Play Audiobook Sample
The Wee Free Men Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.00) - 32,533 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults * ALA Notable Children's Book * Horn Book Fanfare Book * Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice * SLJ Best Book of the Year
By the beloved and bestselling grandmaster of fantasy, Sir Terry Pratchett, this is the first in a series of Discworld novels starring the young witch Tiffany Aching.
A nightmarish danger threatens from the other side of reality. . . .
Armed with only a frying pan and her common sense, young witch-to-be Tiffany Aching must defend her home against the monsters of Fairyland. Luckily she has some very unusual help: the local Nac Mac Feegle—aka the Wee Free Men—a clan of fierce, sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men.
Together they must face headless horsemen, ferocious grimhounds, terrifying dreams come true, and ultimately the sinister Queen of the Elves herself. . . .
The five funny and fabulous Tiffany Aching adventures are:
- The Wee Free Men
- A Hat Full of Sky
- Wintersmith
- I Shall Wear Midnight
- The Shepherd’s Crown
Tiffany’s mentors, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, star in the novels Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, and Carpe Jugulum.
And don’t miss Terry Pratchett’s hilarious and wise Discworld novel The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, winner of the Carnegie Medal!
Download and start listening now!
"Tiffany Aching has grown up on the chalk surrounded by sheep. She's never quite trusted the fairy stories that show the princesses as blond and blue eyed and the witches as all being evil and likely to entice you into a candy covered cottage. First off, being a brunette, she's not exactly princess material, secondly, ever since the day a harmless little old lady was killed because she was suspected of being a witch, Tiffany decided she'd grow up to be a witch and prove those fairy tales wrong. Because if her grandmother was still alive she would have protected the little old lady, because them that can has to stand up to them that can't. The thing is, nobody told Tiffany that witches aren't bred on the chalk, it's not proper steading. But it seems that, despite what other witches think, the chalk views Tiffany as a witch. After an encounter with a rather nasty water sprite, wherein Tiffany uses her brother Wentworth as bait, she has gotten the attention of the local critters, in particular the Nac Mac Feegle, a fierce little blue warrior clan with bemusing accents, little being the operative word as they're only six inches high. When Tiffany's little brother disappears, just as the baron's son did a few years earlier, all signs point to mystical mischief. With the help of the Nac Mac Feegle she learns from their ruler, the Kelda, that the Queen of the Fairies has taken Wentworth, as she took the baron's son before. The Queen lives in a land of cold and nightmares, a land where the Feegles are no longer welcome, they caused a bit too much mischief. And the Queen sense a weakness in the chalk and decides perhaps it's time to strike. The Kelda on her deathbed appoints Tiffany the clan's new Kelda so she will have unswerving loyalty in the fight to rescue her brother and save this world from that of fairy. Armed with a frying pan and a posse of little blue men they set forward into the land of snow. Where nightmares become manifest, where paintings are reality and the label on a pouch of tobacco can be entered into and hounds have razors for teeth. It's up to this little girl who wants to be a witch to save the world.The first book in the Tiffany Aching series is the beginning of one of my favorite arcs in the Discworld oeuvre of Terry Pratchett. Tiffany is a girl as hard as flint and with a mind made to solve problems. Plus, she's a fellow book nerd, she read the dictionary straight through because no one ever told her not to. While the basic plot is akin to any coming of age story where a girl learns her responsibility to her family but also her own strength, thus drawing comparisons to Labyrinth, especially as there is a scene very reminiscent of the ballroom scene in that film, it is so much more. And in the more I'm speciafically referring to the Nac Mac Feegle. I don't think I love anyone in fiction as much as I love these pictsies with there lawless ways, their fear of lawyers and their stubborn loyalty. You want to read their lines aloud to revel in their dialect of half Scottish half absurd, where ships are the wooly things that eat grass and go baa, not to be mistaken for the other. If the book could be said to have a failing it would be that of the impossibility of properly building a nonsensical world. There has only been one person, in my mind, who has ever built a 100% believable world of absurdity, and that would be Lewis Carroll. Terry Pratchett does far far better than most, but a dream world of no logic based on memories, dreams and nightmares is a hodge-podge world wherein the plot gets chunky and doesn't flow. It makes it sectional and not cohesive. But in the end, it's a great start for one of my favorite witches. It's almost like reading about a young Esme Weatherwax, with all her future still to come."
— Elizabeth (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“As always, Pratchett weaves eminently quotable morsels into his artfully constructed prose. Some of the characteristically punny humor may pass over the heads of younger readers, but plenty of other delights will keep them hooked.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Both the humor and the danger will appeal to fans of Discworld; they will also draw readers who like J. K. Rowling’s Harry, Hermione, and Ron.”
— Booklist -
“Briggs reads the prose with rhythmic glee and suspenseful understanding. He has a great time handling the hearty brogues of the many and mighty Wee Free Men. This tale is especially recommended for all girls who wonder why boy characters like Harry Potter seem to get all the magical action.”
— AudioFile -
“This ingenious mélange of fantasy, action, humor, and sly bits of social commentary contains complex underlying themes of the nature of love, reality, and dreams…fans will not be disappointed.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
-
Winner of the 2004Locus Award for Young Adult Fiction
-
An ALA Notable Book for Children in 2004
-
Nominated for the 2004Mythopoeic Award
The Wee Free Men Listener Reviews
-
" I cannot gush enough over the author's deep imagination and ways with words; it's all been said before about Terry Pratchett. This story is a feminist heroine's journey, with hints of social justice, a subversive sense of humour, and a keen intelligence. Yet, it's all accessible to listeners from 8 to 108 years-old. The tribulations follow classical storytelling lines. The multiple side trips shimmer (and tickle) like a feathered kaleidoscope. The descriptions are cinematic. The characters are profoundly endearing. But, I only listened to it 4 or 7 times so far, so who am I to judge? "
— Jejotte, 5/17/2024 -
—
flynn bitter, 4/23/2024
-
—
Bruce Jondle, 9/19/2023
-
—
Michael Patrick, 2/26/2023
-
—
C.-F. Vintar, 8/10/2022
-
—
Marta Czarnocka-Cieciura, 11/5/2017
-
" This book was perfectly fine, but I like Death and Ramtop witches novels better. "
— Jenny, 2/4/2014 -
" This book cracked me up and left me wanting to read everything Terry Pratchett has written! "
— Monica, 1/24/2014 -
" This book really appealed to me, as I was getting quite tired of all the heroines in books that were helpless and lovesick. The heroine was my favorite. Far different from others. "
— Tara, 1/19/2014 -
" A Tiffany Aching Adventure, book one. This series takes place on Discworld and includes at least two of the same characters, yet it is considered a separate series from those books. The Tiffany Aching series is supposed to be for young adults, but I don't find much difference between these and the Discworldbooks--maybe fewer puns, but Pratchett's writing style is pretty much the same. Oops, I read book one after reading two and three. But it's just as well; I felt the adventure that made up the meat of this book went on for too long and I never really got into it. If I had read this book first I may not have bothered to continue with the series. I guess I have a low tolerance for some aspect of that particular escapade. "
— g-na, 1/4/2014 -
" I thought it was a great book with just enough magic, evil , and normal things! "
— Danielle, 1/3/2014 -
" Sweet story about a lonely girl who discovers she's a witch. The best of the story are the Wee Free Men with their blue tattoos and their red hairs! "
— ✿, 12/18/2013 -
" Read during summer holidays 2012.I think I found my new best heroine.Tiffany Aching rocks.Ha ha!!This book is real magic, great humor along with subtle philosophical views.The wee men were hilarious.I will her next story for sure. "
— Lena, 12/8/2013 -
" Great adventure and at the same time, vastly amusing. "
— Sarah, 12/1/2013 -
" clever and very funny. "
— Tgav, 12/1/2013 -
" Although it's a children's book, it's some of Pratchett's best (as in most enjoyable) work. The Nac Mac Feegles are straight out hilarious. Like a bunch of moronic dwarven berserkers gone Braveheart. ^^ "
— Kimmo, 9/17/2013 -
" I loved this book, though I was skeptical to begin with. It's witty and playful, and a different brand of magic than we've become accustomed to with Harry Potter. "
— Ashley, 7/29/2013 -
" I loved listening to this book on audible. It was very creative, humorous, and entertaining. "
— Cathie, 3/9/2013 -
" Couldn't put this one down! I stayed up much to late to finish this wonderful fantasy. It is another empowering book for younger readers and a fun diversion for adult readers. "
— Deborah, 3/1/2013 -
" This book was fun to read. The humor is so, well, silly. "
— Becca, 6/28/2012 -
" This was okay. Not my typical read but was kind of a nice break from some of the longer books for a couple of my book clubs that I have been reading lately. "
— Theresa, 6/13/2012 -
" A re-re-re-re-reading. I love the Tiffany Aching books (I went on to read the rest, one after the other). The Feegles are brilliant characters, and Tiffany is the kind of child I think I always wanted to be. "
— Camilla, 6/11/2012 -
" The Wee Free Men is one of my favorite books. I absolutely love it! If you have a big imagination, love humor, enjoy adventure, than this is a great book for you. "
— ♥Rose♥, 3/25/2012 -
" This was quite delightful! I enjoy Pratchett's sense of humor and there were several literal laugh-out-loud moments. "
— Christina, 2/22/2012 -
" I was amused by the idea of tiny, fierce Scottish pixies. Er, pictsies. "
— Rika, 2/12/2012 -
" Highly original, made me think. I really liked Tiffany and her resourcefulness. "
— Krysta, 10/28/2011 -
" It was good. Not as good as a hat full of sky however "
— Keryne, 10/2/2011 -
" What a lot of fun! Great characterizations; strong girl protagonist. I'm going to have to find the next book with the Nac Mac Feegle. "
— Geoff, 8/28/2011 -
" This book is why I think Terry Pratchett should be manditory reading for all people over the age 13. If you have never read a single fantasy novel, you can still enjoy this. Plus, it has Scottish Smurfs. "
— Bob, 8/18/2011 -
" Pratchett's world is exciting and often hilarious. He has a few screws loose, but the joyful exuberance of the Wee Free Men overcomes them. The Feegles steal everything, including the show, and I'd much rather hear more from them than even Tiffany herself. Crivens! "
— CJ, 8/6/2011 -
—
Nick McMillan, 5/21/2011
-
" It was cute, but couldn't get into it. "
— Kristen, 5/20/2011 -
" This is perhaps the best YA book I've ever read. The main character is admirable, likeable, and awesome. All the minor characters have unique personalities. Great read! "
— DL, 5/19/2011 -
" One of my favorite Discworld books. I love Tiffany Aching, and the Wee Free Men are delightfully hysterical. Smart, funny, and charming. "
— Morgan, 5/17/2011 -
" Funny and light. Lots of fun. "
— Speedtrap63, 5/12/2011 -
" Crivens! This was a fun book! "
— Scooby, 5/4/2011 -
" I really like how Pratchett uses language. Clever and fun. "
— Jennifer, 5/2/2011 -
" Just read it. Funny as always, with Terrys unusual way of looking at things. Once you have read this one, read A hat full of sky, then Wintersmith, which follow this book in that order. Both are 5 stars. My face chara is def Rob Anybody, who makes you laugh so hard! <br/><br/>CRIVENS!<br/> "
— Emily, 4/29/2011 -
" What a funny, entertaining book. I am so glad I read this book. "
— Jilane, 4/28/2011
About Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English novelist known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series. His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971, and after publishing his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983, he wrote two books a year on average. He was the United Kingdom’s bestselling author of the 1990s and has sold more than 55 million books worldwide. In 2001 he won the Carnegie Medal for his children’s novel The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature in 1998 and was knighted in 2009.
About Stephen Briggs
Stephen Briggs, who also works in film, has adapted and staged fifteen Discworld plays, collaborated with Terry Pratchett on a number of related works, and performed the audio recordings of Pratchett’s books. Briggs has won five AudioFile Earphones Awards. He lives in England.