Terry Pratchett has died

[MrsPurchase]

I'm gutted.

It was so shocking to hear this, Even though i knew it would happen and he had to cancel public appearances recently it was still a shocking thing to hear.

Never again will there be someone who can get so much sense out of such nonsensical things and reach so many, he was much more than a writer.

My son (who is doing a History degree) told me today that when he was studying the development of the police system in Britain in the very early 19th century, he had a moment when he realised he already knew a lot about this - from the development of the Watch in Ankh-Morpork.

Just rewatching Going Postal. It's good - but it isn't a patch on the books.

It makes me feel a tiny bit better to know that I'm not alone in crying about this, but I feel soooo pissed off when any of you talk about re-reading from the start - all my Pratchetts are in store.

Ooh, but I've just remembered, I do have Going Postal on DVD...

I really hope the BBC are going to make Good Omens available again.

I hope they do. In the meantime they have put together this selection of programmes featuring STP.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ltvn2

I'm hoping channel 4 will repeat Soul Music.

I keep getting teary about it too. I've lost close friends and family, and have had a few losses recently, so this is hitting me hard. Normally a 'celeb' shuffling off their mortal coil may make me pause for a few mins, but I'm still shedding salty blobs for STP.

I have to keep bookmarking the thread and leaving it because I'm at home on my own with DD and she is too young to understand. It feels as though I've lost another friend/parent.

I've been a fan of STP for many, many years and treasure the autographed book a friend got for me. Barely a day goes by where I can't find an appropriate quote to apply. As an ecologist, much of what he says applies to 'deep ecology', to physics/quantum and the Gaia theory.

At the moment, I'm in the midst of writing my dissertation. I am determined to get a discworld quote in.

particles of raw inspiration sleet through the universe all the time. every once in a while one of them hits a receptive mind, which then invents DNA, the flute sonata form or a way of making light bulbs glow brighter but burn out in half the time*. Most of these miss, most people go through their lives without being hit by a single one, however some people are unfortunate enough to be hit by them all.
Such one was Hwel Sir Terry

*These days, light bulbs are designed to cost the price, be extremely dull but efficient enough to last decades, much like politicians.

Soul music is on YouTube. Somehow I have never seen it, so I'm off to ankh Morpork right now.
If they did a proper, really good tv version of the books, who would be the best Sam?

I've never seen any TP adaptations - are any of them good? I can't help thinking they might be rather disappointing (like hitchhiker's) and that what is really needed is for radio 4 to embark on the canon. Because the pictures are better on radio.

I said on another thread many moons ago that a young Pete Postlethwaite would have made a fantastic Sam Vimes and loads of people promptly agreed with me.

I've just looked up Sam Vimes on Google images and Pete Postlethwaite appears a few times - but so does Hugh Laurie! I reckon he could do it too, after his House persona.

I didn't even know there was an adaptation of Soul Music. I have Hogfather and Colour of Magic, but wasn't aware of either Soul Music or Going Postal. Just discovered that Wyrd Sisters is also out there - anyone seen that?

The problem with the TV adaptations is that 99% of Terry Pratchetts humour is in the way things are written. this of course doesn't translate well.

anyone seen that

Wyrd sisters, suffers from only having about 4 voice actors doing all the voices.
There is an out of print German DVD with wyrd sisters, Soul music and a 10 minute version of reaper man (called welcome to discworld) on. it's well worth tracking down.

Thanks Jason

My favourite author for 25 years, his books bought me so much happiness and through times I never thought I'd get through. A true loss to the world, my sympathies are with his family xxxx

Pete Postlethwaite would have been brilliant as Mr Vimes. Perhaps Death can bring him back when he's bringing back a sound-in-mind-and-body Terry.

thumb going postal is very enjoyable, but it's also very watered down and 99% of the subplots are either totally gone or very simplified.
However David Suchet is brilliant as Reacher Gilt, I would never have dreamt of casting him but it works. It's well worth seeing.

That's just as well, Jason as I've just ordered the DVD!
Been watching the animation of Soul Music on and off through today...

Enjoy it..

You don't sleep much do you?

Ha, not much no - but I'm in Australia, that's the reason for the odd hours of my posts!

Ah, that explains it, There is one other film adaptation you might be intrested in, it's filmed in your neck of the woods but I've never seen it becuase it's only shown at film festivals. It's based on the short story Troll Bridge.

Thanks I'll look it out :)