He will be missed so much ... he was next up to Carlin ... RIP. I just don't know what to say. I grew up with his books and have reread everything more than 5 times ...
Small gods is still one of the best books ever written ...
Only if the copper creates a contiguous channel around you. If you wore armour like say the old Greek breastplate-and-shinguards, there's a lot of space to travel with no copper conduit. Likewise the helmet may not be in contact with any of the other armour, so the next port of call for the electron stream is your scalp...
I don't know. The armor is a bit too close to the skin for comfort. There will be quite a bit of heat dissipated, to say nothing of purely mechanical shockwaves and deafening noise.
'Oh, that's the Adjustable Device for Winning Ontological Arguments,' said Shawn.
'The King asked for it.'
'Works, does it?'
'Er . . . if you twiddle it properly.'
In case anyone hasn't seen it, Terry Pratchett helped make a documentary, "Choosing to Die", about (and eloquently defending) assisted suicide: https://vimeo.com/105168003
I've yet to see any reports saying this was such a death, but he's been dealing with Alzheimer's for some time now. At any rate, it sounds like he died in a dignified and comfortable manner, as he deserves.
If he died at home, it's unlikely to be as it is, unfortunately, still illegal in Britain. Switzerland is the key location where most British people go for assisted suicide.
In the BBC report it does say that this was not the case, however given that it is illegal in the UK it would be best not to make an issue over it for the sake of his family. the alternative of going to switzerland means not dying with your family around you for fear of them being prosecuted on their return to the UK.
It is with immeasurable sadness that we announce that author Sir Terry Pratchett has died at the age of 66.
Larry Finlay, MD at Transworld Publishers:
"I was deeply saddened to learn that Sir Terry Pratchett has died. The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds.
In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him. As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirize this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention.
Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely. Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come.
My sympathies go out to Terry's wife Lyn, their daughter Rhianna, to his close friend Rob Wilkins, and to all closest to him."
Terry passed away in his home, with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family on 12th March 2015. Diagnosed with PCA1 in 2007, he battled the progressive disease with his trademark determination and creativity, and continued to write. He completed his last book, a new Discworld novel, in the summer of 2014, before succumbing to the final stages of the disease.
We ask that the family are left undisturbed at this distressing time.
1. Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a progressive degenerative condition involving the loss and dysfunction of brain cells, particularly at the back (posterior) of the brain. alzheimers.org.uk
Thanks Sir Terry! Your books are a comfort to me and you can just add me to the list of fans world-wide whose lives are just that bit richer for your being here. Nicely done.
I prefer not to think of human death as a loss. Rather, think of all we have gained from his life. He left us with many books to remember him by. I have lost nothing from his death. I have gained from his life. The stoics encourage us not to ask what we have lost when someone has died, but what we have gained.
I think we gained something incredible over a short time.
Nobody lives forever. What Terry Pratchett has given to us will live longer than any person. I'm not sad that he has died. Everyone who is born dies, and there's an infinite number of potential people who are never born. What is important is that we live, and while we live some of us do extraordinary things.
I'm reading Guards! Guards! to my 2-year old right now, a section each night. She gets me to turn to the inside cover to look at the picture of the "man". I tell her that that's Mr. Pratchett. She calls him "Mister Patchett" because she has trouble with that R. She likes to pretend she's a dragon. She will say "dragon needs her socks on". She talks about the "little tiny dragon Errol". Every night she comes and gets me before bed and asks me to read a story.
Tonight I'll read this to her again. I'm not going to tell her that he has died. She won't understand, and it's not important to her. She will still get excited to read the story. She will still look at the picture of the man. I'll still tell her it's Mr. Pratchett. She'll still be excited to pretend to be a dragon. She'll still want me to read another book when it's done, we're very near the end. She'll still learn a lot from him.
While there won't be any new books written by him, the ones in our collection won't go away. He will continue to help her get excited to read, to give her funny stories, to make her think about the world in a different way. For her, today will be no different than yesterday or the day before.
By the time she's finished reading through our collection and wants to know why there's no new books, if from nowhere else, she will have learned from him about death. She will have learned in a funny and non-threatening way. But she will heave learned nonetheless. We can talk about him at that point, but I'd rather not lament what we've lost, because claiming we've lost something is claiming ownership, like saying we deserved him, or that it was our right to have books written by him. We've lost nothing, because we didn't have him to start with. But we have gained a lot that he has decided to give the world.
So I don't want to lament his passing. I want to thank him for the things he has given us. I'm not sad there will be no more, I'm happy that he gave us these gifts to begin with.
My mum accidentally introduced me to Pratchett when she brought home Truckers, I was at the age where she would still read to me, but I would also push ahead on my own. If you're looking where to go next with your 2-year old, I'd recommend that trilogy.
While beautiful, I need to know - how do you get a 2 year old to sit still to listen to "Guards! Guards!"? (or any book without ridiculous pictures, for that matter)
RIP. He brought so much food for thought, smiles and brutal social criticism. It is immeasurable loss for humanity. He was probably one of the greatest humanists ever to live ;(
In a hundred years we'll all be dead, but here and now, we are alive.” - Brutha, Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett.
We all knew this day would come, but it doesn't make it any easier.
Pterry created some of my favourite characters in the literary world. Nany Ogg, the witch who's keen on drink and singing (The wizards staff has a knob on the end), The Igors and Igorinas, Conina the barbarian hairdresser, DEATH, Nobby Nobbs, the luggage, ... .
‘Goodbye,’ Mort said, and was surprised to find a lump in
his throat. ‘It’s such an unpleasant word, isn’t it?’
QUITE SO. Death grinned because, as has so often been
remarked, he didn’t have much option. But possibly he
meant it, this time.
I PREFER AU REVOIR, he said.
So, goodbye, Sir Terry; or at least let's hope it's just au revoir.
One of the nice things about working from home is no one notices you crying at your desk. :-(
====
LORD, WE KNOW THERE IS NO GOOD ORDER EXCEPT THAT WHICH WE CREATE...
Azrael's expression did not change.
AND THERE IS NO HOPE BUT US. THERE IS NO MERCY BUT US. THERE IS NO JUSTICE. THERE IS JUST US.
The dark, sad face filled the sky.
ALL THINGS THAT ARE, ARE OURS. BUT WE MUST CARE. FOR IF WE DO NOT CARE, WE DO NOT EXIST. IF WE DO NOT EXIST, THEN THERE IS NOTHING BUT BLIND OBLIVION.
AND EVEN OBLIVION MUST END SOME DAY. LORD, WILL YOU GRANT ME JUST A LITTLE TIME? FOR THE PROPER BALANCE OF THINGS. TO RETURN WHAT WAS GIVEN. FOR THE SAKE OF PRISONERS AND THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS.
Death took a step backwards.
It was impossible to read expression in Azrael's features.
Death glanced sideways at the servants.
LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?
I'm sorry, I think I accidentally downvoted your comment as the tap targets are so small. Now Its slightly grey and the triangles have gone, what do I do??
"Good bye" is a contraction of "God be with ye (you)", which isn't quite so abrupt. "Au revoir", literally, "until (we) see again".
Similar to "Hasta manyana" (until later), or "bis später" (same), Spanish and German, or "zài jiàn" ("see (you) again", Mandarin Chinese) . Farewells (literally, "fare thee well", be well) in many languages share similar attributes.
I think "auf wiedersehen" is the same as au revoir, no? re-voir is to "re-see". I'm familiar with this contraction from Italian arrivederci - a (to/towards) ri- (again) veder (to see) ci (we) - "till we see eachother again".
Right. I wasn't necessarily contrasting the primary parting phrases in various languages, but showing the similarities of many with equivalent varients in others.
Sayounara is more used for a very long, possibly indefinite goodbye, which accounts for the more wistful translation (similar to "farewell"). The more commonly used form is some form of mata, which means 'again', more in line with the parent's examples.
In contrast to "au revoir", the French expression for a final parting is "adieu". This is a shortening of of "a Dieu vous comant" ("I commend you to God"). In a sense, this is the opposite of "goodbye", at least in the implied direction of divine intercession.
This hits hard. Pratchett has been a constant in my life ever since I picked up my first Discworld book at 13. I'll be reading "Guards, Guards!" tonight in memory of him while eating a hot meat pie of questionable origin.
I see you're downvoted, but you're right. The lack of quotes around Death's words was characteristic. Death didn't "speak", his words just existed, imperial, in the narrative :)
That and the, well, rather more down-to-earth reasoning that his words were set in small caps and so were easily distinguishable from the rest of the text.
Wow, it was only a few years ago I recall him joining our university as creative writing lecturer. He was very well received here in Dublin by both staff and students.
I thought he'd have another five or ten years lecturing before kicking the bucket. 66 seems a little young.
233 comments
[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 148 ms ] threadGot a screenshot of the site, though: http://i.imgur.com/Ui09H2y.jpg
Small gods is still one of the best books ever written ...
RIP
Lightning rods and their cables also get wet, and are touching the building, which is also wet.
I love Small Gods :-(
"It only kills monsters" - Susan, on why her poker passes right through Death.
One more reason to regret him passing.
RIP, thank you for the perspective.
I saw his movie on assisted suicide. I hope he left us with no regrets. RIP
https://twitter.com/terryandrob/status/576036599047258112
https://twitter.com/terryandrob
I've yet to see any reports saying this was such a death, but he's been dealing with Alzheimer's for some time now. At any rate, it sounds like he died in a dignified and comfortable manner, as he deserves.
It is with immeasurable sadness that we announce that author Sir Terry Pratchett has died at the age of 66.
Larry Finlay, MD at Transworld Publishers:
"I was deeply saddened to learn that Sir Terry Pratchett has died. The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds.
In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him. As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirize this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention.
Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely. Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come.
My sympathies go out to Terry's wife Lyn, their daughter Rhianna, to his close friend Rob Wilkins, and to all closest to him."
Terry passed away in his home, with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family on 12th March 2015. Diagnosed with PCA1 in 2007, he battled the progressive disease with his trademark determination and creativity, and continued to write. He completed his last book, a new Discworld novel, in the summer of 2014, before succumbing to the final stages of the disease.
We ask that the family are left undisturbed at this distressing time.
All enquiries: Lynsey Dalladay, Publicist ldalladay@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk T: 0208 2316793 M: 07920 712543
A Just Giving page donating to the Research Institute to the Care of Older People (RICE) has been set up in his memory: https://www.justgiving.com/Terry-Pratchett
1. Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a progressive degenerative condition involving the loss and dysfunction of brain cells, particularly at the back (posterior) of the brain. alzheimers.org.uk
Read http://www.lspace.org/books/pqf/ if you want a quick reminder of what we have lost.
Goodbye Terry, you will be remembered fondly.
I think we gained something incredible over a short time.
Nobody lives forever. What Terry Pratchett has given to us will live longer than any person. I'm not sad that he has died. Everyone who is born dies, and there's an infinite number of potential people who are never born. What is important is that we live, and while we live some of us do extraordinary things.
I'm reading Guards! Guards! to my 2-year old right now, a section each night. She gets me to turn to the inside cover to look at the picture of the "man". I tell her that that's Mr. Pratchett. She calls him "Mister Patchett" because she has trouble with that R. She likes to pretend she's a dragon. She will say "dragon needs her socks on". She talks about the "little tiny dragon Errol". Every night she comes and gets me before bed and asks me to read a story.
Tonight I'll read this to her again. I'm not going to tell her that he has died. She won't understand, and it's not important to her. She will still get excited to read the story. She will still look at the picture of the man. I'll still tell her it's Mr. Pratchett. She'll still be excited to pretend to be a dragon. She'll still want me to read another book when it's done, we're very near the end. She'll still learn a lot from him.
While there won't be any new books written by him, the ones in our collection won't go away. He will continue to help her get excited to read, to give her funny stories, to make her think about the world in a different way. For her, today will be no different than yesterday or the day before.
By the time she's finished reading through our collection and wants to know why there's no new books, if from nowhere else, she will have learned from him about death. She will have learned in a funny and non-threatening way. But she will heave learned nonetheless. We can talk about him at that point, but I'd rather not lament what we've lost, because claiming we've lost something is claiming ownership, like saying we deserved him, or that it was our right to have books written by him. We've lost nothing, because we didn't have him to start with. But we have gained a lot that he has decided to give the world.
So I don't want to lament his passing. I want to thank him for the things he has given us. I'm not sad there will be no more, I'm happy that he gave us these gifts to begin with.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Press-Here-Herve-Tullet/dp/081187954...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0141361786
https://fengshuininjas.bandcamp.com/track/livin-every-dae-as...
You are raising this girl properly.
(I may be biased: I'm a forty-three year old woman with dragon wings tattooed across the backs of her arms.)
In a hundred years we'll all be dead, but here and now, we are alive.” - Brutha, Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett.
Pterry created some of my favourite characters in the literary world. Nany Ogg, the witch who's keen on drink and singing (The wizards staff has a knob on the end), The Igors and Igorinas, Conina the barbarian hairdresser, DEATH, Nobby Nobbs, the luggage, ... .
RIP Sir Terry, you have enriched my life greatly.
Although I wouldn't put it past her to hear Wizards' Staff at some point of her long life, and of course she would like it too. :)
[0] https://books.google.it/books?id=t4Djt1RPNiYC&printsec=front...
Au revoir, Sir Pratchett, you magnificent human.
====
LORD, WE KNOW THERE IS NO GOOD ORDER EXCEPT THAT WHICH WE CREATE...
Azrael's expression did not change.
AND THERE IS NO HOPE BUT US. THERE IS NO MERCY BUT US. THERE IS NO JUSTICE. THERE IS JUST US.
The dark, sad face filled the sky.
ALL THINGS THAT ARE, ARE OURS. BUT WE MUST CARE. FOR IF WE DO NOT CARE, WE DO NOT EXIST. IF WE DO NOT EXIST, THEN THERE IS NOTHING BUT BLIND OBLIVION.
AND EVEN OBLIVION MUST END SOME DAY. LORD, WILL YOU GRANT ME JUST A LITTLE TIME? FOR THE PROPER BALANCE OF THINGS. TO RETURN WHAT WAS GIVEN. FOR THE SAKE OF PRISONERS AND THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS.
Death took a step backwards.
It was impossible to read expression in Azrael's features.
Death glanced sideways at the servants.
LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?
-- Sir Terry Pratchett, "Reaper Man"
"Good bye" is a contraction of "God be with ye (you)", which isn't quite so abrupt. "Au revoir", literally, "until (we) see again".
Similar to "Hasta manyana" (until later), or "bis später" (same), Spanish and German, or "zài jiàn" ("see (you) again", Mandarin Chinese) . Farewells (literally, "fare thee well", be well) in many languages share similar attributes.
Strangely, I don't really say "goodbye" all that often - it's either "later" or "'til next time.".
I still wish I could speak in small caps.
(EDIT#3: I overspoke. Nevermind, beautiful!)
I thought he'd have another five or ten years lecturing before kicking the bucket. 66 seems a little young.