Wintersmith is part of Pratchett's "Tiffany Aching" series of books, written for young adults. I am enjoying them immensely. In this novel, young Tiffany, witch-in-training, dances with the wrong individual during a traditional autumnal revel, and the results are catastrophic. There is a wonderful cast of characters, including my beloved Granny Weatherwax, the Nac Mac Feegles, and even a cameo by Death himself.
I love that Pratchett conveys, even in a young adult novel with only a few human characters, the power that words and books have in transforming lives.
The first little signs of Pratchett's Alzheimer's - tiny plotholes, subtle things amiss - creep into this book. It's not alarming or even obvious, but I've been on a steady diet of Pratchett for many months now, and I can see and feel the change. Wintersmith was published in 2006; Pratchett made the announcement of his battle with the disease in 2007.
Little incongruities aside, this was a terrific book, and will require me to acquire my own copy.
