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孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌: 袛褍褏褗褌 薪邪 褎邪薪褌邪蟹懈褟褌邪
孝芯胁邪 械 泻薪懈谐邪 蟹邪 薪械锌芯蟹薪邪褌懈褌械 褋褌褉邪薪懈 芯褌 卸懈胁芯褌邪 薪邪 械写懈薪 芯褌 薪邪泄-锌芯锌褍谢褟褉薪懈褌械 邪胁褌芯褉懈 薪邪 褎械薪褌褗蟹懈. 些械 薪邪褍褔懈褌械, 褔械 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 芯锌懈褋胁邪 锌褗褉胁懈褟 褋懈 褉芯屑邪薪 泻邪褌芯 鈥炐捫恍把佈傂敌恍感窖娧� 薪邪 锌褉褗褋褌械薪懈褌械 锌芯写 屑懈泻褉芯褋泻芯锌鈥� 懈 褔械 胁 鈥炐毿感恍感夹敌叫秆傂� 褏芯褉邪鈥� 褋械 胁懈卸写邪 写芯泻芯谢泻芯 写械褋械褌谐芯写懈褕薪芯褌芯 褍褋褗褉写薪芯 褔械褌械薪械 薪邪 褎邪薪褌邪褋褌懈褔薪懈 褉芯屑邪薪懈 械 锌芯胁谢懈褟谢芯 胁褗褉褏褍 褋褌懈谢邪 屑褍. 袩懈褋邪褌械谢褟褌 谐芯写懈薪懈 薪邪褉械写 褉邪斜芯褌懈 泻邪褌芯 卸褍褉薪邪谢懈褋褌 懈 薪邪懈褋褌懈薪邪 褋懈 褏邪褉械褋胁邪 褉邪斜芯褌邪褌邪. 袟邪 薪械谐芯 锌懈褋邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 泻薪懈谐懈 械 褋邪屑芯 褏芯斜懈 蟹邪 蟹懈屑薪懈褌械 胁械褔械褉懈. 孝芯泄 芯斜懈褔邪 褋褗褖芯 懈 写邪 褉懈褋褍胁邪 谐褉邪褎懈泻邪 懈 卸懈胁芯锌懈褋 鈥� 懈谢褞褋褌褉懈褉邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪懈褌械 屑褍 泻薪懈谐懈 械 泻褍谢屑懈薪邪褑懈褟褌邪 薪邪 褌芯胁邪 褍屑械薪懈械. 些械 褍蟹薪邪械褌械 蟹邪 褉邪斜芯褌邪褌邪 屑褍 泻邪褌芯 褋锌械褑懈邪谢懈褋褌 锌芯 胁褉褗蟹泻懈 褋 芯斜褖械褋褌胁械薪芯褋褌褌邪 胁 邪褌芯屑薪懈 械谢械泻褌褉芯褑械薪褌褉邪谢懈, 蟹邪 芯褌薪芯褕械薪懈械褌芯 屑褍 泻褗屑 芯褉邪薪谐褍褌邪薪懈褌械 懈 斜谢邪谐芯褌胁芯褉懈褌械谢薪邪褌邪 屑褍 写械泄薪芯褋褌. 袨褌写械谢薪邪 谐谢邪胁邪 懈屑邪 蟹邪 褋锌械褑懈邪谢薪芯褌芯 屑褟褋褌芯 薪邪 泻芯褌泻懈褌械 胁 卸懈胁芯褌邪 懈 褌胁芯褉褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯 屑褍... 袘芯谢械褋褌褌邪 薪邪 袗谢褑褏邪泄屑械褉 懈 褋屑械谢芯褋褌褌邪, 褋 泻芯褟褌芯 孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 褋械 懈蟹锌褉邪胁褟 锌褉械写 薪械泄薪懈褌械 锌褉械写懈蟹胁懈泻邪褌械谢褋褌胁邪, 蟹邪械屑邪褌 胁邪卸薪芯 屑褟褋褌芯 胁 褌邪蟹懈 斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褟.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
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December 1, 2021
Obviously only bought because it is related to Terry Pratchett, but apart from his name being on the cover, I really don't see how this is all that PTerry at all.
I added another star purely because I learnt some things about PTerry and his Discworld series (and a couple other books) that I didn't know previously and probably would not have ever learnt about as it seemed quite niche at times.
However, the book seemed to be mostly the author trying to high-key flex about his knowledge and opinions on the Discworld. Sometimes it was quite interesting, but even then his annoying turn of phrase or manner of explanation really were off-putting; it read like a journalism article padded out to fit a publishing word count. From the title of the book, one would expect perhaps a bit more about PTerry himself, his earlier life and career or even just some of the wonderful, clever and kind things he's ever said.
As a Terry Pratchett collector, I can say safely that this book is not one that you need to own to have a complete or even incomplete collection.
I added another star purely because I learnt some things about PTerry and his Discworld series (and a couple other books) that I didn't know previously and probably would not have ever learnt about as it seemed quite niche at times.
However, the book seemed to be mostly the author trying to high-key flex about his knowledge and opinions on the Discworld. Sometimes it was quite interesting, but even then his annoying turn of phrase or manner of explanation really were off-putting; it read like a journalism article padded out to fit a publishing word count. From the title of the book, one would expect perhaps a bit more about PTerry himself, his earlier life and career or even just some of the wonderful, clever and kind things he's ever said.
As a Terry Pratchett collector, I can say safely that this book is not one that you need to own to have a complete or even incomplete collection.
May 24, 2013
Interesting how many negative reviews of this book there are. I'll confess to not reading it in its entirety: the complaining, self-interested foreword with weird value judgements about people who own Kindles and so on got on my nerves. Which is one of my hobby-horses, as you probably all know: forget the fact that I have a Kindle, the reason any of my family originally had an ereader was so that Mum could still read, since she has macular degeneration and most books have too small print.
(She can't use 欧宝娱乐, either, because of the colour scheme and serif fonts, but no one can seem to persuade the PTB to care.)
So I confess to putting this book right down after that rambling, seemingly irrelevant foreword. And the other reviews and ratings suggest I was right to.
(She can't use 欧宝娱乐, either, because of the colour scheme and serif fonts, but no one can seem to persuade the PTB to care.)
So I confess to putting this book right down after that rambling, seemingly irrelevant foreword. And the other reviews and ratings suggest I was right to.
December 26, 2012
"There comes a time when there is only so much that can be said about a specific fantasy world, because too much explanation becomes tedious and take away some of the mystery." - Craig Cabell, seemingly describing his own book. Cabell makes some incredibly tenuous links between Pratchett's works and has many an opinion about the meanings in Pratchett's life and works (I feel dubious about whether he has confirmed any of this with Pratchett). He also spends the first half of the book getting hung up about the difference between the fantasy and sci fi genres. a) who cares what the difference is and b) how is that relevant to a book about Terry Pratchett?
April 29, 2016
"孝芯泄 薪械 褋邪屑芯 械 写褍褏褗褌 薪邪 褎邪薪褌邪蟹懈褟褌邪 - 褌芯泄 械 胁褗锌谢褗褖械薪懈械 薪邪 褔芯胁械褕泻懈褟 写褍褏."
袣薪懈谐邪褌邪 械 斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褟 薪邪 孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌, 薪芯 邪蟹 谢懈褔薪芯 褟 胁褗蟹锌褉懈械屑邪屑 锌芯胁械褔械 泻邪褌芯 褋斜芯褉薪懈泻 褋 械褋械褌邪 蟹邪 薪械谐芯胁芯褌芯 褌胁芯褉褔械褋褌胁芯. 袪邪蟹斜懈褉邪 褋械, 懈屑邪 薪褟泻芯懈 褋锌芯屑械薪邪褌懈 褎邪泻褌懈 蟹邪 谢懈褔薪懈褟 卸懈胁芯褌 薪邪 锌懈褋邪褌械谢褟, 锌芯胁械褔泻芯 蟹邪 薪械谐芯胁邪褌邪 斜芯谢械褋褌 懈 褌芯胁邪 泻邪泻 褌芯泄 褋械 褋锌褉邪胁褟 褋 薪械褟, 薪芯 胁 锌芯-谐芯谢褟屑邪褌邪 褋懈 褔邪褋褌 - 褉邪蟹褋褗卸写械薪懈褟 蟹邪 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈械褌芯 薪邪 褉芯屑邪薪懈褌械 屑褍 胁 谐芯褉械-写芯谢褍 褏褉芯薪芯谢芯谐懈褔械褋泻懈 褉械写, 泻邪泻褌芯 懈 褋褉邪胁薪械薪懈褟 褋 锌褉芯懈蟹胁械写械薪懈褟 薪邪 写褉褍谐懈 锌懈褋邪褌械谢懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 锌邪褉芯写懈褉邪 懈谢懈 芯褌 泻芯懈褌芯 褔械褉锌懈 懈写械懈, 蟹邪 写邪 褋褗蟹写邪写械 薪械褖芯 械写懈薪褋褌胁械薪芯 锌芯 褉芯写邪 褋懈. 袛邪谢懈 褌芯胁邪 械 屑懈薪褍褋 蟹邪胁懈褋懈 懈蟹褑褟谢芯 芯褌 褔懈褌邪褌械谢褟. 袗泻芯 薪褟泻芯泄 薪械 械 褔械谢 褉芯屑邪薪懈褌械, 蟹邪 泻芯懈褌芯 懈屑邪 芯褌写械谢械薪懈 谐谢邪胁懈, 斜懈 褉邪蟹斜褉邪谢 褑械谢懈褟 褋褞卸械褌 懈 褔械褋褌芯 - 泻褉邪褟, 薪芯 薪邪 屑械薪 褌芯胁邪 薪械 屑懈 锌褉械褔懈, 褌褗泄 泻邪褌芯 泻薪懈谐懈褌械 薪邪 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 斜懈褏 谐懈 褔械谢邪 写芯褉懈, 泻芯谐邪褌芯 蟹薪邪屑 胁褋懈褔泻芯 蟹邪 褌褟褏. 袠 胁褋械 锌邪泻 屑懈 褋械 懈褋泻邪褕械 褌褍泻 写邪 锌褉芯褔械褌邪 薪械褖芯 锌芯胁械褔械 蟹邪 卸懈胁芯褌邪 薪邪 锌懈褋邪褌械谢褟 - 蟹邪 卸懈褌械泄褋泻懈 褋谢褍褔泻懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褋邪 谐芯 胁写褗褏薪芯胁褟胁邪谢懈, 屑芯卸械 斜懈 褋锌芯屑械薪懈 芯褌 薪械谐芯胁懈 锌褉懈褟褌械谢懈 蟹邪 薪械谐芯. 袣薪懈谐邪褌邪 锌褉械写芯褋褌邪胁褟 褌邪泻懈胁邪 锌邪褋邪卸懈 (谐芯胁芯褉褟 蟹邪 褍褔邪褋褌懈械褌芯 屑褍 胁 蟹邪泻褉懈谢邪褌邪 薪邪 芯褉邪薪谐褍褌邪薪懈褌械, 泻芯懈褌芯 懈蟹谐谢械卸写邪 写芯褋褌邪 械 褏邪褉械褋胁邪谢), 邪 屑邪泻邪褉 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢芯褌芯 写邪 斜械褕械 褉邪蟹褋褗卸写械薪懈褟 胁褗褉褏褍 褌械屑懈褌械, 褉邪蟹谐谢械卸写邪薪懈 胁 锌褉芯懈蟹胁械写械薪懈械褌芯 屑褍, 屑懈 写芯褋褌邪胁懈 褍写芯胁芯谢褋褌胁懈械 写邪 褟 锌褉芯褔械褌邪.
袣薪懈谐邪褌邪 械 斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褟 薪邪 孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌, 薪芯 邪蟹 谢懈褔薪芯 褟 胁褗蟹锌褉懈械屑邪屑 锌芯胁械褔械 泻邪褌芯 褋斜芯褉薪懈泻 褋 械褋械褌邪 蟹邪 薪械谐芯胁芯褌芯 褌胁芯褉褔械褋褌胁芯. 袪邪蟹斜懈褉邪 褋械, 懈屑邪 薪褟泻芯懈 褋锌芯屑械薪邪褌懈 褎邪泻褌懈 蟹邪 谢懈褔薪懈褟 卸懈胁芯褌 薪邪 锌懈褋邪褌械谢褟, 锌芯胁械褔泻芯 蟹邪 薪械谐芯胁邪褌邪 斜芯谢械褋褌 懈 褌芯胁邪 泻邪泻 褌芯泄 褋械 褋锌褉邪胁褟 褋 薪械褟, 薪芯 胁 锌芯-谐芯谢褟屑邪褌邪 褋懈 褔邪褋褌 - 褉邪蟹褋褗卸写械薪懈褟 蟹邪 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈械褌芯 薪邪 褉芯屑邪薪懈褌械 屑褍 胁 谐芯褉械-写芯谢褍 褏褉芯薪芯谢芯谐懈褔械褋泻懈 褉械写, 泻邪泻褌芯 懈 褋褉邪胁薪械薪懈褟 褋 锌褉芯懈蟹胁械写械薪懈褟 薪邪 写褉褍谐懈 锌懈褋邪褌械谢懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 锌邪褉芯写懈褉邪 懈谢懈 芯褌 泻芯懈褌芯 褔械褉锌懈 懈写械懈, 蟹邪 写邪 褋褗蟹写邪写械 薪械褖芯 械写懈薪褋褌胁械薪芯 锌芯 褉芯写邪 褋懈. 袛邪谢懈 褌芯胁邪 械 屑懈薪褍褋 蟹邪胁懈褋懈 懈蟹褑褟谢芯 芯褌 褔懈褌邪褌械谢褟. 袗泻芯 薪褟泻芯泄 薪械 械 褔械谢 褉芯屑邪薪懈褌械, 蟹邪 泻芯懈褌芯 懈屑邪 芯褌写械谢械薪懈 谐谢邪胁懈, 斜懈 褉邪蟹斜褉邪谢 褑械谢懈褟 褋褞卸械褌 懈 褔械褋褌芯 - 泻褉邪褟, 薪芯 薪邪 屑械薪 褌芯胁邪 薪械 屑懈 锌褉械褔懈, 褌褗泄 泻邪褌芯 泻薪懈谐懈褌械 薪邪 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 斜懈褏 谐懈 褔械谢邪 写芯褉懈, 泻芯谐邪褌芯 蟹薪邪屑 胁褋懈褔泻芯 蟹邪 褌褟褏. 袠 胁褋械 锌邪泻 屑懈 褋械 懈褋泻邪褕械 褌褍泻 写邪 锌褉芯褔械褌邪 薪械褖芯 锌芯胁械褔械 蟹邪 卸懈胁芯褌邪 薪邪 锌懈褋邪褌械谢褟 - 蟹邪 卸懈褌械泄褋泻懈 褋谢褍褔泻懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褋邪 谐芯 胁写褗褏薪芯胁褟胁邪谢懈, 屑芯卸械 斜懈 褋锌芯屑械薪懈 芯褌 薪械谐芯胁懈 锌褉懈褟褌械谢懈 蟹邪 薪械谐芯. 袣薪懈谐邪褌邪 锌褉械写芯褋褌邪胁褟 褌邪泻懈胁邪 锌邪褋邪卸懈 (谐芯胁芯褉褟 蟹邪 褍褔邪褋褌懈械褌芯 屑褍 胁 蟹邪泻褉懈谢邪褌邪 薪邪 芯褉邪薪谐褍褌邪薪懈褌械, 泻芯懈褌芯 懈蟹谐谢械卸写邪 写芯褋褌邪 械 褏邪褉械褋胁邪谢), 邪 屑邪泻邪褉 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢芯褌芯 写邪 斜械褕械 褉邪蟹褋褗卸写械薪懈褟 胁褗褉褏褍 褌械屑懈褌械, 褉邪蟹谐谢械卸写邪薪懈 胁 锌褉芯懈蟹胁械写械薪懈械褌芯 屑褍, 屑懈 写芯褋褌邪胁懈 褍写芯胁芯谢褋褌胁懈械 写邪 褟 锌褉芯褔械褌邪.
January 20, 2013
Has a small amount of information about Terry Pratchett. Has an even smaller amount of Terry Pratchett's perspective or comments on his own work and when that subject arises it is mainly so that Mr. Cabell can tell us that his opinion trumps the author that he's writing about. Found it to be a smug and ill informed read. Will not be reading it again.
January 24, 2023
袧械 屑懈 褏邪褉械褋邪.袧械 蟹薪邪屑 泻邪泻胁芯 褋懈 械 胁褗芯斜褉邪蟹褟胁邪谢 邪胁褌芯褉邪 泻邪褌芯 械 褉械褕懈谢 写邪 薪邪锌懈褕械 褌邪蟹懈 泻薪懈谐邪.袛邪卸械 2 蟹胁械蟹写懈 褋邪 泄 屑薪芯谐芯,薪芯 褋邪屑芯 芯褌 褍胁邪卸械薪懈械 泻褗屑 孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌.袩褉械蟹 褑褟谢芯褌芯 胁褉械屑械 斜械褕械 褉邪蟹褋褗卸写械薪懈械 懈 褋褗褔懈薪械薪懈械...褋褉邪胁薪褟胁邪薪械 薪邪 泻薪懈谐懈褌械 屑褍 褋 写褉褍谐懈 泻薪懈谐懈....褔邪泻 屑械 锌芯写褉邪蟹薪懈.袩褉械写懈 谐芯写懈薪懈 褟 斜褟褏 褔械谢邪.薪芯 褋械谐邪 褋谢械写 斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褟褌邪 薪邪 孝械褉懈 褌邪蟹懈 械 薪邪锌褉邪胁芯,泻邪泻 锌褗泻 胁 械写薪芯 薪械褖芯 薪械 蟹邪写褗谢斜邪 褌邪泻邪 写邪 褉邪蟹泻邪卸械 懈薪褌械褉械褋薪芯.袠 胁懈写懈褌械 谢懈 孝械褉懈 懈屑邪谢 屑薪芯谐芯 泻芯褌泻懈...邪屑懈 邪蟹 薪懈褖芯 褌邪泻芯胁邪 薪械 锌褉芯褔械褌芯褏...懈屑邪谢 械 泻芯褋褌械薪褍褉泻懈 .袠 械写胁邪 谢懈 薪械 胁褋褟泻芯 械写薪芯 薪械褖芯 胁 薪械谐芯胁懈褌械 泻薪懈谐懈 械 蟹邪懈屑褋褌胁邪薪芯 芯褌 写褉褍谐懈 泻薪懈谐懈....薪械 屑懈 褏邪褉械褋邪
April 27, 2013
This is a book in pursuit of an identity. It is really struggling to work out what it is.
At times it reads a bit like a biography - there is Terry Pratchett the early years, but then the biography largely peters out. Then there are various attempts at critical analysis of Practhett's works, but only some of them and only those the author really likes. Moreover, the analysis is largely opinionated journalism, rather than real critical analysis and the few genuine insights get lost in the sub-A level standard attempts at literary criticism. The author also attempts to trace the history of fantasy v science fiction, presumably in an attempt to assert Pratchett's place in the canon of the great and influential, but constant referencing to every other significant SF or fantasy book takes over and tries to become a book in its own right (and I am really not going to mention the constant references to Doctor Who, the T.V. series. Oh dear, I just did, but then again so did Craig Cabell, at length, time and time again, and so on).
At the end of the book, and it is a book of several endings, there are some interesting chapters on Pratchett's Alzheimers, his support of good causes such as Orangutans and assisted death. These were actually quite good, but didn't fit with the rest of the book, except perhaps the biography section which had petered out many chapters before. There is also a stray chapter on cats, looking for a home, because Pratchett wrote the entertaining "The Unadulterated Cat" with Gray Joliffe. Apparently Terry likes cats. Oh good.
For fans, and Craig Cabell clearly is one, there are lists of Pratchett books and films and a further reading list, should you want to pursue the evolution of SF v fantasy theme.
The book is extremely repetitive (did I mention Dr Who?)and full of quotations, many of them from writers other than Pratchett, including Dickens. I am therefore going to end on a quotation from Craig Cabell himself. It comes in the end note to the book: "I've written several books now about a writer and his works, but this was the first about a writer and his key works. In that respect it became a very self-indulgent book". Very true, Mr Cabell. Very true.
At times it reads a bit like a biography - there is Terry Pratchett the early years, but then the biography largely peters out. Then there are various attempts at critical analysis of Practhett's works, but only some of them and only those the author really likes. Moreover, the analysis is largely opinionated journalism, rather than real critical analysis and the few genuine insights get lost in the sub-A level standard attempts at literary criticism. The author also attempts to trace the history of fantasy v science fiction, presumably in an attempt to assert Pratchett's place in the canon of the great and influential, but constant referencing to every other significant SF or fantasy book takes over and tries to become a book in its own right (and I am really not going to mention the constant references to Doctor Who, the T.V. series. Oh dear, I just did, but then again so did Craig Cabell, at length, time and time again, and so on).
At the end of the book, and it is a book of several endings, there are some interesting chapters on Pratchett's Alzheimers, his support of good causes such as Orangutans and assisted death. These were actually quite good, but didn't fit with the rest of the book, except perhaps the biography section which had petered out many chapters before. There is also a stray chapter on cats, looking for a home, because Pratchett wrote the entertaining "The Unadulterated Cat" with Gray Joliffe. Apparently Terry likes cats. Oh good.
For fans, and Craig Cabell clearly is one, there are lists of Pratchett books and films and a further reading list, should you want to pursue the evolution of SF v fantasy theme.
The book is extremely repetitive (did I mention Dr Who?)and full of quotations, many of them from writers other than Pratchett, including Dickens. I am therefore going to end on a quotation from Craig Cabell himself. It comes in the end note to the book: "I've written several books now about a writer and his works, but this was the first about a writer and his key works. In that respect it became a very self-indulgent book". Very true, Mr Cabell. Very true.
September 23, 2012
Much ado about nothing - although the Appendices were very comprehensive & no doubt the die-hard Discworld fans will love this book. I'd like to have heard more about Pratchett's life as an author, more biographical details.
December 8, 2019
As much as I'd love to, I can't recommend this book. Mr. Cabell is weirdly focused on whether this and that book is collecteble, and his mentions that at this point Pratchett's books weren't making that much money, or how great a financial decision it was to write some Discworld books. His tone is sometimes very condescending and his own subjective views are presented as objective facts - despite being incorrect from a factual point of view on several instances. I expected a book written with love for the great man, and some insight into Pratchett's works. Instead I got a condescending but shallow retelling of things I already knew. I'm really sorry to say this, but it was a disappointing read.
August 21, 2022
1.5 stars
November 24, 2011
I was looking for an easy to read book that would include some pointers to good Terry Pratchett books I haven't read and I guess I did get that. But this is a very light book and I'm glad I borrowed it from the library, rather than bought it. It is very nicely produced, but the content is a strange mixture of information, including regular references to other books by the author, about Doctor Who and the X-files for example.
The photographs are all recent and, I guess bought from a picture agency, when I think readers would like to see photos of our hero at very stages of his life. There are also detailed chapters near the end for book collectors and those interested in tv and movie versions of Terry Pratchett's work which, while interesting, feature incredible detailed and lengthy production credits that could easily be found online.
I will take up the author's suggestion to explore the Johnny Maxwell trilogy further, but I would not recommend that anyone buy this - unless you worked on one of those tv series and would like to see your name in print!
The photographs are all recent and, I guess bought from a picture agency, when I think readers would like to see photos of our hero at very stages of his life. There are also detailed chapters near the end for book collectors and those interested in tv and movie versions of Terry Pratchett's work which, while interesting, feature incredible detailed and lengthy production credits that could easily be found online.
I will take up the author's suggestion to explore the Johnny Maxwell trilogy further, but I would not recommend that anyone buy this - unless you worked on one of those tv series and would like to see your name in print!
June 13, 2013
I did like the way Crag liked "The Colour of Magic". It seems to be fashionable to despise Pratchett's early works, but I remember how they had me in stitches back then. I disagree with his implication that "Colour of Magic" was the best Pratchett film, however, as I didn't think it was nearly as good as "Hogfather" or "Going Postal". The list of books at the end seems a total waste of space purely for the benefit of book collectors - fancy buying a book simply as an investment! What a waste. Some of what Mr Cabell has to say is interesting, but it does seem mainly about Craig Cabell than about Terry Pratchett.
I loved the list of "further reading" at the end -- basically a list of my favourite books, and the three I haven't read, I am definitely going to find.
I loved the list of "further reading" at the end -- basically a list of my favourite books, and the three I haven't read, I am definitely going to find.
February 25, 2018
Na knihu o Terrym Pratchettovi jsem se moc t臎拧ila. Mo啪n谩 pr谩v臎 proto a proto 啪e je jedn铆m z m媒ch nejobl铆ben臎j拧铆ch spisovatel暖, m臎 dost zklamala. Autor sk谩膷e z jednoho t茅matu k druh茅mu. N臎膷emu se skoro nev臎nuje a jindy zas zach谩z铆 a啪 moc do detail暖, nehled臎 na to, 啪e dan茅 t茅ma s Pratchettem prakticky nesouvis铆. My拧lenky a n谩zory v knize jsou hodn臎 subjektivn铆 a dost 膷asto se s Cabellem v jeho soudech rozch谩z铆m.
Knihu jsem do膷etla a jsem r谩da, 啪e jsem to ud臎lala, ale mysl铆m si, 啪e takov媒 velik谩n, jak媒m je Terry Pratchett, si zaslou啪铆 obsa啪n臎j拧铆, p艡ehledn臎j拧铆 a 膷tiv臎j拧铆 biografii.
Knihu jsem do膷etla a jsem r谩da, 啪e jsem to ud臎lala, ale mysl铆m si, 啪e takov媒 velik谩n, jak媒m je Terry Pratchett, si zaslou啪铆 obsa啪n臎j拧铆, p艡ehledn臎j拧铆 a 膷tiv臎j拧铆 biografii.
May 25, 2014
A huge disappointment. Though it conforms more or less to the basic tenants of a biography, it's largely the author's own views of what PTerry's work reflects, blah blah blah, blah blah blah. What little analysis exists is extremely brief and not very well supported. For a book about Terry, it's simply quite odd how much of it seems rather to be about Craig.
There is also a hell of a lot of quoting lines in lieu of actually saying anything.
There is also a hell of a lot of quoting lines in lieu of actually saying anything.
December 27, 2012
Keep your money. This will sound unkind but Craig Cabell has no sense of humour. One of his previous books is entitled "Snipers: profiles of the world's deadliest killers" - to me that screams humourless pillock. He is singularly unqualified for the task at hand.
Its also very obvious he has never personally interviewed Terry Pratchett. I'd give this half a star at best
Its also very obvious he has never personally interviewed Terry Pratchett. I'd give this half a star at best
November 6, 2019
Informa膷n臎 pom臎rn臎 ok (i kdy啪 n臎kdy se 艡e拧铆 t茅mata 煤pln臎 zbyte膷n谩, rozd铆l mezi fantasy a sci-fi fakt v t茅hle knize nebylo t艡eba vysv臎tlovat), ale na to, 啪e je to kn铆啪ka o Terrym Pratchettovi, je zoufale nevtipn谩 a tak n臎jak i bez osobn铆ho vhledu, podpultov媒ch historek, takov谩 trochu rozt谩hnut谩 wikipedie, sakra, pro膷 to nepsal Gaiman?
April 25, 2020
Pr铆jemn媒 啪ivotopis. Ocenia ho najm盲 fan煤拧ikovia, lebo sa tam spom铆naj煤 jeho knihy k铆啪om-kr谩啪om. Mne sa to p谩膷ilo.
July 2, 2024
Kurde, mam tak mieszane uczucia, 偶e nie wiem, od czego zacz膮膰. Mo偶e na sam pocz膮tek przyznam, 偶e naprawd臋 szybko i przyjemnie si臋 to czyta.
NO ALE.
Po pierwsze, wbrew pozorom to nie jest biografia Pratchetta. Absolutnie podstawowe informacje z jego 偶ycia s膮 podane na pocz膮tku i to tyle. Pod koniec rozwini臋te s膮 tylko 2 elementy 偶yciorysu, a o 偶yciu prywatnym dowiadujemy si臋 tyle, co nic.
Skoro to nie biografia, to co w takim razie? W sumie, to nie wiem. To troch臋 streszczenie kilku powie艣ci, uznanych przez autora tego cuda za najwa偶niejsze, a niekt贸re z tych streszcze艅 s膮 tak obszerne, 偶e praktycznie znam ju偶 ca艂膮 fabu艂臋 i wszystkich bohater贸w kilku ksi膮偶ek. Oczywi艣cie, niekt贸re dzie艂a Pratchetta nie s膮 w og贸le wspomniane.
Po drugie, czytaj膮c to, odnosi si臋 wra偶enie, 偶e czyta si臋 jak膮艣 rozprawk臋, w kt贸rej ucze艅 na si艂臋 pr贸buje znale藕膰 powi膮zania mi臋dzy motywami i jednocze艣nie pr贸buje pokaza膰, jak wiele "tekst贸w kultury" zna. Autor CA艁Y CZAS odwo艂uje si臋 do innych film贸w, seriali i ksi膮偶ek, co z tego, 偶e kompletnie nie zwi膮zanych z autorem, TAM TE呕
MAMY NASTOLETNIEGO PROTAGONIST臉, WIDZICIE?
Po trzecie, autor jest troch臋 za bardzo przekonany o sile swojej w艂asnej opinii. Krytykuje ponadczasowe dzie艂a uznawane za genialne, poniewa偶 on zrobi艂by to inaczej. Nie zlicz臋, ile razy wspomina艂, 偶e pierwsze 4 ksi膮偶ki ze "艢wiata Dysku", s膮 jego ulubionymi.
Po czwarte, okropne wnioski, kt贸re mo偶na stre艣ci膰 w s艂owach: "no no, Pratchett spoko morda, ale przeczytajcie Johnny'ego Maxwella". Jakby, co?
Po pi膮te i ostatnie: dlaczego pierwsze 50 stron tej ksi膮偶ki to dywagacje na temat r贸偶nic mi臋dzy fantasy i science fiction z chyba wszystkimi mo偶liwymi przyk艂adami dzie艂 z obu gatunk贸w? Dlaczego? No kto tego potrzebowa艂?
NO ALE.
Po pierwsze, wbrew pozorom to nie jest biografia Pratchetta. Absolutnie podstawowe informacje z jego 偶ycia s膮 podane na pocz膮tku i to tyle. Pod koniec rozwini臋te s膮 tylko 2 elementy 偶yciorysu, a o 偶yciu prywatnym dowiadujemy si臋 tyle, co nic.
Skoro to nie biografia, to co w takim razie? W sumie, to nie wiem. To troch臋 streszczenie kilku powie艣ci, uznanych przez autora tego cuda za najwa偶niejsze, a niekt贸re z tych streszcze艅 s膮 tak obszerne, 偶e praktycznie znam ju偶 ca艂膮 fabu艂臋 i wszystkich bohater贸w kilku ksi膮偶ek. Oczywi艣cie, niekt贸re dzie艂a Pratchetta nie s膮 w og贸le wspomniane.
Po drugie, czytaj膮c to, odnosi si臋 wra偶enie, 偶e czyta si臋 jak膮艣 rozprawk臋, w kt贸rej ucze艅 na si艂臋 pr贸buje znale藕膰 powi膮zania mi臋dzy motywami i jednocze艣nie pr贸buje pokaza膰, jak wiele "tekst贸w kultury" zna. Autor CA艁Y CZAS odwo艂uje si臋 do innych film贸w, seriali i ksi膮偶ek, co z tego, 偶e kompletnie nie zwi膮zanych z autorem, TAM TE呕
MAMY NASTOLETNIEGO PROTAGONIST臉, WIDZICIE?
Po trzecie, autor jest troch臋 za bardzo przekonany o sile swojej w艂asnej opinii. Krytykuje ponadczasowe dzie艂a uznawane za genialne, poniewa偶 on zrobi艂by to inaczej. Nie zlicz臋, ile razy wspomina艂, 偶e pierwsze 4 ksi膮偶ki ze "艢wiata Dysku", s膮 jego ulubionymi.
Po czwarte, okropne wnioski, kt贸re mo偶na stre艣ci膰 w s艂owach: "no no, Pratchett spoko morda, ale przeczytajcie Johnny'ego Maxwella". Jakby, co?
Po pi膮te i ostatnie: dlaczego pierwsze 50 stron tej ksi膮偶ki to dywagacje na temat r贸偶nic mi臋dzy fantasy i science fiction z chyba wszystkimi mo偶liwymi przyk艂adami dzie艂 z obu gatunk贸w? Dlaczego? No kto tego potrzebowa艂?
August 27, 2022
Avoid at all costs.
Typically I tend not to read biographies where the writer has no immediate connection to the subject but stupidly I made an exception here.
The primary problem is that the author keeps injecting his own views and interests into the book and this happens right from the start when he launches into a tirade in the 2nd introduction about the differences between sci-fi and fantasy! The fact that there's 2 introductions should be a warning sign.. It's a common problem with career biographers where they have a passing understanding of the subject but can only really contextualise it in comparison with other topics they've worked on. In this book it manifests in part as a heap of random quotes from Pratchett's work (clunky but sometimes relevant) and a tonne of quotes from other authors which not only feel out of place but constantly detract from what little flow and pacing exists. In fact the entire book is a random jumble of thoughts about a few topics tenuously linked with moments from Pratchett's career.
At the start of the book there's some background about how Sir Terry started his career but that soon devolves to rants and tangents.
An overly detailed bibliography and filmography fill out the final pages but aside from these and the myriad quotes, there's very little content here and most of that consists of the author's own opinions. The fact that it is so short is a mercy but still I can't recommend this for even die hard fans as there really is very little of value in this book.
Typically I tend not to read biographies where the writer has no immediate connection to the subject but stupidly I made an exception here.
The primary problem is that the author keeps injecting his own views and interests into the book and this happens right from the start when he launches into a tirade in the 2nd introduction about the differences between sci-fi and fantasy! The fact that there's 2 introductions should be a warning sign.. It's a common problem with career biographers where they have a passing understanding of the subject but can only really contextualise it in comparison with other topics they've worked on. In this book it manifests in part as a heap of random quotes from Pratchett's work (clunky but sometimes relevant) and a tonne of quotes from other authors which not only feel out of place but constantly detract from what little flow and pacing exists. In fact the entire book is a random jumble of thoughts about a few topics tenuously linked with moments from Pratchett's career.
At the start of the book there's some background about how Sir Terry started his career but that soon devolves to rants and tangents.
An overly detailed bibliography and filmography fill out the final pages but aside from these and the myriad quotes, there's very little content here and most of that consists of the author's own opinions. The fact that it is so short is a mercy but still I can't recommend this for even die hard fans as there really is very little of value in this book.
May 5, 2018
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot of things about Terry that I didn鈥檛 already know. I won鈥檛 go into detail there, to avoid spoilers. I will say that Terry is my favourite modern author, so I read this book exactly for this purpose.
I feel like at some points in the book the author presumed a lot of Terry that he couldn鈥檛 possibly have known. There were sections where he would state what Terry said about one of his works, or influences, and then the author would argue that he wasn鈥檛 correct in his statement, which felt strange. However, this did provide some interesting insights into the author and the subject, and a unique take on him.
This book provided a brief glimpse into Terry, his life, and works, that couldn鈥檛 afford to go into too much detail. There were some elements explored more deeply than others (the role of teenhood and growing up, for example), and much emphasis is placed on Terry鈥檚 early works. There were repetitive moments in this book that felt a tad unnecessary, though it didn鈥檛 hamper my enjoyment in any significant way. I did finish this book feeling satisfied, though I would have liked to be able to dig into Terry deeper in this book.
The book is also very outdated, having been written in 2011. This is obviously through no fault of the author, but if you want a complete screenshot of Terry鈥檚 life (who died in 2015), then this book won鈥檛 be for you. However, if you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, the Discworld, or any of his other works, this book is still worth the read.
3.5/5
I feel like at some points in the book the author presumed a lot of Terry that he couldn鈥檛 possibly have known. There were sections where he would state what Terry said about one of his works, or influences, and then the author would argue that he wasn鈥檛 correct in his statement, which felt strange. However, this did provide some interesting insights into the author and the subject, and a unique take on him.
This book provided a brief glimpse into Terry, his life, and works, that couldn鈥檛 afford to go into too much detail. There were some elements explored more deeply than others (the role of teenhood and growing up, for example), and much emphasis is placed on Terry鈥檚 early works. There were repetitive moments in this book that felt a tad unnecessary, though it didn鈥檛 hamper my enjoyment in any significant way. I did finish this book feeling satisfied, though I would have liked to be able to dig into Terry deeper in this book.
The book is also very outdated, having been written in 2011. This is obviously through no fault of the author, but if you want a complete screenshot of Terry鈥檚 life (who died in 2015), then this book won鈥檛 be for you. However, if you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, the Discworld, or any of his other works, this book is still worth the read.
3.5/5
January 29, 2018
This was written quite some time ago and before Terry's passing so there is quite a chunk of information missing.
The first part of the book talking about the origins went into a bit more detail with some of the lesser books hardly receiving anything - The unadulterated cat probably got about 25 words right at the end of the book -admittedly this is not the usual Pratchett type book though.
The book was fairly interesting but towards the end I almost felt like abandoning it - but I had read this far so continued on.
The first part of the book talking about the origins went into a bit more detail with some of the lesser books hardly receiving anything - The unadulterated cat probably got about 25 words right at the end of the book -admittedly this is not the usual Pratchett type book though.
The book was fairly interesting but towards the end I almost felt like abandoning it - but I had read this far so continued on.
January 16, 2019
Kompletnie bezsensowna ksi膮偶ka, autor nie mia艂 na ni膮 pomys艂u, pisanie bez 艂adu i sk艂adu, co nam akurat w duszy i gra i wrzucanie skojarze艅 to nie jest analiza tw贸rczo艣ci. Par臋 zda艅 o 偶yciu TP, kilka arbitralnych ocen tw贸rczo艣ci (wcze艣niejsze ksi膮偶ki s膮 lepsze, bo s膮 starsze i lepsze), wi臋cej cytat贸w z r贸znych film贸w, Dickensa czy Adamsa ni偶 z Pratchetta, na zasadzie chyba: "skojarzy艂o mi si臋 i pami臋tam, to wpisz臋. 艢rednio pasuje, ale co tam, udam, 偶e takie mam g艂臋bokie skojarzenia..."
Szkoda czasu i pieni臋dzy.
Szkoda czasu i pieni臋dzy.
May 18, 2020
If you think this book is about Sir Pratchett, well... it is not. And I was kind of expecting it to be, because of the name and picture on the cover. However, this turned out to be some sort of literary analysis of his works and earlier life trough the author's understanding and I frankly confess it was boring as hell. I do not want to read what Pratchett wanted to say or could have wanted to say or what the book is possibly about, I know that - I've read them. I only finished it in a quick read trough by diagonal because I hate leaving books unread, but I don't recommend.
April 15, 2021
I would say that the book does not deliver what is promised in the description. Most of all it does not show much research and systematisation of themes that Pratchett has written about.
It still had some value as a biography and some value in highlighting less well known Pratchett's books. It also provides some insight about how Pratchett's works evolved, but very little in comparison to some off-topic rant about how bookstores place books on their shelves.
It still had some value as a biography and some value in highlighting less well known Pratchett's books. It also provides some insight about how Pratchett's works evolved, but very little in comparison to some off-topic rant about how bookstores place books on their shelves.
June 20, 2019
Bit disappointed with this. I had imagined it was going to be a biography of Terry Pratchett and that I would gain more insight into the man. There was a couple of chapters briefly describing his earlier life but the remainder of the book was more an analysis of his work based mostly on the author Craig Cabell's personal opinions.
November 3, 2020
This is not a biography of Pratchett. You get significantly more information on his life from Wikipedia's page. It's also not a comprehensive study of his work. It is a very long high school term paper, which I would only give a C. Not worthy of Sir Terry.
July 7, 2021
Good biography, but different than others. This is very untypical biography, something like a psychology study of Pratchett. I think that is worth to read, expecialy if You are fan of Pratchett's books.
August 6, 2022
Really enjoyed this book. A brief journey through the highs and lows of the discworld and a bit of background information about Terry Pratchett and his life behind the scenes. All in all a wonderful tribute to a very talented man who made his magical stories come to life. R.I.P sir Terry
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