Latest news with #TerryPratchett
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Essential Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett spent more than half of his six decades on Earth writing Discworld, a sprawling fantasy series where, among many other threads, Death begins as a villain, drifts into heroism and ends as something very near to a friend. This is not because Pratchett was insensitive to the tragedy of death. He coined the term 'Embuggerance' to describe his own diagnosis of posterior cortical atrophy (a rare form of Alzheimer's), and lobbied for death with dignity as a way of wresting control from the macabre final phases of terminal illness. But Pratchett's great strength as a writer — and as a human being — was empathy. More than his humor, although he's hands down one of the funniest authors to ever do it, empathy is the beating heart of his work: Even when depicting the grim and inescapable terminus of all life, he couldn't resist making Death feel human. To fans of his books, the striking thing about Pratchett's biography is how familiar so much of it sounds. The only child of an engineer and a secretary, he grew up in a rural English village digging holes for the privy (Granny Weatherwax!) and walking above ancient fossils in the chalk (Tiffany Aching!). He met and married a girl a few rungs up the social ladder (Vimes and Lady Sybil!) when he was just 20, and thereafter became 'the most married person you were ever likely to meet,' according to his biographer and longtime assistant, Rob Wilkins. He went to sci-fi conventions in the 1960s, dabbled in early computers and accumulated a gaggle of the kind of mismatched jobs many writers inhabit before they get down to novelisting full time: newspaperman, interviewer, press agent for a nuclear power station. A series of utterly ordinary events — except that they happened to a mind we know dreamed up extraordinary things. A few precociously early short-story sales eventually gave way to larger works, including the first Discworld books, and some enthusiastic press. Then, around the time the fourth Discworld novel, 'Mort,' was released in 1987 — after years of writing, multiple publishers and a bit of old-fashioned, right-time-right-place luck with a BBC radio serialization of the first two books — something clicked. Discworld took off, and pretty much never stopped: The series eventually ran to 41 full-length novels, plus an assortment of companion volumes, graphic novels, film and television adaptations, and the children's book 'Where's My Cow?' And while Pratchett occasionally tried on other worlds and genres — plays, alternate history, dialogue for a fan-made 'Elder Scrolls: Oblivion' mod — it's this fantasy realm that remains his most enduring masterpiece. Discworld is a flat planet that sits on top of four elephants on top of a tortoise. There are gods and tentacular temples; a teeming, grimy city called Ankh-Morpork; and arcane rules governing magic. At first, the series is a slapstick adventure story about a cowardly wizard, in which Pratchett takes well-aimed shots at J.R.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft and Anne McCaffrey (to name just a few). But around Book 3 he starts opening things up. This is where the fan-made flow charts come in, explaining which books to read for the witches arc, which ones are the Sam Vimes novels, which ones follow Death and his granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit. Book by book, Discworld expands and deepens, pulling in elements from our world that Pratchett tempers in surprising ways: Shakespeare, vampires, police procedurals, musicals, Australia, high finance. Then come even bigger ideas: war, revolution, justice. By the time we reach Book 29, 'Night Watch,' Pratchett is writing comic fantasy the way Martin Luther offered theological critique to the Catholic Church: sharp and tough as nails, with a hammering moral force. Not all the jokes have aged well, and the final books are a bit haunting — more sketches than full-color paintings, as the progression of Pratchett's disease took its cruel toll. But the overwhelming sense, even in the posthumously published 'The Shepherd's Crown,' is of a man rushing to tell us something vital — about ourselves, about one another. Discworld is not about how to be good, but about how to do good, and why even the smallest acts of kindness matter. Empathy — like humor or creativity or hope — is a muscle. You don't train for a marathon by running around the world: You start with small distances and work your way up. It's cringe, as the kids say, to talk seriously about funny books. It makes me the wettest of blankets to say we're starving right now for virtue, for everyday goodness, for people who care about one another. But 10 years after Pratchett's passing — announced in the all-caps voice of Death himself — his clarity of vision may be what our world needs most: Vimes observing, 'As soon as you saw people as things to be measured, they didn't measure up.' Granny Weatherwax reminding us, 'Sin, young man, is when you treat people as things.' And Death, of course, having the last word: 'THERE IS NO HOPE BUT US. THERE IS NO MERCY BUT US. THERE IS NO JUSTICE. THERE IS JUST US.' Where do I start? If you find the flow charts daunting — and who could blame you? — 'Monstrous Regiment' (2003) is your best bet for a stand-alone, as it happens far away from Ankh-Morpork or the witchy Ramtop Mountains. We meet young Polly Perks, from a small country forever at war with its neighbors, as she cuts her hair, dons trousers and joins the army in hopes of finding her missing brother. The troops are untrained, the fields are barren, and the government insists it's treasonous to even ask which side is winning the war. The only authority is Sgt. Jack Jackrum, a jovial nightmare in a coat 'the red of dying stars and dying soldiers' — as if Falstaff were reborn as a god of war. Polly soon discovers she's not the only soldier in disguise. Everyone has their reasons for fighting, and they're being tracked by more enemies than they know. It's trench humor at its blackest, and burns like a wound being cauterized. Take me directly to his greatest hit 'Night Watch' (2002) is not only a great Discworld novel: It is one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time. Sam Vimes, a former drunken street cop who has become a sober and reluctant duke, is the commander of the City Watch — until he gets caught in a lightning storm and finds himself magically transported 30 years back in time. He quickly assumes the identity of a police sergeant in charge of training and mentoring his 16-year-old self, on the eve of a famous late-May rebellion that Vimes knows the sergeant does not survive. (Astute readers will have noted the glorious, and specific, publication date of this article: not accidental.) This salty, poignant and brilliantly strange novel is 'Terminator 2' meets 'Les Misérables.' It also retcons a lot of familiar Discworld characters — Lord Vetinari, Sergeant Colon, Nobby Nobbs, the zombie Reg Shoe — so before you pick it up, you should read 'Guards! Guards!' (1989) to learn your way around the city and its inhabitants. Vimes's arc from a hopeless drunk to an honorable civic leader is one of Pratchett's greatest literary triumphs, turning his gift for reinvention onto one of his own comic creations and effecting something remarkably tender in the process. I like sexy, sinister elves and women saving the day The author's note for 'Lords and Ladies' (1992), Pratchett's riff on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' warns that this is the first Discworld book to build episodically on what came before … and then immediately gives you all the important context you need, in brief, with no homework necessary. A coven of witches return to their small mountain kingdom, Lancre, to discover that some glamorous elves with a taste for magical manipulation have invaded. But the trio — the dreamy Magrat Garlick, the meddling Nanny Ogg and the formidable Granny Weatherwax (maiden, mother and … the other one) — are not going down without a fight. Magrat is also shocked to learn that, in her absence, Lancre's king has been busy planning their wedding. Pratchett never wrote what I would call a romance, but this is one of his best romance-adjacent works (2001's 'Thief of Time' is another). Enough fantasy. Got any science fiction? Although I am fond of some of Pratchett's early science fiction, such as 'Only You Can Save Mankind' (1992), his best sci-fi is a Discworld book, where the science is garbed in fantasy cosplay. 'Going Postal' (2004) is the story of a con artist, Moist von Lipwig, who is reluctantly redeemed as he takes charge of the failing Ankh-Morpork postal service. The book is unusual for Pratchett in that most of the plot revolves not around magic, or even around magically inflected technology (as in 1990's 'Moving Pictures' or 2000's 'The Truth'), but around ordinary mechanical innovation. Moist and the mail must compete with the clacks network — a code-based semaphore communication system — and the clash upends social patterns and leads to political upheaval in ways fans of hard sci-fi will find gratifying. There are also plenty of references and fun Easter eggs for old-school coding nerds. I'm more of a horror reader 'Carpe Jugulum' (1998) nails the true creep factor of the vampire genre. It's not the blood-drinking: It's the way they mess with your mind. Another Lancre witches book, and one of the best, this story begins with King Verence (now married to Magrat) accidentally inviting a family of modern-sounding vampires to his daughter's christening. Once there, the hypnotically powered creatures are quick to insist they should be running things. Our witches have to fight them off while figuring out their own changing roles: The newcomer Agnes Nitt assumes the position of the maiden, Queen Magrat is now the mother, and Nanny Ogg is being pushed unwillingly into Granny Weatherwax's spot as Granny herself begins to physically fade. Luckily, witches are most dangerous when cornered, and Granny has at least one more trick up her sleeve. Got any deep cuts? 'A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction' (2012) is full of bite-size gems from Pratchett's prodigious, sometimes meandering career. Longtime readers will find plenty to enjoy here, including glimmerings of future stories and several unlikely surprises (one story includes a particularly delightful illustration of a 'large, fat, ugly brown bird with big eyebrows'). The illuminating and conversational introductions to each piece — where Pratchett adds context, memories and, sometimes, self-deprecating disclaimers ('I was playing with the words to see what happens. It's a thing that authors do sometimes.') — make it feel as though the writer is right there with you, reading over your shoulder. Time was I would have included 'Good Omens' (1990) on this list: It's an excellent first approach to Pratchett's work and a personal favorite. But considering the sexual assault allegations against Pratchett's co-author, Neil Gaiman, I'm not interested in sending new fans down that road. (Gaiman has denied the allegations.) Instead, I'd recommend one of the many angel-and-demon stories haloed by its influence, such as 'When the Angels Left the Old Country,' by Sacha Lamb; 'The City in Glass,' by Nghi Vo; or the whimsical 'Small Miracles,' by Olivia Atwater.
Sharjah 24
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sharjah 24
Children join author CG Salamander on mythical quest at SCRF
'My biggest advice to upcoming authors is to have fun with whatever you like; make sure you write about what you love and not what the market expects,' said the Netherlands-based author, editor and journalist, whose bestsellers include the comic series Maithili and the Minotaur. He gave children from various UAE schools an overview of mythical creatures from various countries before challenging them to come up with a story based on a mythical character. To their credit, the children in the 10-14 age group seemed well-versed with mythical characters like minotaur from Greek mythology or an Indian version of Boogeyman. He then sent them on a mythical quest where they had to create 'a hero, their quest and purpose, and their interaction with the monster' and present it as a story. The engineer-turned-author from the Indian city of Chennai -- whose real name is Andrew Prashanth – confessed he liked the freedom of being able to write and he had taken up writing for a living in 2012 at the age of 21. His first published comic was a 'matchbox' one that had just five lines. 'My first book, Frank Goes to the Market, gave a magical and lovely feeling. It is about a child who gets lost in a crowded market and has to find his way back to his mother. It was inspired by my visit to an old colonial market in Chennai while moonlighting as a tour guide,' he replied to a student's query. One from the Maithili series was also based on an incident from his childhood, when he and his cousins got lost in a forest for 10 hours, he revealed. The young author and commissioning editor told them he was influenced by Manga comics and the Indian epic Mahabharata while his favourite books as a kid included the Tintin and Asterix comics as well as Terry Pratchett novels. He credited his co-creator and illustrator Rajiv Eipe for the success and continuity of his characters and plot. 'A good story is something you take a lot of time with. The biggest takeaway is to spend a lot of time editing your story and breaking it down,' he pointed out, and mentioned the intense research that went into writing his book on 100 Indian mythical creatures From Makaras to Manticores. According to him, 'a story can be made interesting by using subversion -- when you know something is certain, you make the opposite happen.' Salamander stated that 95% of his books don't have a structure beforehand. 'I never have an outline when I write a story. It's a lot more fun for the writer and the reader when you don't have one,' he observed. Taking place until May 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, the 16th edition of SCRF promises an immersive experience under the theme 'Dive into Books'. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), this year's agenda features 133 guests from 70 countries, and 122 Arab and international publishing houses from 22 nations.
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Weston Museum showcases Terry Pratchett's Discworld art
A museum is displaying a number of illustrations that featured in author Sir Terry Pratchett's famous Discworld exhibition opens at Weston Museum on May 24 and features illustrations by artist and character designer Paul Kidby - who worked with Pratchett for 30 Terry Pratchett passed away in 2015 and lived in Somerset and the wider South West for much of his life."We are very excited for the exhibition, especially after reading the comments and seeing the engagement on social media" said Victoria Haddock, Exhibitions and Programmes Assistant at South West Heritage. "This family-friendly exhibition offers a stunning selection of Paul's work, providing visitors a rare opportunity to see how the inhabitants of Discworld are brought to life, from early sketches to the final masterpieces," she award-winning Discworld series is set on a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants stood on the back of a giant turtle and populated with hundreds of wonderful wizards, witches and magical exhibition will feature original sketches, prints, paintings and sculptures that fully showcase Kidby's creative process. There are 41 Discworld novels in total - with the first being coming in 1983 and the last being published posthumously - five months after Sir Terry Pratchett's death in wrote 70 books in total in a 44 year career, he died of natural causes aged 66, having been diagnosed with Kidby has also illustrated for books written by Terry's daughter, Rhianna, although these are not part of the Discworld 2017 Mr Kidby created a bronze memorial bust of Sir Terry. The exhibition is a touring exhibition from St Barbe Museum and Art exhibition will run until August 30th.
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Where to start with: Terry Pratchett
With more than 75m copies of his books sold around the world, Terry Pratchett is one of the most loved British writers, best known for his comic fantasy novels set on a fictional planet, Discworld. Ten years on from the author's death, and justbefore what would have been his 77th birthday, Pratchett's biographer Marc Burrows has put together a guide to his hero's work. Among Pratchett fans, this is the most controversial question you can ask, and often the one that puts people off. He wrote so many books: 59 novels, with 41 set on Discworld, plus art books, diaries, science collaborations and short stories. Some purists insist you must start with the 1983 novel The Colour of Magic, the first Discworld title. Pratchett himself disagreed, and I'm with him. It's a good book, not a great one – not all the jokes land, and it leans heavily on fantasy tropes. He got much better, very quickly. The real secret is that most of Pratchett's books work as entry points. He always wrote with new readers in mind, offering a gentle handhold into his world. But a good choice would be Feet of Clay – a proper police procedural with a great mystery and thoughtful reflections on prejudice, class and the very nature of personhood. And it's funny, but that's a given when it comes to Pratchett. Witches Abroad, a 1991 Discworld novel about three witches on an epic quest to make sure a poor servant girl doesn't marry a prince. On the way there are parodies of The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Dracula and Hans Christian Andersen stories. Pratchett writes older women beautifully: Nanny Ogg might be one of the finest comic sidekicks in literature. This book skewers fairytales with glee, but also introduces one of Pratchett's key ideas: People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around. It's a joy from start to finish. Pratchett's 2002 book Night Watch was recently republished as a Penguin Modern Classic, and rightly so. It's his angriest and most profound novel – a kind of mashup of Les Misérables and The Terminator via the Peterloo massacre and the battle of Cable Street. It's about justice, trauma, and how doing the right thing is exhausting, relentless work. It's also a page-turner, a moral treatise, a time-travel crime caper … and includes a scene where a police officer shoves ginger up an ox's bum. It's perfect. In the author's 1998 novel, Carpe Jugulum, a family of vampires invade the tiny mountain kingdom of Lancre, allowing Pratchett to have endless fun with the tropes of gothic fiction. There's a much darker core to this one, though. It's a story about who we are and about right and wrong. It's worth reading for this line alone: Sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That's what sin is. A slightly obscure pick, but I loved the 1999 spin-off Nanny Ogg's Cookbook. The recipes themselves are largely irrelevant. The real gold is Nanny's etiquette advice; this is some of the best comic character writing Pratchett ever did. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion The Johnny Maxwell trilogy: Only You Can Save Mankind; Johnny and the Dead; and Johnny and the Bomb. These follow the adventures of a chronically worried teenage boy, sheltering from his parents' divorce and the sheer awfulness of the adult world (the first book in the series is set during the Gulf war). He enters video games in his dreams, converses with the spirits of the dead and travels back in time to the second world war. Often overshadowed by Discworld, these young adult books are smart, warm, and full of big ideas handled lightly. The Shepherd's Crown, Terry's final novel, published just months after his death in 2015. It's his farewell to Discworld and its characters. There's a death scene I still struggle to read. It's graceful, brave and completely unshowy. Pratchett always wanted to write hard sci-fi, and The Long Earth series was an idea he'd had since the early 80s. The success of Discworld meant it was delayed and eventually written in collaboration with Stephen Baxter. The premise – what if we could step between endless empty Earths? – is solid. The first book has moments of magic, but the series runs out of steam quickly, and the characters never quite land. The 2008 novel Nation. This was the book of which Pratchett was proudest. A young adult novel full of rage and doubt, handled with an astonishing lightness of touch. Earlier novels such as Small Gods saw him blowing raspberries at organised religion. Here, he shakes his fist at the gods themselves. Marc Burrows is performing his show The Magic of Terry Pratchett at London's Duchess theatre on Pratchett's birthday, 28 April, followed by a UK tour.
The National
13-03-2025
- Health
- The National
Signs of Terry Pratchett's dementia hidden in his novels
Scientists reading between the lines of Terry Pratchett's novels believe they have spotted early signs of the author's dementia years before he was diagnosed. A study of 33 of Pratchett's Discworld books found he used simpler language in his later works, which can be a sign of dementia. The British fantasy writer, who died 10 years ago this week, revealed in 2007 that he had a rare form of Alzheimer's disease. The latest research suggests signs of linguistic decline were evident as early as 1998's The Last Continent. As time went on, Pratchett used less varied nouns, verbs and adjectives in his work, researchers told the New Scientist, despite an increase in the overall word count of his books. "This demonstrates a long preclinical period of dementia and the subtle impairments that aren't necessarily picked up by traditional cognitive tests," Loughborough University researcher Thom Wilcockson told the magazine. Pratchett had a form of the disease called posterior cortical atrophy, which damages the rear of the brain. People living with it tend to have problems with their vision and may struggle with words and numbers, the UK's Alzheimer's Society says. It says the first symptoms tend to occur when people are in their 50s or 60s, but early signs are "often subtle" and do not immediately prompt a diagnosis. Pratchett was 59 when he was diagnosed, saying he could no longer type and had given up his driving licence. He continued writing and his 41st and final Discworld book, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in 2015, six months after his death at the age of 66. He also donated money to Alzheimer's research in the hope a cure would be found before he died. Marking the anniversary of his death, Pratchett's former assistant Rob Wilkins said the author "indisputably lives on" in the minds of his readers. "While his words live on, so does Terry, and that will be the case, no question, not just for this one decade so quickly gone but for many further decades to come, "he said. Agatha Christie's detective novels have similarly been put under the microscope in the past, by researchers in Canada who suggested she too might have had Alzheimer's. They said the breadth of her vocabulary appeared to have dropped by 15 to 30 per cent towards the end of her life, with more repeated phrases in her work. Researchers found similar trends in the work of the 20th-century novelist Iris Murdoch, who was known to have Alzheimer's when she died in 1999. Her final novel, Jackson's Dilemma, was measured as using the simplest language of all her works.
