Before his death at 66 he wrote five last novels and planned many more. He spent much of his career thinking about how people die, Death being one of his best and most regular characters in the Discworld series. A skeleton with glowing blue eyes, capitalised conversation and a courteous, inexorable manner, Death comes for Granny Weatherwax when she has made her last, meticulous preparations. How can our heroine step into the shoes of Granny Weatherwax? Can she follow her own path as a witch, even if it means abjuring romantic happiness with her medical student boyfriend?
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Older witches, such as the nauseating Mrs Earwig, sneer at her inexperience. Of course it is riotously funny, with the gloriously irrepressible Nac Mac Feegles having the best jokes and fights; as bright blue warriors otherwise known as the Wee Free Men they are shrunken but fearsome Scottish Nationalists; the Elves and their quarrels may well recall other politicians south of the border.
The real battle, however, is between selfishness and duty. Pratchett has rarely been so direct. Only in Discworld could the path of virtue be chosen simply by having it pointed out to you.
The Shepherd’s Crown review – Terry Pratchett’s farewell to Discworld
When Tiffany, in a rage at finding some elves kidnapping a baby, kills them in a moment of fury, it is not a triumph. There is a bullying father here, and spite and sudden death, but none of it disturbs. Other great fantasy authors from Tolkien to Robin Hobb leave us in no doubt that the torture, rape and murder in their worlds, described in chilling detail, are real and terrible, like the lust for power and sex that inspires them: We are so used to the way George RR Martin or Joe Abercrombie or even Ursula le Guin show us fantasy worlds riven with cruelty, that perhaps the kindliness of Discworld is more subversive than it seems.
It is a very Pratchettian joke to bribe this bored, lascivious, violent and irresponsible supermale to depart from mortal affairs by offering him — a shed. At its heart, this is a book about death, courage and humility. Tiffany discovers its power at the moment of crisis — not as a queen, or a witch, but as a true shepherd, guarding and leading the people she puts before herself. That said, on the evidence of this trailer, I'm still tempted.
- Jimi Hendrix posthumous discography;
- Diet ill start on Monday!
- Nas talks about Illmatic and losing stuff?
- Nature - Conduct of Life.
- What Ever Happened To Bella Star: Blackballed (Sunday Sharpe Book 1).
And, here's the trailer for Planes: Fire And Rescue, the sequel to the spin-off of the least enjoyable Pixar film. That said, if sassy, fast-talking flying machines are your bag, then this might suit. And there's none better at the current time than queens of the timely quip Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who are to team up again for forthcoming comedy The Nest, in which they'll play sisters having one final wild weekend at their family home.
Let's celebrate this news with a brief video history of their comic collaborations:. The Emmys, where they presented an award and issued a pointed warning to invading martians.
The Golden Globes, where they toasted both the "beautiful people of film" and the "rat-faced people of television". The Emmys, less a comic collaboration, more a protracted heckling of Neil Patrick Harris. The Golden Globes, their second consecutive hosting gig, and the birth of their as-yet-unsettled feud with George Clooney.
The Shepherd’s Crown review – Terry Pratchett’s farewell to Discworld | Books | The Guardian
What's that sound in the distance? It's The Raid 2: Berandal, the sequel to the bone-crunchingly great martial arts film , which hits cinemas this Friday. And to get you even more in the mood, here's an 8-bit video game version of the film, featuring comical levels of pixellated blood. First up, some lighter-than-air Swedish pop from Little Dragon.
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Their new track Paris was Zane Lowe's 'hottest record in the world' last night, which means that you'll have to put up with his bludgeoningly loud jingle before getting to the good stuff, but hey ho. Thanks for joining us and perusing this lot: The peerless excellence of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. We mourned the Ultimate Warrior's death and remembered his amazing promo work. A Darth Maul video game got the chop , but Crackathon was here to cheer us up.
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Oh, and a new Michael Jackson song was released , or should I say "contemporized". I'm about to hand over blogging duties to Lanre, but before that here's some lunchtime reading, viewing and listening: Sarah Hughes on how Dan Harmon's return has reinvigorated Community.
It's miles more exciting than it sounds.