Farewell, Sir Terry

[delphipsmith]

DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death.
JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.
-- Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

Sir Terry Pratchett, renowned fantasy author, dies aged 66
You will be missed...

“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

"So we can believe the big ones?"

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

"They're not the same at all!"

YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET— Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"

MY POINT EXACTLY.

-- Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

Comments

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

I feel like rereading . . . everything.

[delphipsmith]

I think I will start with Mort. It seems appropriate :)

[pitry.livejournal.com]

:(((((( I know that's probably what he wanted, but... :(

[dreamy-dragon73.livejournal.com]

I'm very sad tonight.

[delphipsmith]

It's a feeling shared by many. Lots of lovely tributes to him across cyberspace yesterday and today.

[noeon.livejournal.com]

It's a very sad day. There aren't many like him.

[delphipsmith]

Indeed not. Selfishly, it makes me angry to think of all the books he didn't get to write, and which we are now deprived of...

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thank you for this. I haven't read Hogfather yet, but clearly this is an oversight that needs immediate fixing.

[delphipsmith]

Hogfather is perhaps one of his best, with lots of Deep Thoughts like this :)

[haruhi-fan.livejournal.com]

Hugs. I didn't know his works until friends made note to me of the fandom for him, and seeing in his passing the passion of fans all the way to the UK politicians it seems he was quite the writer. Godspeed.