sevenhelz

I've been talking to a lot of people about Terry Pratchett lately, noticeably the ones who don't yet read his books, or have tried one or two and couldn't get into them. I think that's a shame. I started reading books by Pratchett when I was about seven. My siblings were reading them, and I read anything I could get my hands on at that age, so of course I started. I've never stopped; there have been (literally) years where Discworld book were the only fiction I read. The only Pterry* books I haven't read are the offshoots like Discworld Quiz or Trivia books and Maps; I've also only read the fiction side of The Science of Discworld because a lot of the Roundworld** science is over my head or uninteresting to me. So, this post isn't about them. It is, vaguely, about the non-Discworld books too; I can think of nine of those, as opposed to about forty Discworld books...

*In Pyramids there are a series of characters from a suspiciously Egypt-like country whose names begin with Pt, including the main character. Fans use Pterry to refer to Terry Pratchett; I don't, in normal conversation, but it is much quicker in text :)
**effectively Earth


I've watched Pratchett's style change, over the years. Not that I read his books in order to begin with - the only books that really benefit from that are the series types, like the books about the witches, the Watch, Death, or perhaps Rincewind; I started reading with Soul Music and Moving Pictures, and I'd recommend anybody do the same partly because they're stand-alones. They're also from the period when Pratchett was obviously getting comfortable with the fantasy world he'd created, and they're essentially recognisable Roundworld* parodies, written before he started exploring the politics of the Disc and the development of certain characters. I wouldn't start with the first books he wrote because it's obvious Pterry was exploring his new world and his writing style. There's something a lot warmer in the later books, even as I think the writing becomes more thoughtful and complicated. Obviously as more books came out I read them as quickly as I could. I'd go back to older books too, and still do very often - partly because as I learn more about the world I see more Roundworld references and jokes in them, and partly for the comfort value. I've been gifted book sometimes by friends I adore, which has made me value them all the more.

*Earth again. I'mma keep using that.


The Discworld is, as the name suggests, a disc, travelling through space on the back of a giant turtle, held on by four enormous elephants. There once was a fifth elephant, it seems, and its bones and nerves of precious metals are now valuable resources to the inhabitants of the Disc; dwarves, trolls, humans, vampires, werewolves, zombies, gnomes, various monsters, fairy folk (don't say the name unless you're in a forge!), wizards, and witches, who look to the edges and speak for those with no voices. It's a fantastical realm, a magical place, full of wit and good humour but also full of darkness and cynicism. The Discworld and many of its characters are a huge inspiration to me. From the quote I posted the other day to the deeper political and moral themes, i wouldn't say Pterry's been a guide to my life, but there's always been some character exploring problems I can relate to. How do you keep caring for people when you're exhausted? What do you do when you're too angry to think and you're dropped into a situation too complicated to take in? Is it ever right to meddle with someone's life? ...probably a dozen of the books are considered Young Adult fiction, and while these are just as entertaining (and deal with pretty complex themes) for older adults, it's commendable that they usually contain ethical messages and more importantly, questions.


The thing about youth and good health is that you always expect there will be more time.

I'll likely never meet Terry; chances were slim anyway, but there was always the potential of seeing him at some convention or signing, if I made the effort. To be honest, I've never been the kind of fan that needed to meet the writer, but it's a nice idea. I think my time is running out on that front (although if I'm lucky I might make it to DiscWorldCon in Birmingham next August).
Terry has early onset Alzheimers. This was announced in 2007; every book since then has been a blessing, a bittersweet gift. In this video made earlier this year he set out to find out about assisted death. He can't imagine wanting to live when he can't be a writer anymore (he can no longer type but can dictate to his assistant). I can't imagine how much that's going to hurt, even if he doesn't travel to Switzerland, but knowing that there's no new writing to look forward to. I feel like, as a distant fan, I don't have the right to claim such hurt, but in truth I think it will change my life a lot.

I don't read any other authors the way I read Pratchett. I'll get involved in a story, but I'll never trust an author not to employ offensive stereotypes or appear to condone appalling behaviour; not to have some unpleasant agenda for their writing; and to be as thoughtful as Pterry. I have never and probably never will read as many books by one author as I have by Pratchett. I may well never again follow an author's development and lust after their next book. I'm one of those fans who spots plot holes, or alternative histories as Pterry puts it, so I'm pretty invested in the series. I'm probably blind to his flaws. I only recently thought about how characters involved in relationships are always hetero - there're examples of implicit cross-dressers, polyamorous characters etc, and sex is just not an important theme in the books, but it may be worth noting.

Pratchett's latest book, Snuff, is out in a couple of days. I look forward to it. I'm also dreading finishing it, in the way that you might not want to finish an amazing cake, or not want a concert to end, or be wary of any post-project slump. I don't know what to think. I'm struggling to write this; I wanted to explain what Pratchett means to me, why I light up when I see a collection in someone's house, but I don't feel like I can make that clear even to other fans. It's not something I bothered to talk about for a long time, and I started because I wanted to recommend particular books to people new to Pterry's work. I think I'll stick with that. Go read Soul Music. Moving Pictures. maybe Sourcery. Equal Rites. The Wee Free Men. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. and the rest...