The Shepherd's Crown: Number 41 of the Discworld Novels Series

there seems to be a consensus that the later discworld novels are missing a certain Terry Pratchett spark that the earlier novels had, and i can't disagree with that, but these Tiffany Aching books really stood out to me in the second half of the discworld series. the Aching novels are all basically Witch Books, and this latest one even more so. if you like the witch books, you'll definitely want to read these, but i warn you, bring a tissue box to this one. (^^) personally, i confess i wasn't a huge fan of the original witch books, but i think Tiffany as a character has really softened out all the hard edges that put me off the others. Tiffany is strong without being abrasive, she's kind without being a pushover, and she's grown from a kid who beat the Queen of the Elves on sheer pride and rage into an adult who can lead her whole community in a time of crisis. this sub series even made me a little affection for Granny Weatherwax. (^^) anyhow, this one definitely felt like a goodbye, and i sure did tear up in a couple of places, but it also felt very Tiffany. if you liked the other Witch Books, read these, you'll love them; if you thought the other Witch Books were a little too abrasive, read these, they're good. in short, read these. (^_^) (4 out of 5 stars coz it could have had a bit more humor that wasn't Nac Mac Feegle-based, but i get why it didn't. still good.)

Having previously read and enjoyed almost all the Discworld books, I approached this one with some trepidation. Would it live up to the rest of the series, or would it be a disappointment, and therefore affect my memory of Discworld as a whole.
While not the funniest of the novels, that award goes to the early ones, it still has some great humour. This is mostly generated by the Nac Mac Feegles - always up for a fight, never up for thinking they provide the comedy and the muscle when it is needed. The story centres around Tiffany and the return of the Elves to our world, but things have changed. No only does Granny Weatherwax die early in the story, but the Discworld has progressed and we have trains.
In many ways it is a story about a young woman (don't dare call her a girl) maturing under difficult circumstances. She has already proved her worth (in a previous book), but must now establish herself, and in the most difficult of roles - the 'head' witch.

It is a compelling read, and an up-to-date commentary on our times, it is not in the top half of the series in my opinion, and lacked a really good tense fight scene. The fight was left too late and covered in too little detail, so it was over before the struggle had hardly got under-way. Nevertheless it is a good read.