The passing of Sir Terry Pratchett hurts.
It’s not normal for me to get caught up in the passing of a celebrity. I might take part in conversations about issues surrounding them (as I did with Robin Williams and depression) but Sir Terry is different. His death hits me personally.
Reading his work left you with the sense that you now had a personal connection with him. His words were so open and forthright, you felt that he was sharing his soul with you in a way that is rare. His characters found homes inside each of us, they became a part of us, on a level more intimate than any other author I know of.
To everyone who read and treasured his work, he wasn’t just a favorite author—he felt like a friend.
None of what I’ve written here is sufficient to express how important his novels are to me. As author Ellie Di Julio puts it:
Sir Terry taught me about being human.
I’m glad that he has been freed from his suffering. But I’ll truly miss his words. The world has lost a great man and wondrous soul.
The best way to honor this great man is to donate to The Research Institute for the Care of Older People.
- XKCD’s tribute to Sir Terry is beautiful and perfect.
- “Terry Pratchett was fantasy fiction’s Kurt Vonnegut, not its Douglas Adams” by Wlliam Hughes (posted by the A.V. Club on March 12, 2015).
- Read Cory Doctorow’s post on the passing of Sir Terry.
- Read the announcement from the BBC.
John the Librarian 