loved how Granny Weatherwax keeps skewering wizardly tradition while Esk literally forces the Unseen University to rethink who can be a wizard, you’ll enjoy the way Thursday Next punctures pompous cultural gatekeepers and bureaucratic absurdity. Like the Unseen University’s stuffy wizards, Fforde’s literate police and Goliath Corporation are hilariously ossified—only to be outwitted by a practical, no-nonsense hero. It’s the same sly, witty send-up of entrenched systems that made Esk’s showdown in Ankh-Morpork so satisfying.
In Equal Rites, did you enjoy formidable, no-nonsense women taking charge of magic?
Granny Weatherwax’s steely competence and Esk’s stubborn courage are mirrored in Elisabeth Scrivener, a trainee who treats dangerous grimoires like Granny treats wayward magic: with firm hands and sharper wits. If the Unseen University’s Library (and its orangutan Librarian) delighted you, the living, temperamental tomes and runaway grimoires here will scratch the same itch—only this time it’s a young woman, like Esk, forcing a tradition-bound system to respect her power.
In Equal Rites, did you enjoy the prickly, transformative mentor–apprentice bond between Granny Weatherwax and Esk?
Esk learns the edges of power under Granny Weatherwax’s exacting eye; Sabriel is likewise shaped by demanding guides—her absent father’s instruction, the tart-tongued cat-spirit Mogget, and hard lessons in the Old Kingdom. If you enjoyed how Granny’s tough mentorship helps Esk claim her wizardry, you’ll love watching Sabriel grow into the Abhorsen’s mantle, making difficult, deeply moral choices about when and how to use dangerous magic.
In Equal Rites, did you enjoy the clash between a gifted outsider and a tradition-bound magic school?
Esk crashing the boys’ club of the Unseen University is half the fun of Equal Rites; here, El battles an elitist, perilous academy that’s just as rule-bound and ridiculous in its own way. If Esk’s trip to Ankh-Morpork and her confrontations with the Archchancellor and faculty made you grin, El’s snarky dismantling of the Scholomance’s pecking orders—and her refusal to be what the system expects—will feel like a sharper, darker echo.
In Equal Rites, did you enjoy a whimsical, heartfelt coming-of-age powered by quirky magic and wit?
Esk’s journey from goat-herding girl to wizard-in-her-own-right pairs beautifully with Sophie Hatter’s transformation after a stray curse sends her out into a wider, weirder world. If you enjoyed Esk’s first steps into Ankh-Morpork, her chaotic encounters with the wizarding establishment, and Granny’s wry common sense, you’ll love Sophie trading barbs with Howl, bargaining with Calcifer, and discovering that her supposed limitations are the making of her power.
