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Discworld #41
The Shepherd's Crown
A shivering of worlds.
Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.
This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.
As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.
There will be a reckoning…
Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.
This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.
As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.
There will be a reckoning…
276 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2015
About the author
Terry Pratchett
616 books40.5k followersBorn Terence David John Pratchett, Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe.
Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983. In 1987, he turned to writing full time.
There are over 40 books in the Discworld series, of which four are written for children. The first of these, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, won the Carnegie Medal.
A non-Discworld book, Good Omens, his 1990 collaboration with Neil Gaiman, has been a longtime bestseller and was reissued in hardcover by William Morrow in early 2006 (it is also available as a mass market paperback - Harper Torch, 2006 - and trade paperback - Harper Paperbacks, 2006).
In 2008, Harper Children's published Terry's standalone non-Discworld YA novel, Nation. Terry published Snuff in October 2011.
Regarded as one of the most significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to literature” in 1998, and has received honorary doctorates from the University of Warwick in 1999, the University of Portsmouth in 2001, the University of Bath in 2003, the University of Bristol in 2004, Buckinghamshire New University in 2008, the University of Dublin in 2008, Bradford University in 2009, the University of Winchester in 2009, and The Open University in 2013 for his contribution to Public Service.
In Dec. of 2007, Pratchett disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. On 18 Feb, 2009, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on 12th March 2015.
Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983. In 1987, he turned to writing full time.
There are over 40 books in the Discworld series, of which four are written for children. The first of these, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, won the Carnegie Medal.
A non-Discworld book, Good Omens, his 1990 collaboration with Neil Gaiman, has been a longtime bestseller and was reissued in hardcover by William Morrow in early 2006 (it is also available as a mass market paperback - Harper Torch, 2006 - and trade paperback - Harper Paperbacks, 2006).
In 2008, Harper Children's published Terry's standalone non-Discworld YA novel, Nation. Terry published Snuff in October 2011.
Regarded as one of the most significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to literature” in 1998, and has received honorary doctorates from the University of Warwick in 1999, the University of Portsmouth in 2001, the University of Bath in 2003, the University of Bristol in 2004, Buckinghamshire New University in 2008, the University of Dublin in 2008, Bradford University in 2009, the University of Winchester in 2009, and The Open University in 2013 for his contribution to Public Service.
In Dec. of 2007, Pratchett disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. On 18 Feb, 2009, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on 12th March 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,131 reviews
August 27, 2015
It could have been a lot worse.
As Rob Wilkins explains in the afterword, Terry Pratchett hadn't actually finished writing this when he died. Pratchett's working methods, as described by Wilkins, involved writing scenes and piecing them together, finding the story, and then rewriting and adding scenes. Here we have something that isn't quite the end process of that. We have something that can be read, coherently, from beginning to end as a narrative, but is not quite formed.
There is, as Wilkins says, a beginning, middle, and end. But some of it has clearly been worked on rather more than other bits. There's some absolutely atrocious writing in the first few chapters -- Terrance Dicks-on-autopilot level simple sentences and "as you know, your father, the king" dialogue, with no hint of characterisation (not helped by some shoddy copyediting). This worried me at first, as given that Pratchett died of Alzheimer's, I was beginning to think that his faculties had declined so much in his last months that the writer who I loved so much had gone before writing this.
But somewhere around page sixty or seventy, the writing style starts to improve dramatically, and it's apparent that Pratchett *wasn't* failing as a writer -- the writing in the first few chapters is obviously a sketch of what would have been there, a skeleton onto which he would have added characterisation and prose style if he'd been able to do any further drafts.
And there are other signs that the book was unfinished, too. There's a subplot -- involving Geoffrey and the old men -- that has a couple of scenes, but which clearly would have been filled out much more if Pratchett could have finished the book in the way he wanted to. The climax is rushed, and rather unsatisfying.
But the middle two hundred and fifty pages or so of the book is up to the standards of the other Tiffany Aching books, and that's saying something. It's clearly a "last Witches book" -- everyone returns for one last time, including some unexpected cameos, and it's a book about death. Pratchett hadn't included Death, who had appeared in every Discworld novel up until his diagnosis, in the last couple of books, understandably, but here he returns, and entirely appropriately.
The Geoffrey subplot, sketched in though it is, clearly provides a reflection of the very first witches book, Equal Rites, closing the story where it began, but there are echoes here of many other books. The character growth of one villainous character is very like that of one in Thief of Time. Lords and Ladies and (to a lesser extent) Raising Steam are also present in between the words.
It's a book about death, but also about new life. Tiffany Aching has always been a character in the shadow of her dead grandmother, but one who has been growing into her own power, and that's continued here. We say goodbye here to favourite characters, and to an entire world, but it will live on without us.
It's also a sombre book -- there are very few laugh-out-loud jokes in here, but a lot that's thought-provoking, and moving.
It's very, very hard to judge this objectively. I've been a fan of Pratchett for a quarter of a century, since as an eleven-year-old I read Sourcery and assumed that "Terry Pratchett" must be a pseudonym for Douglas Adams, because who else could write like that?
Now, of course, I know the difference. Adams was a cynic -- a very funny writer, but a shallow one, able to see the world only through a filter of anger and despair. He was a great comedy writer, but limited.
Pratchett, on the other hand, was wise, and kinder-spirited. Pratchett, like Adams, could get enraged at the world's follies, but he could see that there were other things in the world. Temperamentally, I'm closer to Adams, but I like to think something of Pratchett has rubbed off.
And this is the thing. This is the last work of someone who has influenced my thought, and my life, in ways I can't begin to sum up sensibly. Without Pratchett, I wouldn't have the friends I have, wouldn't think the things I do, wouldn't be the person I am.
So yes, this is a first draft, a sketch of the proper book it should have been. But the book it's a sketch of might have been his best, and even in this state it's a far more fitting capstone to the Discworld and to Pterry's career than Raising Steam, which may have been his worst.
Goodbye, Pterry, and thank you.
As Rob Wilkins explains in the afterword, Terry Pratchett hadn't actually finished writing this when he died. Pratchett's working methods, as described by Wilkins, involved writing scenes and piecing them together, finding the story, and then rewriting and adding scenes. Here we have something that isn't quite the end process of that. We have something that can be read, coherently, from beginning to end as a narrative, but is not quite formed.
There is, as Wilkins says, a beginning, middle, and end. But some of it has clearly been worked on rather more than other bits. There's some absolutely atrocious writing in the first few chapters -- Terrance Dicks-on-autopilot level simple sentences and "as you know, your father, the king" dialogue, with no hint of characterisation (not helped by some shoddy copyediting). This worried me at first, as given that Pratchett died of Alzheimer's, I was beginning to think that his faculties had declined so much in his last months that the writer who I loved so much had gone before writing this.
But somewhere around page sixty or seventy, the writing style starts to improve dramatically, and it's apparent that Pratchett *wasn't* failing as a writer -- the writing in the first few chapters is obviously a sketch of what would have been there, a skeleton onto which he would have added characterisation and prose style if he'd been able to do any further drafts.
And there are other signs that the book was unfinished, too. There's a subplot -- involving Geoffrey and the old men -- that has a couple of scenes, but which clearly would have been filled out much more if Pratchett could have finished the book in the way he wanted to. The climax is rushed, and rather unsatisfying.
But the middle two hundred and fifty pages or so of the book is up to the standards of the other Tiffany Aching books, and that's saying something. It's clearly a "last Witches book" -- everyone returns for one last time, including some unexpected cameos, and it's a book about death. Pratchett hadn't included Death, who had appeared in every Discworld novel up until his diagnosis, in the last couple of books, understandably, but here he returns, and entirely appropriately.
The Geoffrey subplot, sketched in though it is, clearly provides a reflection of the very first witches book, Equal Rites, closing the story where it began, but there are echoes here of many other books. The character growth of one villainous character is very like that of one in Thief of Time. Lords and Ladies and (to a lesser extent) Raising Steam are also present in between the words.
It's a book about death, but also about new life. Tiffany Aching has always been a character in the shadow of her dead grandmother, but one who has been growing into her own power, and that's continued here. We say goodbye here to favourite characters, and to an entire world, but it will live on without us.
It's also a sombre book -- there are very few laugh-out-loud jokes in here, but a lot that's thought-provoking, and moving.
It's very, very hard to judge this objectively. I've been a fan of Pratchett for a quarter of a century, since as an eleven-year-old I read Sourcery and assumed that "Terry Pratchett" must be a pseudonym for Douglas Adams, because who else could write like that?
Now, of course, I know the difference. Adams was a cynic -- a very funny writer, but a shallow one, able to see the world only through a filter of anger and despair. He was a great comedy writer, but limited.
Pratchett, on the other hand, was wise, and kinder-spirited. Pratchett, like Adams, could get enraged at the world's follies, but he could see that there were other things in the world. Temperamentally, I'm closer to Adams, but I like to think something of Pratchett has rubbed off.
And this is the thing. This is the last work of someone who has influenced my thought, and my life, in ways I can't begin to sum up sensibly. Without Pratchett, I wouldn't have the friends I have, wouldn't think the things I do, wouldn't be the person I am.
So yes, this is a first draft, a sketch of the proper book it should have been. But the book it's a sketch of might have been his best, and even in this state it's a far more fitting capstone to the Discworld and to Pterry's career than Raising Steam, which may have been his worst.
Goodbye, Pterry, and thank you.
January 20, 2016
"YOUR CANDLE...WILL FLICKER FOR SOME TIME BEFORE IT GOES OUT - A LITTLE REWARD FOR A LIFE WELL LIVED...YOU HAVE LEFT THE WORLD MUCH BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT...NOBODY COULD DO ANY BETTER THAN THAT"
Thank you, Sir Terry for the joy and the sadness and for the many opportunities to escape to a wonderful world where humanity's failings (and more importantly) successes are reflected and cherished as what makes us unique. Your candle will flicker and your ripples will be growing for many years to come.
I didn't want to read this book and when I made myself start it I didn't want to finish it. The Shepherd's Crown is however a fitting End to a series that has changed my life and my thinking. There is always hope, never an ending and the turtle will always move.
Thank you, Sir Terry for the joy and the sadness and for the many opportunities to escape to a wonderful world where humanity's failings (and more importantly) successes are reflected and cherished as what makes us unique. Your candle will flicker and your ripples will be growing for many years to come.
I didn't want to read this book and when I made myself start it I didn't want to finish it. The Shepherd's Crown is however a fitting End to a series that has changed my life and my thinking. There is always hope, never an ending and the turtle will always move.
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August 30, 2015Yes, obviously it's unfinished (which is not to say it lacks a beginning, middle or end - just that it wants finish in the sense of polish). But for all that, I wouldn't recommend reading it in public unless your heart is a lot stonier than mine. The last Discworld story was never likely to be an apocalypse, but - while there are internal farewells on top of the obvious external one - I take some solace in the state in which it's left; like Blandings, the Disc will still be ticking along somewhere out there long after we're gone, not for anyone to ever write more stories in (sacrilege!), but just for everyone who reads of it to quietly know. Early in the book, a gentleman who speaks in capitals and has some expertise in these matters suggests that nobody can do any more than leaving the world better than they found it. He is, I fear, slightly wrong: Sir Terry left one world better than he found it, and another better than he first made it.
May 17, 2022
The Shepherd's Crown (Discworld #41), Terry Pratchett
The Shepherd's Crown is a comic fantasy novel, the last book written by Terry Pratchett before his death in March 2015. It is the 41st novel in the Discworld series.
Tiffany Aching is busy running her steading and taking care of the people of the Chalk. Jeannie, the Kelda of the Nac Mac Feegle, is worried that she's overworked. When Granny Weatherwax, Tiffany's mentor, dies, she leaves everything to Tiffany, who becomes the first among equals of the witches.
Geoffrey, the third son of Lord Swivel, is well educated, vegetarian and a pacifist. He is dissatisfied with hunting practices he considers barbaric, and after a confrontation with his father, heads towards Lancre, intending to become a witch. Meanwhile, in the domain of the Elves, Peaseblossom senses that the passing of Granny Weatherwax has weakened the barriers between the realms.
When a goblin shows the faerie court what the humans are capable of with iron and the status that goblins have achieved, Peaseblossom usurps the Queen, intending to reenter the human world and reestablish the elves' power. Tiffany, spread thin tending to the Chalk and Granny Weatherwax's old steading, employs Geoffrey as a backhouse boy and starts teaching him.
He and his goat get on well with everybody, and Tiffany dubs him a calm-weaver. Intending to help old men have some autonomy from their wives, he introduces the idea of sheds. Nightshade, the former Queen of the Elves, is found by the Feegle stationed on the Chalk at the gateway to fairyland.
Her wings had been ripped off before she had been forcibly ejected from her world. The Feegles restrain her until Tiffany arrives and takes her in on her family farm. While there, she decides to carry as a talisman the shepherd's crown, or fossilised Echinoid, that had been in the Aching family for many generations.
Tiffany attempts to teach Nightshade what it is to be human and the motivations of kindness. Tiffany gathers the witches to prepare for an invasion by the Elves. Geoffrey marshals the old men, and assembles a fighting force. Tiffany attempts to enlist the help of the Elf King. When that fails, she assigns the Feegles to build the King a shed in the hope that it will earn his allegiance. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز چهاردهم ماه مارس سال2021میلادی
عنوان: دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه) کتاب چهل و یکم: تاج چوپان؛ نویسنده تری پرچت؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده21م
دیسک ورلد (جهان صفجه)، یک سری از کتابهای فانتزی هستند، که روانشاد «تری پرچت»، نویسنده ی «بریتانیا»، نگاشته اند؛ داستانهای این سری، در جهانی با نام «دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه)» میگذرند؛ که صفحه ای تخت است، و بر شانه های «چهار فیل»، با هیکلهای بزرگ، قرار دارد؛ این فیلها نیز، به نوبه ی خود، بر روی پشت یک «لاکپشت غولآسا»، با نام «آتوئین بزرگ» قرار دارند؛ در این سری از کتابها، بارها از سوژه های کتابهای نویسندگانی همچون «جی.آر.آر تالکین»، «رابرت هاوارد»، «اچ پی لاوکرافت»، و «ویلیام شکسپیر»، به گونه ای خنده دار، استفاده شده است؛
از سری «دیسک ورلد» بیشتر از هشتاد میلیون نسخه، در سی و هفت زبان، به فروش رفته است؛ این سری در برگیرنده ی بیش از چهل رمان (تاکنون چهل و یک رمان)، یازده داستان کوتاه، چهار کتاب علمی، و چندین کتاب مرجع، و مکمل است؛ از این سری، چندین رمان تصویری، بازی کامپیوتری، نمایش تئاتر، سریالهای تلویزیونی اقتباس شده است؛ روزنامه ی «ساندی تایمز» چاپ «انگلستان» از این سری به عنوان یکی از پرفروشترین سری کتابها نام برده، و «تری پرچت» را، به عنوان پرفروشترین نویسنده ی «انگلستان»، در دهه ی نود میلادی دانسته است؛
رمانهای «دیسکورلد» جوایز بسیاری از جمله جایزه «پرومتئوس»، و مدال ادبی «کارنگی» را، از آن خود کرده اند؛ در نظرسنجی «بیگ رید»، که «بیبیسی» در سال2003میلادی، در «انگلستان» انجام داد، چهار رمان سری «دیسکورلد»؛ در فهرست یکصد کتاب برتر قرار گرفتند؛ همچنین مردمان «انگلیس»، در این نظرسنجی، چهارده رمان «دیسکورلد» را، در شمار دویست کتاب برتر، دانستند؛ تا کنون، از این سری، چهل و یک رمان، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «تری پرچت» که پیش از درگذشتش؛ در ابتدای سال2015میلادی، از بیماری «آلزایمر» رنج میبردند، اعلام کردند که خوشحال میشوند که دخترشان، «ریانا پرچت»، به جای ایشان، به ادامه ی این سری بپردازند؛ تا جلد بیست و ششم رمان این سری، رمان «دزد زمان (سال2001میلادی)» به دست «جاش کربی»، به تصویر کشیده شده اند، اما نسخه های «آمریکایی»، که انتشارات «هارپرکالینز» آنها را، منتشر کرده، دارای تصاویر روی جلد متفاوتی هستند؛ پس از درگذشت «جاش کربی»، در سال2001میلادی، نقاشیهای روی جلد کتابهای بعدی این سری، بدست «پائول کربی» کشیده شدند
کتابهای اول و دوم: «رنگ جادو»؛ کتاب سوم: «زنان جادوگر»؛ کتاب چهارم: «مرگ»؛ کتاب پنجم: «سورسری (برگردان فارسی جادوی مرجع)»؛ کتاب ششم: «خواهران ویرد»؛ کتاب هفتم: «هرم ها»؛ کتاب هشتم: «نگهبانان! نگهبانان»؛ کتاب نهم: «اریک»؛ کتاب دهم: «تصاویر متحرک»؛ کتاب یازدهم: «مرد دروگر»؛ کتاب دوازدهم: «جادوگران خارج»؛ کتاب سیزدهم: «ایزدان خرد (خدایان کوچک)»؛ کتاب چهاردهم: «لردها و بانوان»؛ کتاب پانزدهم: «مردان مسلح»؛ کتاب شانزدهم: «موسیقی روح»؛ کتاب هفدهم: «اوقات جالب»؛ کتاب هجدهم: «ماسکراد»؛ کتاب نوزدهم: «پاهای خشت (فیت آو کلی)»؛ کتاب بیستم: «هاگفادر»؛ کتاب بیست و یکم: «جینگو»؛ کتاب بیست و دوم: «آخرین قاره»؛ کتاب بیست و سوم: «کارپه جوگلوم»؛ کتاب بیست و چهارم: «فیل پنجم»؛ کتاب بیست و پنجم: «حقیقت»؛ کتاب بیست و ششم: «دزد زمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هفتم: «آخرین قهرمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هشتم: «ماوریس شگفتانگیز و موشهای آموزشدیدهاش»؛ کتاب بیست و نهم: «ساعت شب»؛ کتاب سی ام: «مردان آزاد وی»؛ کتاب سی و یکم: «هنگ بزرگ»؛ کتاب سی و دوم: «کلاهی پُر از آسمان»؛ کتاب سی و سوم: «گوینگ پوستال»؛ کتاب سی و چهارم: «تود!»؛ کتاب سی و پنجم: «وینتراسمیت»؛ کتاب سی و ششم: «بدست آوردن پول»؛ کتاب سی و هفتم: «دانشگاهیهای نادیدنی»؛ کتاب سی و هشتم: «نیمهشب بایست بپوشم»؛ کتاب سی و نهم: «اسنوف»؛ کتاب چهلم: «بالا آمدن مه»؛ کتاب چهل و یکم: «تاج چوپان»؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 22/01/1400هجری خورشیدی، 26/02/1401هجری خورشی��ی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Shepherd's Crown is a comic fantasy novel, the last book written by Terry Pratchett before his death in March 2015. It is the 41st novel in the Discworld series.
Tiffany Aching is busy running her steading and taking care of the people of the Chalk. Jeannie, the Kelda of the Nac Mac Feegle, is worried that she's overworked. When Granny Weatherwax, Tiffany's mentor, dies, she leaves everything to Tiffany, who becomes the first among equals of the witches.
Geoffrey, the third son of Lord Swivel, is well educated, vegetarian and a pacifist. He is dissatisfied with hunting practices he considers barbaric, and after a confrontation with his father, heads towards Lancre, intending to become a witch. Meanwhile, in the domain of the Elves, Peaseblossom senses that the passing of Granny Weatherwax has weakened the barriers between the realms.
When a goblin shows the faerie court what the humans are capable of with iron and the status that goblins have achieved, Peaseblossom usurps the Queen, intending to reenter the human world and reestablish the elves' power. Tiffany, spread thin tending to the Chalk and Granny Weatherwax's old steading, employs Geoffrey as a backhouse boy and starts teaching him.
He and his goat get on well with everybody, and Tiffany dubs him a calm-weaver. Intending to help old men have some autonomy from their wives, he introduces the idea of sheds. Nightshade, the former Queen of the Elves, is found by the Feegle stationed on the Chalk at the gateway to fairyland.
Her wings had been ripped off before she had been forcibly ejected from her world. The Feegles restrain her until Tiffany arrives and takes her in on her family farm. While there, she decides to carry as a talisman the shepherd's crown, or fossilised Echinoid, that had been in the Aching family for many generations.
Tiffany attempts to teach Nightshade what it is to be human and the motivations of kindness. Tiffany gathers the witches to prepare for an invasion by the Elves. Geoffrey marshals the old men, and assembles a fighting force. Tiffany attempts to enlist the help of the Elf King. When that fails, she assigns the Feegles to build the King a shed in the hope that it will earn his allegiance. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز چهاردهم ماه مارس سال2021میلادی
عنوان: دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه) کتاب چهل و یکم: تاج چوپان؛ نویسنده تری پرچت؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده21م
دیسک ورلد (جهان صفجه)، یک سری از کتابهای فانتزی هستند، که روانشاد «تری پرچت»، نویسنده ی «بریتانیا»، نگاشته اند؛ داستانهای این سری، در جهانی با نام «دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه)» میگذرند؛ که صفحه ای تخت است، و بر شانه های «چهار فیل»، با هیکلهای بزرگ، قرار دارد؛ این فیلها نیز، به نوبه ی خود، بر روی پشت یک «لاکپشت غولآسا»، با نام «آتوئین بزرگ» قرار دارند؛ در این سری از کتابها، بارها از سوژه های کتابهای نویسندگانی همچون «جی.آر.آر تالکین»، «رابرت هاوارد»، «اچ پی لاوکرافت»، و «ویلیام شکسپیر»، به گونه ای خنده دار، استفاده شده است؛
از سری «دیسک ورلد» بیشتر از هشتاد میلیون نسخه، در سی و هفت زبان، به فروش رفته است؛ این سری در برگیرنده ی بیش از چهل رمان (تاکنون چهل و یک رمان)، یازده داستان کوتاه، چهار کتاب علمی، و چندین کتاب مرجع، و مکمل است؛ از این سری، چندین رمان تصویری، بازی کامپیوتری، نمایش تئاتر، سریالهای تلویزیونی اقتباس شده است؛ روزنامه ی «ساندی تایمز» چاپ «انگلستان» از این سری به عنوان یکی از پرفروشترین سری کتابها نام برده، و «تری پرچت» را، به عنوان پرفروشترین نویسنده ی «انگلستان»، در دهه ی نود میلادی دانسته است؛
رمانهای «دیسکورلد» جوایز بسیاری از جمله جایزه «پرومتئوس»، و مدال ادبی «کارنگی» را، از آن خود کرده اند؛ در نظرسنجی «بیگ رید»، که «بیبیسی» در سال2003میلادی، در «انگلستان» انجام داد، چهار رمان سری «دیسکورلد»؛ در فهرست یکصد کتاب برتر قرار گرفتند؛ همچنین مردمان «انگلیس»، در این نظرسنجی، چهارده رمان «دیسکورلد» را، در شمار دویست کتاب برتر، دانستند؛ تا کنون، از این سری، چهل و یک رمان، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «تری پرچت» که پیش از درگذشتش؛ در ابتدای سال2015میلادی، از بیماری «آلزایمر» رنج میبردند، اعلام کردند که خوشحال میشوند که دخترشان، «ریانا پرچت»، به جای ایشان، به ادامه ی این سری بپردازند؛ تا جلد بیست و ششم رمان این سری، رمان «دزد زمان (سال2001میلادی)» به دست «جاش کربی»، به تصویر کشیده شده اند، اما نسخه های «آمریکایی»، که انتشارات «هارپرکالینز» آنها را، منتشر کرده، دارای تصاویر روی جلد متفاوتی هستند؛ پس از درگذشت «جاش کربی»، در سال2001میلادی، نقاشیهای روی جلد کتابهای بعدی این سری، بدست «پائول کربی» کشیده شدند
کتابهای اول و دوم: «رنگ جادو»؛ کتاب سوم: «زنان جادوگر»؛ کتاب چهارم: «مرگ»؛ کتاب پنجم: «سورسری (برگردان فارسی جادوی مرجع)»؛ کتاب ششم: «خواهران ویرد»؛ کتاب هفتم: «هرم ها»؛ کتاب هشتم: «نگهبانان! نگهبانان»؛ کتاب نهم: «اریک»؛ کتاب دهم: «تصاویر متحرک»؛ کتاب یازدهم: «مرد دروگر»؛ کتاب دوازدهم: «جادوگران خارج»؛ کتاب سیزدهم: «ایزدان خرد (خدایان کوچک)»؛ کتاب چهاردهم: «لردها و بانوان»؛ کتاب پانزدهم: «مردان مسلح»؛ کتاب شانزدهم: «موسیقی روح»؛ کتاب هفدهم: «اوقات جالب»؛ کتاب هجدهم: «ماسکراد»؛ کتاب نوزدهم: «پاهای خشت (فیت آو کلی)»؛ کتاب بیستم: «هاگفادر»؛ کتاب بیست و یکم: «جینگو»؛ کتاب بیست و دوم: «آخرین قاره»؛ کتاب بیست و سوم: «کارپه جوگلوم»؛ کتاب بیست و چهارم: «فیل پنجم»؛ کتاب بیست و پنجم: «حقیقت»؛ کتاب بیست و ششم: «دزد زمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هفتم: «آخرین قهرمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هشتم: «ماوریس شگفتانگیز و موشهای آموزشدیدهاش»؛ کتاب بیست و نهم: «ساعت شب»؛ کتاب سی ام: «مردان آزاد وی»؛ کتاب سی و یکم: «هنگ بزرگ»؛ کتاب سی و دوم: «کلاهی پُر از آسمان»؛ کتاب سی و سوم: «گوینگ پوستال»؛ کتاب سی و چهارم: «تود!»؛ کتاب سی و پنجم: «وینتراسمیت»؛ کتاب سی و ششم: «بدست آوردن پول»؛ کتاب سی و هفتم: «دانشگاهیهای نادیدنی»؛ کتاب سی و هشتم: «نیمهشب بایست بپوشم»؛ کتاب سی و نهم: «اسنوف»؛ کتاب چهلم: «بالا آمدن مه»؛ کتاب چهل و یکم: «تاج چوپان»؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 22/01/1400هجری خورشیدی، 26/02/1401هجری خورشی��ی؛ ا. شربیانی
October 2, 2020
Re-read 10/1/10:
Just now having finished a full Discworld re-read, I have to admit I'm still misty-eyed and depressed.
Yes, by now it is 3/4 nostalgia and 1/4 hats-off respect, but the slider continually slides, and the sadness remains.
That being said -- Well done, Tiffany. It's a fine cottage and you have fine boots and I truly respect your third and fourth thoughts. Well done, indeed.
Original Review:
If anyone has been reading this far in the series, they must be very, very sad that Sir Terry passed away, and this, his very last novel, is all we have left. I am sad. I am very sad. And after the first few chapters, I got even sadder, because he was writing his own requiem in these scenes.
It was scary and sad and so appropriate. And then it passed, to flow into Tiffany Aching's fifth, delightful, tale.
If you're familiar, you know she's no longer a witch's apprentice, she's a full witch and she's stepping up. And of course, adventure happens. Delightful adventure and something that is a very familiar theme also happen, as it always happens in these Discworld books... People who don't belong in professions start showing up and demanding to do something that they shouldn't be fit to do.
A BOY WITCH? I mean, sure, a girl did it with the Wizards and that seemed to work out all right, but a BOY? No Way.
And then there's that whole thing with the elves facing off with an epic battle against the denizens of the land, with wee men and witches squaring off against the mean glamourists... but no one's interested in that, are they?
The BOY has a GOAT! And can you believe he's pretty decent on a broom? Lordy... what is Discworld coming to? A satisfying end? With a delightful sense of wonder and humor and nostalgia?
Why yes, it did come to that. *wipes a tear away from his face*
Just now having finished a full Discworld re-read, I have to admit I'm still misty-eyed and depressed.
Yes, by now it is 3/4 nostalgia and 1/4 hats-off respect, but the slider continually slides, and the sadness remains.
That being said -- Well done, Tiffany. It's a fine cottage and you have fine boots and I truly respect your third and fourth thoughts. Well done, indeed.
Original Review:
If anyone has been reading this far in the series, they must be very, very sad that Sir Terry passed away, and this, his very last novel, is all we have left. I am sad. I am very sad. And after the first few chapters, I got even sadder, because he was writing his own requiem in these scenes.
It was scary and sad and so appropriate. And then it passed, to flow into Tiffany Aching's fifth, delightful, tale.
If you're familiar, you know she's no longer a witch's apprentice, she's a full witch and she's stepping up. And of course, adventure happens. Delightful adventure and something that is a very familiar theme also happen, as it always happens in these Discworld books... People who don't belong in professions start showing up and demanding to do something that they shouldn't be fit to do.
A BOY WITCH? I mean, sure, a girl did it with the Wizards and that seemed to work out all right, but a BOY? No Way.
And then there's that whole thing with the elves facing off with an epic battle against the denizens of the land, with wee men and witches squaring off against the mean glamourists... but no one's interested in that, are they?
The BOY has a GOAT! And can you believe he's pretty decent on a broom? Lordy... what is Discworld coming to? A satisfying end? With a delightful sense of wonder and humor and nostalgia?
Why yes, it did come to that. *wipes a tear away from his face*
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May 15, 2021
If you are new to Discworld or Terry, don't start with this one. He was very ill and this was, I think it's safe to say, not written well, but by Jingo it was told well.
The story, the characters, the sadness and the happiness, all have their place here and indeed on Earth. It was probably the most perfect ending, but it was bittersweet and I shall never quite get over it.
"Mind how you go."
The story, the characters, the sadness and the happiness, all have their place here and indeed on Earth. It was probably the most perfect ending, but it was bittersweet and I shall never quite get over it.
"Mind how you go."
February 2, 2019
“Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.”
And so it ends. Our wonderful journey with Sir Terry Pratchett and his wonderfully inimitable Discworld. There will never be another like it or him.
It was difficult to read this and enjoy it just for what it was – another Discworld book, this one a Tiffany Aching story. Having been diagnosed in 2007 with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, he had written with a greater sense of urgency and had published several more novels before his death. Though he had more novels to write and notes on many more ideas, neither his estate nor his daughter have stated any plans to publish more, in fact have insisted that there would be no more.
And so it ends.
In the opening pages of the novel it seems that Pratchett may have known this as well. Fans who’ve read the book will know what I mean, there is a settling of accounts and a calling forth of something new.
These times, they are a changing.
Tiffany is a witch in her own right now and must deal with many new challenges, from other witches, her people of the chalk, and most alarmingly, from the elves. She has confronted them before in The Wee Free Men and readers will also recall Pratchett’s 1992 novel and the 14th in the Discworld series Lords and Ladies for more about the evil aristocrats.
A ubiquitous theme in much of Sir Terry’s writing is the unmasking of myth and the elevating of the practical and mundane over the pretentious and haughty. Good, honest hard work and community often triumphs over privilege and excess on the Discworld and the Tiffany Aching books are fertile ground for this theme.
Looking back on having read all of the books, it is sad to think there are no more. But being books – they can always be reread. If I could give a rating to the entirety of the series, we’d need more than 5 stars, I’m thinking more like 11.
And so it ends. Our wonderful journey with Sir Terry Pratchett and his wonderfully inimitable Discworld. There will never be another like it or him.
It was difficult to read this and enjoy it just for what it was – another Discworld book, this one a Tiffany Aching story. Having been diagnosed in 2007 with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, he had written with a greater sense of urgency and had published several more novels before his death. Though he had more novels to write and notes on many more ideas, neither his estate nor his daughter have stated any plans to publish more, in fact have insisted that there would be no more.
And so it ends.
In the opening pages of the novel it seems that Pratchett may have known this as well. Fans who’ve read the book will know what I mean, there is a settling of accounts and a calling forth of something new.
These times, they are a changing.
Tiffany is a witch in her own right now and must deal with many new challenges, from other witches, her people of the chalk, and most alarmingly, from the elves. She has confronted them before in The Wee Free Men and readers will also recall Pratchett’s 1992 novel and the 14th in the Discworld series Lords and Ladies for more about the evil aristocrats.
A ubiquitous theme in much of Sir Terry’s writing is the unmasking of myth and the elevating of the practical and mundane over the pretentious and haughty. Good, honest hard work and community often triumphs over privilege and excess on the Discworld and the Tiffany Aching books are fertile ground for this theme.
Looking back on having read all of the books, it is sad to think there are no more. But being books – they can always be reread. If I could give a rating to the entirety of the series, we’d need more than 5 stars, I’m thinking more like 11.
September 3, 2015
Upon the death of Granny Weatherwax, the elves seek to invade the realms of man once again. Can Tiffany Aching rally the other witches of Lancre and The Chalk and protect her two steadings (and the rest of the world)?
Here we are, the book Terry Pratchett was refining when Death finally showed up to claim him. PUT THE MANUSCRIPT DOWN, PRATCHETT. YOUR WORK IS DONE, or something to that effect. As a result, it doesn't quite feel finished but it was enjoyable just the same.
The Shepherd's Crown is a tale of acceptance and changing times, much like many of the later Discworld books. A male witch? Humans living alongside goblins? Elves trying to invade a world moving into an age of iron and rails?
Discworld goes out with a bang when Granny Weatherwax dies in the first few pages and the elves seek to take advantage of the power vacuum. Tiffany has to deal with being Granny's successor, herding the other witches, and deal with Geoffrey, who may in fact be the first male witch on the Disc, all the while contending with massing elves and their fallen queen, Nightshade.
Like I mentioned, Pratchett was working on this book when he passed and, as a result, it doesn't feel finished. While the standard wit and wisdom of Discworld is there, it's a little thin and feels unrefined. Still, I found many parts hilarious and others touching, par for the course for a Discworld book.
While I've enjoyed many Discworld books more, the final tale of Tiffany Aching and the Disc was quite satisfying. I'll miss you, Terry. Four out of five stars.
Here we are, the book Terry Pratchett was refining when Death finally showed up to claim him. PUT THE MANUSCRIPT DOWN, PRATCHETT. YOUR WORK IS DONE, or something to that effect. As a result, it doesn't quite feel finished but it was enjoyable just the same.
The Shepherd's Crown is a tale of acceptance and changing times, much like many of the later Discworld books. A male witch? Humans living alongside goblins? Elves trying to invade a world moving into an age of iron and rails?
Discworld goes out with a bang when Granny Weatherwax dies in the first few pages and the elves seek to take advantage of the power vacuum. Tiffany has to deal with being Granny's successor, herding the other witches, and deal with Geoffrey, who may in fact be the first male witch on the Disc, all the while contending with massing elves and their fallen queen, Nightshade.
Like I mentioned, Pratchett was working on this book when he passed and, as a result, it doesn't feel finished. While the standard wit and wisdom of Discworld is there, it's a little thin and feels unrefined. Still, I found many parts hilarious and others touching, par for the course for a Discworld book.
While I've enjoyed many Discworld books more, the final tale of Tiffany Aching and the Disc was quite satisfying. I'll miss you, Terry. Four out of five stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2016
This is really a four star book but I am giving it five anyway because it was his last and because he was a wonderful author who gave me an incredible amount of enjoyment over the years. I think the Discworld series ran to 41 books, all of them brilliant. So sad it is all over but he has left a great legacy for us to remember him by and I will certainly read those 41 books again!
September 26, 2015
New Tiffany Aching and here I thought "I shall wear midnight" was the last one... *heavy breathing*
edit: This little treasure came to me yesterday and it already made me cry (first 10%) I hope the end will be worth all the tears since this is truly the last one. :(
edit: This little treasure came to me yesterday and it already made me cry (first 10%) I hope the end will be worth all the tears since this is truly the last one. :(
January 21, 2019
*sobs forever*
6.6.2015 -- Cover Release
*sobs even harder*
6.6.2015 -- Cover Release
*sobs even harder*
May 29, 2022
This was a truly moving read. It was lovely to witness Tiffany Aching coming into her own. There was kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness, comfort, and strength, as well as much to ignite our imaginations.
My favorite quotes, which warmed me as I read, knowing this was the last book in the series:
"There was always a brew on" - it's always time for tea.
"and a broken biscuit for Mephistopheles" - the best humans also provide a treat for our pets.
"dealing with witches was like carrying a tray full of marbles, witches were very good at rubbing each other up the wrong way" - a wonderful description, which immediately conjures the scene in my mind's eye.
"Calm weaving" - inspiring calmness in disgruntled personages via the art of kindness and gentle conversation.
"making the best of things" - it's what the best humans do to keep grateful and remain cheerful in challenging times.
"mind how you go" - goodbye, take care.
I started reading this series in chronological order in December 2015, and four years later, in December 2019, I have just finished the 41st volume, the final one in the series. While, I am currently feeling bereft, I am also thankful that I can begin again, or read at random, for each of these books are worthy of reading over and over again.
Update 5/26/2022 - Reading this for a second time. This time, with my daughter.
My favorite quotes, which warmed me as I read, knowing this was the last book in the series:
"There was always a brew on" - it's always time for tea.
"and a broken biscuit for Mephistopheles" - the best humans also provide a treat for our pets.
"dealing with witches was like carrying a tray full of marbles, witches were very good at rubbing each other up the wrong way" - a wonderful description, which immediately conjures the scene in my mind's eye.
"Calm weaving" - inspiring calmness in disgruntled personages via the art of kindness and gentle conversation.
"making the best of things" - it's what the best humans do to keep grateful and remain cheerful in challenging times.
"mind how you go" - goodbye, take care.
I started reading this series in chronological order in December 2015, and four years later, in December 2019, I have just finished the 41st volume, the final one in the series. While, I am currently feeling bereft, I am also thankful that I can begin again, or read at random, for each of these books are worthy of reading over and over again.
Update 5/26/2022 - Reading this for a second time. This time, with my daughter.
October 9, 2020
Ignore the star rating. Like many other people reading the last book of a deeply loved and missed author, objectivity is impossible.
Tiffany Aching comes full circle, taking on the elves again, but this time as the leader of the Discworld's witches instead of as the newest. But she has allies.
The last couple of books of Pratchett's have been sad, both in terms of being obvious goodbyes to his world and characters, and the obvious diminishing of his craft. The ideas are still there, and much of the humor, but the writing is like someone described a Pratchett novel to another writer. But while it's sad, I don't care. Most of these latter novels have been an unexpected gift, and I'd rather have them than not.
--------------
October 2020
Well, this is it. The last book in a once-a-month reread of Discworld that I did with SpecFic Buddy Reads.
My opinion of this book hasn't really changed, although I'm less overwhelmed by it being the last one than I was the first time around. It's probably a 2 or 3 star read really, but I'm going to leave it as 5 given the impact it had on me 5 years ago. And I still can't see the Paul Kidby cover for this one without getting upset (the one with Tiffany, You and the bees).
Tiffany Aching comes full circle, taking on the elves again, but this time as the leader of the Discworld's witches instead of as the newest. But she has allies.
The last couple of books of Pratchett's have been sad, both in terms of being obvious goodbyes to his world and characters, and the obvious diminishing of his craft. The ideas are still there, and much of the humor, but the writing is like someone described a Pratchett novel to another writer. But while it's sad, I don't care. Most of these latter novels have been an unexpected gift, and I'd rather have them than not.
--------------
October 2020
Well, this is it. The last book in a once-a-month reread of Discworld that I did with SpecFic Buddy Reads.
My opinion of this book hasn't really changed, although I'm less overwhelmed by it being the last one than I was the first time around. It's probably a 2 or 3 star read really, but I'm going to leave it as 5 given the impact it had on me 5 years ago. And I still can't see the Paul Kidby cover for this one without getting upset (the one with Tiffany, You and the bees).
January 7, 2022
This is it, the end of Discowrld. After 41 book + companion books and short stories it's hard not to be emotional even though last novel was pretty "meh".
Started around a decade ago when on whim I bought a book while visiting a city I didn't realize I will call my home just few years later. Even though I started series in early 2010's my first contact with Discworld goes back to late 90's and P&C PC adventure game back before I knew what Discworld was... or Point and Click adventure for that matter and didn't think much of it, partially because I was 8 at the time and my knowledge of English was rudimental and far from level required to play hardcore adventure or understand humor. Than in 2000's I came across animated adaptation of few books and I really liked it at that time, still not knowing it's part of book series. Than during the book visit mentioned above I seen characters on cover that I recognized and the rest is history. I wish bookseller at the store was bit more helpful since The Last Continent was not the best book to start with to say the least.
So first I started with Rincewind series. I loved it at times but in retrospect it doesn't hold up to rest of sub-series except industrial revolution. These novel tend to gravitate more towards parody and are more Monty Python esque with the exception of Interesting times better represents Sir Terry at his best and that is when humor is interwoven with real world problems.
In between I read book from industrial revolution series but sadly they never where my cup of tea while I thought they where fun they never blew me away like or even left that strong impression and now I struggle to recall my impression at the time. I can say the same thing about Moist von Lipwig series.
Than real pleasure of this series came. First with Standalones which where great and Small gods might be the best Discworld book and one of the best to get into the series.
At it's best Discworld is about real world and it's problems and the fact that it's set on disc on top of 4 elephants that stand on giant turtle and wrapped in lot of silly humor doesn't make it less so. City watch series is best example of that. It tangles with themes such as war, inequality and human nature with laugh out humor. Akh-Morpork is one very real place and city watchmen are down there in gutters with us. Jingo should be thought at schools
Death series contain one of most memorable characters in in fantasy, Death himself. Unlike watchmen which look at world from bottom through Death's eyes. This is seires with biggest peaks and valleys. Also Hogfather is best Christmas book and it's adaptation is best Christmas.
Witches gave us some of most iconic characters in Discworld, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg and of course the cat Greebo. Tiffany Aching is continuation of that series and while it starts with a bang later book are some of last in the series and they all share similar problems.
At some point Pratchett falls in love with his characters too much and they suffer from Gary Stu/Mary Sue syndrome. Characters make similar statements and books establish already established things and characters get in similar situations (this is especially true for the last book).
Overall thins was incredible ride. It had few lows but highs where sky high.
Started around a decade ago when on whim I bought a book while visiting a city I didn't realize I will call my home just few years later. Even though I started series in early 2010's my first contact with Discworld goes back to late 90's and P&C PC adventure game back before I knew what Discworld was... or Point and Click adventure for that matter and didn't think much of it, partially because I was 8 at the time and my knowledge of English was rudimental and far from level required to play hardcore adventure or understand humor. Than in 2000's I came across animated adaptation of few books and I really liked it at that time, still not knowing it's part of book series. Than during the book visit mentioned above I seen characters on cover that I recognized and the rest is history. I wish bookseller at the store was bit more helpful since The Last Continent was not the best book to start with to say the least.
So first I started with Rincewind series. I loved it at times but in retrospect it doesn't hold up to rest of sub-series except industrial revolution. These novel tend to gravitate more towards parody and are more Monty Python esque with the exception of Interesting times better represents Sir Terry at his best and that is when humor is interwoven with real world problems.
In between I read book from industrial revolution series but sadly they never where my cup of tea while I thought they where fun they never blew me away like or even left that strong impression and now I struggle to recall my impression at the time. I can say the same thing about Moist von Lipwig series.
Than real pleasure of this series came. First with Standalones which where great and Small gods might be the best Discworld book and one of the best to get into the series.
At it's best Discworld is about real world and it's problems and the fact that it's set on disc on top of 4 elephants that stand on giant turtle and wrapped in lot of silly humor doesn't make it less so. City watch series is best example of that. It tangles with themes such as war, inequality and human nature with laugh out humor. Akh-Morpork is one very real place and city watchmen are down there in gutters with us. Jingo should be thought at schools
Death series contain one of most memorable characters in in fantasy, Death himself. Unlike watchmen which look at world from bottom through Death's eyes. This is seires with biggest peaks and valleys. Also Hogfather is best Christmas book and it's adaptation is best Christmas.
Witches gave us some of most iconic characters in Discworld, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg and of course the cat Greebo. Tiffany Aching is continuation of that series and while it starts with a bang later book are some of last in the series and they all share similar problems.
At some point Pratchett falls in love with his characters too much and they suffer from Gary Stu/Mary Sue syndrome. Characters make similar statements and books establish already established things and characters get in similar situations (this is especially true for the last book).
Overall thins was incredible ride. It had few lows but highs where sky high.
October 1, 2020
*takes a deep breath*
It's done. Over. This was the last book in the series. I feel somewhat empty now while being aware that I should feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
We start in The Chalk and Lancre with Tiffany and Granny Weatherwax. Granny, as people knowing me are aware, is my absolute favourite character in this series. Thus, it ripped out my heart to start off this adventure with her death. No, that is no spoiler or great big secret. While I never had confirmation (didn't go look for it), it wasn't really surprising, not least because Sir Terry knew this would be his last book before his own death.
Witches have always known when Mister Death would come for them. Thus, Granny gets her affairs in order and then, dignified, leaves the (Disc-)world. Her last will is that Tiffany gets everything and takes her place, sort of. But the void Granny leaves behind and some old witches scheming because they want to take her place were only one part of the problem.
You see, the queen of the elves, from way back in the first of Tiffany's adventures, has been kicked out by her own people for being too weak. The elves also decide to invade the human world now that Granny is gone and seemingly leaves a power vacuum they can take advantage of.
Therefore, this book is about endings and new beginnings, about the wheel turning, about the old ways and people doing things their own way. As with all the witches books, this, too, was about helping other people and that has always tugged at my heartstrings.
This is Sir Terry's legacy. On my shelf, the Discworld books are a colorful array of all kinds of editions as different and quirky as the places and people within their pages. However, this last one had to be as special as the story itself and what it represents. After all, it was Sir Terry saying goodbye to his creation and to us. At first, I was sad that I couldn't afford the honey-gold edition, but in retrospect, this one is much more appropriate.
It is impossible to adequately put into words just how masterful this volume and indeed the entire series is. Equally, it is impossible to quantify just how much the Discworld means to me.
And it's not just us or the author saying goodbye in this last installment; it's the characters as well. What Granny had meant to the entire Discworld, the way the characters handle the loss (oh, Ridcully), the way they step up and chip in. Yes, it is life-affirming and handing out hope. And yet ... and yet I can't stop crying. Look at the quotes I posted to see about the beauty and impact of the writing and maybe understand why I'm this emotional.
It's done. Over. This was the last book in the series. I feel somewhat empty now while being aware that I should feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
We start in The Chalk and Lancre with Tiffany and Granny Weatherwax. Granny, as people knowing me are aware, is my absolute favourite character in this series. Thus, it ripped out my heart to start off this adventure with her death. No, that is no spoiler or great big secret. While I never had confirmation (didn't go look for it), it wasn't really surprising, not least because Sir Terry knew this would be his last book before his own death.
Witches have always known when Mister Death would come for them. Thus, Granny gets her affairs in order and then, dignified, leaves the (Disc-)world. Her last will is that Tiffany gets everything and takes her place, sort of. But the void Granny leaves behind and some old witches scheming because they want to take her place were only one part of the problem.
You see, the queen of the elves, from way back in the first of Tiffany's adventures, has been kicked out by her own people for being too weak. The elves also decide to invade the human world now that Granny is gone and seemingly leaves a power vacuum they can take advantage of.
Therefore, this book is about endings and new beginnings, about the wheel turning, about the old ways and people doing things their own way. As with all the witches books, this, too, was about helping other people and that has always tugged at my heartstrings.
This is Sir Terry's legacy. On my shelf, the Discworld books are a colorful array of all kinds of editions as different and quirky as the places and people within their pages. However, this last one had to be as special as the story itself and what it represents. After all, it was Sir Terry saying goodbye to his creation and to us. At first, I was sad that I couldn't afford the honey-gold edition, but in retrospect, this one is much more appropriate.
It is impossible to adequately put into words just how masterful this volume and indeed the entire series is. Equally, it is impossible to quantify just how much the Discworld means to me.
And it's not just us or the author saying goodbye in this last installment; it's the characters as well. What Granny had meant to the entire Discworld, the way the characters handle the loss (oh, Ridcully), the way they step up and chip in. Yes, it is life-affirming and handing out hope. And yet ... and yet I can't stop crying. Look at the quotes I posted to see about the beauty and impact of the writing and maybe understand why I'm this emotional.
Mind how you go!
April 7, 2023
One of Sir Pratchett's final stories due to his failing health. His desire was to write until he no longer could. 7 of 10 stars
December 2, 2022
2022 review: If you approach this as a book written by anyone other than Terry Pratchett, it’s a good book. Interesting and humane and exciting and wise. I suppose that’s the best way to read it. And it’s prolly worth reading after you read the official biography. So I’ll up it to three stars.
2015 review: No.
This book did not work for me. It took me nearly twenty per cent to realise why. I couldn't hear Pratchett in the prose. There were far too many repetitions, far too much exposition. The dialect was heavyhanded and not true to the other books. Tiffany was nowhere as clearly cut as I've known her.
It felt like someone was very carefully trying to write a Terry Pratchett novel. Like the better calibre of fan fiction but not quite there.
Only twice did the authentic fire of Pratchett burn through. And then right towards the end, a moment of heartbreaking beauty like he did so well.
Rob Wilkins says in the afterword that yes, Terry did write this all. I will believe that. He also says that Terry would have kept working on it, kept adding and connecting and deepening and streamlining. Perhaps that would have fixed and fleshed out all this book could have been. Especially Tiffany and Preston.
And Esk and her son whom I was so hoping would turn out to be Geoffrey but no.
There was so much gender discourse in this book but again not fully developed and explored as it would have been in other circumstances.
And it did occur to me how eerily Pratchett seemed to be counselling us about his own death, guiding us through the grieving process for him. That comforted and hurt me at the same time.
I'm glad we got this plot. But I grieve the lack of characterisation and depth, everything I love so much about Pratchett's writing.
The embuggerance in its inexorable silence.
2015 review: No.
This book did not work for me. It took me nearly twenty per cent to realise why. I couldn't hear Pratchett in the prose. There were far too many repetitions, far too much exposition. The dialect was heavyhanded and not true to the other books. Tiffany was nowhere as clearly cut as I've known her.
It felt like someone was very carefully trying to write a Terry Pratchett novel. Like the better calibre of fan fiction but not quite there.
Only twice did the authentic fire of Pratchett burn through. And then right towards the end, a moment of heartbreaking beauty like he did so well.
Rob Wilkins says in the afterword that yes, Terry did write this all. I will believe that. He also says that Terry would have kept working on it, kept adding and connecting and deepening and streamlining. Perhaps that would have fixed and fleshed out all this book could have been. Especially Tiffany and Preston.
And Esk and her son whom I was so hoping would turn out to be Geoffrey but no.
There was so much gender discourse in this book but again not fully developed and explored as it would have been in other circumstances.
And it did occur to me how eerily Pratchett seemed to be counselling us about his own death, guiding us through the grieving process for him. That comforted and hurt me at the same time.
I'm glad we got this plot. But I grieve the lack of characterisation and depth, everything I love so much about Pratchett's writing.
The embuggerance in its inexorable silence.
February 19, 2017
I can't be coherent about this. I just can't. I cried so hard between pages 37 and 41 that I had to put the book down and go do something else.
It's not perfect, and if you read the afterword you'll understand why: it's not been drafted and redrafted to the extent most Pratchett books have, and in places it shows. I do like the way Pratchett, as he always has, acknowledges that most people perceive gender essentialism as normal and natural while absolutely celebrating those of us who don't. Pratchett has always been political with a small p and this book is no exception, but some of the ideas are not as elegantly expressed as we are used to.
All that said: this is better than Raising Steam was - which made me incredibly sad because it was so bad and I thought the disease had taken it's full hold and... yeah. This also feels emotionally right as a last ever Discworld book. It's just... I've been reading Pratchett for over 25 years and I haven't - can't - come close to accepting that he's gone yet.
It's not perfect, and if you read the afterword you'll understand why: it's not been drafted and redrafted to the extent most Pratchett books have, and in places it shows. I do like the way Pratchett, as he always has, acknowledges that most people perceive gender essentialism as normal and natural while absolutely celebrating those of us who don't. Pratchett has always been political with a small p and this book is no exception, but some of the ideas are not as elegantly expressed as we are used to.
All that said: this is better than Raising Steam was - which made me incredibly sad because it was so bad and I thought the disease had taken it's full hold and... yeah. This also feels emotionally right as a last ever Discworld book. It's just... I've been reading Pratchett for over 25 years and I haven't - can't - come close to accepting that he's gone yet.
March 9, 2018
After finishing this, I caught myself thinking about the next Discworld book... but no. So many more stories that will never be told, and it makes me ache. I've spent half my life reading Discworld books. The Shepherd's Crown is a good farewell. It's not as strong or polished as it could have been (let's not talk about could have beens), but it has the feel and the flavor of Tiffany Aching, the Chalk, Nac Mac Feegle, and Granny Weatherwax in its bones. Goodbye! ... until I start rereading.
April 27, 2023
HOW MUCH I HATE giving 2 stars to a Terry Pratchett book, especially his very.... very .... last one
I also hate knowing that there won't be any more of his books... EVER
It also makes me infinitely sad.
I liked the first 3 Tiffany Aching books, but was strongly of the opinion that the 4th one (I Shall Wear Midnight) already lost steam.
It's hard to describe how I feel about this 5th book about Tiffany's, but there it goes.
THIS BOOK WAS SUCH A WASTE with recycled, weak storylines that were already much better explored and presented in other books (like e.g.: Lords and Ladies) and repetitive themes in a totally unnecessary story about Tiffany Aching that equally bored and frustrated me. Sir Terry already said everything that could be said in books 1-3.
There... I've said it. S*I*G*H
I also hate knowing that there won't be any more of his books... EVER
It also makes me infinitely sad.
I liked the first 3 Tiffany Aching books, but was strongly of the opinion that the 4th one (I Shall Wear Midnight) already lost steam.
It's hard to describe how I feel about this 5th book about Tiffany's, but there it goes.
THIS BOOK WAS SUCH A WASTE with recycled, weak storylines that were already much better explored and presented in other books (like e.g.: Lords and Ladies) and repetitive themes in a totally unnecessary story about Tiffany Aching that equally bored and frustrated me. Sir Terry already said everything that could be said in books 1-3.
There... I've said it. S*I*G*H
August 23, 2016
Ya sabía yo que me iba a poner muy triste al leer este libro :_( Nada más empezar ya con las dedicatorias de un montón de escritores ya hace que se te caigan las lágrimas… y al acabar el libro he pensado: Ya está, ya no habrán más libros del Mundodisco, ya te has leído los 41 que hay.
Me he pasado 4 años enteros leyendo el Mundodisco hasta el punto de que se ha vuelto una constante en mi vida y he acabado cogiendo un cariño inmenso a todos los personajes: a las Brujas, los Magos, la Guardia, Vetinari, Tiffany y sus Feegles, y sobre todo a LA MUERTE con mayúsculas, mi personaje favorito de toda la saga. Y he disfrutado muchísimo.
Voy a echar mucho de menos no tener ningún Mundodisco nuevo para leer, bueno siempre queda la relectura ;-)
Gracias por todo Terry Pratchett.
P.D. A todo esto me he dado cuenta que no he dado mi opinión del libro. En fin, para ello ver las 5 estrellas que le he enchufado :DD
Sólo diré que el final me ha hecho soltar lagrimones :_( muy bonito y emotivo.
Me he pasado 4 años enteros leyendo el Mundodisco hasta el punto de que se ha vuelto una constante en mi vida y he acabado cogiendo un cariño inmenso a todos los personajes: a las Brujas, los Magos, la Guardia, Vetinari, Tiffany y sus Feegles, y sobre todo a LA MUERTE con mayúsculas, mi personaje favorito de toda la saga. Y he disfrutado muchísimo.
Voy a echar mucho de menos no tener ningún Mundodisco nuevo para leer, bueno siempre queda la relectura ;-)
Gracias por todo Terry Pratchett.
P.D. A todo esto me he dado cuenta que no he dado mi opinión del libro. En fin, para ello ver las 5 estrellas que le he enchufado :DD
Sólo diré que el final me ha hecho soltar lagrimones :_( muy bonito y emotivo.
Want to read
March 12, 2015I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Part of me is crazy excited over the fact that there's another Tiffany book, and the other part is just confused and worried because I Shall Wear Midnight was such a perfect ending.
September 23, 2015
I discovered Discworld at age 11. I read the Rincewind novel, Sourcery (Discworld #5), first and read the rest of the series out of sequence, picking up whichever second hand paperback was available at this small, hidden bookshop that no longer exists (it’s now a butcher’s). I used to read entire Pratchett novels in a day and burned through the series in no time. I was a Discworld fanatic.
My love of the series continued through high school and into my 20s, though something had changed at the turn of the century: Terry Pratchett had become respectable. He’d implemented chapters in his books AND begun writing Young Adult AND won a literary award – all things he’d never done before. The change began with The Amazing Maurice, which was anything but an amazing read. Still, Night Watch came out a year later, possibly the darkest Discworld book and a superb novel, and I thought things were back to normal.
Discworld is a series divided into characters: Rincewind, The Witches, The City Watch, and Death all had recurring stories, even Moist von Lipwig had a couple of books, with the rest of the numbers being made up with occasional one-offs. Then, following Night Watch, came the worst addition to the Discworld ever: the Nac Mac Feegles (6 inch tall blue Scottish warriors) in their first YA book, The Wee Free Men. Along with them came Tiffany Aching, a teenage witch who would become Granny Weatherwax’s apprentice.
Pratchett, it seemed, had become quite smitten with YA fiction (maybe because of the Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice?) and several Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle books appeared along with a standalone novel, Nation – all terrible! I still read the “grown-up” Discworld novels but, apart from Unseen Academicals, a gem which came out of nowhere, their quality was dipping and dipping.
I’ve tried twice to read Snuff and haven’t made it more than a third of the way through; I skipped I Shall Wear Midnight entirely (yet another Tiffany Aching novel) and I didn’t even crack the spine of Raising Steam. The quality issue was understandable – Pratchett was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s in 2007 – but I realised, sadly, Discworld was no longer for me.
And then Pratchett succumbed to his illness early this year followed by news that The Shepherd’s Crown was to be the last “official” Discworld novel (it’s rumoured his daughter Rhiannon will be continuing the series). Even though it’s a Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle book, I felt like I had to read the last Discworld book – I had to be there at the end of this place I used to love.
I so wish I could say this was a brilliant finale - really I would - but, sadly, The Shepherd’s Crown is as boring and unfunny as the other books in the Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle series and a poor addendum, not just to one of Discworld’s oldest and most beloved characters, but to Pratchett’s series as a whole.
“Something” happens to a major character – I won’t spoil anything in this review – very early on in the book before things shift back to Tiffany and her burgeoning career as a witch of The Chalk. But evil is stirring in the other realm as the Elves decide to reassert their power over the humans – the witches must unite to stop the invasion!
Unfortunately the novel peaks in the first 20% or so of the book where we see the touching end of said major character. From then on there’s hardly anything worth mentioning. The Elves talk big but don’t really do anything until the forces of good are assembled and organised enough to fight them, so that’s a tension-less storyline!
Discworld witches are sort of like country doctors and Tiffany spends most of her time zooming from farmhouse to farmhouse birthing babies, healing wounds, looking after sick animals, etc. Maybe if you’re an AJ Cronin fan you’ll love this, but chances are you’re thinking AJ who?! and the idea of reading about a healer healing is as uninteresting as you’d expect it to be – and this is the bulk of the book.
What I’ll generously call the “humour” is the Nac Mac Feegle calling Tiffany their “big wee hag” and the repeated mention of a goat who can use the privy. That’s it - a far cry from the comedy gold of earlier Discworld books.
Once again Pratchett’s banging the drum of social inclusivity and progressiveness, which is fine and I’m all for that, but he’s been doing that for years now and it’s no longer exciting to see happening in Discworld.
I’m glad I read the last Discworld book if only for closure but I’m disappointed at how bad it was. I think a better way to honour his memory is to read one of Pratchett’s great Discworld novels like Mort, Interesting Times, Guards! Guards!, or Wyrd Sisters, or, maybe for me, just be thankful that he provided so many hours of entertainment when I was a younger, different person. After all, maybe kids today love the Tiffany Aching books and if I was 11 again and picking these up, I’d be all about them? Maybe the Feegles’ cartoonish Scottish and incredibly irritating blather is hysterical to some readers?
I would’ve loved it if the final Discworld novel had nothing to do with Tiffany or the Feegles and was instead an epic team-up between Rincewind, Death, the Witches, and the City Watch to gather several far-flung ingredients spread out across the Disc in a race against time to save the life of a softly spoken elderly gentleman - the Creator - who was dying of a terrible sickness that was simultaneously “forgetting”/wiping out the world around them. Ah, well. I suppose the events at the start felt appropriately gloomy enough for a last book. My idea's probably a bit too egotistical/hits too close to home anyway.
All that said, it’s remarkable he was still able to produce books right to the end given how advanced his illness became.
Gods bless, Sir Terry.
My love of the series continued through high school and into my 20s, though something had changed at the turn of the century: Terry Pratchett had become respectable. He’d implemented chapters in his books AND begun writing Young Adult AND won a literary award – all things he’d never done before. The change began with The Amazing Maurice, which was anything but an amazing read. Still, Night Watch came out a year later, possibly the darkest Discworld book and a superb novel, and I thought things were back to normal.
Discworld is a series divided into characters: Rincewind, The Witches, The City Watch, and Death all had recurring stories, even Moist von Lipwig had a couple of books, with the rest of the numbers being made up with occasional one-offs. Then, following Night Watch, came the worst addition to the Discworld ever: the Nac Mac Feegles (6 inch tall blue Scottish warriors) in their first YA book, The Wee Free Men. Along with them came Tiffany Aching, a teenage witch who would become Granny Weatherwax’s apprentice.
Pratchett, it seemed, had become quite smitten with YA fiction (maybe because of the Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice?) and several Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle books appeared along with a standalone novel, Nation – all terrible! I still read the “grown-up” Discworld novels but, apart from Unseen Academicals, a gem which came out of nowhere, their quality was dipping and dipping.
I’ve tried twice to read Snuff and haven’t made it more than a third of the way through; I skipped I Shall Wear Midnight entirely (yet another Tiffany Aching novel) and I didn’t even crack the spine of Raising Steam. The quality issue was understandable – Pratchett was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s in 2007 – but I realised, sadly, Discworld was no longer for me.
And then Pratchett succumbed to his illness early this year followed by news that The Shepherd’s Crown was to be the last “official” Discworld novel (it’s rumoured his daughter Rhiannon will be continuing the series). Even though it’s a Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle book, I felt like I had to read the last Discworld book – I had to be there at the end of this place I used to love.
I so wish I could say this was a brilliant finale - really I would - but, sadly, The Shepherd’s Crown is as boring and unfunny as the other books in the Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle series and a poor addendum, not just to one of Discworld’s oldest and most beloved characters, but to Pratchett’s series as a whole.
“Something” happens to a major character – I won’t spoil anything in this review – very early on in the book before things shift back to Tiffany and her burgeoning career as a witch of The Chalk. But evil is stirring in the other realm as the Elves decide to reassert their power over the humans – the witches must unite to stop the invasion!
Unfortunately the novel peaks in the first 20% or so of the book where we see the touching end of said major character. From then on there’s hardly anything worth mentioning. The Elves talk big but don’t really do anything until the forces of good are assembled and organised enough to fight them, so that’s a tension-less storyline!
Discworld witches are sort of like country doctors and Tiffany spends most of her time zooming from farmhouse to farmhouse birthing babies, healing wounds, looking after sick animals, etc. Maybe if you’re an AJ Cronin fan you’ll love this, but chances are you’re thinking AJ who?! and the idea of reading about a healer healing is as uninteresting as you’d expect it to be – and this is the bulk of the book.
What I’ll generously call the “humour” is the Nac Mac Feegle calling Tiffany their “big wee hag” and the repeated mention of a goat who can use the privy. That’s it - a far cry from the comedy gold of earlier Discworld books.
Once again Pratchett’s banging the drum of social inclusivity and progressiveness, which is fine and I’m all for that, but he’s been doing that for years now and it’s no longer exciting to see happening in Discworld.
I’m glad I read the last Discworld book if only for closure but I’m disappointed at how bad it was. I think a better way to honour his memory is to read one of Pratchett’s great Discworld novels like Mort, Interesting Times, Guards! Guards!, or Wyrd Sisters, or, maybe for me, just be thankful that he provided so many hours of entertainment when I was a younger, different person. After all, maybe kids today love the Tiffany Aching books and if I was 11 again and picking these up, I’d be all about them? Maybe the Feegles’ cartoonish Scottish and incredibly irritating blather is hysterical to some readers?
I would’ve loved it if the final Discworld novel had nothing to do with Tiffany or the Feegles and was instead an epic team-up between Rincewind, Death, the Witches, and the City Watch to gather several far-flung ingredients spread out across the Disc in a race against time to save the life of a softly spoken elderly gentleman - the Creator - who was dying of a terrible sickness that was simultaneously “forgetting”/wiping out the world around them. Ah, well. I suppose the events at the start felt appropriately gloomy enough for a last book. My idea's probably a bit too egotistical/hits too close to home anyway.
All that said, it’s remarkable he was still able to produce books right to the end given how advanced his illness became.
Gods bless, Sir Terry.
Read
August 29, 2015The Shepherd's Crown brings to a close both Tiffany Aching's witch arc, and the Discworld as a whole. Like Raising Steam, it is about the arrival of a new era, and the fading of the old.
Sadly, like Raising Steam, it is not Pterry at his height. It starts powerfully, but the novel as a whole is a sketch, a half-finished painting, where events come and go without the emotional heights and depths that should accompany them. Particularly the arc of Nightshade, which should have been an extremely powerful one if there'd been more time and it had not been painted with such broad strokes.
But it still brings about the changing of the guard appropriately, and we can see the novel this was meant to be. [And all Discworld fans should read it for the major opening event, which is the strongest section of the book.]
I read my first Discworld in high school (my friend group was passing around the first two of the series around the time of release) and I've read them all since - the twice-yearly Pratchett, as regular as clockwork. There will never be another. But the Great A'Tuin swims onwards, and I am grateful for the journey.
Sadly, like Raising Steam, it is not Pterry at his height. It starts powerfully, but the novel as a whole is a sketch, a half-finished painting, where events come and go without the emotional heights and depths that should accompany them. Particularly the arc of Nightshade, which should have been an extremely powerful one if there'd been more time and it had not been painted with such broad strokes.
But it still brings about the changing of the guard appropriately, and we can see the novel this was meant to be. [And all Discworld fans should read it for the major opening event, which is the strongest section of the book.]
I read my first Discworld in high school (my friend group was passing around the first two of the series around the time of release) and I've read them all since - the twice-yearly Pratchett, as regular as clockwork. There will never be another. But the Great A'Tuin swims onwards, and I am grateful for the journey.
October 17, 2015
I cannot write a full review right now, as tears - of both sorrow and mirth - are still pouring down my cheeks. I shall write a full review, and it shall be the finest I have ever written. It will be a glowing tribute to a golden book by a man whose writing changed my life.
It was stunning, glorious and heartbreaking. A grand finale and a fitting swan song from one of the greatest writers of this -and the last- century.
GNU-TERRYPRATCHETT
UPDATE:
Here is my completed review. It was so fresh in my mind that I had to film it rather than write.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miD1a...
It was stunning, glorious and heartbreaking. A grand finale and a fitting swan song from one of the greatest writers of this -and the last- century.
GNU-TERRYPRATCHETT
UPDATE:
Here is my completed review. It was so fresh in my mind that I had to film it rather than write.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miD1a...
May 30, 2022
Sir Terry's last book and a highly enjoyable one. It's probably not as polished as he would have wanted, but it's still a lot better than many books that I've read.
Tiffany Aching is called to the bedside of Granny Weatherwax, to see that formidable woman to her grave. Tiff is sad and a bit worried. What will all the witches do without Mistress Weatherwax? It becomes obvious that she is expected to pick up the mantle, but she feels too young and inexperienced. (This happens to a lot of women, who've been informed by our society that we are “not enough" and shouldn't expect much respect.)
There's lots of good stuff here, including Geoffrey who wants to be a witch, not a wizard, thank you very much! And Tiffany realizes it's her call and she can't see why not. Things don't need to stay the same, in fact they're changing a lot. One thing that does remain is the Nac Mac Feegle and their kelda, Jeannie. They keep watch over their big wee hag and are there to fight when necessary (and often when it isn't).
I'm glad that I read Going Postal before this installment, as I knew a little about the railways, the clacks, and some of the cameo characters that would have meant nothing to me otherwise. It's sad to realize that there will be no more Discworld adventures. I'd like to think that Pratchett had plans for Tiffany and Preston, but I guess I'll never know for sure.
Tiffany Aching is called to the bedside of Granny Weatherwax, to see that formidable woman to her grave. Tiff is sad and a bit worried. What will all the witches do without Mistress Weatherwax? It becomes obvious that she is expected to pick up the mantle, but she feels too young and inexperienced. (This happens to a lot of women, who've been informed by our society that we are “not enough" and shouldn't expect much respect.)
There's lots of good stuff here, including Geoffrey who wants to be a witch, not a wizard, thank you very much! And Tiffany realizes it's her call and she can't see why not. Things don't need to stay the same, in fact they're changing a lot. One thing that does remain is the Nac Mac Feegle and their kelda, Jeannie. They keep watch over their big wee hag and are there to fight when necessary (and often when it isn't).
I'm glad that I read Going Postal before this installment, as I knew a little about the railways, the clacks, and some of the cameo characters that would have meant nothing to me otherwise. It's sad to realize that there will be no more Discworld adventures. I'd like to think that Pratchett had plans for Tiffany and Preston, but I guess I'll never know for sure.
Read
August 29, 2015Sigh. I'm not rating this. For many reasons, it makes no sense to think about this above all the other Discworld novels in that fashion. Best read as a basically unfinished but heroic sprint for the finish line.
September 14, 2015
Description: A SHIVERING OF WORLDS: Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.
This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.
As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.
There will be a reckoning. . .
Death and Granny Weatherwax talked and I felt a lump in my throat.Thank you for twenty-five years of fun, RIP Pterry.
5* Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
5* Nation
2-3* Johnny Maxwell trilogy
3* Strata
3* The Bromeliad Trilogy
3* The Dark Side of the Sun
4* Dodger
TR Short Stories (2012)
DNF The Long Earth
3* The Discworld Companion
3* The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1)
3* The Light Fantastic (Discworld, #2)
4* Equal Rites (Discworld, #3)
3* Mort (Discworld #4)
4* Sourcery (Discworld #5)
5* Wyrd Sisters (Discworld, #6)
3* Pyramids (Discworld, #7)
5* Guards! Guards! (Discworld #8)
3* Eric (Discworld, #9)
4* Moving Pictures (Discworld #10)
MISSING BOOK - Reaper Man (Discworld #11)
4* Witches Abroad (Discworld #12)
4* Small Gods (Discworld #13)
3* Lords and Ladies (Discworld #14)
5* Men at Arms (Discworld #15)
3* Soul Music (Discworld #16)
3* Interesting Times (Discworld #17)
4* Maskerade (Discworld #18)
3* Feet of Clay (Discworld #19)
5* Hogfather (Discworld, #20)
3' Jingo (Discworld #21)
MISSING BOOK - The Last Continent (Discworld #22)
3* Carpe Jugulum (Discworld #23)
3* The Fifth Elephant (Discworld #24)
3* The Truth (Discworld #25)
3* Thief of Time (Discworld #26)
MISSING BOOK - The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable (Discworld #27)
3* The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Discworld #28)
5* Night Watch (Discworld #29)
3* The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30) (Tiffany Aching #1)
2* Monstrous Regiment (Discworld #31)
4* A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld, #32) (Tiffany Aching #2)
4* Wintersmith (Discworld, #??) (Tiffany Aching #3)
5* Going Postal (Discworld #33)
5* Thud! (Discworld #34)
4* Wintersmith (Discworld, #35)
4* Making Money (Discworld #36)
3* Unseen Academicals (Discworld #37)
3* I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld, #38)
4* Snuff (Discworld, #39)
3* Raising Steam (Discworld, #40)
CR The Shepherd's Crown (Discworld, #41; Tiffany Aching, #5)
July 25, 2022
I actually find this quite a hard review to write. I also feel fortunate to be able to read and review Terry Pratchett's final Discworld book, The Shepherd's Crown. Certainly reading this brought both delight and sorrow for me.
Firstly I should probably address the "what's it about question" and the answer, as with all Pratchett books, is life and people because he was a very skilled observer of people. The fact that he takes our normal lives and then distorts it just a little (well - quite a lot sometimes!) is very skilful and his books always work on more than one level. There is the basic story. In this care Tiffany Aching, a powerful witch even if she does not feel it herself, is pitted against the malevolent power of the elves. So far so good and a perfectly good tale of good and bad & right and wrong (& some rather strange characters). However, on another level, it covers so many basic society issues. Life, ageing, death (yes "that one"), continuity and change (& some magic) are all there as is Pratchett's wonderful humour. It would be as easy to list previous characters who do not appear in this book even though the main focus are the witches.
I found the prologue lovely and it brings some inclining of events to come. I probably read the first 20 ish Discworld books and simply loved them; then life and other books intervened. I would not suggest this as a starter book for someone trying Terry Pratchett for the first time - an earlier book probably in the "witches" series would be better or the first Tiffany Aching - however it is a book that any Pratchett fan will wish to read and I'd be surprised if they didn't really enjoy it - it is Vintage Pratchett.
Digging a little deeper the story itself is fine. I'm not sure what age reader it will be best for though possibly young readers of all ages will find it enjoyable as with other Discworld books. However humour both gentle and barbed is a forte of Pratchett's work and you need to have done some living to get the most out of it. I particularly like the idea of the king going out to inspect "trouble"; the inspection would have consisted of saying "tsk, tsk" and "How long has this been going on" had his wife not had a word with him - just possibly this sort of thing might happen in our world as well as Discworld. For me this humour is something I've loved about Terry Pratchett's books for years, long before they became fashionable. I'll not reveal the importance of "pig-boring" as a calling - read the book you will find out and enjoy it.
Then the sadness. I'll close this with the closing line from the book - Tiffany says "The magic was already here" however a little of it has now sadly left our world but the legacy of these remarkable books will at least live on.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Firstly I should probably address the "what's it about question" and the answer, as with all Pratchett books, is life and people because he was a very skilled observer of people. The fact that he takes our normal lives and then distorts it just a little (well - quite a lot sometimes!) is very skilful and his books always work on more than one level. There is the basic story. In this care Tiffany Aching, a powerful witch even if she does not feel it herself, is pitted against the malevolent power of the elves. So far so good and a perfectly good tale of good and bad & right and wrong (& some rather strange characters). However, on another level, it covers so many basic society issues. Life, ageing, death (yes "that one"), continuity and change (& some magic) are all there as is Pratchett's wonderful humour. It would be as easy to list previous characters who do not appear in this book even though the main focus are the witches.
I found the prologue lovely and it brings some inclining of events to come. I probably read the first 20 ish Discworld books and simply loved them; then life and other books intervened. I would not suggest this as a starter book for someone trying Terry Pratchett for the first time - an earlier book probably in the "witches" series would be better or the first Tiffany Aching - however it is a book that any Pratchett fan will wish to read and I'd be surprised if they didn't really enjoy it - it is Vintage Pratchett.
Digging a little deeper the story itself is fine. I'm not sure what age reader it will be best for though possibly young readers of all ages will find it enjoyable as with other Discworld books. However humour both gentle and barbed is a forte of Pratchett's work and you need to have done some living to get the most out of it. I particularly like the idea of the king going out to inspect "trouble"; the inspection would have consisted of saying "tsk, tsk" and "How long has this been going on" had his wife not had a word with him - just possibly this sort of thing might happen in our world as well as Discworld. For me this humour is something I've loved about Terry Pratchett's books for years, long before they became fashionable. I'll not reveal the importance of "pig-boring" as a calling - read the book you will find out and enjoy it.
Then the sadness. I'll close this with the closing line from the book - Tiffany says "The magic was already here" however a little of it has now sadly left our world but the legacy of these remarkable books will at least live on.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
February 3, 2023
I knew I was going to cry while reading this book, from the moment I read the dedication. And I did. A lot. Reading it you get the feeling that the author knew it would be his last book, and pulled out all the stops to bring his readers closure and joy.
Pratchett is such a great loss to literature, he had so many more books in him - but then again, he has left behind such a brilliant body of work, and I look forward to re-reading it many more times.
*2018 re-read: Words fail me to describe how much I love this book. It is far better than I remembered.
*2023 re-read: yet again, better than I remembered. Not as perfect as Pratchett at the peak of his powers, but given the circumstances he faced while completing this book, it should be considered his greatest triumph. Survives particularly well if you read the whole Tiffany Aching series back to back, as keeping the brilliant earlier instalments fresh in your mind will help smooth over the few areas that feel a tad rushed or unpolished.
Pratchett is such a great loss to literature, he had so many more books in him - but then again, he has left behind such a brilliant body of work, and I look forward to re-reading it many more times.
*2018 re-read: Words fail me to describe how much I love this book. It is far better than I remembered.
*2023 re-read: yet again, better than I remembered. Not as perfect as Pratchett at the peak of his powers, but given the circumstances he faced while completing this book, it should be considered his greatest triumph. Survives particularly well if you read the whole Tiffany Aching series back to back, as keeping the brilliant earlier instalments fresh in your mind will help smooth over the few areas that feel a tad rushed or unpolished.
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