The Shepherd's Crown

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett made me cry from Chapter 2 on. It was not just that this was Sir Terry's final novel, or that I had tearful endings of my own to deal with, it was the death of a major character. And not just the death, but the nature of the death. One could not help but see it as a reflection of the authors own struggle with a terminal disease. Reading how the character prepared for her own death was one of the most touching and painful chapters of any book I have ever read. This is a novel of endings and it is reflected in this chapter.

I think it is a sign of Sir Terry's gift as an author that this series started with the death of a major influence in Tiffany's life, namely the death of her grandmother, and the last book in the series starts with the death of another major influence.

This novel is a fitting end to the career of a man who brought us the glorious Discworld, beautiful and wonderful not because it was a fantasy world, but because it was a world just similar enough to our own, that one immediately felt at home.

And that is all I will say, now I must go and have a cry.

5 of 5 stars