Paul reviewed Terry Pratchett : a Life with Footnotes by Rob Wilkins
A must-read for fans of Pratchett
4 stars
Despite being a fan of fantasy and puns, I came to most of Pratchett's works (especially Discworld) later in life, mostly after his self-described 'embuggerance'. Fortunately there are no major spoilers in this book, which is mostly about how Pratchett reached the giddy heights of the UK's bestselling author (until Rowling came around... don't mention it). Mercifully it doesn't fall into the trap of meticulously detailing every aspect of his childhood - probably because the author (his long-time assistant) wasn't there for it.
What we end up with is a very moving tribute to an author who continues to entertain millions (and, very thoughtfully, produced two books a year, thus sorting out birthday and Christmas presents for his fans). It's 90% humour, tinged with 10% sadness at the end.
If you are a fan of Pratchett, you will definitely want to read this, but I think there's also plenty here …
Despite being a fan of fantasy and puns, I came to most of Pratchett's works (especially Discworld) later in life, mostly after his self-described 'embuggerance'. Fortunately there are no major spoilers in this book, which is mostly about how Pratchett reached the giddy heights of the UK's bestselling author (until Rowling came around... don't mention it). Mercifully it doesn't fall into the trap of meticulously detailing every aspect of his childhood - probably because the author (his long-time assistant) wasn't there for it.
What we end up with is a very moving tribute to an author who continues to entertain millions (and, very thoughtfully, produced two books a year, thus sorting out birthday and Christmas presents for his fans). It's 90% humour, tinged with 10% sadness at the end.
If you are a fan of Pratchett, you will definitely want to read this, but I think there's also plenty here for anyone who is interested in writing or fantasy.
