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The Wee Free Men

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Terry Pratchett
The Discworld series

30th novel
center
Outline
Characters: Tiffany Aching,
Nac Mac Feegle,
Granny Weatherwax
Locations: The Chalk
Motifs: Fantasy clichés
Publication details
Year of release: 2003
Original publisher: Doubleday
Hardback ISBN: ISBN 0385607369
Paperback ISBN: ISBN 0552549053
Other details
Awards: WH Smith Teen Choice Award 2003
American Library Association's Best Book For Young Adults 2003
Parenting Book of the Year Award 2003
Center for Children's Books' Blue Ribbon
Notes:

For The Wee Free, see the Free Church of Scotland.
The Wee Free Men is the 30th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the second Discworld book for younger readers. Although primarily written for children this book enjoys a large adult readership. For a period before its release it was known as For Fear Of Little Men. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, was published in 2004.

While Terry Pratchett's first Discworld book for children, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents had swearing translated to rat language, in this book it is in the dialect of the Nac Mac Feegle which is taken from Scots and Scottish Gaelic. However, it does cheekily use the word pished, which Terry Pratchett assures the reader that he does not know what it means.

Perhaps the most noteworthy item, in the context of the larger Discworld mythology, is that The Wee Free Men is the first and so far only book in which Death does not appear.

The novel contains a scene inspired by the painting called The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke, by Richard Dadd.

The Queen of the Elves (see Lords and Ladies) has another attempt at invading the Discworld, by stealing children and infesting dreams.

With the help of the Wee Free Men, the Nac Mac Feegle (see Carpe Jugulum), 9-year-old Tiffany Aching finds out that her grandmother used to be the witch of the Chalklands, and that she has inherited the trade. So when her baby brother is stolen, Tiffany and the Nac Mac Feegle enter the elves' world to steal him back.

Translations

Movie

In January 2006, it was revealed that director Sam Raimi has signed up to make a movie based on this novel, from a script by Pamela Pettler, the writer of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Sony Pictures Entertainment have recently acquired the rights to the book. Producers: Josh Donen, Vince Geradis, Ralph Vicinanza. No other details have been released about the movie adaptation. [link] [link]

External links

Terry Pratchett's Discworld
Novels: The Colour of Magic - The Light Fantastic - Equal Rites - Mort - Sourcery - Wyrd Sisters - Pyramids - Guards! Guards! - Eric - Moving Pictures - Reaper Man - Witches Abroad - Small Gods - Lords and Ladies - Men at Arms - Soul Music - Interesting Times - Maskerade - Feet of Clay - Hogfather - Jingo - The Last Continent - Carpe Jugulum - The Fifth Elephant - The Truth - Thief of Time - Night Watch - Monstrous Regiment - Going Postal - ''Thud!

Illustrated Novel: The Last Hero Young Adult Novels: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents - Wee Free Men - A Hat Full of Sky - Wintersmith

Other books: The Discworld Companion - The Science of Discworld - - - The Pratchett Portfolio - The Art of Discworld - The Unseen University Challenge - The Wyrdest Link - The Streets of Ankh-Morpork - The Discworld Mapp - A Tourist Guide to Lancre - Death's Domain - Nanny Ogg's Cookbook - The Discworld Almanak - Where's My Cow?
Games: The Colour of Magic - Discworld - Discworld 2 - Discworld MUD - Discworld Noir - GURPS Discworld - Thud
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