The biography of the late Terry Pratchett was written by his long-term personal assistant/secretary and friend who, at the later phase of Terry’s life, was also practically his carekeeper. It appears Terry was a great person with some character. He enjoyed tinkering with tech, building things, and taking care of turtles and bees. Similar to many biographies, the first part of the book was the least interesting, but when he started to write and, especially after he quit his day job, the book became fascinating. Apparently, he was both a private person, who wasn’t very sociable, and also someone who really loved attention, book signing, and getting recognition. He was very protective of his characters and was not shy about telling if/when he didn’t like adaptations of his books. The book concentrated mainly on his works, and his wife and daughter were pretty much sidetracked. His last phases were tragic, with a slowly deteriorating mind and mental capabilities. It seems he was a man whose whole identity was being a popular, prolific author; at the later phase, he seemed to get comfort about being Terry Pratchett – just like Isaac Asimov’s some of the last words were “I am Isaac Asimov”. A well-written and interesting book – I should read more of his books. Pity that they are mostly so out of print in Finland and very expensive at used bookstores.
435 pp.
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