Terry Pratchett is one of the highest selling authors of the last twenty years. Most of his books are set in a fantasy world known as the Discworld: a flat disc of land supported on the backs of four giant elephants who, in turn, ride through space on the back of the giant turtle, A’Tuin.
However, this fantastical scenario belies the true nature of Pratchett’s work which is concerned with real life issues both historical and contemporary. Over Pratchett’s large body of work within the Discworld he has addressed such issues as: the role and responsibility of media in society, the difference between politics and governance, the authority and power of officers versus soldiers during wartime and mob mentality. However, that makes his work sound serious. Ultimately Pratchett crafts colourful, funny, easy to read stories that simultaneously explore more serious issues for those who care to listen. I happily recommend Terry Pratchett to teenagers and adults alike.Terry Pratchett has currently released 39 Discworld novels plus several spin-off works and they feature a wide variety of main characters. His latest book is Snuff.
One discworld novel, “Going Postal”, has been adapted for a two-part TV series which recently aired on ABC.
