Paul Kidby

Lately, the Terry Pratchett books I've read have either been from his middle period, when he was acknowledged as a master of Important Satire; or from his later life, when the decline caused by his "embuggerance" was becoming more and more evident. So reading this turned into a delightful trip back to the times when Pratchett was a purveyor of comedy first and foremost. In this, he was helped by Paul Kidby's illustrations - more precise and all-encompassing than the late Josh Kirby's work show more for the earlier illustrated Discworld title, Eric, and a true enhancement to this story.

The story? Oh, if you insist: Cohen the Barbarian, feeling his age, brings together his Silver Horde to help wreak revenge on the Gods of the Discworld for old age, by returning fire to them - in the military sense, it seems - and going out in a blaze of glory. To prevent this, and the destruction of the Disc that would follow the concomitant disruption of its thaumaturgical field, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork enlists the aid of his captive mechanical and artistic genius, Leonard of Quirm, plus the wizards of the Unseen University. To reach Cori Celesti, the mountain at the Hub of the Disc and abode of the Gods, in time to thwart Cohen, Leonard designs a wooden spaceship, powered by captive dragons, and crewed by himself, Captain Carrot of the City Watch, and Rincewind. The rest may not be history, but it does threaten to become Legend.

Perhaps one of the greatest delights of this book is the number of Easter Eggs concealed within its pages. Kidby's illustrations of Leonard's spaceship and its crew are directly out of "Ye Right Stuffe", and Rincewind makes a passing reference to being a wizard who advocates running very fast in a straight line, which will make those of a certain age think about a classic short indie fantasy film (everyone else go and look up Mike Jittlov). And Mad Hamish of the Silver Horde appears to be channelling Father Jack Hackett from Father Ted...

This is well worth seeking out in its glorious large-format original. Avoid all other format reductions. show less

Terry Pratchett won me over about half way through THE LAST HERO. Believe it or not, I have read Pratchett, but none of his Discworld books. So while browsing shelves of my local library, I noticed this short, fun looking fable illustrated with great humor by Paul Kidby. A quick read and a good place to begin.
At first, Pratchett’s gag-a-second style put me off … just too silly and juvenile. But the characters acting out their slap-stick story engaged me. My mood mellowed. My grown-up show more inhibitions softened. Soon warm fuzzies of happiness and reading pleasure overwhelmed my lit critic. She began to appreciate the satire tucked in among toilet jokes. She looked at me knowingly, winked, and we shared a belly laugh about how easily she and I fall into the pit of earnest, hair-shirt ART. We look forward to more Discworld tales.

Terry Pratchett overflows with stories. His narrative brims with asides and bit characters and throw-away lines. Here is a piece of flash-fiction, irrelevant to the plot-line yet essential. The only background info you need is that some of our heroes are on the moon when a stupendous explosion happens. It has to do with the digestive problems of swamp dragons.

“On the veldt of Howondaland live the N’tuitif people, the only tribe in the world to have NO IMAGINATION WHATSOEVER.
“For example, their story about the thunder runs something like this: ‘Thunder is a loud noise in the sky, resulting from the disturbance of the air masses by the passage of lightning.’ And their legend ‘How the Giraffe Got His Long Neck’ runs: ‘In the old days the ancestors of Old Man Giraffe had slightly longer necks than other grassland creatures, and the access to the high leaves was so advantageous that it was mostly long-necked giraffes that survived, passing on the long neck in their blood just as a man might inherit his grandfather’s spear. Some say, however, that it is all a lot more complicated and this explanation only applies to the shorter neck of the okapi. And so it is.’
“The N’tuitif are a peaceful people, and have been hunted almost to extinction by neighbouring tribes, who have lots of imagination, and therefore plenty of gods, superstitions and ideas about how much better life would be if they had a bigger hunting ground.
“Of the events on the moon that day, the N’tuitif said: ‘The moon was brightly lit and from it rose another light which then split into three lights and faded. We do not know why this happened. It was just a thing.’
“They were then wiped out by a nearby tribe who KNEW that the lights had been a signal from the god Ukli to expand the hunting ground a bit more. However, THEY were soon defeated entirely by a tribe who KNEW that the lights were their ancestors, who lived in the moon, and who were urging them to kill all non-believers in the goddess Glipzo. Three years later they in turn were killed by a rock falling from the sky, as a result of a star exploding a billion years ago.
“What goes around, comes around. If not examined too closely, it passes for justice.” (129-130) show less

At the end of Interesting Times Cohen and his Silver Horde have found themselves ruling of the Agatean Empire. And for a time, they were content enough to bask in their happily-ever-after. But no barbarian would be content to live out his last days lazing about, when there's the option to die in battle, awash in a literal Blaze of Glory.

The fact that this would also force the rest of the Discworld to join them in the afterlife, doesn't seem to ping on their radar. Then again, there's no show more better time for a new generation to rise to the occasion.

This was an interesting and rather enjoyable take on the Myth of Sisyphus, specifically on a sequel of sorts, where the last heroes (roooooll credits!) decide to avenge the first hero. Mostly for the theatrics of it.

Right from the get-go, it is clear that despite the very high stakes at hand, no part of this story wishes to take itself seriously. There's of course the Silver Horde that hires a bard so their final heroics are not lost to posterity. Leonard of Quirm, the head architect of the counter offensive, is an inexhaustible source of harebrained schemes: such as using hundreds of little swamp dragons to give his "space ship" a boost over the Rim of the Disc. Not to mention Rincewind, who joins the counter offensive out of sheer preemptive exasperation: past experience has taught him that he'll be eventually made to do so anyway.

Seeing the characters revisit some of the key sights from the first novels, in a much faster and (I'd add) more efficient manner, gave things an interesting atmosphere of nostalgia. It kind of makes me wish for an appropriately tragic/heroic/happy ending for this sub-series. If memory serves, the last book from the series focuses mostly on a new cast of characters, plus this book feels very much like a conclusion.

Score: 4.8 / 5 stars

What goes around comes around. If not examined too closely, it passes for justice.

This was hella funny and witty, plus the illustrations add an additional rating star of enjoyment. If only they had been better placed to match the progression of the storyline.
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Other stories featuring Rincewind the Wizard:
book 1:The Colour of Magic
book 2: The Light Fantastic
book 3: Sourcery
book 4: Eric
book 5: Interesting Times
book 6: The Last Continent show less

This short Discworld fable is so much fun. Cohen and his Silver Horde are returning fire to the gods and the crew from Ankh Morpork are on a mission to stop them. The gorgeous illustrations absolutely make this book a delight on top of PTerry at the top of his form.
The cover calls this a Discworld fable. I loved it. Cohen and his Silver Horde are going to bring fire back to the gods, but doing so could cause the end of the world. The Ankh Morpork crew of wizards, Watch, and Leonard of Quirm show more leap to the rescue...
This fully illustrated book is full of the Pratchett sense of humor mixed with apt, wry observations on human nature. And gorgeous color illustrations!
I have owned this volume for over a decade and never read it until now. I have no idea what was wrong with me. I look forward to reading it again and again. show less