Some days just suck [Caution - ABE alert - only click this link if you know what you are doing].
In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him. As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirize this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention.
Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely. Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come.
This has not been a good month for awesome people.
His twitter account confirms that DEATH paid him a visit:
"AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER."
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(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Geezer on Thursday March 12 2015, @03:41PM
That's it.
(Score: 1) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 12 2015, @04:30PM
Or as Kurt Vonnegut would have put it, "So it goes."
All good things must come to an end.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday March 12 2015, @05:26PM
Life is like a box of chocolates. The best ones always go first.
(Score: 2) by Ryuugami on Thursday March 12 2015, @07:06PM
That's why I always save the best ones for last.
Then, of course, my brother shows up and eats them.
If a shit storm's on the horizon, it's good to know far enough ahead you can at least bring along an umbrella. - D.Weber
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday March 13 2015, @12:34AM
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Thursday March 12 2015, @03:45PM
I somehow knew it would be his last book, so I'm taking my time and savoring it.
Goodbye, Mr. Pratchett.
(Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Thursday March 12 2015, @07:31PM
It's his last, and somehow appropriate: Discworld slowly developed, with the introduction of the clacks in "The Fifth Elefant", the resurrection of the post office and the invention of stamps in "Going Postal", a modern banking system in "Making Money" and, as a final act of Terry Pratchett, invention of the steam-engine and train. Also the magic drains out a bit. Somehow the locomotive concludes the development from magic+wishful thinking to a technically developed world.
It's not his best book, though. I have a feeling it shows that he got somehow tired, or maybe his illness did have some effect. Or maybe I was just prejudiced because I already suspected it might be his last book and felt some sadness while reading it. To me, the whole book felt like a good-bye and a conclusion of the discworld-story, and appropriately I finished reading it just last Tuesday evening.
For anyone not yet familiar with his works I'd probably recommend "Going Postal" or "Guard, Guards" as an introduction. A friend of mine to whom I recommended "Going Postal" told me, she was slightly embarrassed reading it in a Starbucks, because she couldn't stop herself laughing out loud several times ;-)
Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Thursday March 12 2015, @07:35PM
It is my personal opinion that Witches Abroad is the best starter book.
(Score: 1) by riT-k0MA on Friday March 13 2015, @06:39AM
I second the recommendation of Guards! Guards! as it was my first Pratchett.
(Score: 2) by gidds on Friday March 13 2015, @02:24PM
That's a good suggestion.
But my first one was Mort, and I think I'd suggest that. It's more straightforward (and shorter!) than most of the later ones, and has less backstory to refer to; but it's very colourful (as long as you count black as a colour), has a strong story, and sets the tone for nearly everything to come.
(I guess reading Discworld novels is like falling in love: your first one is always special.)
[sig redacted]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13 2015, @03:07PM
I just finished Raising Steam. It struck me as Terry's plot, but missing something from the skill in finer plot points and characterization that makes his writing superb. (I did enjoy it) I'm impressed that he managed at all, and really appreciate him giving us one more book.
(Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Friday March 13 2015, @03:15PM
That I second. I was hesitant to write my criticism, but I think praising his last book too high also does him a disservice. It was necessary as a conclusion to the whole discworld saga. A pit like an epilogue to the other books. I wouldn't skip the epilouge, and his works wouldn't be complete without it.
Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
(Score: 1) by Corelli's A on Thursday March 12 2015, @03:46PM
So... Alzheimer's embuggers us all?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by zugedneb on Thursday March 12 2015, @03:49PM
Death waited until the pen had stopped, and picked up the paper:
Death: BUT YOU ARE A MACHINE. THINGS HAVE NO DESIRES. A DOORKNOB WANTS NOTHING, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A COMPLEX MACHINE.
Hex: All Things Strive
"All Things Strive"... amazing, how much can be encompassed by 3 words...
old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Pr. L Muishkin on Thursday March 12 2015, @07:41PM
This has blown me away, I knew it was coming, I thought I was prepared, oh how wrong I am.
On visiting 'the other place' I found this awesome tribute by user of that site, Haelyn. It's not my work, I wish I was even half as good as this but I'm just an idiot.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Walzmyn on Friday March 13 2015, @12:27AM
Damnation.
I just teared up at a half page of FANFICTION!
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13 2015, @12:28AM
Hogfather is a very poignant book. Thank you, Sir Pterry.
--------------------------------------
“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
"So we can believe the big ones?"
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
"They're not the same at all!"
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"
MY POINT EXACTLY.”
--------------------------------------
(Score: 3) by DeathMonkey on Thursday March 12 2015, @03:51PM
This has not been a good month for awesome people.
No kidding. Sam Simon, one of the creators of The Simpsons, also died this week.
(Score: 4, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday March 12 2015, @03:52PM
Announcement on his twitter feed [twitter.com] read thus:
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.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday March 12 2015, @05:07PM
Yikes. Not afraid to admit that just made me tear up a little...
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 12 2015, @03:57PM
According to information we've gotten from members of the Invisible University, when learning about Sir Terry Pratchett's death, Great A'Tuin did stop for a minute on his way through space in order to commemorate his creator.
Also, we got a short note from Death, reading: WHEN I UNDERTOOK THE SAD TASK OF TAKING HIM WITH ME, I USED THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK HIM IN PERSON FOR MAKING ME SO AWESOME.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday March 12 2015, @05:29PM
Not just awesome, but a lot less scary.
If everyone shared Pratchett's view on their own unavoidable end, the world would be a more peaceful place.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday March 13 2015, @08:36AM
However, your comment is enormously insightful - it just stopped me in my tracks when I read it - indeed the world needs more people like that!
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 12 2015, @04:00PM
I would have liked to meet him and tell him that.
(Score: 2) by ticho on Thursday March 12 2015, @06:40PM
Me too, I think. Having read most of the Discworld books in my formative years, they did have a huge influence on who am I today, and I'm glad of it.
(Score: 1) by t-3 on Thursday March 12 2015, @07:23PM
Ditto. I wouldn't be who I am today if he hadn't opened my mind all those years ago when I first picked up one of his books.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13 2015, @12:30AM
I met him at a book signing in Launceston a long time ago. As he signed Feet of Clay I thanked him for creating the Disc whih spawned the Discworld MUD which made me into a far better person.
A very sad day. The world has lost one of the best of us.
Farewall Sir Terry
(Score: 5, Interesting) by q.kontinuum on Thursday March 12 2015, @04:18PM
I don't know how to put it. His personality, his worldviews (how they transpired in his books) helped me to be kinder to my environment, to take illogic views with kindness and irony rather than despair or arrogance, and to learn to accept that human emotions are hardly ever logical. I loved his books. I recommend "Science of the discworld" to any bright person who would listen.
Good bye to the best author I ever had the pleasure to discover.
And if anyone could recommend me another author featuring a similar style, I'd be very grateful indeed.
Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday March 12 2015, @09:52PM
Christopher Moore. Not quite as good but similar and well worth a read.
I also have to recommend Jim Butcher because I always recommend Jim Butcher.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Thursday March 12 2015, @10:08PM
Thanks, I will look out for him. Previously when I searched, I already found Neil Gaiman (the storys are much darker than those from Terry Pratchett, partially absurd, but IMO make a nice read as well. I found him because of "Good Omens" he wrote together with Terry Pratchett. Later I read "Neverwhere", which I liked a lot as well. Currently I read "American Gods") and Robert Aspren (who also wrote some funny stories, but his main character in both his books ended up being super-rich and the hero in nearly every aspect, which made the stories a bit flat to me. Nevertheless, a reasonable read. Unfortunately, Aspren is also dead.)
Any book from Moore you could specifically recommend for a first contact?
Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday March 12 2015, @10:19PM
Practical Demonkeeping. Most of the books set in that world are not series but they do feature characters from past books that you might miss a nuance or two from if you haven't read them.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Thursday March 12 2015, @10:35PM
Thanks a lot, I will give it a go. (I'm not actually expecting to find anything in Pratchetts league, but will be happy if the book provides some entertainment. As German online magazine spiegel.de put it:
"Gegen Umfang und Detailreichtum von Pratchetts Epos nimmt sich Mittelerde wie eine zweitklassige Serviettenskizze aus. Hinzu kommt, dass Pratchett überreichlich mit etwas gesegnet war, das J.R.R. Tolkien abging: Humor." [spiegel.de]
Roughly translated, it means: "Comparing the extent and the level of details, middle earth [lord of thr rings] looks like a quick sketch on a napkin. On top of that, Pratchett was blessed with something Tolkien missed: Humor."
Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 12 2015, @04:24PM
The first link causes ABE warning from noscript. Don't know if that's an issue.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 12 2015, @04:34PM
There's definitely something strange going on with this link:
So why does it try to go to 127.0.0.1 (that is, localhost)?
(Score: 2) by dltaylor on Thursday March 12 2015, @05:50PM
slashdotted, and hiding, I suspect.
The host is real.
# host www.pjsmprints.com
www.pjsmprints.com has address 82.165.87.74
# nslookup
> 82.165.87.74
Server: 209.18.47.61
Address: 209.18.47.61#53
Non-authoritative answer:
74.87.165.82.in-addr.arpa name = kundenserver.de.
Authoritative answers can be found from:
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 12 2015, @05:57PM
But a redirect to 127.0.0.1 is a strange way to "hide". On Slashdotting, I'd rather expect something on the lines of "503 Service Unavailable", or maybe "500 Internal Server Error"
(Score: 2) by Ryuugami on Thursday March 12 2015, @07:19PM
Seems to work fine now. Resolves OK, no warnings. In case it goes down again: a simple page, one photo of Terry Pratchet with the announcement below it.
It is with immeasurable sadness that we announce that author Sir Terry Pratchett has died at the age of 66.
Larry Finlay, MD at Transworld Publishers:
"I was deeply saddened to learn that Sir Terry Pratchett has died. The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds.
In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him. As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirize this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention.
Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely. Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come.
My sympathies go out to Terry's wife Lyn, their daughter Rhianna, to his close friend Rob Wilkins, and to all closest to him."
Terry passed away in his home, with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family on 12th March 2015. Diagnosed with PCA(1) in 2007, he battled the progressive disease with his trademark determination and creativity, and continued to write. He completed his last book, a new Discworld novel, in the summer of 2014, before succumbing to the final stages of the disease.
We ask that the family are left undisturbed at this distressing time.
All enquiries: Lynsey Dalladay, Publicist ldalladay@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk T: 0208 2316793 M: 07920 712543
A Just Giving page donating to the Research Institute to the Care of Older People (RICE) has been set up in his memory: https://www.justgiving.com/Terry-Pratchett [justgiving.com]
(1) Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a progressive degenerative condition involving the loss and dysfunction of brain cells, particularly at the back (posterior) of the brain. alzheimers.org.uk
Rest in peace, Sir Terry.
If a shit storm's on the horizon, it's good to know far enough ahead you can at least bring along an umbrella. - D.Weber
(Score: 1, Redundant) by The Archon V2.0 on Thursday March 12 2015, @04:27PM
That BBC article was OK, until someone started having a fit in the middle of typing his name:
"Did you ever meet Terry Practcheet? Share your memories with us."
Beeb, come on. I know your spell checkers don't do proper names but assign a proofreader to your social media department.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 12 2015, @04:52PM
Apparently they already fixed it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13 2015, @12:42AM
Sounds like the Indian spell checker for proper names.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by darkfeline on Thursday March 12 2015, @05:46PM
I guess I should post here offering my condolences in honor of a great human being. I don't really have a point to make, nor any clever or eloquent quip to present, just posting because I felt I should.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Thursday March 12 2015, @07:36PM
Me neither so I'll join you because his books made my life better.
Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))
(Score: 2) by MrNemesis on Thursday March 12 2015, @05:51PM
Terry was an utterly class act with a uniquely quirky way of looking at the world bested only by his ability in throwing words together to describe it with his trademark wry humour. A gentleman in every sense of the word. The world is a palpably sadder place today.
Condolences to Terry's family and friends who will miss him even more than his fans.
Incidentally, Terry made a superb documentary in 2011 about Choosing to Die [wikipedia.org]. Even if you weren't wild about his books it's an extremely touching (and controversial) view on how he and others have been forced to confront their early demise.
"To paraphrase Nietzsche, I have looked into the abyss and been sick in it."
(Score: 1) by WittyUserName on Thursday March 12 2015, @06:56PM
I knew it was coming, but too soon. A part of my life has passed, and a part that has stopped me going mad, sad and disastrous on many occasion. As somebody else pointed out I have had more fun with Terry Pratchett in bed than any other, and I have been married 15 years! So long my friend I will miss your forever. Condolences and best wishes to his family!
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Thursday March 12 2015, @09:39PM
'You're saying humans need ...fantasies to make life bearable.'
NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
'Tooth fairies? Hogfathers?'
YES - AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OFF LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
So we can believe the big ones?
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
--- from 'Hogfather' by Terry Pratchett
Thanks, pTerry, for giving us some better fantasies to practice believing in. They are so much funnier than the old ones we had, yet still wise.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 13 2015, @01:06AM
Outstanding choice of nick. I tip my hat to you.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13 2015, @10:54AM
"I am only a dev. Unless I'm talking about dev stuff, you're reading the personal views of just another user of this site"
I've just realised that your signature is a contradiction.
You can't only be a dev *and* just another user of the site. Either you are only a dev, only a user, or you are both (and therefore, cannot be "only" one or the other).
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 13 2015, @11:10AM
Dev means I write code for the site. If I'm not talking about that, I am speaking with and want no authority beyond that of any other user. That is what it means.
Yes, technically I have admin powers for emergency situations where a proper admin isn't handy and I could, for instance, block your ip or subnet. Leaving aside that this would get my admin powers revoked, it would also be like using cheat codes on a game. Sure it might sound fun but once you start the game quickly becomes boring.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1) by archfeld on Thursday March 12 2015, @11:20PM
I myself just finished Steam and will miss his unsurpassed sense of humor and genuine wit. God Bless you Sir Pratchett, it is sad to see him go at such a young age and in such a manner but we've, all of us that can read that is, have been blessed by his presence and his work.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 3, Touché) by Rivenaleem on Friday March 13 2015, @08:53AM
ook