Witches Abroad

Three witches on broomsticks set out across the Discworld toward the city of Genua, armed with a magic wand they barely understand and a mission to stop a fairy tale from coming true. When a dying fairy godmother bequeaths her wand to the well-meaning but inexperienced Magrat Garlick, it falls to Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg to accompany her on the journey. What awaits them in Genua is a story being forced toward its "proper" ending by someone with the power and will to make it stick, no matter the cost to the people living inside it. Pratchett uses the mechanics of fairy tale to interrogate stories themselves, and the result is one of his sharpest and most inventive Discworld entries.

The full-cast production brings remarkable texture to the material. Indira Varma, Peter Serafinowicz, and Bill Nighy each bring distinct energy that suits Pratchett's layered comic rhythms, and the interplay between performers mirrors the witches' own bickering dynamic. The audio format suits this particular novel especially well, given how much of its humor lives in timing and the gap between what characters say and what they mean.