Carpe Jugulum

First published on 4 November 1998 by Victor Gollancz. It is the twenty-third Discworld novel and the sixth (and final) Witches book.

'Carpe Jugulum' is a mock-Latin phrase meaning 'seize the throat' — a vampiric twist on 'carpe diem' (seize the day). It captures the novel's central joke: vampires who have modernized themselves into efficiency.

It is the last book to feature the complete coven of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Agnes Nitt together. Granny Weatherwax appears again in The Wee Free Men (as background) and has a central role in The Shepherd's Crown (2015).

The Count Magpyr has systematically trained his family to overcome every traditional vampire weakness — they have been desensitized to garlic, holy symbols, and sunlight through deliberate exposure. This makes them much more dangerous than conventionally monstrous vampires.

While this novel is part of a recurring sub-series featuring the Lancre witches, it is written to be accessible as a standalone story. Readers unfamiliar with the previous books may miss some character history, but the plot remains self-contained and fully understandable.

This is the twenty-third entry in the overall series and the sixth focused on the witches of Lancre. It serves as a thematic exploration of belief and modern versus traditional archetypes within the established world.