For a great many people, the king of modern fantasy writing fell from his throne when Sir Terry Pratchett died. He had battled with Alzheimers very publicly and with incredible grace since his diagnosis in 2007 (three years before his knighthood), and sadly met one of his finest character creations while surrounded by his family. https://twitter.com/terryandrob/status/576036726046646272 Fans who spent more time riding on the back of Sir Terry's giant turtle will no doubt mourn the passing of the genius of the Discworld as much as its creator, but now is the perfect time to look back at the profound wisdom and beautiful creativity of a writer who laughed at Death. The Discworld series' popularity is beyond question: it boasts more than 40 books, has sold over 80 million copies has been translated in 37 languages. And while they often took the form of parody of famous works by J.R.R.Tolkien, Shakespeare and Robert. E. Howard as well as well-know fairytales, their work - and Pratchett's genius was entirely unique. That was precisely why he was Britain's best selling author until JK Rowling introduced a certain boy wizard. With incredible grace and good humour, Pratchett labelled his illness "the Embuggerance" - the sign of a man wholly committed to his wit and humour until the very last. And it's hard to underestimate just how far his philosophies have carried across the world. In truth, it's probably not far enough, because his logic and irreverent genius - which shines in his most infamous and profound quotes - could be improving your life already...
