One of the authors that my tastes have expanded to in the last few years is Terry Pratchett and his extraordinary creation, Discworld. I'd been leaving science fiction and fantasy alone for a while, something which I will explain in a post of its own someday, but I was encouraged to give Pratchett a try as it was so different to most of what I had encountered before. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the first book and have continued to devour the books in rapid succession. I'm now well into the series and very much enjoying the varied Discworld tales, often as light relief from the theology books and the extremely heavy early twentieth-century novels I'm into currently.
Pratchett, who became Sir Terry in 2009, was born in 1948 and from an early age used his lively imagination to write stories, even having some of them published. Headed towards being a journalist, he continued to write and be published while otherwise employed and it was only after a stint as a press officer that he wrote the first Discworld novel, The Colour Of Magic, which came out in 1983. By the time the fourth Discworld novel came out in 1987 Pratchett was a full-time author. He continued to create Discworld novels at a rate of about two a year, with forty being the current total as of April 2015. In 2007 Pratchett was diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimers, which seriously affected his writing, although he continued to write books and collaborate with other authors until his death on March 12, 2015.1
Terry Pratchett's creative genius is evident even from the early stories he published as a teenager. In 'The Hades Business' (A Blink Of The Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction, Corgi Books, 2012), written by an eleven year old Pratchett, the beginnings of what would become Discworld are already present. Thus, in addition to the 'canon' of Discworld novels, I can heartily recommend his early fiction and other works, including collaborations with other authors. Good Omens in particular, which was written with Neil Gaiman, is well worth a read.
As flights of fantasy and the height of whimsy as well as comic commentaries on the world the Discworld novels are still very easy to read, fairly short and quite manageable for many reading levels. The prose is likewise accessible and engaging, while also being very witty and well-written, with many jokes and small details which make the books an interesting and hilarious read for readers of many different strengths and backgrounds. In addition, to the reader familiar with British culture and history, there are many extra details which betray the author's skill and brilliance with comic prose. Pratchett's characters are also more well-rounded and better represented that in some fantasy books, especially as a character can appear in more that one book due to the sheer number of volumes in the series.
Although the prose is not difficult and the fantasy element may be considered childish by some, the Discworld books are not for the very young, as the comic reference and comment on culture and society side of things can be both a little complex and perhaps more mature than, say, C.S Lewis. The books are probably best enjoyed when one has seen a little of the world and can begin to poke fun at it. In addition, many of the subjects commented upon, such as Death, or systems of government, or policing, need some prior understanding in order for the comic element to be best encountered. That being said, there is some considerable depth to the Discworld books and they stand up to multiple readings quite well.
1
Biographical information drawn from the BBC, Guardian, and Telegraph online obituaries and memorial articles.
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