Terry Pratchett, in memoriam
With his passing on March 12, 2015, Sir Terry Pratchett was able to meet one of his most reliably recurring characters, Death. If that sounds morbid, you should read almost any of the forty plus Discworld books (Death does not appear in The Wee Free Men or Snuff). While Terry Pratchett’s character Death is affable and kind his actual death was a bit more sorrowful. In 2007 he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Despite his illness, Sir Pratchett was active till the end becoming a vocal advocate in the United Kingdom for the Right to Die movement and Alzheimer’s awareness as well as completing four more books.
Thank you, Terry.
Books
Good Omens : the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch/ Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
In 1655, the witch Agnes Nutter, predicted that the the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, and tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except the demon, Crowley and the angel, Aziraphale -- each of whom has lived among Earth's mortals for millennia and has grown rather fond -- are not particularly looking forward to the coming Rapture. So, they decided that they are going to stop it from happening, by finding and killing the Antichrist (which is a shame, as he's a really nice kid). There's just one glitch: someone seems to have misplaced him.
Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent, bestselling novels have garnered him a revered position in the halls of parody next to the likes of Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen. The Color of Magic is Terry Pratchett's maiden voyage through the now-legendary land of Discworld. This is where it all begins--with the tourist Twoflower and his wizard guide, Rincewind.
Lost in the chill deeps of space between the galaxies, it sails on forever, a flat, circular world carried on the back of a giant turtle-- Discworld --a land where the unexpected can be expected. Where the strangest things happen to the nicest people. Like Brutha, a simple lad who only wants to tend his melon patch. Until one day he hears the voice of a god calling his name. A small god, to be sure. But bossy as Hell.
Be careful what you wish for... Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named Desiderata who had a good heart, a wise head, and poor planning skills-which unforunately left the Princess Emberella in the care of her other (not quite so good and wise) godmother when DEATH came for Desiderata. So now it's up to Magrat Garlick, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg to hop on broomsticks and make for far-distant Genua to ensure the servant girl doesn't marry the Prince. But the road to Genua is bumpy, and the witches encounter the occasional vampire, werewolf, and falling house (well this is a fairy tale, after all).
Death comes to everyone eventually on Discworld. And now he's come to Mort with an offer the young man can't refuse. (No, literally, can't refuse since being dead isn't exactly compulsory.) Actually, it's a pretty good deal. As Death's apprentice, Mort will have free board and lodging. He'll get use of the company horse. And he won't have to take any time off for family funerals. But despite the obvious perks, young Mort is about to discover that there is a serious downside to working for the Reaper Man . . . because this perfect job can be a killer on one's love life.
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