Wyrd Sisters (1988)
Wyrd Sisters is a 1988 fiction, fantasy, general book written by Terry Pratchett.
A king is murdered on a storm-lashed night, a crown changes hands, and an infant heir vanishes into the care of traveling players. Watching from the hills are Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and young Magrat Garlick, three witches who would much rather not meddle in the affairs of dukes. Meddle they do. Pratchett borrows the bones of Macbeth and Hamlet, then fills them with theatre, prophecy, and the flat common sense of country witches who have no patience for tyrants. His sixth Discworld novel is where the coven truly takes the stage.
Quick answers
What is Wyrd Sisters about?
A king is murdered on a storm-lashed night, a crown changes hands, and an infant heir vanishes into the care of traveling players. Watching from the hills are Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and young Magrat Garlick, three witches who would much rather not meddle in the affairs of dukes. Meddle they do. Pratchett borrows the bones of Macbeth and Hamlet, then fills them with theatre, prophecy, and the flat common sense of country witches who have no patience for tyrants. His sixth Discworld novel is where the coven truly takes the stage.
When was Wyrd Sisters published?
Wyrd Sisters was published in 1988.
Who made Wyrd Sisters?
Wyrd Sisters was written by Terry Pratchett.
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Wyrd Sisters in our writing
- Companion guide: Discworld: The Complete Guide to Terry Pratchett's Flat Planet
A few thoughts on Wyrd Sisters
Shakespeare readers will spot the Macbeth and Hamlet scaffolding, so the 2015 Macbeth with Michael Fassbender makes a fitting dark companion. The Lion King retells the same usurped-throne story for younger viewers, while Shakespeare in Love shares the backstage bustle and love of the theatre that runs all through Terry Pratchett's version.
Shakespeare-flavored stories about a stolen crown and a hidden heir
Wyrd Sisters takes the bones of Macbeth and Hamlet, a murdered king, a stolen crown, three witches watching from the wings, and dresses them in theatre and country common sense. Macbeth and Shakespeare in Love sit at that same source, one played straight, one about the man writing it. The Lion King and The Return of the King retell the same hidden-heir, stolen-throne shape on a bigger stage.