Discover the gloriously inventive and funny fantasy novel from bestselling author Terry Pratchett, the first book in the Witches series, part of the Discworld novels.

''If you''ve never read a Discworld novel, what''s the matter with you?'' Guardian

‘Terry Pratchett once again creates a fantasy masterpiece’ 5-star reader review

''They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.''

Everybody knows there''s no such thing as a female wizard.

So, when the wizard Drum Billet accidentally passes on his staff of power to an eighth daughter of an eighth son, a girl called Eskarina (Esk, for short), the misogynistic world of wizardry wants nothing to do with her.

Thankfully Granny Weatherwax, the Discworld''s most famous witch, has plenty of experience ignoring the status quo. With Granny''s help, Esk sneaks her way into the magical Unseen University and befriends apprentice wizard Simon.

But power is unpredictable, and these bright young students soon find themselves in a whole new dimension of trouble. Let the battle of the sexes begin . . .

Equal Rites is the first book in the Witches series, but you can read the Discworld novels in any order.

Praise for the Discworld series:

''[Pratchett’s] spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction'' Mail on Sunday

‘Pratchett is a master storyteller’ Guardian

''One of our greatest fantasists, and beyond a doubt the funniest'' George R.R. Martin

''One of those rare writers who appeals to everyone’ Daily Express

‘One of the most consistently funny writers around’ Ben Aaronovitch

‘Masterful and brilliant’ Fantasy & Science Fiction

‘Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own… he is a satirist of enormous talent ... incredibly funny ... compulsively readable'' The Times

‘The best humorous English author since P.G. Wodehouse'' The Sunday Telegraph

‘Nothing short of magical’ Chicago Tribune

''Consistently funny, consistently clever and consistently surprising in its twists and turns'' SFX

‘[Discworld is] compulsively readable, fantastically inventive, surprisingly serious exploration in story form of just about any aspect of our world…There''s never been anything quite like it’ Evening Standard