A dying wizard passes his staff to an eighth son of an eighth son - except the baby is a girl. Eskarina Smith has wizard-level magical abilities in a world where women are witches and men are wizards, and the two traditions do not mix. Granny Weatherwax takes Esk under her wing and marches to Unseen University to demand she be admitted. The first Discworld novel to move beyond parody into something with real emotional weight, and the introduction of Granny Weatherwax - who will become one of Pratchett's greatest creations.