Contest time again.  This month, another slight genre shift.  Fantasy with humour or satire (though really this guy started out doing satire but has gone so far beyond that he’s unique).  Yes, folks, we’re taking a trip to the Discworld, creation of the brilliant Terry Pratchett.  Many of Terry’s books are set in the Discworld and yes there are recurring characters and storylines but he’s managed to pull off something fairly brilliant and create a world that lets him write about pretty much anything that takes his fancy. Movies. Soccer. Politics. Race. Magic. Life. Opera. Newspapers. The post. Money. The internet (sort of). Adult books. Children’s books. Brilliant YA books (if you haven’t read the Tiffany Aching books, run to a bookstore and do so). All while making us laugh and think.

I could send you right back to the beginning of the Discworld books but because of the way they’re structured, it is a series that you can start at various places and figure it out (feel free to yell at me if I’m wrong).  The Discworld books have several subseries, for want of a better term, that focus on groups of characters, the main three groups being The Witches of Lancre, the Wizards of the Unseen University and the City Guards of Ankh-Morpork.  Me being me, my favourites have always been the witches (though it is a tough choice), so I’m starting you there.

Witches Abroad isn’t even the first book about the witches but it stands on its own and it’s one of my favourites.  It’s a book about witches and fairytales and fairy godmother. About story and how it has a life of its own. About friendship and power and choices.  And it’s damn good. When I’m old I want to be Granny Weatherwax crossed with Nanny Ogg. So if you’d like to find out why, then one copy of Witches Abroad is up for grabs (the cover is the new cover…I may yet go old school and buy a copy with the same Paul Kirby cover as my copy). Simply comment on a blog post this month to be in the draw.

As usual, my reasons for the contest are here.