Terry Pratchett is dead

[Snarky]

Terry Pratchett has died. It sometimes feels arbitrary to pick out one particular person's passing to memorialize, but I know a lot of AGSers are fans of his.

I discovered Discworld as a teenager, looking for something in the vein of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It delivered that, and more! (Incidentally, like the famous HHGTTG text adventure, Pratchett's universe was adapted into a series of classic adventure games, and Discworld Noir directly influenced the Blackwell series, among others.) It was one of the first online communities I experienced: I read the alt.fan.pratchett newsgroup before I was even online, downloading new posts off a library or friend's computer to read at home. At university I had the opportunity to meet him at a signing - my friends and I ended up being the last people allowed in line, and we didn't reach the front until an hour after the event was supposed to end. He was tired and a little grumpy, as you might imagine, so we only briefly expressed our appreciation.

Terry Pratchett was a smart guy who cared about big issues, and that intelligence and those concerns increasingly made their way into his books. Beyond that, there's a fundamental decency expressed throughout his work, often in the form of righteous anger. However, for as much as fans often like to dwell on the "depth" of the Discworld novels, above anything else they are, at their best, an unbeatable combination of well-developed fantasy and very funny writing. For many years, going into the bookstore to find a new Discworld novel was a certain treat. (He also wrote a few other books, among which I would highlight Nation as well as Good Omens, co-authored with Neil Gaiman.) I was sad to see the quality start to (IMO) flag in recent years, particularly as it seemed hard not to link it with his 2007 Alzheimer diagnosis.

Pratchett argued for the right to assisted suicide in the face of a condition such as his, but although his struggles are now over, this is still a sad day. RIP Terry.

"In the Ramtops village where they dance the real Morris dance, for example, they believe that no-one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away - until the clock he wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested.  The span of someone's life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence." (posted on afp)

[Andail]

Lovely eulogy, Snarky, and you beat me to it.
We probably all have some kind of relation to Pratchett, if indirectly.
I remember Disc World for its insane difficulty, which would make modern players weep profusely.

[Ghost]

Pratchett is directly responsible for me becoming interested in learning English, and I've enjoyed the Discworld books from their oddball beginnings right to the last one.
He also made me laugh and smile at a regular basis. It saddens me that he's gone. He was just awesome, not just funny but so witty and nice about it. Reading his best books was like watching a master craftsman, and even the simpler ones just clicked with style.

I tip my hat to the man.

And seriously,  "AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER."
That's classic. That's style. Makes me weep.

[Lasca]

His passing moved me more then I could have imagined. I haven't ready any of his books for atleast 10-12 years, but he was such a big part of my adolescense and childhood. He made my life easier and better in so many ways. I really feel a sense of loss. And that I miss him. The world is a little less fun.

[Anian]

Just today at work I was talking to a co-worker and he mentioned something I recognized as a Discworld reference...then I got into talking about Discworld and remembered how much I liked those crazy stories and how Good omens is one of my favourite books ever. I mean damn it, the man was only 66 years old...just, damn it.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaiman

[DBoyWheeler]

His memory will live on in Discworld and his other great works. 

[Radiant]

Sad news indeed!

[Retro Wolf]

From Terry Pratchett's twitter:

AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER.

Terry took Death's arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.

The End.

I discovered Terry Pratchett on a caravan holiday at the age of 12, I found a copy of Mort and was soon engrossed with the magical land of Discworld. Since then I've read many of his works, played the games on Playstation.
Thanks for the laughs and the magic Sir Terry!

[CaptainD]

A great loss to the literary world - although it could be argued that from a purely literary point of view, sadly the early-onset Alzheimer's dementia created that loss even before TP's death.

I went through a stage spanning a few years where I literally could not wait for another Discworld novel to come out, though some of his others - Nation has already been mentioned, and one could also make mention of the Bromeliad trilogy, Strata and The Dark Side of the Sun  - were great reads.  I think for my all-time favourite Discworld novel it's more or less a tie between The Truth and Nightwatch, with perhaps Thief of Time just behind.  Though the shallower novels like Moving Pictures and Soul Music were also great reads (and if you get the chance to see the animated series of Soul Musid, I would recommend doing so).  Then there are of course the games and TV movie adaptations (though I find the casting of David Jason as Rincewind baffling).

RIP Terry, your creations will live on.

[monkey424]

I have fond memories of the Discworld games and the handful of books I read.

Great English humour.

RIP Terry.

[WRK]

Terry Pratchett gave my childhood dragons, turtles, magic and humour
and for that I salute him.



You will be missed, Sir.

[Atelier]

That's beautiful WRK I've seen several interviews with him, and the documentary he did about living with Alzheimer's. Came across as a very nice man.

If I'm honest I only read the first half of The Colour of Magic, but loved every page. Time to pick it up again I think!

[Mandle]

I hope he's having a cuppa with Douglas Adams somewhere.

[Haggis]

He may be gone but we will always be able to visit him in the Discworld.

@WRK - that truly is beautiful.

[Fitz]

As adventure gamers, at least some of us played the Discworld games. That's how I found out about this brilliant writer and started looking for his books -- which, sadly, at the time were nowhere to be found in my neck of the woods. But then I went to London and spent half my pocket money on Eric, Truckers, Diggers and Strata (and the other half went to my visit to the Sega World) -- and I've been a fan ever since. In recent years I've drifted away from the comedy fantasy genre and into weird fiction and futuristic dystopias -- and I always preferred those of Pratchett's stories that used modern settings (like Good Omens, the Bromeliad and Johnny books) or modern themes (Moving Pictures or Soul Music), but even books I didn't love I still appreciated for all those brilliant little touches. It was his prose that made me want to pursue writing (only to discover he's written about anything and everything I wanted to -- and better!). Aaaaaand were it not for Sir Terry's books, I would've never met my girlfriend (and my Official Muse). That's the magic of great literature.

[Grim]

I was a fan, as well... Same as many of you who posted already, I looked forward to every new Discworld book. My favourite were the City Guards ones, about captain Vimes, but I loved them all, really.

I am so sad that he died but it's good to see so much love for him everywhere. He totally deserves it.

[AprilSkies]

I'm also so sad that he died. He was brilliant. It's a pity when someone so brilliant goes.

@WRK: that is great!!!!! I wish it was a game!

[ThreeOhFour]

Terry Pratchett was a bloody good writer, and his body of work is massive beyond belief. The fact that he wrote so much is a real blessing to those of us who love his words.

I'll still miss him.

[Grok]

He was one of the very best...

[ManicMatt]

I'm not a book reader, but I own all three Discworld games on PS1 and the three DVDs!