Equal Rites

Right before the wise old wizard Drum Billet died, he passed on his magical staff of power to the newborn eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately, Drum Billet never bothered to check the gender of the newborn baby, and it turns out it was a girl. Now his chauvinistic colleagues are forced to deal with a young girl who has all the qualifications to join their all-male profession.

Terry Pratchett's third Discworld novel, Equal Rites, asks many provocative questions about magic, where it goes, where it comes from, and why.