"The Shepherd's Crown" by Terry Pratchett

Plot summary: Granny Weatherwax |is dead|. The elves notice this and plan to invade again; unfortunately for them, the Discworld has had its industrial revolution now. Meanwhile, seventeen-ish-year-old Tiffany Aching (who's starting to suffer from burnout) finds a weird kid named Geoffery Swivel who wants to be a witch, and takes him on as an apprentice. The elf queen gets deposed, depowered, and yeeted into the human world, where Tiffany and Geoffery find her. Geoffery invents the man cave and finds a bunch of old dudes to stop one prong of the elven invasion (the one in Lancre), and Tiffany gathers the witches to get rid of the other (the one in the Chalk).

(Okay, Geoffery doesn't actually invent the man cave. What he invents are men's sheds, which aren't a thing in the US, so I didn't know about them. Thanks to Wikipedia for correcting me.)

This book would have been better if Terry Pratchett had actually managed to do the revisions before he died, but it's still full of bits of concentrated awesome. [SPOILERS AHEAD IN THIS PARAGRAPH] Especially right at the beginning, where the elves capture a goblin named Of the Lathe the Swarf and he informs them about their new mortal nemeses: the steam trains. And also threatens them with the wrath of Lord Vetinari, who they apparently know as the Dark One and fear greatly, if they harm him. And throws swarf at one of the elves.

(Now I want to write a fanfic where the witches didn't fend off the elven invasion in this one and the rest of the Discworld cast has to deal with it. Notable events would include Susan Sto Helit pulling a Grim Reaper on any elf she can find, the wizards getting off their chairs for once and pelting any elf that comes near Ankh-Morpork with magic, Watch Commander Sam Vimes arresting a bunch of elves for being jerks, Rincewind instantly noping out of there, and Iron Girder going full goddess mode on whoever's in charge of the elves at that point. Oh, and Mr. Nutt would probably cameo, and Lord Vetinari would find the elves' extremely haughty emissary and be sardonic at them.)

Were this a videogame, I'd rate it: T15+ for nudity (thanks, Elf King), crude humor, and swearing. As with most of the Tiffany Aching books, it could make a decent videogame.

4 stars.

Favorite lines:

    "My father is not a stick-in-the-mud; he is the mud!" Geoffrey said bitterly.

    Page 16.

    "...And if they come in force, show them what the Feegles can dae!"

    Daft Wullie said, "I can play the harmonica."

    Rob Anybody sighed. "Aye, weel, I suppose that puts the willies up me, so wud likely keep them awa'."

    Page 159. Daft Wullie is the one who is, as his name implies, entirely daft.

(Endnote: If I didn't have about fifty other things I'm also writing right now, I probably would actually go through with writing that fanfic.)