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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
Cathartic... with tears in my eyes.
... mind how you go...
... mind how you go...
This was not how I wanted Diskworld to end. Yes, it was better in my mind than Raising Steam, but it is so clearly just the outline, the first draft, of whar Terry might have ultimately produced that it feels like the echo of a Diskworld book rather than a true one. But it is an ending, and a good one, and for that we can all be grateful. He cleaned the hut, polished all the brass and silver, and gave us one last chance to say goodbye.
When I heard that Sir Terry Pratchett was ending the Discworld series on another Tiffany book, I was a bit disappointed, because I loved "..I Shall Wear Purple," and I thought it was the perfect note to end her story arc on.
I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.
I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.
I haven't rated anything a 5 in a while but this deserves it. Thank you, Terry Pratchett. We miss you and will continue to do so, as became painfully clear around page 20. I admit I was reluctant to read this since Raising Steam was such a disappointment. I tried twice and just couldn't get through it - too bloated and ...something I could never quite put a name to. But it feels like you took all of the joy that you once got from the whole of Discworld and put it into the Tiffany Aching series over the last decade. Whoever wrote the bulk of this, you or your wife, you deserve accolades. Tiffany has grown up. The world condensed in the right way. The conclusion of the characters felt right - some go on, some end, all had their say. Much like the end of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we know that Tiffany and others will continue to have their adventures and challenges, but will be all right in the end. Thank you for the words. And thank you for putting and end to the Discworld emphatically so no one else tries to put their mark on your world.
Once again, a reread for me. Lives up to the previous stories no matter how much of it Pratchett himself wrote. Lovely conclusion.
Once again, a reread for me. Lives up to the previous stories no matter how much of it Pratchett himself wrote. Lovely conclusion.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It isn't usual for me to take so long to finish a book of this length but then again, the circumstances were different. What started off almost a year ago and spanned 41 books naturally ends up becoming a part of your life and so it became exceptionally tough when it came to the last. It also became tough when you realise that the book was finished hastily, that the author wished to write more, but could not as he succumbed to his illness.
41 books sound a lot, a big commitment, but I don't regret a single minute spent immersing myself into this world, and its wonderful characters.
Someday if I own a bookshelf, these books shall definitely adorn its space.
41 books sound a lot, a big commitment, but I don't regret a single minute spent immersing myself into this world, and its wonderful characters.
Someday if I own a bookshelf, these books shall definitely adorn its space.
+1 star because of that one chapter in which the writing became lucidly, richly, powerfully Sir Terry again, the chapter where Tiffany claims Granny Weatherwax's cottage, and is chosen by the bees.
Otherwise you can tell this was a sad strung together, shambolic mannequin, with lines like "and then the queen fell down dead!" (and not ironically).
Perhaps the point is we can see the imperfection of this last piece: all the stitches and seams. I think on a smoother alternative, of perhaps a ghostwriter employed to mimic Pratchett's tone so flawlessly that we would never realize what happened. Perhaps this roughness, the stilted dialogue and out-of-character characterizations was part of signalling: "here is the last breath".
I don't know. I think Tiffany's story would have worked fine, would have stood well alone without this last book. I wonder if it was Pratchett's wish to have published this evidently unpolished, soulless, zombie piece, or whether it was simply a publisher's attempt to squeeze one last book from scraps and sketched drafts, then sell it cynically (but profitably) as PRATCHETT'S LAST BOOK, as was so regularly mentioned.
All this book was to rehearse the same structures and characters we had come to love - but in agonizingly contrived and clumsy ways.
I continued reading because I thought perhaps it got better, perhaps it would be better to "honour" a writer's memory by reading to the end; on this front, with this book, I was wrong. It got better for a moment, and then it just continued to decline. I feel sad for Pratchett. I'm not sure he would have wanted his characters finished this way.
By far and away the worst Discworld "novel"; I'm not even sure this counts or qualifies as Pratchett's, or the Publisher's.
Otherwise you can tell this was a sad strung together, shambolic mannequin, with lines like "and then the queen fell down dead!" (and not ironically).
Perhaps the point is we can see the imperfection of this last piece: all the stitches and seams. I think on a smoother alternative, of perhaps a ghostwriter employed to mimic Pratchett's tone so flawlessly that we would never realize what happened. Perhaps this roughness, the stilted dialogue and out-of-character characterizations was part of signalling: "here is the last breath".
I don't know. I think Tiffany's story would have worked fine, would have stood well alone without this last book. I wonder if it was Pratchett's wish to have published this evidently unpolished, soulless, zombie piece, or whether it was simply a publisher's attempt to squeeze one last book from scraps and sketched drafts, then sell it cynically (but profitably) as PRATCHETT'S LAST BOOK, as was so regularly mentioned.
All this book was to rehearse the same structures and characters we had come to love - but in agonizingly contrived and clumsy ways.
I continued reading because I thought perhaps it got better, perhaps it would be better to "honour" a writer's memory by reading to the end; on this front, with this book, I was wrong. It got better for a moment, and then it just continued to decline. I feel sad for Pratchett. I'm not sure he would have wanted his characters finished this way.
By far and away the worst Discworld "novel"; I'm not even sure this counts or qualifies as Pratchett's, or the Publisher's.
A beautiful final book from Terry Pratchett. The witches are my favorite and this one doesn't disappoint.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved some of the other Tiffany Aching books more, but this was a lovely last gift from dear Sir Terry. Great addition to the series.