Terry Pratchett has died

blastman

Well, that's a proper embuggerance

A few years ago, a friend of mine was in Hodges-Figgis book shop on Dawson St during his lunch break. He was browsing through stuff and noticed a large display had been set up of the new (at the time, not exactly sure which one, though) Terry Pratchett book. He wasn't really a fan, but picked up a copy of the book and flicked idly through it. There was a man standing next to him looking at the display who turned to my mate and asked him what he thought, gesturing to the display. My mate glanced at him and the book and said something along the lines of it would do until Douglas Adams wrote something new (Adams was still alive at the time). The other guy chuckled and said "yeah, you're probably right", and wandered off. The mate then headed out of the shop to go back to work. As he walked passed the window of Hoggis-Figgis, he happened to glance in and there was a display sign saying "Terry Pratchett will be signing copies of his latest book here today" accompanied by a large photo. Mate looked at the photo, and, yep....it was!

RIP, Mr P.

Pumpkinseeds

Deleted User wrote: »

Sad news for those that enjoyed his writing.

Also very sad that 3 elderly people died at the weekend in Tallaght Hospital because of the flu outbreak.

If we don't feed you will you go away?

dueaug

Had just started to re-read The Truth. Went into Easons for a signing a couple of years ago but it had finished. Picked up a copy of Lords & Ladies to find his autograph on the inner cover.

The Strawman Argument

donfers wrote: »

I thought he was coping with the alzheimers quite well and it wasn't progressing to fast. He has given interviews in recent times where he was coherent and articulate. I wonder what the specific cause of death was - a tremendously sad loss!

He had a different variety of Alzheimers which impacted the back of the brain, the symptoms are far more likely to be related to motor functions.


The books aren't my kind of thing, but the guy has always came across so wonderfully in anything I've seen him in that I always have to mention him as an exception when I'm ranting about how much I hate fantasy authors.
Yeesh, that's not much of a compliment. What I mean is, if I had a kid, and they started reading discworld when they got a bit older, instead of having to give them a conversation about how fantasy is forbidden in my house, I'd be like "oooh, I might be able to enjoy these by proxy now! "

RIP

BeardySi

“Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can. Of course, I could be wrong.”

― Terry Pratchett

freedominacup

Pkarn'kov Terry.

26 years ago I stumbled on The Colour of Magic. I remember cracking up laughing at the footnote about "how do you get a lawn looking like that" in Equal Rites in supervised study one evening. Another lad asked me what I was laughing at. I gave him the book and told him to read the footnote. I can still see his whole body shaking with laughter. Terry could get most people in a sentence.

byhookorbycrook

For sentences like this:
"Lancre operated on the feudal system, which was to say, everyone feuded all the time and handed the fight on to their descendants."

" Granny Weatherwax had a primal snore... It had had years in a lonely bedroom to perfect the knark, the graaah and the gnoc, gnoc, gnoc, unimpeded by the nudges, jabs and occasional attempts at murder that usually moderate the snore impulse over time."

Rubberlegs

I was so very sorry to hear of Terry Pratchetts death. I've never opened a book of his, they have been on my to read list for years, as I suspect I'd enjoy them. His documentary about euthanasia was fascinating and thought provoking, and he came across as a lovely person. RIP.

garp

The King is dead.
Long live the King.

Boskowski

Nice to see so many lovely comments. Something will truly be missing from my life now. Turns out I have one more book of his that I haven't read.

Canis Lupus

This guy has been responsible for some nearly unstoppable giggling (usually on a bus or train where people stare at me wondering if I'm nuts).

A sad loss.

eeepaulo

Canis Lupus wrote: »

This guy has been responsible for some nearly unstoppable giggling (usually on a bus or train where people stare at me wondering if I'm nuts).

A sad loss.

Yep, but when you see someone else reading and giggling doesn't it make you smile.

No more titles for blackboard monitor vimes

Nadser

Such sad news. My favourite is the one where DEATH goes on holiday and the death of rats pops into existence. Which one was that again? (I'm so bad at remembering titles)

Funkfield

I got my first Pratchett book from a friend many years ago. I spent that first evening shaking with laughter as I made my first trip to the Disc. Since then I've read nearly everything he has done, introduced friends to him, and have passed the magic to my daughter.

So so sad to lose him.

RIP Terry. You can never be replaced.

GLaDOS

Nadser wrote: »

Such sad news. My favourite is the one where DEATH goes on holiday and the death of rats pops into existence. Which one was that again? (I'm so bad at remembering titles)

Pretty sure that's Reaper Man

Yeah the public giggles and snorts were the worst part about Reading Terry in Public You can't bloody help it!

Capt'n Midnight

Steve King wrote: »

An old colleague of mine used to praise his stuff to the heights but Ive yet to indulge. What order should the Discworld series be read in? Or could I just jump to the acclaimed "Small Gods" for example?

try looking at the Reading Order Guides , perhaps leave the Wizards till you get into them as the first few were just Terry finding his path.

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg

http://i.imgbox.com/rTrtn59N.jpg

It's not just fantasy. Lots of puns. Lots. Lots of parody. And extracts the urine from Hollywood conventions of how characters should behave.

I'd actually class it as some of the best hard science fiction I've ever read. He certainly had a better grasp of physics and technology than any of that technobabble on Star Trek and it's ilk.

Liked the way when he was asked why he had 8 monitors on his computer he said it was because he couldn't find a bigger spider to hang more of the them off.

RIP

SpaceSasqwatch

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

If we don't feed you will you go away?

too many big words , the poster wont understand you...

Day Lewin

One of my top favourites was always "Soul Music" - it contains a huge number of jokes, puns and parodies of the names of rock stars, bands, and songs: spotting them is a kind of game...

Now he's on his own Pathway to Paradise.

KAGY

I haven't read any of his work in years but I now must dust off the many that I have sitting on my shelf and maybe treat myself to the one or two of his latest ones I never got around to.

I can remember getting a loan of colour of magic over 25 years ago - a complete eye opener after years of famous five and the ilk.

It's now also time to introduced my 9 year old to his work. Does anyone have a suggestion what would be best? The Tiffany aching series, the colour of magic or the truckers/diggers trilogy?

legspin

For all of my adult life I could always comfort myself that there would be a new Pterry book out soon. That sensation will never return. Heartbroken I am.

endacl

legspin wrote: »

For all of my adult life I could always comfort myself that there would be a new Pterry book out soon. That sensation will never return. Heartbroken I am.

strobe

KAGY wrote: »

I haven't read any of his work in years but I now must dust off the many that I have sitting on my shelf and maybe treat myself to the one or two of his latest ones I never got around to.

I can remember getting a loan of colour of magic over 25 years ago - a complete eye opener after years of famous five and the ilk.

It's now also time to introduced my 9 year old to his work. Does anyone have a suggestion what would be best? The Tiffany aching series, the colour of magic or the truckers/diggers trilogy?

I'd go with the Truckers trilogy. Started reading them when I was about nine, I remember one time my parents came home and I gave them a bit of a fright because I was on the sitting room floor curled in a ball having difficulty breathing as I had been lying there holding my stomach laughing for the past two minutes straight, and they're what set me on the path to keep me coming back to the rest of his stuff for the next 20 years.

All the gods are bastards!

Baby Jane

Deleted User wrote: »

Sad news for those that enjoyed his writing.

Also very sad that 3 elderly people died at the weekend in Tallaght Hospital because of the flu outbreak.

People are naturally more inclined to talk about just deceased people who are well known, and whom they admired. It's not meant as a slight towards those whom they don't know.
There are threads here too about plenty of people who died tragically and were not well known.

endacl

For me it was as Legspin posted. There'll always be another one. I still haven't started Raising Steam. It'll be the last one.

PTerry was (is?!?) the last author, since Iain Banks passed away, whose books kept me one-footed in my adolescence. I've been reading them for over 25 years now. I've been sharing them with friends, looking forward to the new one, chatting about them, pissing myself laughing, re-reading, doing it all over again.

I'm starting again tonight with The Colour of Magic. It'll be bittersweet getting to Book 40.

jasonb

katemarch wrote: »

One of my top favourites was always "Soul Music" - it contains a huge number of jokes, puns and parodies of the names of rock stars, bands, and songs: spotting them is a kind of game...

Now he's on his own Pathway to Paradise.

As someone who was in lots of bands when I was younger, I loved that book. Especially the Troll drummer...

'One, Two, Many, Lots...'

J.

bucketybuck

For me, I won't remember Discworld for the humor but for the poignancy. Pratchet had a wonderful philosophical slant, which is why there are dozens upon dozens of wonderful quotes that even out of context strike a chord with people.

What was it that Granny Weatherwax had said once? “Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” And right now it would happen if you thought there was a thing called a father, and a thing called a mother, and a thing called a daughter, and a thing called a cottage, and told yourself that if you put them all together you had a thing called a happy family.

Drift

The discworld books are hilarious and entertaining. I tend to read one or two then go away to other things and then come back for one or two more - I'm always drawn back!!!

I'm surprised no-one has yet mentioned the "Science of Discworld" books. I have only read the first two but I found them brilliant.

Years after reading it I still regularly refer the Israeli fighter pilot statistic anecdote!

Knex*

Somebody made this poem over in Reddit. Brilliantly poignant. I think Pratchett himself would be proud.

The sun goes down upon the Ankh,
And slowly, softly fades -
Across the Drum; the Royal Bank;
The River-Gate; the Shades.

A stony circle's closed to elves;
And here, where lines are blurred,
Between the stacks of books on shelves,
A quiet 'Ook' is heard.

A copper steps the city-street
On paths he's often passed;
The final march; the final beat;
The time to rest at last.

He gives his badge a final shine,
And sadly shakes his head -
While Granny lies beneath a sign
That says: 'I aten't dead.'

The Luggage shifts in sleep and dreams;
It's now. The time's at hand.
For where it's always night, it seems,
A timer clears of sand.

And so it is that Death arrives,
When all the time has gone...
But dreams endure, and hope survives,
And Discworld carries on.

kylith

freedominacup wrote: »

Pkarn'kov Terry.

26 years ago I stumbled on The Colour of Magic. I remember cracking up laughing at the footnote about "how do you get a lawn looking like that" in Equal Rites in supervised study one evening. Another lad asked me what I was laughing at. I gave him the book and told him to read the footnote. I can still see his whole body shaking with laughter. Terry could get most people in a sentence.

Is that the one "You mows it and you rolls it and you rakes it for 500 years and then some bastard walks across it"? Or words to that effect.

I always liked "All bastards are bastards, but some bastards are bastards".

eeepaulo wrote: »

Yep, but when you see someone else reading and giggling doesn't it make you smile.

No more titles for blackboard monitor vimes

I'd always hoped that we'd visit Nanny and Granny again. And that Rincewind would find himself fleeing from Terror Incognita again.

Knex. wrote: »

Somebody made this poem over in Reddit. Brilliantly poignant. I think Pratchett himself would be proud.

That's beautiful. And now I'm crying in work.

YellowFeather

I love his observation and humour. Day to day things that you would never give any thought to, but he would pick them up and describe them perfectly.

Not one of his funny quotes so much, but whenever I've been in the middle of something monotonous (playing the private quantity-surveying game of course), I'm always reminded of:

After a while he got into the rhythm of it, and started playing the private little quantity-surveying game that everyone plays in these circumstances. Let's see, he thought, I've done nearly a quarter, let's call it a third, so when I've done that corner by the hayrack it'll be more than half, call it five-eights, which means three more wheelbarrow loads .... It doesn't prove anything very much except that the awesome splendour of the universe is much easier to deal with if you think of it as a series of small chunks.

~Mort