Stories of Imagination


On March 12, 2015, one of my favorite authors died. On November 23, 2015, I finished reading the last book of his most famous series.

I'm a bit at a loss.

I'm speaking, of course, about the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett and his marvelous Discworld books, the last of which was published posthumously and I just finished reading it. There aren't going to be any more of them ever. I will never find out about Moist von Lipwig's next big challenge, or see if anyone ever tries to overthrow Lord Vetinari. I won't see Young Sam grow up or see Sam Vimes retire from the Watch. I won't know what happens with the witches, if Tiffany Aching and Preston finally settle down in the same place. It's all a bit devastating.

But, I can always go back and visit them. Terry Pratchett left behind great stories of imagination, one of the most lasting legacies one can have. I can always go back to the Disc and visit my friends, and there are 41 novels, so I can stay there as long as I want.

the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20
A great reading guide from Krzysztof Kietzman

Now, discworld is an intimidating series to start. There are 41 books! But, there are a couple of ways that you can approach the series. You can read them chonologically, starting with The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic or you can start with any of the starter novels in the lovely graphic provided by an avid Pratchett fan.

I read them (mostly) chronologically, because that's the way I roll, but you really don't have to. Discworld is more of a universe in which stories take place instead of just a series. They are hilarious and they poke fun at everything from commonly used fantasy tropes to racism. As Terry Pratchett said "G.K Chesterton once said that the opposite of 'funny' is not 'serious'; the opposite of 'funny' is 'not funny'..." And that rings very true in all of his writing.

Included in the purple blobs in the lovely graphic is my favorite series within Discworld, the Tiffany Aching books. Tiffany grew up reading fairy tales and knew she could never be a princess since she was practical, and had brown hair and brown eyes, so she decided to become a witch. The Shepherd's Crown, the very last Discworld book is a Tiffany Aching book, and it doesn't tie up loose ends or end happily ever after. That isn't Pratchett's style. It ends like stories end in real life, with tons of unanswered questions of where to go next.

Check out Terry Pratchett's Discworld series in Science Fiction on the first floor and the Tiffany Aching books in YA.

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