I'm So Excited ....

... but also ever so sad too

My special 'signed' copy of the final ever Discworld novel arrived today. The inside cover has been embossed and stamped with Sir Terry Pratchett's signature and seal.

I treasure my Discworld collection but this book needed to be extra special which is why I got it from the official site discworld.com and had it's stamped. Sir Terry will be so terribly missed by all of us mad, crazed Discworld fans. The story ends here ...

If you don't hear from me for a few days this will be because my head is buried in a book.

There Will Be A Reckoning .... Crivens!!

I'm not well read but do enjoy your book.

Chinese proverb: A book tightly shut is but a block of paper.

Dean

My son promised me copy as a belated father's day present, I got it today too.....

I'm liable to finish it within 24 hours, although I might try and savour it, with it being the last ever

I was never a reader until a friend put me onto Discworld when I was going through a tough time. He thought stepping into a fantasy world would help me through my stress and it was the best thing anyone ever did for me!

I now read and re-read. I've read all the Harry Potter books, some of Anne Rice's vampire chronicles (that's where my nickname came from when a different friend likened me to Akasha one day when I was in a strop ... it kind of stuck lol) I've also read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Ring trilogy but I just keep on going back to Discworld!

I'm currently re-reading Witches Abroad (love Granny Weatherwax!) and as soon as I've finished it I start on The Shepherd's Crown.... for now I'm savouring the excitement

Enjoy Rob ... Crivens! Ye can tek our lives but you'll never tek our troosers!

Amongst your list you don't mention Douglas Adams, another incredible mind, taken from us much too soon. If you like Terry Pratchett, I'm sure you'd enjoy his work too.
The first book by Terry Pratchett I read, and in my opinion one of his best, was "Good Omens" co-authored with Neil Gaiman, his work is somewhat darker, but also, IMO, excellent.

I tried to read Good Omens but I just couldn't get into it. I have read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman but again - I struggled to get into it. I did finish it but I can't say it was a book that I enjoyed. Occasionally though I get a discworld book that I don't enjoy - there are a few on my shelf that I rarely re-read - the first two books, moving pictures and soul music arn't favourites. I could read Going Postal every day though, and Making Money and I really enjoyed Raising Steam. I like Mr slightly Damp as a character. He makes me laugh

Now Terry has passed on I am looking for another fantasy author to keep me occupied so I'll have a look at Douglas Adams. Are there any other fantasy authors you (or anyone else) can recommend?

There was an interview with Terry's publisher and Rob Wilkins on breakfast tv shared on discworld.com's facebook page and there's apparently 10 other discworld part works that Terry was working on and will now go unpublished ... such a shame for the fans

Finished it!

Moist is one of my favourite characters too, but there were so many others.

Can't really help with other fantasy writers, but HHGTTG should keep you going for a little while.

If you want to try another Gaiman, I'd suggest "the Ocean at the end of the lane". When I read I find that I'm sucked into the book, Neil Gaiman's books are like living dreams, it takes me a few days to wake up from one of his.

I can't believe you've read it already!! I finished Witched Abroad last night and so at some point today I'll bury my head in the new book.

There was a very poignant paragraph towards the end of Witched Abroad that made me smile

"It was said afterwards that, every year on Samedi Nuit Mort, when the carnival was at its height and the drums were loudest and the rum was nearly all gone, a man in a tail coat and a top hat and with the energy of a demon would appear out of nowhere and lead the dance.
After all, even stories have to start somewhere."


Well for me the story started there and today I start the final story.

You could try the works of Philip Jose Farmer, the 'World of Tiers' series is my favourite, also the 'Riverworld' series. I have been gradually building up my collection of his works, I haven't read a book or short story from him that I haven't liked!

okay, thanks Grummie, I'll have a look at that too

Started The Shepherds Crown this afternoon whilst having a picnic in the park. I got fed up of being interupted by screeching kids and out of control dogs so gave up!
I fear it might be a page turner though

Read Riverworld, interesting at the start, but not thrilled with the third and fourth books.

I'm only on chapter 3 of Shepherd's Crown and I don't think I want to read any more. Not happy

It does bring it home that this is the last ever Terry Pratchett book, but not, I suspect, the last ever Discworld novel. Publishers have a habit of finding someone else to carry on a popular "franchise". Look at James Bond, or Sherlock Holmes.

it was the killing off of one my favourite characters that I'm not dealing with. I tried to read some more last night and I realised I had tears streaming down my face.
I think I'm going to struggle to read this book. I have a friend who's finished reading it too and he's telling me to keep going but I'm fighting the urge to put the book on the shelf and leave it un-read.

I was put on to Discworld when in a really vunerable place and it helped me to relax and unwind my mind. Ever since I've used Discworld as a crutch when I'm stressed or worried about something. I still use it to relax and unwind and probably as a tool to clear my mind of 'stuff'. I think all that taken into account is the reason I'm really struggling to read this book. I don't want it to be over ... I don't think my head is ready for that just yet

and I've just realised that makes me sound like a right nutjob lol ... which I'm not! I'm a sensitive person - which I'm not ashamed to admit to

It's okay, it's not like you've exposed yourself to the whole internet

lol ... ah well never mind hey lol

It's strange, I was sad when I got to chapter 3, I thought, "Oh, no more stories with ........... in them"; then I thought, "Oh, no more discworld novels full stop, they all died along with Terry", and strangely that didn't seem quite so bad, perhaps because I'd already had chance to come to terms with his untimely death.
As I said previously, I can't imagine that the publishers will let the discworld be, and I wonder if Terry thought that too & wanted to stop others fiddling with one of, I suspect, his favourite characters.

Not sure if I mentioned it in a previous post but Rob Wilkins was on breakfast tv along with Terry's publisher. He happened to drop a clanger. He said Terry always worked on several stories at once and so he know's of 10 other discworld part works. He did say it was Terry's wish that when his heart stopped his hard drive died too and so those part works would never be published... somehow there's a piece of me that hopes that in time that feeling changes and Terry's family allow them to be finished and released.

For now I've decided not to read The Shepherds Crown. It's not the right time for me. Last night I picked up one my favourite Discworld novels - Going Postal - and began re-reading.