Almost six months after his death, the final novel by 66 year-old author Sir Terry Pratchett has been released.
The Shepherd's Crown, the 41st novel in his Discworld series, went on sale in the UK at midnight, and is due to be published in the US on 1 September. The Shepherd's Crown is the fifth Discworld novel to feature young witch Tiffany Aching.
The Shepherd's Crown, the 41st novel in his Discworld series, went on sale in the UK at midnight, and is due to be published in the US on 1 September. The Shepherd's Crown is the fifth Discworld novel to feature young witch Tiffany Aching.
Fans gathered for openings at stores in London, Oxford and Newcastle in the dark streets. More shops will open earlier than usual today.
But why the urgency? Are the author's stories so beloved?
The Discworld series, which started as an affectionate parody of fantasy novels, became a vast satire on modern life.
The author's friend Rob Wilkins read an extract to 200 ticket-holders last night at Waterstones in Piccadilly, central London.
He told BBC News: "It was a hard book to complete because Terry's health was declining in the last year. But he was still enjoying the writing. The book was about 90% finished by the time illness meant the author was forced to stop work. He wasn't able to polish it quite as he would have liked and there were a few ideas that he would have loved to have followed up on and he never got the opportunity."
As well as the midnight openings, shops elsewhere in the UK will have breakfast openings and some will host special readings during the day. Source: BBC.
But why the urgency? Are the author's stories so beloved?
The Discworld series, which started as an affectionate parody of fantasy novels, became a vast satire on modern life.
The author's friend Rob Wilkins read an extract to 200 ticket-holders last night at Waterstones in Piccadilly, central London.
He told BBC News: "It was a hard book to complete because Terry's health was declining in the last year. But he was still enjoying the writing. The book was about 90% finished by the time illness meant the author was forced to stop work. He wasn't able to polish it quite as he would have liked and there were a few ideas that he would have loved to have followed up on and he never got the opportunity."
As well as the midnight openings, shops elsewhere in the UK will have breakfast openings and some will host special readings during the day. Source: BBC.
Writing forty-one novels is a huge undertaking—one which any author would be proud to have accomplished. By the time readers had digested such a large quantity of reading material by the same author, they would be eager to follow further adventures of the characters. Perhaps they'll forgive the lack of quality, knowing the reason. To write sensibly while suffering from alzheimer's disease would stretch any author's mind.
Edith Parzefall and I co-wrote a series of four dystopian novels over the space of two years, and I carried on with a spin-off novel during the following year. I have plenty of ideas to continue the adventures of the wonderful characters. I hope I'll have the determination to continue after I finish my memoirs.
From what I read after peeking inside The Shepherd's crown, Terry Pratchett's writing is amazing.
Are you amongst those who are clamouring for the new release? Do you like books in a series?
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