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The Shepherd's Crown Is a Fitting Farewell to Terry Pratchett

The Shepherd's Crown Is a Fitting Farewell to Terry Pratchett

By Gopal Sathe | Updated: 9 September 2015 11:05 IST

In March this year, the legendary author Sir Terry Pratchett died at the age of 66. Best known as the creator of the Discworld series of books, Pratchett had announced in 2007 that he was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Just before his death, he finished working on The Shepherd's Crown, which has since been confirmed to be the last Discworld novel, and the last Pratchett title published.

The book is now available in India on the Kindle store, and also as an imported hardcover. It is also, perhaps, as fitting a goodbye from Pratchett as you can possibly hope for. Pratchett's works are hugely appealing to geeks, for their sense of outsider humour, and the fact that he regularly made throwaway jokes about computers, technology, and science.

With a career that has spanned 40 books, and short stories and monographs, it's not surprising that fans all have their own favourites of Pratchett's books. Although his very first Discworld novel (The Colour of Magic) and its sequel (The Light Fantastic) were excellent books that would have you laughing helplessly, they were largely parodies of the heroic fantasy novels that were so popular at the time.

Pratchett would continue to evolve as a writer, and his books became more complex, more intricately plotted, and more coherent in tone over time. Some would say that he really hit his stride with Small Gods, a novel that explored religion, politics, and the nature of belief. This was a book that left you more open minded, and more thoughtful. That it managed to do all this, while keeping you laughing helplessly for its entire length, is a testament to Pratchett's skill as a storyteller.

Another book that many will remember is probably The Truth. A clever story about political conspiracies that also gave you an insider's look at the world of journalism, drawing on the actual history of the press yet freely making things up as it went along, The Truth is possibly one of the most engrossing books to talk about the importance of a free press, and freedom of expression. Of course, Pratchett's books are effective because he doesn't just talk about things, but rather, shows them in action, without preaching or droning on.

His last few books however, sometimes felt like they had moved too far from the characters we knew and loved, and Raising Steam - the book he wrote before The Shepherd's Crown - in particular felt like the literary version of the Uncanny Valley.

Note: Spoilers to The Shepherd's Crown follow beyond this point.

Saying Goodbye
The Shepherd's Crown starts with the Death of Granny Weatherwax. She's one of his beloved regulars, and was a part of Discworld since almost the beginning, with her introduction in 1987's Equal Rites. Since it's there at the very beginning of the book, it's not a big twist; but it's still a shock to see her calmly prepare for her death. Except of course, that's exactly what Pratchett himself has been doing, for some time now.

The book continues from here, and as has been the case with many of his later works, Pratchett is more obviously exploring philosophy, instead of just trying to make you laugh. The plot focuses on Tiffany, as she takes over as the leader of the witches, and has another battle with the Queen of the elves.

The book is about much more than that though. Pratchett's genius often lay in his asides, which were full of knowing glances and cheerful nudges to the brain, to make you think about things in completely different ways. And where Raising Steam seemed like it was in a hurry to tie up all the loose ends that had come up in Snuff, The Shepherd's Crown is a slower book that has been building up ever since Pratchett wrote The Wee Free Men in 2003.

There are parts where The Shepherd's Crown still feels rushed, but it is an excellent work which feels much more like Pratchett than some of his other, recent books. It carries his trademark humour, with its blend of jollity and savagery.

As is typically the case for his books, he takes a closer look at any kind of accepted truth, and goes on to upend our understanding of things. That he does so now with the characters and characterisations he himself had created in the past might not appeal to everyone. But that is not what this book is about.

It is, in fact, a book about saying goodbye. It is a book that teaches you how to mourn. And most of all, it is a book that teaches you how life goes on. If you've loved Terry Pratchett, then you need to read the opening of The Shepherd's Crown. Whether or not you prefer his earlier books, there is no denying that the start of this book will help you to finally say goodbye to one of your heroes, in a way that is truly fitting.

In Going Postal, he wrote about a "clacker" - the Discworld equivalent of a hacker - whose friends commemorate him by sending a message along the clacks [the Internet], with the words, "GNU, John Dearheart," the code which means that after the message reaches the end of the line, it will turn around and be repeated again. Because, as they reason, "it is better to be flying through the air between the towers, than to be underground."

GNU, Terry Pratchett.

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