Terry Pratchett passed away

[Ivo]

I'm very sad about this. I knew he had Alzheimer's but I thought he was going to last a few more years. He was 66.

He is probably my favorite writer.

[Stark]

I posted in the smile/frown thread, I too thought he was a great writer and I loved his work. He'll be missed.

[Thierry Henry]

“No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away...”


My grandfather suffered the scourge of dementia and Alzheimer's, so I have some understanding of the "grimness" of this. There is no dignity in this whatsoever. Just seems so sad that a brilliant mind should suffer so ill an end.

[Pulsar_t]

I know a woman who is gutted by this. I barely read a book by the man, but he seemed to be well-loved.

[Luke]

Take comfort in the fact that we here at Racketboy donate to Alzheimer's research as a team as well as individuals.

And his passing was for the better. As my Grandmother once said "When you pray for the ill, pray the angels take them swiftly".

[wclem]

I am currently in the middle of the Disc World series. Wow they are great. Sad, very sad.....

[Key-Glyph]

I've been ruminating on the eventuality of Pratchett's death ever since he was diagnosed, because he has been my favorite author for an incredible number of years. Discworld is huge to me, my husband, and my best friend. The man was brilliant. It can't be overstated.

One of the wonderful things about Pratchett is how he kept the upper hand with humor. He did once point out that his Alzheimer's couldn't actually "win," because if it did kill him, he would be taking it down with him at the same time. Fantastic.

He was also an outspoken advocate of a patient's right to die, and talked about how he wasn't afraid to recognize when he'd had enough and wanted to pass on. Whether or not you agree with his views, the fact that he held them makes me reasonably sure he did not live a day more than he wanted to, and there's something comforting about that.

[Key-Glyph]

[dsheinem]

I've never read any Pratchett.

I do own Discworld (PS1).

Where should I start?

[BogusMeatFactory]

I've never read any Pratchett.

I do own Discworld (PS1).

Where should I start?

I have read quite a few books in the series, relying on whatever titles my local library had and found you can really start anywhere. I noticed that the books I picked ended up being backwards chronologically, which was somewhat interesting.

Some of the books follow a particular character for a few titles, like the Watch or Death.

I looked up a nice reading order for you which can help.