
Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes
The Official Biography
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Narrated by:
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Rob Wilkins
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By:
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Rob Wilkins
Brought to you by Penguin.
WINNER OF THE BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION AWARD FOR BEST NON-FICTION
'PEOPLE THINK THAT STORIES ARE SHAPED BY PEOPLE. IN FACT, IT'S THE OTHER WAY AROUND.'
At the time of his death in 2015, award-winning and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett was working on his finest story yet - his own.
At six years old, Terry was told by his headteacher that he would never amount to anything. He spent the rest of his life proving that teacher wrong. At sixty-six, Terry had lived a life full of achievements: becoming one of the UK's bestselling writers, winning the Carnegie Medal and being awarded a knighthood for services to literature.
Following his untimely death from Alzheimer's disease, the mantle of completing Terry's memoir was passed to Rob Wilkins, his former assistant, friend and now head of the author's literary estate.
Drawing on his own extensive memories, along with those of Terry's family, friends, fans and colleagues, Rob recounts Terry's extraordinary story - from his early childhood to the literary phenomenon that his Discworld series became; and how he met and coped with the challenges that 'The Embuggerance' of Alzheimer's brought with it.
©2022 Rob Wilkins (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"Of all the dead authors in the world, Terry Pratchett is the most alive." (John Lloyd)
"Always readable, illuminating and honest. It made me miss the real Terry." (Neil Gaiman)
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Great listen!
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No Words Can (fill in the blank).
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Wonderful story behind the story
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We learn of his remarkable precocity with all things electronics, of his love of tortoises, of his near-hallucinatory powers of imagination. Of his youth in a post-war English cottage, without electricity or running water, but with potentially lethal falling tiles.
There are fantastic anecdotes about the books and delicious insights into the characters. In a way, this is giving me a whole new library of Pratchetts because now, *I know the stories behind the stories.* I am so looking forward to re-reading Night Watch and knowing why Nobby & Colon request a kettle and a dartboard as their reward for saving the entire city of Ankh-Morpork.
Wilkins does good voices, too. If you listen to "Terry Pratchett in his own words," which I highly recommend, you'll know that he captures Pratchett's cadence, tones and especially his wry humor beautifully. And it's wonderful to get to know Pratchett's wife Lynn and his daughter Rihanna. You can't help but fall in love with this family circle.
The extraordinary people who peopled Pratchett's world are brought to life. It was delightful to hear how they influenced the stories. I now firmly believe Bernard Pearson *is* Sam Vimes, and nothing will make me change my mind. I wish we could've gotten to read What Doger Did Next and Raising Taxes.
It's so good to finally know what happened with Raising Steam, I had desperately wondered. I'm going to go back and read it again now, and I think I'll be able to enjoy it more. As for The Shepherd's Crown, that one always felt right, for which I will forever be grateful. Pratchett's final novel was pure Pratchett, one final time.
Wilkins is both a wonderful writer and an wonderful narrator. The love he has for his employer, mentor and friend shines through in every word. It's told with humor -- I burst out laughing within the first six sentences and did so at regular intervals through the rest of the narration-- honesty and heartbreak as we witness Alzheimer's destructive progress and are invited into the family's intimacy in Sir Terry's final days.
Pratchett feels like a strong voice in this book, almost a coauthor. This truly is a gift from Sir Terry, his family, and Rob Wilkins, to the readers he loved so much. If you love and miss Terry Pratchett, and wish you had more of him to read, do yourself a favor. Listen to this book.
So good, I started right over as soon as it ended
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A perfectly written and read tribute to Sir Terry
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Beautiful
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Made me cry.
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It's a wonderful life
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Nicely done
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An amazing life
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