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RIP Terry Pratchett


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Sir Terry Pratchett, renowned fantasy author, dies aged 66

 

 

"The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds," said Larry Finlay of his publishers Transworld.

The author died at home, surrounded by his family, "with his cat sleeping on his bed", he added.

Sir Terry wrote more than 70 books during his career and completed his final book last summer.

He "enriched the planet like few before him" and through Discworld satirised the world "with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention," said Mr Finlay.

 

"Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely," said Mr Finlay.

 

"Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come."

Sir Terry leaves wife Lyn and daughter Rhianna.

The announcement of his death was made on Sir Terry's Twitter account on Thursday afternoon, with Rhianna later writing: "Many thanks for all the kind words about my dad. Those last few tweets were sent with shaking hands and tear-filled eyes."

Despite campaigning for assisted suicide after his diagnosis, Sir Terry's publishers said he did not take his own life.

BBC News correspondent Nick Higham said: "I was told by the publishers his death was entirely natural and unassisted, even though he had said in the past he wanted to go at a time of his own choosing."

 

 

Sad news, indeed :( RIP :rose:

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I saw this earlier this afternoon. I was really bummed. Strangely enough I had just started rereading the Discworld books last night. He's definitely one of my favorite authors of all time.
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I read a few of the Discworld novels in high school and I loved it. Might read one of those again in his honor. I had a chance to meet him once at some sort of signing thing in NYC 2-3 years ago but I chickened out cause I admit the anxiety/intimidation of meeting Terry got to me. RIP :rose:
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I read a few of the Discworld novels in high school and I loved it. Might read one of those again in his honor. I had a chance to meet him once at some sort of signing thing in NYC 2-3 years ago but I chickened out cause I admit the anxiety/intimidation of meeting Terry got to me. RIP :rose:

 

I would have loved to have gotten the chance but he rarely ever came over to the US.

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Sad. Never read one of his books, oddly.

 

Any recommendations?

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Sad. Never read one of his books, oddly.

 

Any recommendations?

 

I would start with his best-loved series, Discworld. It is fun, funny fantasy. The books don't really need to be read in order, save for reading the first one first, although some of the later books do reference the earlier ones. The Colour of Magic is the first Discworld book and is a nice intro to the series, but it's written in a slightly different style than the others. Subsequent books look at different people and factions of that world from different viewpoints. My favourite character has got to be Death.

 

Discworld bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#Novels

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Sad. Never read one of his books, oddly.

 

Any recommendations?

 

I would start with his best-loved series, Discworld. It is fun, funny fantasy. The books don't really need to be read in order, save for reading the first one first, although some of the later books do reference the earlier ones. The Colour of Magic is the first Discworld book and is a nice intro to the series, but it's written in a slightly different style than the others. Subsequent books look at different people and factions of that world from different viewpoints. My favourite character has got to be Death.

 

Discworld bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#Novels

 

I would agree about the first book not being the same as the rest. I didn't really care for it that much. I've heard people recommend reading The Watch books,Death or The Witches books together. I had The Colour of Magic for several years and then happened to pick up Mort and Equal Rites. Those two made me a fan. They're still two of my favorite in the series.

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Terry Pratchett wanted his unfinished work to be destroyed by a steamroller when he died, says writer friend Neil Gaiman

  • Author told his friend that his work should be 'put in middle of the road'
  • Gaiman, Good Omens co-author, is 'ridiculously glad' that did not happen
  • Sir Terry's final novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published yesterday
  • 66-year-old, a 'right to die' supporter, died in March after Alzheimer's battle

By Steph Cockroft for MailOnlinePublished: 04:10, 28 August 2015 | Updated: 11:18, 28 August 2015


Terry Pratchett, whose final novel was published yesterday, wanted his unfinished work to be destroyed by a steamroller after he died, his friend has revealed.Award-winning author Neil Gaiman, who co-wrote Good Omens with the late fantasy writer, said Sir Terry wanted any work being penned at the time of his death to be 'taken out along with his computers to be put in the middle of the road and for a steamroller to steamroll over them all.'The writer, whose books include The Sandman and Coraline, added that he is 'ridiculously glad' that did not happen.http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/08/28/03/2759181500000578-0-image-a-9_1440730602121.jpghttp://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/08/28/03/285B5FC600000578-0-image-m-8_1440730595980.jpgTerry Pratchett (pictured left), whose final novel was published yesterday, wanted his unfinished work to be run over with a steamroller after he died, his friend Neil Gaiman (right) has revealedIn an interview with The Times, which is due to be published in the Saturday Review tomorrow, Mr Gaiman also revealed that the ending of The Shepherd's Crown - Sir Terry's final novel - was not the one which the author had intended.Tragically, the writer died before he managed to get his preferred conclusion down on paper.'When I talked to Terry about it there was one little beautiful twist that would have made people cry, but he never got to write it,' Mr Gaiman said.

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'He simply ran out of time. But if you are going to die mid-book, Terry did it as best you possibly can.' Sir Terry, a fervent campaigner for the right to die, died in March at the age of 66 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. His final tweet read: 'The End'.During his impressive career, Sir Terry sold more than 85million books worldwide in 37 languages.http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/07/18/0C2A21EB00000514-3029131-image-a-1_1428426175430.jpgThe final book written by Sir Terry, The Shepherd's Crown, which will be set in the Discworld universe and feature witch Tiffany Aching, was released yesterdayhttp://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/07/18/2759951500000578-3029131-image-m-16_1428426279409.jpghttp://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/07/18/2759959000000578-3029131-image-a-17_1428426284916.jpgA Hat Full Of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight, all part of the Discworld series, saw Tiffany grow to be 16 and become a powerful witchThe Shepherd's Crown is the last in the Discworld series, the satirical fantasy novels for which he was best known.Discword is a flat planet resting on the back of four elephants, themselves perched on the back of a vast turtle moving through space. The book features Tiffany Aching, a witch-in-training who has featured in four of Sir Terry's books to date, first appearing in The Wee Free Men in 2003.

 

THE LIFE OF SIR TERRY PRATCHETT 1948: Born to David and Eileen Pratchett in Beconsfield, Buckinghamshire1965:

 

Left school to become a reporter for the Bucks Free Press1968:

 

 

Married wife Lyn. Daughter Rhianna is born eight years later 1971:

 

Published his first book, The Carpet People, which received good reviews but generated only modest sales1980:

 

Left journalism to work in PR for the Central Electricity Generating Board1983:

 

Published the first book of the Discworld series, The Colour Of Magic, which sold out during its first day1998:

 

Awarded an OBE at Buckingham Palace for 'services to literature'2007:

 

Diagnosed with rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's after car accident. Becomes a right to die campaigner2009:

 

Knighted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace2012:

 

He gives an interview stating that, while his health is better than expected, his condition is catching up with him. By this point he is thought to be writing by dictation2014:

 

Sir Terry finishes his final book, The Shepherd's Crown, which will be published this September2015:

 

Sir Terry dies at his home in Wiltshire. His death is announced by his daughter on Twitter.

 

Over the course of another three books, A Hat Full Of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight, Tiffany turned 16, growing in power and gaining abilities along the way. Mr Gaiman, who first met Sir Terry is 1985 as a young journalist, also revealed that he is currently working on his friend's last request, a BBC TV series of Good Omens, which was published in 1990.

 

Speaking about the writing process, he said: 'We definitely have arguments while I am writing, and sometimes he wins.' At the time of Sir Terry's death, Mr Gaiman paid tribute to his friend and colleague, saying there was 'nobody like him'.

 

'Thirty years and a month ago, a beginning author met a young journalist in a Chinese Restaurant, and the two men became friends, and they wrote a book, and they managed to stay friends despite everything,' he said. 'Last night, the author died. There was nobody like him. I was fortunate to have written a book with him, when we were younger, which taught me so much.'

 

Sir Terry published his fist Discworld novel, The Colour Of Magic, in 1983 and went on to sell 85million books worldwide, with his work being translated into 37 languages.Before that he had been a journalist, writing for the Bucks Free Press, the Western Daily Press and finally the Bath Chronicle.He became a press officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board, with responsibility for three nuclear power stations, in 1980.

 

He was first published in 1971 with novel The Carpet People, but his career as a writer did not truly take off until The Colour of Magic was printed. In the 1990s he was Britain's best-selling author and, at the turn of the century, was Britain's second most-read author, beaten only by JK Rowling. He was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours and claimed that 'you can't ask a fantasy writer not to want a knighthood. You know, for two pins I'd get myself a horse and a sword'. The author died peacefully at home after suffering from a rare form of Alzheimer's disease called posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), also known as Benson's syndrome.The progressive degenerative condition involves the loss and dysfunction of brain cells, and is thought to be behind five per cent of cases of Alzheimer's in the UK.

Edited by foghorn-leghorn
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