Picking up Tiffany Aching’s story two years after the events of The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky is a tale of fitting in and identity, wrapped up in all the usual Terry Pratchett ingredients of magic, absurdity, satire and wonderfully memorable characters. Tiffany is older now and, naturally, that means things have become more complicated. She leaves home to become a witch, expecting to learn the tricks of the trade and perhaps prove herself in the process. What she discovers is that being a witch is not quite what she imagined, and that fitting in with other people can be every bit as difficult as learning magic.

One of the things I particularly enjoy about the Tiffany Aching books is that Pratchett never treats his young protagonist as simply a vehicle for a children’s adventure. Tiffany is genuinely growing up, and the problems she encounters are rooted in things that will be familiar to anyone who has ever felt like they do not quite belong. There is a constant tension between wanting to be accepted and wanting to remain yourself, and Pratchett explores that without ever becoming preachy.

Tiffany is clever, practical and stubborn, but she is also still learning. She wants to understand how the world works and where she fits into it, yet she is discovering that knowledge brings responsibilities as well as answers. The book’s exploration of identity is particularly effective because it is wrapped in such an entertaining fantasy story. You can enjoy the adventure on the surface while there is something rather more thoughtful going on underneath.

Of course, it would not be a Tiffany Aching story without the Wee Free Men. The Nac Mac Feegle remain gloriously chaotic, and every appearance is an opportunity for Pratchett to unleash another barrage of wonderfully ridiculous behaviour. They are still violent, thieving, drinking and generally causing problems, but there is also a genuine sense of affection behind the jokes. Their relationship with Tiffany is one of the things that gives these books so much heart.

A Hat Full of Sky also expands the world around Tiffany. The witches she encounters provide a much broader picture of what it means to be a witch on Discworld, and Pratchett manages to make even the most eccentric characters feel like real people. Granny Weatherwax is, naturally, magnificent, and her presence provides another reminder that Pratchett could say an awful lot about people through characters who were simultaneously hilarious and completely believable.

I am really enjoying these new Audible editions of the Discworld books, and A Hat Full of Sky is another excellent example of why. Indira Varma and Steven Cree are wonderfully suited to this material, bringing the characters to life with performances that make the whole thing feel much more like a dramatised story than someone simply reading a book aloud. They understand the rhythm of Pratchett’s humour and give the characters distinctive voices without making them feel like caricatures.

Then there is Bill Nighy as the voice of the footnotes. This remains one of my favourite touches in these editions. Pratchett’s footnotes are such an important part of the Discworld experience, and Nighy’s dry delivery gives them exactly the right sense of detached amusement.

And Death gets the voice of Peter Serafinowicz, which is frankly inspired. Death has always been one of Discworld’s most recognisable characters, and Serafinowicz gives him exactly the sort of presence you would hope for. There is something wonderfully appropriate about hearing that unmistakable voice delivering Pratchett’s observations about life, death and everything in between.

A Hat Full of Sky may not have quite the same novelty factor as The Wee Free Men, but it does something arguably more important. It takes Tiffany and lets her grow. The result is a funny, thoughtful and thoroughly entertaining story about finding your place in the world without losing yourself in the process.

It is another excellent Discworld audiobook, another brilliant Tiffany Aching adventure and another reminder of why Terry Pratchett was so good at making profound observations about life while making you laugh at the same time.

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