Prstchett was a serious influence on me, and he shined through in his writing to make you nothing short of exhausted from laughing so hard, or a sincere, heartfelt chuckle. His characters are like brethren, and his slightly morbid, albeit light-hearted take on so many issues we call "life", made him more a philosopher than a mere satirist. I could compare him to a Kurt Vonnegut, or more symmetrically, to Douglas Adams; two more great artists to pass through this life to the big question mark. Still, he was standalone, his works sold in the millions, and he had found a way to paint a world that is not much unlike our own, but still a marvelous place to visit for a couple hundred pages at a time.
It's not so much his Discworld series was an escape from reality, but more a gentle pat on the back to assure you that living in our world wasn't all that bad, and we could laugh jovially at our own stupidity, our own follies, and let A'tuin carry us off to whatever end of the galaxy that seems fit. Pratchett has written more books than most people have read in a lifetime! Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but his works are so voluminous, and each one a treasure, even his worst books are better than most satirist's best work. He brought a so veery British outlook to his books, but all translate rather well, and many are worth reading through multiple times. Many of them answer the deepest questions in life, like what is millennial hand and shrimp? Why do vampires want to start a temperance movement to get off the "red stuff"? And the most important question ever asked: is it spelt wizard, or wizzard?
Still, Terry Pratchett was a great author, and his works have inspired so many people, and are still inspiring them as I write this post. Sir Terry Pratchett has worked on so many things, done so much good in this world, and was perhaps one of the most genuine people to walk this earth. He had collaborated with Neil Gaiman on one of the best books ever written, called Good Omens, and he has done many children's books as well, such as: Wintersmith, Maurice and His Amazing Rats, Nation, Johnny and the Dead, Johhny and the Bomb, I Shall Wear Midnight, and Nation. He has collaborated with greats like Stephen Baxter, and has written a great deal of nonfiction pieces as well,showcasing a talented writer that spanned well beyond borders, and genres. He also had written a unique book, quizzically entitled: The Unadulterated Cat.
Terry Pratchett has had a career a writer always dreams of having: finding your mark, and hitting it perfectly each time, with a furor that comes from never losing that passion, like rediscovering yourself every single day. His work is triumphant, it makes you feel better with every turn if the page, and there's nothing greater than sitting down with a copy of one of Terry's books, because you'll never walk away mad after finishing that last remarkable sentence on the page. His work is like a drug, you can get hooked on any particular book, but once you're on the line, you'll always be happily baited into his work, it is never wasted time.
Pratchett's work is fun, it's why we tell stories, and having an orator like a Pratchett leading down the Anhk-Morpork, you never feel stirred in the wrong direction. His work makes the reader feel something, but never overly thinking that this is going to be the end. The Discworld, it has no true beginning, and no true end, only mere bumps at the rim, and so long as our world turns, the Discworld will be there, making sure to slide that whoopie cushion underneath, so we never stay too serious for longer than is healthy.
I will miss Sir Terry Pratchett dearly, he was, and always will be a master craftsman, and I hope he will insight a new generation of writers to carry on the legacy of satire, as so many great writers before. I hurt, we all hurt, for many this is a loss, perhaps their first major loss, and it stings, but we will all carry through. Death comes for us all, but for some, I believe the honor, is truly Death's. R.I.P Sir Terry Pratchett.
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