I Shall Wear Midnight
Terry Pratchett
Growing up
In my review of A Hat Full of Sky, I wrote
One of my favorite moments comes near the end of the book, when Tiffany visits Granny [Weatherwax]. Tiffany wears green for the visit, unlike Granny, who always dresses in black. Tiffany tells herself, “When I’m old I shall wear midnight.” I took this not simply as a momentary sartorial choice, but as a statement that Tiffany would one day become what Granny now is.
The day that Tiffany dons midnight has come. To be sure, Tiffany is now 16, not what one would usually call “old.” I wonder if Sir Terry might have felt a bit pressed to move Tiffany’s story on. I Shall Wear Midnight was published in 2010. It is the 38th novel in the Discworld series, and the fourth of the Tiffany Aching books. Pratchett was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2007.
Although but 16, Tiffany is an adult. She is the hag o’ the hills, the witch of the chalk, her grandmother Granny Aching’s successor in those roles. Chapter 2 (which I will not spoil) leaves us in no doubt that Tiffany is bearing the load of an adult witch, and she is doing it well.
I am very fond of the Tiffany Aching books, because I am fond of Tiffany. If I had to choose one word to describe Tiffany, it would be “capable.” It’s not a glamorous word, and indeed, Tiffany is not a glamorous character. She’s a witch, and if there is one thing that all successful Discworld witches have in common, it is that they are capable. “Capability” is the essence of Discworld witchcraft.
There’s a lot going on in this story, as always in a Discworld novel. The old baron dies, his son Roland is getting married (to someone other than Tiffany), and Tiffany faces down the evergreen suspicion of witches. Also, and this was a surprise to me, a character from the deep past of the series show up. [spoiler1]
One Tiffany Aching novel remains. It is novel 41, The Shepherd’s Crown, the final Discworld novel.
I Shall Wear Midnight on Amazon
It is Eskarina Smith, the Discworld’s only female wizard, from Equal Rites.