View source for Terry Pratchett

{{Short description|English fantasy author (1948–2015)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| honorific_prefix = [[Sir]]
| name             = Terry Pratchett
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image            = Terry Pratchett (3x4 cropped).jpg
| caption          = Pratchett at the 2012 [[New York Comic Con]]
| birth_name       = Terence David John Pratchett
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1948|4|28|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Beaconsfield]], Buckinghamshire, England
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|2015|3|12|1948|4|28|df=y}}
| death_place      = [[Broad Chalke]], Wiltshire, England
| occupation       = Novelist
| genres           = {{Cslist|[[Comic fantasy]]|satire|science fiction}}
| spouse           = {{marriage|Lyn Purves|5 October 1968}}
| children         = [[Rhianna Pratchett]]
| awards           = {{Indented plainlist|
* {{awards|[[Knight Bachelor]]|[[2009 New Year Honours|2009]]}}
* {{awards|name=Officer|[[Order of the British Empire]]|1998}}
}}
| notableworks     = {{cslist|''[[Discworld]]''|''[[Good Omens]]''}}
| website          = {{URL|terrypratchettbooks.com}}
|language=English
|pseudonym=Patrick Kearns<br>Uncle Jim
| signature        = <!-- Terrys-signature.jpg -->
| module           = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Terry Pratchett BBC Radio4 Book Club 20 May 2008 b00bc2qw.flac|title={{center|Terry Pratchett's voice}}|type=speech|description={{center|[[:File:Terry Pratchett BBC Radio4 Book Club 20 May 2008 b00bc2qw.flac|Recorded May 2008]] from the BBC Radio 4 programme ''[[Bookclub (radio programme)|Bookclub]]''}}}}
}}

'''Sir Terence David John Pratchett'''<!--- Pratchett was a Knight Bachelor, not a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, so he is a "Sir", but his postnominals remain OBE, not KBE: ---> {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English [[author]], [[humorist]], and [[Satire|satirist]], best known for the ''[[Discworld]]'' series of 41 [[comic fantasy]] novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|apocalyptic]] comedy novel ''[[Good Omens]]'' (1990), which he co-wrote with [[Neil Gaiman]].

Pratchett's first novel, ''[[The Carpet People]]'', was published in 1971. The first ''Discworld'' novel, ''[[The Colour of Magic]]'', was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final ''Discworld'' novel, ''[[The Shepherd's Crown]]'', was published in August 2015, five months after his death.

With more than 100&nbsp;million books sold worldwide in 43&nbsp;languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in 1998 and was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] for services to literature in the [[2009 New Year Honours]]. In 2001, he won the annual [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]] for ''[[The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents]]'', the first ''Discworld'' book marketed for children. He received the [[World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement]] in 2010.

In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with [[early-onset Alzheimer's disease]]. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now [[Alzheimer's Research UK]], ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the [[BBC]], and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.

{{TOC level|3}}

==Early life and education==
Pratchett was born on 28 April 1948 in [[Beaconsfield]] in [[Buckinghamshire]], England, the only child of David (1921–2006), a mechanic, and Eileen Pratchett (1922–2010), a secretary, of [[Hay-on-Wye]].<ref name="odnb">{{Cite odnb|title=Pratchett, Sir Terence David John (Terry)|doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.110260|date=10 January 2019|last1=Sawyer |first1=Andy |author-link=Andrew Sawyer}}</ref> His maternal grandparents came from Ireland.<ref>{{Cite news|date=26 September 2012|title=Only in Ireland would somebody make me a Professor.|url=http://www.theirishworld.com/only-in-ireland-would-somebody-make-me-a-professor/ |access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=30 December 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230192449/https://www.theirishworld.com/only-in-ireland-would-somebody-make-me-a-professor/|url-status =dead |newspaper=[[The Irish World (London)|The Irish World]] |last=Hennessy |first=David}}</ref> Pratchett attended Holtspur School, where he was bullied for his [[speech impediments]]. He was disliked by the [[head teacher]], who, Pratchett said, thought "he could tell how successful you were going to be in later life by how well you could read or write at the age of six".<ref name="Khomami2017">{{Cite news |last=Khomami |first=Nadia |date=3 February 2017 |title=Terry Pratchett docudrama reveals moment author realised he was 'dead' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/03/terry-pratchett-docudrama-author-dead-alzheimers |access-date=13 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Pratchett's family moved to [[Bridgwater]], Somerset, briefly in 1957.{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=3}} He passed his [[eleven plus exam]] in 1958, earning a place at [[High Wycombe Technical High School]],{{efn|Pratchett gave his eleven plus exam in 1958 according to biographer Marc Burrows,{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 1}} and in 1959 according to Craig Cabell.{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=3}}}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Discworld heroes were old masters|publisher=Bucks Free Press|date=13 February 2002|url=http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/archive/display.var.49775.0.discworld_heroes_were_old_masters.php|access-date=28 July 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222944/http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/archive/display.var.49775.0.discworld_heroes_were_old_masters.php|archive-date=26 September 2007}}</ref> where he was a key member of the debating society{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 3}}<ref>J. R. Hughes U6A, "The Senior Debating Society 1965", in ''Cygnet, Wycombe Technical High School Magazine'', May 1966, Vol. 2, no. 1, p. [20].</ref> and wrote stories for the school magazine.{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 3}}<ref>Stories in the ''Technical Cygnet'': "Business Rivals" (later to be revised and published under the title "The Hades Business"), 1: 8, December 1962, pp. 18–29; "Look for the Little – Dragon?" and "The Searcher" 1: 9, March 1964, pp. 28–29; "Solution" 1: 10, July 1964, p. 25; and "The Picture" 1:11, May 1965, p. 12.</ref> Pratchett described himself as a "non-descript" student and,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Asher-Perrin |first=Emmet |date=28 April 2015 |title=Terry Pratchett is (Supposedly) the Most Shoplifted Author in Great Britain for a Reason |url=https://www.tor.com/2015/04/28/terry-pratchett-is-the-most-shop-lifted-author-in-great-britain-for-a-reason/ |magazine=[[Tor.com]]}}</ref> in his ''[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]'' entry, credited his education to the Beaconsfield Public Library.{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=3}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5185|title=Terry Pratchett|encyclopedia=[[The Literary Encyclopedia]]|access-date=1 July 2009|date=20 September 2002|last=Smith|first=Kevin P.}}</ref>

Pratchett's early interests included [[astronomy]]. He collected [[Brooke Bond#Cards|Brooke Bond tea cards]] about space, owned a telescope and wanted to be an astronomer, but lacked the necessary mathematical skills.{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 1}} He developed an interest in science fiction and attended [[science fiction convention]]s from about 1963–1964, but stopped a few years later when he got his first job as a trainee journalist at the local paper.<ref name="sfw">{{cite web|publisher=[[SciFi.com]]|url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue449/interview.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115061550/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue449/interview.html|archive-date=15 January 2008|title=Terry Pratchett on the origins of Discworld, his Order of the British Empire and everything in between|date=2005|access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref> His early reading included the works of [[H. G. Wells]], [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], and "every book you really ought to read", which he later regarded as "getting an education".<ref name="peschel">{{cite web|publisher=Bill Peschel|url=http://www.planetpeschel.com/wp/2006/09/interview-with-terry-pratchett/|title=Interview with Terry Pratchett|date=14 September 2006|access-date=17 February 2008|archive-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527001248/http://planetpeschel.com/wp/2006/09/interview-with-terry-pratchett/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Pratchett published his first short story, "Business Rivals", in the High Wycombe Technical School's magazine in 1962. It is the tale of a man named Crucible who finds the Devil in his flat in a cloud of sulphurous smoke.<ref name="bfp">Bucks Free Press, p.&nbsp;121 Sir Terry Pratchett Tribute. 20 March 2015.</ref> "The Hades Business" was published in the school magazine when he was 13, and published commercially when he was 15.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Kevin P. Smith, Sheffield Hallam University, The Literary Encyclopedia |url=http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5185 |title=Terry Pratchett |date=20 September 2002 |access-date=6 June 2007}}</ref>

Pratchett earned five [[O-levels]] and started [[Advanced Level (UK)|A-level]] courses in Art, English and History.{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 2}} His initial career choice was journalism and he left school at 17, in 1965, to start an apprenticeship with Arthur Church, the editor of the ''[[Bucks Free Press]]''. In this position he wrote, among other things, more than 80 stories for the ''Children's Circle'' section under the name Uncle Jim. Two of the stories contain characters found in his novel ''[[The Carpet People]]'' (1971).<ref>''Bucks Free Press'', issues of 8 October to 23 December 1965, and 20 January to 3 March 1967.</ref> While on [[wikt:day release#Noun-employment|day release]] from his apprenticeship, Pratchett finished his A-Level in English and took the [[National Council for the Training of Journalists]] proficiency course.{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 3}}<ref name="smythe">{{cite web |publisher=Colinsmythe.co.uk |url=http://www.colinsmythe.co.uk/terry-pratchett |title=Terry Pratchett and his Works |access-date=4 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518113536/http://colinsmythe.co.uk/terry-pratchett/ |archive-date=18 May 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Career==
In 1968 Pratchett interviewed [[Peter Bander van Duren]], co-director of a small publishing company, Colin Smythe Ltd. Pratchett mentioned that he had written a manuscript, ''[[The Carpet People]]''.{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=15}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Welcome to the world of Terry|work=The Scotsman online|url=http://news.scotsman.com/terrypratchett/Welcome-to-the-world-of.2470398.jp|date=16 October 2003|access-date=17 December 2008|archive-date=20 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020213929/http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/features/welcome-to-the-world-of-terry-1-901031|url-status=dead}}</ref> Colin Smythe Ltd published the book in 1971, with illustrations by Pratchett.{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=16}} It received strong, although few, reviews and was followed by the science fiction novels ''[[The Dark Side of the Sun]]'' (1976) and ''[[Strata (novel)|Strata]]'' (1981).{{sfn|Cabell|2011|pp=17–18, 28}} In the 1970s and 1980s, Pratchett published stories in a regional newspaper under the pseudonym Patrick Kearns.<ref name="Shaffi2023">{{Cite news |last=Shaffi |first=Sarah |date=27 February 2023 |title=Rediscovered Terry Pratchett stories to be published |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/27/rediscovered-terry-pratchett-stories-to-be-published |access-date=27 February 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

After various positions in journalism, in 1979 Pratchett became press officer for the South West Region of the [[Central Electricity Generating Board]] (CEGB) in an area that contained three [[nuclear power station]]s.{{efn|Burrows states that Pratchett joined the CEGB in 1979 and oversaw three nuclear stations,{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 7}} but according to Cabell, he started work in 1980 and the number of stations may have been either three or four.{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=28}}}} He later joked that he had demonstrated "impeccable timing" by making this career change so soon after the [[Three Mile Island accident|Three Mile Island]] nuclear accident in [[Pennsylvania]], US, and said he would "write a book about his experiences if he thought anyone would actually believe them".{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=28}}<ref name="writerswrite">{{cite news|title=A conversation with Terry Pratchett|work=Writerswrite.com|url=http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/apr00/pratchett.htm|date=26 March 2007|access-date=17 December 2008}}</ref>

The first ''Discworld'' novel, ''[[The Colour of Magic]]'', was published in hardback by Colin Smythe Ltd in 1983. Pratchett gave up working for the CEGB to make his living through writing in 1987, after finishing the fourth ''Discworld'' novel, ''[[Mort]]''. His sales increased quickly and many of his books occupied top places on bestseller lists; he was the UK's bestselling author of the 1990s.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last=Weale |first=Sally |date=8 November 2002 |title=Life on planet Pratchett |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/nov/08/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.terrypratchett |access-date=6 June 2007 |work=Guardian Unlimited |location=London}}</ref> According to ''The Times'', Pratchett was the top-selling and highest earning UK author in 1996.<ref name="smythe" /> Some of his books have been published by [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]], another Transworld imprint.{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 11}} In the United States, where his books are published by [[HarperCollins]], Pratchett had poorer sales, marketing and distribution until 2005, when ''[[Thud!]]'' reached the ''[[New York Times]]'' bestseller list.{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 16}}

According to the ''Bookseller's Pocket Yearbook'' (2005), in 2003 Pratchett's UK sales amounted to 3.4% of the fiction market by hardback sales and 3.8% by value, putting him in second place behind [[J. K. Rowling]] (6% and 5.6%, respectively), while in the paperback sales list Pratchett came 5th with 1.2% and 1.3% by value (behind [[James Patterson]] (1.9% and 1.7%), [[Alexander McCall Smith]], [[John Grisham]] and [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]).<ref>{{cite web |date=August 2005 |title=Discworld Monthly – Issue 100: August 2005 – New from Colin Smyth |url=http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/dwm0100.php |access-date=6 June 2007 |publisher=Jason Anthony, DiscworldMonthly.co.uk}}</ref> He has UK sales of more than 2.5&nbsp;million copies a year.{{sfn|James|2012|p=75}} His 2011 ''Discworld'' novel ''[[Snuff (Pratchett novel)|Snuff]]'' became the third-fastest-selling hardback adult-readership novel since records began in the UK, selling 55,000 copies in the first three days.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pratchett's Snuff snaffles top spot with ease |url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/pratchetts-snuff-snaffles-top-spot-ease.html |access-date=3 December 2012 |magazine=The Bookseller}}</ref> As of 2023, Pratchett's works have sold more than 100&nbsp;million copies in 43&nbsp;languages.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bushby |first=Helen |date=27 February 2023 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett: Short stories to be published after being found by fans |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64789059 |publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Pratchett married Lyn Purves at the Congregational Church, [[Gerrards Cross]], on 5 October 1968.<ref name="smythe" /> They moved to [[Rowberrow]], Somerset, in 1970. Their daughter [[Rhianna Pratchett]], also a writer, was born there in 1976. In 1993 the family moved to [[Broad Chalke]], a village west of [[Salisbury]], Wiltshire.<ref>{{cite news|date=30 December 2010|title=Terry Pratchett celebrated by new Royal Mail stamps|work=BBC Wiltshire|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_9327000/9327675.stm|access-date=26 June 2013}}</ref>

Pratchett was the patron of the Friends of High Wycombe Library.<ref name="fohwl">{{cite web|title=Friends of High Wycombe Libraries|url=http://www.lookups.com.au/wiki/friends-in-high-wycombe-library-report.php|access-date=21 November 2012}}</ref> In 2013 he gave a talk at Beaconsfield Library, which he had visited as a child, and donated the income from the event to it. He also visited his former school to speak to the students.<ref name="bfp" />

Pratchett often wore large black hats, in a style described as "more that of urban cowboy than city gent".<ref name="ind">{{cite news |date=13 March 2015 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett: Author's Discworld series of novels sold millions and faced early-onset Alzheimer's with courage and wit |work=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/sir-terry-pratchett-author-whose-discworld-series-of-novels-sold-millions-and-who-faced-early-onset-10104992.html}}</ref> Concern for the future of civilisation prompted him to install five kilowatts of [[solar cell|photovoltaic cells]] (for [[solar energy]]) at his house in 2007.<ref name="theage">{{cite news|date=17 February 2007|title=Meeting Mr Pratchett|newspaper=[[The Age]]|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/meeting-mr-pratchett/2007/02/15/1171405371862.html?page=fullpage|access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref>

Pratchett had an observatory built in his back garden<ref name="sfw" /> and was a keen astronomer from childhood.{{sfn|Burrows|2020|loc=chpt. 1}} He made a 2005 appearance on the BBC programme ''[[The Sky at Night]]''<ref>{{cite web |date=7 August 2005 |title=Terry Pratchett, amateur astronomer |url=http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2216 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720205818/http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2216 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |access-date=2 June 2009 |publisher=The Cunning Artificer's forums}}</ref> and appeared on the 50th anniversary of the show in 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007h1n2 | title=BBC One - We Love the Sky at Night }}</ref> He travelled on a cruise ship from [[Taiwan]] to watch the [[Solar eclipse of July 22, 2009|2009 solar eclipse]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/terry-pratchett-joins-the-eclipse-chasers-pc7mzrzkr5d|title=Terry Pratchett joins the eclipse chasers|first=Steve|last=Keenan|work=[[The Times]]|date=19 May 2008|access-date=29 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229214037/https://www.thetimes.com/article/terry-pratchett-joins-the-eclipse-chasers-pc7mzrzkr5d|archive-date=29 December 2024|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Computing===
Pratchett started to use computers for writing as soon as they were available to him. His first computer was a [[ZX81]]; the first computer he used properly for writing was an [[Amstrad CPC|Amstrad CPC 464]], later replaced by an [[IBM PC compatible]]. Pratchett was one of the first authors to routinely use the Internet to communicate with fans, and was a contributor to the [[Usenet]] newsgroup alt.fan.pratchett from 1992.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 July 1992 |title=alt.fan.pratchett |url=http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.pratchett/browse_frm/thread/6d66f88060364dbb |access-date=6 June 2007}}</ref> However, he did not consider the Internet a hobby, just another "thing to use".<ref name="writerswrite" /> He had many computers in his house,<ref name="writerswrite" /> with a bank of six monitors to ease writing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Orr |first1=Deborah |title=Terry Pratchett: 'If I'd known what a progressive brain disease could do for your PR profile I may have had one earlier' |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/terry-pratchett-if-id-known-what-a-progressive-brain-disease-could-do-for-your-pr-profile-i-may-have-had-one-earlier-1036584.html |access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Preston |first1=John |title=Sir Terry Pratchett interview for Unseen Academicals |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6231337/SIr-Terry-Pratchett-interview.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=12 March 2015 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6231337/SIr-Terry-Pratchett-interview.html |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> When he travelled, he always took a portable computer, originally a 1992 [[Olivetti Quaderno]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilkins |first1=Rob |title=Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes |date=29 September 2022 |publisher=Transworld |isbn=978-1-473-56894-5 |publication-date=2022 |chapter=14. Rubber Gloves, TV Snobs and an Olivetti on the Line at Waterloo}}</ref> with him to write.<ref name="writerswrite" />

In a 1995 interview with [[Microsoft]] co-founder [[Bill Gates]], Pratchett expressed concern about the potential spread of [[misinformation]] online. He felt that there was a "kind of parity of esteem of information" on the internet, and gave the example of [[Holocaust denial]] being presented on the same terms as [[Peer review|peer-reviewed]] research, with no easy way to gauge reliability. Gates disagreed, saying that online authorities would index and check facts and sources in a much more sophisticated way than in print. The interview was rediscovered in 2019, and seen by Pratchett's biographer as prescient of [[fake news]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Alison Flood |date=30 May 2019 |title=Terry Pratchett predicted rise of fake news in 1995, says biographer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/30/terry-pratchett-predicted-rise-of-fake-news-in-1995-says-biographer |accessdate=6 April 2023 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

Pratchett was an avid [[video game]] player, and collaborated in the creation of a number of game adaptations of his books. He favoured games that are "intelligent and have some depth", citing ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' (2004) and fan missions for ''[[Thief (series)|Thief]]'' as examples.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 August 2006 |title=PC Interviews – Terry Pratchett |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=143656 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420034539/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=143656 |archive-date=20 April 2008 |access-date=8 June 2007 |work=[[Computer and Video Games]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lane |first=Rick |date=9 December 2021 |title='Help! I've been spotted!' Terry Pratchett on Thief, his favourite video game |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/dec/09/terry-pratchett-thief-video-game-forum |accessdate=6 April 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> The red army in ''Interesting Times'' prompted comparisons to the 1991 puzzle game ''[[Lemmings (video game)|Lemmings]]''. When asked about this connection, Pratchett said: "Merely because the red army can fight, dig, march and climb and is controlled by little icons? Can't imagine how anyone thought that&nbsp;... Not only did I wipe ''Lemmings'' from my hard disk, I overwrote it so I couldn't get it back."<ref>{{cite web |last=Breebaart |first=Leo |date=1 July 2005 |title=Annotated Pratchett File v 9.0 – Interesting Times |url=http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/interesting-times.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804004433/http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/interesting-times.html |archive-date=4 August 2012 |access-date=10 December 2014 |work=LSpace}}</ref> He described ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'' (2006) as his favourite video game, saying that he used many of its non-combat-oriented fan-made [[Mod (video games)|mods]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Peterson |first1=Matthew |title=Terry Pratchett |url=http://theauthorhour.com/terry-pratchett/extras.php |access-date=16 April 2015 |website=The Author Hour}}</ref> and contributed to the development of at least one popular fan-made mod.<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 January 2019|title=The story behind the Oblivion mod Terry Pratchett worked on |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/the-story-behind-the-oblivion-mod-terry-pratchett-worked-on |access-date=30 December 2024|first=Cian |last=Maher|work=[[Eurogamer]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212123854/https://www.eurogamer.net/the-story-behind-the-oblivion-mod-terry-pratchett-worked-on|archive-date=12 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Natural history===
Pratchett had a fascination with [[natural history]] that he referred to many times, and he owned a greenhouse full of [[carnivorous plant]]s.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 August 2005 |title=BBC profile |url=https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A4643895 |access-date=3 December 2012 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref> He described them in the biographical notes on the dust jackets of some of his books, and elsewhere,<ref>Alt.Fan.Pratchett FAQ| http://faqs.cs.uu.nl/na-dir/pratchett/afp-faq.html{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} seen November 2019</ref> as "not as interesting as people think".<ref>{{cite book |last=Pratchett |first=Terry |title=The Colour of Magic |date=1990 |publisher=Corgi |author-link=Terry Pratchett}}</ref> By ''Carpe Jugulum'' the account had become that "he used to grow carnivorous plants, but now they've taken over the greenhouse and he avoids going in".<ref>Biographical note, inside rear dustcover flap, ''Carpe Jugulum'' {{ISBN|0-385-40992-3}}</ref>

In 1995, a [[fossil]] of a [[turtle|sea-turtle]] from the [[Eocene]] epoch of New Zealand was named ''[[Psephophorus terrypratchetti]]'' in his  honour by the palaeontologist Richard Köhler (his Discworld being a flat planet balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle).<ref name="koehler1995">{{cite journal |author=Köhler, R. |year=1995 |title=A new species of the fossil turtle ''Psephophorus'' (Order Testudines) from the Eocene of the South Island, New Zealand |journal=[[Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand]] |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=371–384 |bibcode=1995JRSNZ..25..371K |doi=10.1080/03014223.1995.9517495}}</ref>

In 2016, Pratchett fans unsuccessfully petitioned the [[International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry]] (IUPAC) to name [[chemical element]] 117, [[placeholder name|temporarily called]] ''ununseptium'', as ''octarine'' with the proposed symbol Oc (pronounced "ook").<ref>{{cite news |last=Saunders |first=Tristram Fane |date=8 January 2016 |title=Terry Pratchett's Discworld colour Octarine could join the periodic table |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/terry-pratchetts-discworld-colour-octarine-could-join-the-period/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/terry-pratchetts-discworld-colour-octarine-could-join-the-period/ |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The final name chosen for element 117 was ''[[tennessine]]'' with the symbol Ts.<ref name="IUPAC-20161130">{{cite news |author=Staff |date=30 November 2016 |title=IUPAC Announces the Names of the Elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 |work=[[IUPAC]] |url=https://iupac.org/iupac-announces-the-names-of-the-elements-113-115-117-and-118/ |access-date=1 December 2016}}</ref>

Pratchett was a trustee for the Orangutan Foundation<ref>{{cite web |date=n.d. |title=DONORS AND SUPPORTERS |url=https://www.orangutan.org.uk/donors-supporters |access-date=3 March 2021 |publisher=Orangutan Foundation UK |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414175030/https://www.orangutan.org.uk/donors-supporters |url-status=dead}}</ref> but was pessimistic about the future of [[orangutan]]s.<ref name="theage" /> His activities included visiting [[Borneo]] with a [[Channel 4]] film crew to make an episode of ''Jungle Quest'' in 1995, seeing orangutans in their natural habitat.<ref>{{cite web |date=n.d. |title=Short Stories: Terry Pratchett's Jungle Quest |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/530147 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113080937/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/530147 |archive-date=13 November 2007 |access-date=7 November 2015 |publisher=BFI Film & TV Database}}</ref> Following Pratchett's lead, fan events such as the Discworld Conventions have adopted Orangutan Foundation as their nominated charity, which has been acknowledged by the foundation.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 September 2004 |title=Discworld Convention 2004 |url=http://www.orangutan.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818183305/http://www.orangutan.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=7 |archive-date=18 August 2007 |access-date=6 June 2007 |publisher=Orangutan Foundation UK}}</ref> One of Pratchett's most popular fictional characters, [[The Librarian (Discworld)|the Librarian]], is a wizard who was transformed into an orangutan in a magical accident and decides to remain in that condition as it is so convenient for his work.

===Views on religion===
Pratchett, who was brought up in a [[Church of England]] family,<ref name="Pratchett2014">{{Cite book |last=Pratchett |first=Terry |title=[[A Slip of the Keyboard]] |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |year=2014 |chapter=The God Moment}}</ref> described himself as an [[Atheism|atheist]]<ref name="Times Online-2008">{{Cite web |date=June 2008 |title=Terry Pratchett, Lord of Discworld, fights to save his powers |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/terry-pratchett-lord-of-discworld-fights-to-save-his-powers-wm83n7twggb |website=[[Times Online]]}}</ref> and a [[secular humanism|humanist]]. He was a Distinguished Supporter of [[Humanists UK]] (formerly known as the British Humanist Association)<ref>{{cite web |title=Terry Pratchett OBE: Fantasy fiction author, satirist and distinguished supporter of Humanism |url=http://www.humanism.org.uk/site/cms/contentViewArticle.asp?article=2272 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070421224854/http://www.humanism.org.uk/site/cms/contentViewArticle.asp?article=2272 |archive-date=21 April 2007 |access-date=17 December 2008 |work=British Humanist Association website}}</ref> and an Honorary Associate of the [[National Secular Society]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Associates: Sir Terry Pratchett |url=http://www.secularism.org.uk/sir-terry-pratchett.html |access-date=26 May 2010 |work=National Secular Society website}}</ref>

Pratchett wrote that he read the [[Old Testament]] as a child and "was horrified", but liked the [[New Testament]] and thought that Jesus "had a lot of good things to say ... But I could never see the two testaments as one coherent narrative".<ref name="Pratchett2014" /> He then read ''[[On the Origin of Species]]'', which "all made perfect sense ... Evolution was far more thrilling to me than the biblical account."<ref name="Pratchett2014" /> He said that he had never disliked religion and thought it had a purpose in [[human evolution]].<ref name="Pratchett2014" /> In an interview Pratchett cites a quotation from the protagonist in his novel ''Nation'', "It is better to build a seismograph than to worship the volcano", a statement Pratchett said he agreed with.<ref name="Pratchett2014" />

Pratchett told ''The Times'' in 2008: "I believe in the same God that [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]] did ... And it is just possible that once you have got past all the gods that we have created with big beards and many human traits, just beyond all that on the other side of physics, there just may be the ordered structure from which everything flows."<ref name="Times Online-2008" /> In an interview on ''[[Front Row (radio programme)|Front Row]]'' he described an experience of hearing his dead father's voice and feeling a sense of peace.<ref>{{Cite episode |number=1 September 2008 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d6tjk |title=Front Row |series=Front Row |series-link=Front Row (radio programme) |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC Radio 4]] |date=1 September 2008}}</ref> Commentators took these statements to mean that Pratchett had become religious, but Pratchett responded in an article published in the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' in which he denied that he had found God, and clarified that he believed the voice had come from a memory of his father and a sense of personal elation.<ref name="Pratchett2014" />

===Alzheimer's disease diagnosis===
In August 2007, Pratchett was misdiagnosed as having had a minor stroke a few years before, which doctors believed had damaged the right side of his brain.<ref name="ind" /><ref name="scot">{{cite news |author=Pollock, David |date=13 March 2015 |title=Obituary: Sir Terry Pratchett, author |work=The Scotsman |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-sir-terry-pratchett-author-1-3718029}}</ref><ref name="guard">{{cite news |author=Pauli, Michelle |date=12 December 2007 |title=Pratchett announces he has Alzheimer's |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/dec/12/news.michellepauli1}}</ref> In December 2007, he announced that he had been diagnosed with [[early-onset Alzheimer's disease]], which had been responsible for the "stroke".<ref name="guard" /><ref name="headroom">{{cite web |date=4 February 2009 |title=Terry Pratchett: Living with Alzheimer's |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2008/01/29/alzheimers_terrypratchettinterview_feature.shtml |access-date=27 October 2009 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> He had a rare form of [[posterior cortical atrophy]] (PCA),<ref name="ind" /><ref name="scot" /> a disease in which areas at the back of the brain begin to shrink and shrivel.<ref name="alzheimerdonation">{{cite news |date=13 March 2008 |title=Pratchett funds Alzheimer's study |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7291315.stm |access-date=13 March 2008}}</ref>

Describing the diagnosis as an "embuggerance" in a radio interview, Pratchett appealed to people to "keep things cheerful" and proclaimed that "we are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism".<ref name="alzheimer">{{cite web |date=11 December 2007 |title=An Embuggerance |url=http://www.pjsmprints.com/news/embuggerance.html |access-date=1 February 2008 |publisher=Terry Pratchett, PJSMPrints.com}}</ref> He stated he felt he had time for "at least a few more books yet", and added that while he understood the impulse to ask "is there anything I can do?", in this case he would only entertain such offers from "very high-end experts in brain chemistry".<ref name="alzheimer" /> Discussing his diagnosis at the [[Bath Literature Festival]] in early 2008, Pratchett revealed that by then he found it too difficult to write dedications when signing books.<ref>{{cite news |date=27 February 2008 |title=People: Sienna Miller, Terry Pratchett, Javier Bardem |work=Times Online |publisher=Times Newspapers |location=London |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/people-sienna-miller-terry-pratchett-javier-bardem-0ds9ddm8n0n |access-date=4 March 2008}}</ref> In his later years Pratchett wrote by dictating to his assistant, Rob Wilkins, or by using [[speech recognition|speech-recognition]] software.<ref>{{cite web |title=Terry Pratchett – Biography |url=http://www.paulkidby.com/biography/terrypratchett.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115160514/http://www.paulkidby.com/biography/terrypratchett.html |archive-date=15 January 2013 |access-date=3 December 2012 |publisher=Paulkidby.com}}</ref>

[[File:Terry Pratchett 2005.JPG|thumb|Pratchett at the [[63rd World Science Fiction Convention]] in Glasgow, August 2005]]
In March 2008, Pratchett announced he was donating £494,000 (about US$1,000,000) to the [[Alzheimer's Research Trust]] (later called Alzheimer's Research UK), and that he was shocked "to find out that funding for Alzheimer's research is just 3% of that to find cancer cures".<ref name="alzheimerdonation" /><ref name="alzheimerdonation2">{{cite web |date=13 March 2008 |title=Terry Pratchett pledges $1&nbsp;million to Alzheimer's Research Trust |url=http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/news/article.php?type=News&archive=0&id=205 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415210729/http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/news/article.php?type=News&archive=0&id=205 |archive-date=15 April 2008 |access-date=7 June 2013 |publisher=[[Alzheimer's Research Trust]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Terry Pratchett: 'I am the only person suffering from Pratchett's posterior cortical atrophy' |url=http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/terry-pratchett-i-am-the-only-person-suffering-from-pratchetts-posterior-cortical-atrophy/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525055851/http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/terry-pratchett-i-am-the-only-person-suffering-from-pratchetts-posterior-cortical-atrophy/ |archive-date=25 May 2015 |access-date=1 June 2015 |website=Alzheimer's Research UK}}</ref> He said: "I am, along with many others, scrabbling to stay ahead long enough to be there when the cure comes along."<ref name="alzheimerdonation" />

In April 2008, Pratchett worked with the [[BBC]] to make a two-part documentary series about his illness, ''Terry Pratchett: Living With Alzheimer's''.<ref name="alz1">{{cite web |date=15 April 2008 |title=BBC Documentary |url=http://www.pjsmprints.com/news/apr2008.html |access-date=20 April 2008 |work=Discworld News}}</ref> The first part was broadcast on [[BBC Two]] on 4 February 2009, drawing 2.6 million viewers and a 10.4% audience share.<ref>{{cite web |author=Wilkes, Neil |date=5 February 2009 |title='Minder' revival starts with 2.4m |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a145663/minder-revival-starts-with-24m.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007180601/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a145663/minder-revival-starts-with-24m.html |archive-date=7 October 2012 |access-date=14 February 2009 |website=Digital Spy}}</ref> The second, broadcast on 11 February 2009, drew 1.72 million viewers and a 6.8% audience share.<ref name="alz2">{{cite web |author=Wilkes, Neil |date=12 February 2009 |title='Minder' remake drops 600,000 |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a146402/minder-remake-drops-600000.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007180706/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a146402/minder-remake-drops-600000.html |archive-date=7 October 2012 |access-date=14 February 2009 |website=[[Digital Spy]]}}</ref> The documentary won a [[BAFTA award]] in the Factual Series category.<ref>{{cite web |title=BAFTA Scotland Awards – The Highlights – Awards – Scotland – The BAFTA site |url=http://www.bafta.org/scotland/awards/awards-report-2009,1145,BA.html |access-date=20 August 2012 |publisher=Bafta.org}}</ref>

On 26 November 2008, Pratchett met Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]] and asked for an increase in dementia-research funding.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2008 |title=Brown meets Pratchett and ART representatives and pledges Alzheimer's funding rethink |url=http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/news/article.php?type=News&id=325 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206110145/http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/news/article.php?type=News&id=325 |archive-date=6 December 2008 |access-date=17 December 2008 |publisher=[[Alzheimer's Research Trust]]}}</ref> Pratchett tested a prototype device to address his condition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 February 2009 |title=I hope my sci-fi helmet will halt my dementia |url=https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/83135/I-hope-my-sci-fi-helmet-will-halt-my-dementia |website=Express.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Anita |date=31 January 2009 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett documents Alzheimer's battle in BBC film |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/4400955/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-documents-Alzheimers-battle-in-BBC-film.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/4400955/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-documents-Alzheimers-battle-in-BBC-film.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The ability of the device to alter the course of the illness has been met with scepticism from Alzheimer's researchers.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 January 2008 |title=ABC News: Alzheimer's Hat Draws Skepticism |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/GadgetGuide/Story?id=4202266&page=1 |access-date=3 December 2012 |publisher=Abcnews.go.com}}</ref>

In an article published in 2009 Pratchett stated that he wished to die by [[assisted suicide]] (a term he disliked) before his disease progressed to a critical point.<ref>Irvine, Chris. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090805175425/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5960166/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-coroner-tribunals-should-be-set-up-for-assisted-suicide-cases.html Sir Terry Pratchett: coroner tribunals should be set up for assisted suicide cases], ''Telegraph'', 2 August 2009.</ref> He later said that he felt "it should be possible for someone stricken with a serious and ultimately fatal illness to choose to die peacefully with medical help, rather than suffer".<ref>{{cite news |date=14 June 2011 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett suicide film prompts 'bias' claims |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13767216 |access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref> Pratchett was selected to give the 2010 BBC [[Richard Dimbleby Lecture]],<ref>{{cite news |date=14 January 2010 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett to give 2010 Dimbleby Lecture |publisher=BBC Press Office |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/01_january/14/dimbleby.shtml |access-date=1 February 2010}}</ref> ''Shaking Hands With Death'', broadcast on 1 February 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Maev |date=1 February 2010 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett calls for euthanasia tribunals |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/feb/01/terry-pratchett-euthanasia-tribunals |access-date=1 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218091050/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/feb/01/terry-pratchett-euthanasia-tribunals|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Pratchett introduced his lecture on the topic of assisted death (he preferred this to the term "assisted suicide"), but the main text was read by his friend [[Tony Robinson]] because his condition made it difficult for him to read.<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Martin |date=2 February 2010 |title=A death worth dying for |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/health/a-death-worth-dying-for-1.1003151 |url-status=dead |access-date=2 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628050844/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/health/a-death-worth-dying-for-1.1003151|archive-date=28 June 2010}}</ref> In June 2011, Pratchett presented a BBC television documentary, ''[[Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die]],'' about assisted suicide. It won the Best Documentary award at the [[Scottish BAFTA]]s in November 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Terry's 'Choosing to Die' documentary awarded at Scottish Baftas |url=http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/?p=1031 |access-date=20 August 2012 |publisher=Terrypratchett.co.uk |archive-date=8 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608035359/http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/?p=1031 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13040095.video-special-scottish-baftas/|title=Video special at the Scottish Baftas|first=Marisa|last=Duffy|work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]|date=14 November 2011|accessdate=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230000000/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13040095.video-special-scottish-baftas|archive-date=30 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/13228418.stars-shine-at-the-scottish-baftas/|title=Stars shine at the Scottish Baftas|work=[[Glasgow Times]]|date=14 November 2011|accessdate=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230041545/https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/13228418.stars-shine-at-the-scottish-baftas/|archive-date=30 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2012, Pratchett told an interviewer: "I have to tell you that I thought I'd be a lot worse than this by now, and so did my specialist." In the same interview he said that the cognitive part of his mind was "untouched" and his symptoms were physical (normal for PCA).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9532983/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-I-thought-my-Alzheimers-would-be-a-lot-worse-than-this-by-now.html|title=Sir Terry Pratchett: "I thought my Alzheimer's would be a lot worse than this by now"|first=Elizabeth|last=Grice|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=10 September 2012|accessdate=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413080618/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9532983/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-I-thought-my-Alzheimers-would-be-a-lot-worse-than-this-by-now.html|archive-date=13 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in July 2014 he cancelled his appearance at the biennial [[International Discworld Convention]], citing his condition and "other age-related ailments".<ref name="missed con">{{cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=2 July 2014 |title=Terry Pratchett forced to cancel appearance by Alzheimer's |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/02/terry-pratchett-cancel-appearance-alzheimers-discworld |access-date=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225182940/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/02/terry-pratchett-cancel-appearance-alzheimers-discworld|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

===<span class="anchor" id="Death"></span>Death and legacy===
Pratchett died at his home from complications of Alzheimer's disease on the morning of 12 March 2015. He was 66 years old.<ref>{{cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |date=12 March 2015 |title=Terry Pratchett, Novelist, Dies at 66 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/13/books/terry-pratchett-popular-fantasy-novelist-dies-at-66.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=12 March 2015 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett, renowned fantasy author, dies aged 66 |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31858156 |access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref> ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' reported an unidentified source as saying that, despite his previous discussion of assisted suicide, his death had been natural.<ref>{{cite news |last=Furness |first=Hannah |date=12 March 2015 |title=Sir Terry Pratchett dies, aged 66 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11467688/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-dies-aged-66.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=12 March 2015 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11467688/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-dies-aged-66.html |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> After Pratchett's death, his assistant, Rob Wilkins, wrote from the official Terry Pratchett Twitter account:
{{blockquote|{{smallcaps all|A|T LAST,}} {{smallcaps all|S|IR}} {{smallcaps all|T|ERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER.}}

Terry took Death's arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.

The End.<ref name="bbcdeathnotice">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-31859675|agency=BBC News|title=How did Terry Pratchett tweet after his death?|date=12 March 2015|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>}}

Public figures who paid tribute included Prime Minister [[David Cameron]], the comedian [[Ricky Gervais]],<ref>{{cite news |date=12 March 2015 |title=Terry Pratchett dies: Twitter pays tribute |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11467770/Terry-Pratchett-dies-reaction-and-tributes-live.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 April 2015 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11467770/Terry-Pratchett-dies-reaction-and-tributes-live.html |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the authors [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], [[Terry Brooks]], [[Margaret Atwood]], [[George R. R. Martin]] and [[Neil Gaiman]].<ref>{{cite web |date=31 March 2015 |title=Tributes to Sir Terry Pratchett |url=http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/?p=5874 |access-date=23 April 2015 |agency=Terry Pratchett Books |archive-date=1 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501194846/http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/?p=5874 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=23 March 2015 |title='That's how I want to remember Terry': Neil Gaiman reminisces about Pratchett |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/23/neil-gaiman-remembers-terry-pratchett-michael-chabon-interview |access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref> Pratchett was memorialised in graffiti in East London.<ref>{{cite news |last=Alwakeel |first=Ramzy |date=2 April 2015 |title=Stunning street art tribute to author Terry Pratchett appears in east London |work=London Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/stunning-street-art-tribute-to-terry-pratchett-appears-in-east-london-10153232.html |access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref> The video game companies [[Frontier Developments]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=17 March 2015 |title=Terry Pratchett tribute added to Elite: Dangerous |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/terry-pratchett-tribute-added-to-elite-dangerous/ |access-date=22 April 2015 |website=PC Gamer |agency=PC Gamer}}</ref> and [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] added elements to their games named after him.<ref>{{cite news |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=28 April 2015 |title=Dota 2 pays tribute to Terry Pratchett |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/28/8508001/dota-2-pays-tribute-terry-pratchett/ |accessdate=5 April 2023}}</ref> Users of the social news site [[Reddit]] organised a tribute by which an [[HTTP header]], "<code>X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett</code>", was added to websites' responses, a reference to the ''Discworld'' novel ''[[Going Postal]]'', in which "the clacks" (a [[semaphore]] system, used as ''Discworld''{{'s}} equivalent to a [[telegraph]]) are programmed to repeat the name of its creator's deceased son; the sentiment in the novel is that no one is ever forgotten as long as their name is still spoken.<ref>{{cite news |last=Poole |first=Steven |date=17 March 2015 |title=Terry Pratchett's name lives on in 'the clacks' with hidden web code |agency=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/shortcuts/2015/mar/17/terry-pratchetts-name-lives-on-in-the-clacks-with-hidden-web-code |access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref> A June 2015 web server survey reported that approximately 84,000 websites had been configured with the header.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 2015 |title=June 2015 Web Server Survey |work=Netcraft |url=https://news.netcraft.com/archives/2015/06/25/june-2015-web-server-survey.html |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref> Pratchett's [[humanist funeral]] service was held in [[Salisbury]] on 25 March 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2015 |title=Family celebrates life of Terry Pratchett with moving humanist funeral |url=https://humanism.org.uk/2015/03/26/family-celebrates-life-terry-pratchett-moving-humanist-funeral/ |access-date=18 August 2019 |publisher=[[Humanists UK]]}}</ref>

In 2015, Pratchett's estate announced an endowment in perpetuity to the [[University of South Australia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Perpetual Sir Terry Pratchett Scholarship announced for UniSA |url=http://www.unisa.edu.au/Media-Centre/Releases/Perpetual-Sir-Terry-Pratchett-Scholarship-announced-for-UniSA/ |access-date=18 May 2016 |publisher=University of South Australia}}</ref> The Sir Terry Pratchett Memorial Scholarship supports a Masters scholarship at the university's Hawke Research Institute.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 April 2016 |title=Pratchett scholarship supports research into the marginalisation of asylum seekers |url=http://www.unisa.edu.au/Media-Centre/Releases/2016-Media-releases/Pratchett-scholarship-supports-research-into-the-marginalisation-of-asylum-seekers/#.VzwX8SHVr98 |access-date=18 May 2016 |publisher=University of South Australia}}</ref> In 2023, several stories published in a regional newspaper between 1970 and 1975 under the pen name Patrick Kearns were discovered to have been authored by Pratchett. They were published along with a handful of other uncollected stories as ''[[A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories]]'' in October 2023.<ref name="Shaffi2023" />

==Awards and honours==
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Terry Pratchett}}

[[File:Terry Pratchett honorary degree TCD.jpg|thumb|upright|Pratchett drinking [[Stout#Irish stout|Irish stout]] shortly after receiving an honorary degree from [[Trinity College Dublin]], in 2008]]

Pratchett received a [[Knight Bachelor|knighthood]] for "services to literature" in the [[2009 New Year Honours|2009 UK New Year Honours]] list.<ref name="Gazette58929">{{London Gazette|issue=58929|date=31 December 2008|page=1 |supp=y}}</ref><ref name="TimesKnighthood">{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/terry-pratchett-flabbergasted-over-knighthood-t0s7mc5jwwf|title=Terry Pratchett 'flabbergasted' over knighthood|work=Times Online|publisher=Times Newspapers|date=31 December 2008|access-date=19 February 2021|last=Smyth|first=Chris|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pratchett leads showbiz honours|work=BBC News|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7805143.stm|date=31 December 2008|access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref> He was previously appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]], also for "services to literature", in 1998. He formally received the [[accolade]] at Buckingham Palace on 18 February 2009.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue = 59160| date = 18 August 2009| pages = 14245–14246}}</ref> Pratchett commented in the ''[[Ansible (magazine)|Ansible]]'' science fiction/fan newsletter, "I suspect the 'services to literature' consisted of refraining from trying to write any", but added, "Still, I cannot help feeling mightily chuffed about it."<ref>{{cite web|title=Ansible 132, July 1998|work=Ansible online|url=http://news.ansible.co.uk/a132.html|date=July 1998|access-date=18 December 2008}}</ref> On 31 December 2008, it was announced that Pratchett would be [[knight]]ed (as a [[Knight Bachelor]]) in the Queen's 2009 New Year Honours.<ref name="Gazette58929" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Castle|first=Tim|date=31 December 2008|title=Terry Pratchett knighted in Queen's new year honours list|work=The Australian|publisher=News Limited|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24858964-12377,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101124318/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24858964-12377,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 January 2009|access-date=7 August 2009}}</ref> Afterwards he said, "You can't ask a fantasy writer not to want a knighthood. You know, for two pins I'd get myself a horse and a sword."<ref>{{cite news|date=22 February 2009|title=Quotes of the week ... They said what?|work=[[The Observer]]|location=London|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2009/feb/22/10|access-date=15 October 2009}}</ref> In 2010, Pratchett created his own sword from deposits of iron he had found in a field near his home as he believed a knight should have a sword.<ref name="swordindy">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/when-terry-pratchett-was-knighted-he-forged-his-own-sword-out-of-meteorite-10104321.html|title=When Terry Pratchett was knighted, he forged his own sword out of meteorite|first=Christopher |last=Hooton|work=[[The Independent]]|date=12 March 2015|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref>

Ten honorary doctorates were conferred on Pratchett: from the [[University of Warwick]] in 1999,<ref name="warwick">{{cite web|title=Terry Pratchett Receives Honorary Degree from University of Warwick|publisher=[[University of Warwick]]|url=http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/NE1000000081565|date=8 July 2004|access-date=18 December 2008}}</ref> the [[University of Portsmouth]] in 2001,<ref>{{cite web|title=Honorary Awardees of the University of Portsmouth|publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]]|url=http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/academic/scafm/Honoraryawardsandvisitors|date=6 October 2006|access-date=18 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221234751/http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/academic/scafm/Honoraryawardsandvisitors/|archive-date=21 February 2009}}</ref> the [[University of Bath]] in 2003,<ref>{{cite news|title=Discworld author's doctor honour|work=BBC News|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/3291087.stm|date=6 December 2003|access-date=18 December 2008}}</ref> the [[University of Bristol]] in 2004,<ref>{{cite news|title=Honorary Degrees awarded at Bristol University today|publisher=[[University of Bristol]]|url=http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2004/474|date=16 July 2004|access-date=18 December 2008}}</ref> [[Buckinghamshire New University]] in 2008,<ref>{{cite news|title=Author gets honorary doctorate|work=[[Salisbury Journal]]|url=http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/2445404.author_gets_honorary_doctorate|date=12 September 2008|access-date=28 December 2008}}</ref> the [[University of Dublin]] in 2008,<ref>{{cite web|title=Naturalist Sir David Attenborough and Writer Terry Pratchett Among Recipients of Honorary Degrees|publisher=[[Trinity College Dublin]]|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Communications/news/pressreleases/pressRelease.php?headerID=1073&pressReleaseArchive=2009|date=15 December 2008|access-date=24 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217074716/http://www.tcd.ie/Communications/news/pressreleases/pressRelease.php?headerID=1073&pressReleaseArchive=2009|archive-date=17 December 2008}}</ref> [[Bradford University]] in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|title=Bradford University awards honorary degree|work=[[Telegraph & Argus]]|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4497132.VIDEO__Sir_Terry_signs_up_to_another_degree|date=31 July 2009|access-date=31 July 2009}}</ref> [[University of Winchester]] in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|title=Winchester University awards honorary degree|publisher=[[University of Winchester]]|url=http://www.winchester.ac.uk/?page=11412|date=14 October 2009|access-date=11 November 2009|archive-date=26 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926114620/https://www.winchester.ac.uk/?page=11412|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8321868.stm|title=Pratchett is awarded doctorate|work=[[BBC News]]|date=23 October 2009|access-date=6 April 2023}}</ref> The [[Open University]] in 2013<ref>{{cite web|title=Presentation of Graduates and Conferment of Honorary Degrees|publisher=[[Open University]]|access-date=30 September 2013|url=http://www.open.ac.uk/students/ceremonies/files/ceremonies/file/2013%20Directory.pdf|page=12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012130530/http://www.open.ac.uk/students/ceremonies/files/ceremonies/file/2013%20Directory.pdf|archive-date=12 October 2013}}</ref> for his contribution to Public Service and his last, from the [[University of South Australia]], in May 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.unisa.edu.au/Media-Centre/Releases/UniSA-honours-Sir-Terry-Pratchett--International-best-selling-author-humourist-and-humanist-/#.VYUzqYbEmK0|title =UniSA honours Sir Terry Pratchett: International best-selling author, humourist and humanist|publisher=[[University of South Australia]]|date=27 May 2014|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref> 
Pratchett was made an [[adjunct Professor]] in the School of English at [[Trinity College Dublin]] in 2010, with a role in postgraduate education in creative writing and popular literature.<ref name="tcd">{{cite web|url=https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/terry-pratchett-joins-the-staff-at-trinity-college-dublin|title=Terry Pratchett joins the staff at Trinity College Dublin|first=John|last= Kennedy|work=[[Silicon Republic]]|date=29 October 2010|access-date=30 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20134928.html|title=Professor Pratchett joins Trinity staff|work=[[Irish Examiner]]|date=30 October 2010|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref>

Pratchett won the [[British Book Awards]]' "Fantasy and Science Fiction Author of the Year" category in 1994,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=BritishBookAwards.co.uk|url=http://www.britishbookawards.co.uk/bba/pnbb_previouswinners.asp?|title=Previous Winners & Shortlists – The Fantasy and Science Fiction Author of the Year|date=August 2005|access-date=6 June 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927130706/http://www.britishbookawards.co.uk/bba/pnbb_previouswinners.asp |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}</ref> the [[British Science Fiction Award]] in 1989 for his novel ''[[Pyramids (novel)|Pyramids]]'',<ref name="WWE-1989">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1989|title=1989 Award Winners & Nominees|work=Worlds Without End|access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref> and a [[Locus Award]] for [[Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel|Best Fantasy Novel]] in 2008 for ''[[Making Money]]''.<ref name="WWE-2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2008|title=2008 Award Winners & Nominees|work=Worlds Without End|access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref> He won the 2001 [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]] from the [[CILIP|British librarians]], which recognised ''[[The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents]]'' as the year's best children's book published in the UK.<ref name="medal2001" /><ref name="prdir2001" /> ''[[Night Watch (Discworld)|Night Watch]]'' won the 2003 [[Prometheus Award]] for best libertarian novel.<ref name="Prometheus">{{cite web|title=Libertarian Futurist Society|url=http://www.lfs.org/awards.htm|access-date=18 February 2008|archive-date=28 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628180047/http://www.lfs.org/awards.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Four of the five ''Discworld'' novels that centre on the trainee witch [[Tiffany Aching]] won the annual [[Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book]] in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2016.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Science Fiction Awards Database|url=http://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_Winners_By_Year|title=Locus Awards Winners By Year|year=2021|access-date=26 August 2021}}</ref> In 2005, ''Going Postal'' was shortlisted for the [[Hugo Award for Best Novel]]; however, Pratchett recused himself, stating that stress over the award would mar his enjoyment of [[Worldcon]].<ref>[http://news.ansible.co.uk/a218.html Ansible] by [[Dave Langford]]; published September 2005; retrieved 16 March 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.nicholaswhyte.info/sf/Hugo2005.htm The Hugo Nominees 2005], by Nicholas Whyte; at NicholasWhyte.info; published 5 June 2005</ref> In the same year, ''[[A Hat Full of Sky]]'' won a [[Mythopoeic Awards|Mythopoeic Award]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mythsoc.org/awards/awards-2005.htm|title=Mythopoeic Awards — 2005|publisher=[[Mythopoeic Society]]|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref> In 2008, ''Making Money'' was nominated for the [[Nebula Award for Best Novel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nebulas.sfwa.org/nominated-work/making-money/|title=Making Money by Terry Pratchett (Published by Harper) - Nominated for Best Novel in 2008|publisher=[[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association]]|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref> ''[[I Shall Wear Midnight]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfwa.org/2011/05/nebula-award-winners-announced/ |work=Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Inc |date=21 May 2011 |title=Nebula Award Winners Announced}}</ref> won the 2010 [[Andre Norton Award]], presented by the [[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]] (SFWA) as a part of the [[Nebula Award]] ceremony.

In 2016 the SFWA named Pratchett the recipient of [[Kate Wilhelm#Recognition|Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award]], given for "significant impact on the science fiction or fantasy landscape".<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Baker| author-first=Kathryn|url=https://www.sfwa.org/2016/03/sir-terry-pratchett-receive-kate-wilhelm-solstice-award/|work=Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Inc|title=Sir Terry Pratchett to Receive the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award|date=14 March 2016}}</ref> He received the [[New England Science Fiction Association|NESFA]] [[Edward E. Smith Memorial Award|Skylark Award]] in 2009<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nesfa.org/awards/skylark.html |title=The E. E. Smith Memorial Award |publisher=Nesfa.org |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-date=4 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204000351/http://www.nesfa.org/awards/skylark.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=World Fantasy Convention|title=Winners - World Fantasy Convention|url=http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/winners/|access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref> In 2011 he won [[Margaret A. Edwards Award]] from the [[American Library Association]], a lifetime honour for "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature".<ref name="edwards" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/01/bacigalupi-and-pratchett-win-ala-awards/ |title=Bacigalupi and Pratchett Win ALA Awards |website=Locus Online News |date=10 January 2011 |access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref> The librarians cited nine ''Discworld'' novels published from 1983 to 2004 and observed that "Pratchett's tales of Discworld have won over generations of teen readers with intelligence, heart, and undeniable wit. Comic adventures that fondly mock the fantasy genre, the Discworld novels expose the hypocrisies of contemporary society in an intricate, ever-expanding universe. With satisfyingly multilayered plots, Pratchett's humor honors the intelligence of the reader. Teens eagerly lose themselves in a universe with no maps."<ref name="edwards" /> In 2003 the [[BBC]] conducted [[The Big Read]] to identify the "Nation's Best-loved Novel" and finally published a ranked list of the "Top 200". Pratchett's highest-ranking novel was ''Mort'', number 65, but he and [[Charles Dickens]] were the only authors with five in the Top 100 (four of his were from the ''[[Discworld]]'' series). He also led all authors with fifteen novels in the Top 200.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/|title=The Big Read|date=n.d.|access-date=6 June 2007}}</ref>

An asteroid ([[127005 Pratchett]]) is named after Pratchett.<ref name="asteroid">{{cite web|title=Asteroid 127005 at NASA JPL Minor Planets list|url=http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=127005+Pratchett|access-date=1 February 2012|publisher=NASA}}</ref> In 2013 Pratchett was named Humanist of the Year by the [[British Humanist Association]] for his campaign to fund research into Alzheimers, his contribution to the [[right to die]] public debate and his Humanist values.<ref>{{cite web|title=BHA mourns patron Terry Pratchett|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2015/03/12/bha-mourns-patron-terry-pratchett/|access-date=7 March 2017|publisher=[[British Humanist Association]]}}</ref> Pratchett's ''Discworld'' novels have led to dedicated conventions, the first in Manchester in 1996,<ref name="arena">{{cite web|publisher=Lspace.org|url=http://www.lspace.org/about-terry/interviews/Arena.html|title=Arena interview|date=22 November 1997|access-date=17 February 2008|archive-date=8 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908151703/http://www.lspace.org/about-terry/interviews/Arena.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> then worldwide,<ref name="conventions">{{cite web|publisher=Lspace.org|url=http://www.lspace.org/fandom/events/conventions/dwcon.html|title=Discworld Conventions|date=n.d.|access-date=17 February 2008|archive-date=8 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908042013/http://www.lspace.org/fandom/events/conventions/dwcon.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> often with the author as guest of honour.<ref name="goh">{{cite web|publisher=Dwcon.org|url=http://www.dwcon.org/past-events|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214190928/http://www.dwcon.org/past-events|archive-date=14 December 2007|title=Past Events|date=n.d.|access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref> Publication of a new novel was sometimes accompanied by an international book-signing tour;<ref name="ussigning">{{cite web|publisher=Funny.co.uk|url=http://www.funny.co.uk/news/art_167-3708-Pratchett-Book-Signing-Dates.html|title=Pratchett Book Signing Dates|date=13 September 2005|access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref> queues were known to stretch outside the bookshop as he continued to sign books well after the intended finishing time. His fans were not restricted by age or gender, and he received a large amount of fan mail from them.<ref name="arena" /> Pratchett enjoyed meeting fans and hearing what they think about his books, saying that since he was well paid for his novels, his fans were "everything" to him.<ref name="january1997">{{cite web|publisher=januarymagazine.com|url=http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/pratchett.html|title=Terry Pratchett's Discworld|year=1997|access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref>

In March 2017, Beaconsfield Town Council commissioned a commemorative plaque dedicated to Pratchett for Beaconsfield Library.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-39197584|title=Plaque unveiled to Discworld author Sir Terry Pratchett|work=[[BBC News]]|date=7 March 2017|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15099691.sir-terry-pratchett-set-to-be-honoured-with-commemorative-plaque-at-beaconsfield-library/|title=Sir Terry Pratchett set to be honoured with commemorative plaque at Beaconsfield Library|work=[[Bucks Free Press]]|date=17 February 2017|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref>

===Coat of Arms===
In 2010, Pratchett was granted his own [[coat of arms]] following his knighthood.<ref name="swordindy"/> The arms were designed by [[Hubert Chesshyre]] and granted by Letters Patent of [[King of Arms#Kings of Arms of England, Wales and Northern Ireland|Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms]].<ref name="College of Arms Grant"/><ref name="The College of Arms September 2010"/> The owl is a [[morepork]], which taken together with the [[ankh]] is a reference to the city of [[Ankh-Morpork]]. The image of a morpork holding an ankh appears in the fictional Ankh-Morpork City Arms. The motto "Noli Timere Messorem" is a corrected version of the [[dog Latin]] "Non Timetis Messor", the motto of Death's son-in-law and former apprentice, Mort of Sto Helit<ref name="The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 - The Discworld Companion"/> and his heirs. The phrase is a reference to the song "[[(Don't Fear) The Reaper]]" by [[Blue Öyster Cult]].<ref name="The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 - Hogfather"/>
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Terry Pratchett COA.svg
|bannerimage =
|badgeimage =
|notes = Terry Pratchett's arms were designed by [[Hubert Chesshyre]] and granted by Letters Patent of [[King of Arms#Kings of Arms of England, Wales and Northern Ireland|Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms]] dated 28 April 2010.<ref name="The College of Arms September 2010"/>
|adopted =
|crest = Upon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Sable on Water Barry wavy Sable Argent and Sable an Owl affronty wings displayed and inverted Or supporting thereby two closed Books erect Gules.<ref name="College of Arms Grant">{{cite web|url=https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/grants/item/39-sir-terence-david-john-pratchett#:~:text=Arms%3A%20Sable%20an%20Ankh%20between,two%20closed%20Books%20erect%20Gules.|title=The Arms and Crest of Sir Terence Pratchett|publisher=[[College of Arms]]|date=28 April 2010|accessdate=6 April 2023}}</ref>
|torse =
|helm =
|escutcheon = Sable an ankh between four Roundels in saltire each issuing Argent.<ref name="College of Arms Grant"/>
|supporters =
|compartment =
|motto = Noli Timere Messorem (Don't fear the reaper)<ref name="The College of Arms September 2010">{{cite web|url= http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/newsletter/item/27-september-2010 |title= The College of Arms September 2010 |publisher=[[College of Arms]]|date= September 2010 |access-date=7 May 2011}}</ref>
|orders =
|other_elements =
|banner =
|badge =
|symbolism = The owl is a [[morepork]], which taken together with the [[ankh]] is a reference to the city of [[Ankh-Morpork]]. The image of a morpork holding an ankh appears in the fictional Ankh-Morpork City Arms. The motto "Noli Timere Messorem" is a corrected version of the [[dog Latin]] "Non Timetis Messor", the motto of Death's son-in-law and former apprentice, Mort of Sto Helit<ref name="The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 - The Discworld Companion">{{cite web|url=https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/the-discworld-companion.html| title=The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 – The Discworld Companion|access-date= 6 May 2017}}</ref> and his heirs. The phrase is a reference to the song "[[(Don't Fear) The Reaper]]" by [[Blue Öyster Cult]].<ref name="The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 - Hogfather">{{cite web|url=https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/hogfather.html| title=The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 – Hogfather|access-date= 6 May 2017}}</ref>
|previous_versions =
}}

==Writing==
Pratchett said that to write, one must read extensively, both inside and outside one’s chosen genre<ref name="locus">{{cite web|publisher=Locus Online|url=http://www.locusmag.com/2004/Issues/05Pratchett.html|title=Terry Pratchett: 21 Years of Discworld|date=May 2004|access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref> and to the point of "overflow".<ref name="writerswrite" /> He advised that writing is hard work, and that writers must "make grammar, punctuation and spelling a part of your life".<ref name="writerswrite" /> However, Pratchett enjoyed writing, regarding its monetary rewards as "an unavoidable consequence" rather than the reason for writing.<ref name="sffworld">{{cite web|publisher=Sffworld.com|url=http://www.sffworld.com/interview/52p1.html|title=Interview with Terry Pratchett|date=18 December 2002|access-date=17 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206011559/http://www.sffworld.com/interview/52p1.html|archive-date=6 December 2008}}</ref>

===Fantasy genre===
Although during his early career he wrote for the science fiction and horror genres, Pratchett later focused almost entirely on fantasy, and said: "It is easier to bend the universe around the story."<ref name="IRCchat">{{cite web|publisher=Lspace.org|url=http://www.lspace.org/about-terry/interviews/WFC.html|title=Transcript of IRC interview with Terry Pratchett at the World Fantasy Convention by James Webley|date=n.d.|access-date=8 June 2007|archive-date=29 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115317/http://www.lspace.org/about-terry/interviews/WFC.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the acceptance speech for his Carnegie Medal, he said: "Fantasy isn't just about wizards and silly wands. It's about seeing the world from new directions", pointing to the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' novels and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. In the same speech, he acknowledged benefits of these works for the genre.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pratchett wins first major award|work=BBC News|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2124520.stm|access-date=28 January 2008|date=12 July 2002}}</ref>

Pratchett believed he owed "a debt to the science fiction/fantasy genre which he grew up out of" and disliked the term "[[magical realism]]", which, he said, is "like a polite way of saying you write fantasy and is more acceptable to certain people".<ref name="january2002">{{cite web|publisher=januarymagazine.com|url=http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/tpratchett2002.html|title=Terry Pratchett by Linda Richards|year=2002|access-date=17 February 2008}}</ref> He expressed annoyance that fantasy is "unregarded as a literary form", arguing that it "is the oldest form of fiction";<ref name="january1997" /> he said he was infuriated when novels containing science fiction or fantasy ideas were not regarded as part of those genres.<ref name="locus" /> He debated this issue with novelist [[A. S. Byatt]] and critic [[Terry Eagleton]], arguing that fantasy is fundamental to the way we understand the world and therefore an integral aspect of all fiction.<ref name="may2013">{{cite web|publisher=iai.tv|url=http://iai.tv/video/at-the-world-s-edge|title=At the World's Edge|year=2013|access-date=6 December 2013}}</ref>

===Style and themes===
Pratchett's earliest ''Discworld'' novels were written largely to parody classic sword-and-sorcery fiction (and occasionally science fiction);<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N59OCI6iSA8C&pg=PA1|title=He Do the Time Police in Different Voices|last=Langford|first=David|date=1 January 2003|publisher=Wildside Press LLC|isbn=9781592240586|pages=16|language=en}}</ref> as the series progressed, Pratchett dispensed with parody almost entirely, and the ''Discworld'' series evolved into straightforward (though still comedic) satire.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_t9LDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA138|title=Terry Pratchett's Narrative Worlds: From Giant Turtles to Small Gods|last=Rana|first=Marion|date=12 February 2018|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783319672984|pages=138 ff|language=en}}</ref>

Pratchett had a tendency to avoid using chapters, arguing in a [[IndieBound|Book Sense]] interview that "life does not happen in regular chapters, nor do movies, and [[Homer]] did not write in chapters", adding "I'm blessed if I know what function they serve in books for adults".<ref name="indiebound">{{cite web|publisher=[[IndieBound]] |first=Gavin J.|last=Grant|url=http://www.indiebound.org/author-interviews/pratchettterry|title=Terry Pratchett|date=n.d.| access-date =18 December 2008}}</ref> However, there were exceptions; ''[[Going Postal]]'' and ''[[Making Money]]'' and several of his books for younger readers are divided into chapters.<ref name="words from master">{{cite web|publisher=Terry Pratchett, The L-Space Web|url=http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/words-from-the-master.html|title=Words from the Master|date=n.d.|access-date=16 December 2007|archive-date=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929041235/http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/words-from-the-master.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pratchett said that he used chapters in the young adult novels because "[his] editor screams until [he] does", but otherwise felt that they were an unnecessary "stopping point" that got in the way of the narrative.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Characters, place names, and titles in Pratchett's books often contain puns, allusions and cultural references.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=William T. Abbott|url=http://www.lspace.org/books/analysis/bill-abbott.html|title=White Knowledge and the Cauldron of Story: The Use of Allusion in Terry Pratchett's Discworld|date=May 2002|access-date=7 June 2007|archive-date=2 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302122629/http://www.lspace.org/books/analysis/bill-abbott.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=David Bapst|url=http://www.lspace.org/books/analysis/david-bapst.html|title=The Literary Evolution of Terry Pratchett|date=1 June 2002|access-date=7 June 2007|archive-date=12 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612061011/http://www.lspace.org/books/analysis/david-bapst.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some characters are parodies of well-known characters: for example, Pratchett's character [[Cohen the Barbarian]], also called Ghengiz Cohen, is a parody of [[Conan the Barbarian]] and [[Genghis Khan]], and his character Leonard of Quirm is a parody of [[Leonardo da Vinci]].{{sfn|Cabell|2011|p=40}}{{sfn|Pyykkonen|Washington|2008|pp=7-8}}

Another feature of his writing is the use of dialogue in small capitals, without quotation marks, for utterances by the character Death.

Pratchett was an [[only child]], and his characters are often without siblings. Pratchett explained, "In fiction only children are the interesting ones."<ref>{{cite news |last=Robertson |first=David |date=7 August 2005 |title=Parenting: Only need not mean lonely |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/parenting-only-need-not-mean-lonely-96bkf39cvfr |access-date=8 June 2007 |newspaper=Times Online |location=London}}</ref>

''Discworld'' novels often included a modern innovation and its introduction to the world's [[medieval]] setting, such as a public police force (''[[Guards! Guards!]]''), guns (''[[Men at Arms]]''), cinema (''[[Moving Pictures (novel)|Moving Pictures]]''), investigative journalism (''[[The Truth (novel)|The Truth]]''), the postage stamp (''[[Going Postal]]''), modern banking (''[[Making Money]]''), and the steam engine (''[[Raising Steam]]''). The "clacks", the tower-to-tower [[semaphore line|semaphore system]] that sprang up in later novels, is a mechanical optical telegraph (as created by the [[Claude Chappe|Chappe brothers]] and employed during the [[French Revolution]]) before wired electric telegraph chains, with all the change and turmoil that such an advancement implies. The resulting social upheaval driven by these changes serves as the setting for the main story.

===Influences===
Pratchett's earliest inspirations were ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]'' by [[Kenneth Grahame]], and the works of [[H. G. Wells]], [[Isaac Asimov]] and [[Arthur C. Clarke]].<ref name="guardian" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Steele |first=Colin |date=15 January 2021 |title=The ripples of Terry Pratchett |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7083074/the-ripples-of-terry-pratchett/ |access-date=2 September 2022 |website=The Canberra Times |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Terry Pratchett - Biography, Books and Facts |url=https://www.famousauthors.org/terry-pratchett |access-date=2 September 2022 |website=www.famousauthors.org}}</ref> His literary influences were [[P.G. Wodehouse]], [[Tom Sharpe]], [[Jerome K. Jerome]], [[Roy Lewis]],<ref>{{cite news|work=Guardian Unlimited|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jun/12/terrypratchett|title=Terry Pratchett|date=n.d.|access-date=8 June 2007|location=London}}</ref> [[Alan Coren]],<ref>{{cite news|work=Guardian Unlimited|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaiman|title=Terry Pratchett|date=24 September 2014|access-date=24 September 2014}}</ref> [[G. K. Chesterton]], and [[Mark Twain]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Nathalie Ruas, ActuSF|url=http://www.actusf.com/spip/?article3025|title=Interview de Terry Pratchett (en Anglais) (Interview with Terry Pratchett (in English))|date=June 2002|access-date=19 June 2007|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927014253/http://www.actusf.com/spip/?article3025|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Works ==

=== ''Discworld'' ===
{{Main|Discworld}}
The ''Discworld'' series consists of 41 novels and a variety of supporting material.  Pratchett began writing the ''Discworld'' series in order to "have fun with some of the cliches".<ref name="sfw" /> The Discworld is a large disc resting on the backs of four giant elephants, all supported by the giant turtle [[Great atuin|Great A'Tuin]] as it swims its way through space. The books were published essentially in chronological order,<ref name="words from master" /> and advancements can be seen in the development of the Discworld civilisations, such as the creation of paper money in Ankh-Morpork.<ref name="indiebound" />

====''The Science of Discworld''====
Pratchett wrote four ''Science of Discworld'' books in collaboration with professor of mathematics [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] and reproductive biologist [[Jack Cohen (biologist)|Jack Cohen]], both of the [[University of Warwick]]: ''[[The Science of Discworld]]'' (1999), ''[[The Science of Discworld II: The Globe]]'' (2002), ''[[The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch]]'' (2005), and ''[[The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day]]'' (2013).

All four books have chapters that alternate between fiction and non-fiction: the fictional chapters are set within the [[Discworld (world)|Discworld universe]], where [[Discworld characters|characters]] observe, and experiment on, a universe with the same physics as ours. The non-fiction chapters (written by Stewart and Cohen) explain the science behind the fictional events.

In 1999, Pratchett appointed both Cohen and Stewart as "Honorary Wizards of the Unseen University" at the same ceremony at which the [[University of Warwick]] awarded him an honorary degree.<ref name="warwick" />

====''Folklore of Discworld''====
Pratchett collaborated with the folklorist Dr [[Jacqueline Simpson]] on ''[[The Folklore of Discworld]]'' (2008), a study of the relationship between many of the persons, places and events described in the ''Discworld'' books and their counterparts in myths, legends, fairy tales and folk customs on Earth.

===Other writing===
Pratchett's first two adult novels, ''[[The Dark Side of the Sun]]'' (1976) and ''[[Strata (novel)|Strata]]'' (1981), were both science fiction, the latter taking place partly on a disc-shaped world. Subsequent to these, Pratchett mostly concentrated on his ''Discworld'' series and novels for children, with two exceptions: ''[[Good Omens]]'' (1990), a collaboration with [[Neil Gaiman]] (which was nominated for both Locus and World Fantasy Awards in 1991<ref name="WWE-1991">{{cite web |title=1991 Award Winners & Nominees |url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1991 |access-date=29 June 2009 |work=Worlds Without End}}</ref>), a humorous story about the Apocalypse set on Earth, and ''[[Nation (novel)|Nation]]'' (2008), a book for young adults.

After writing ''Good Omens'' Pratchett brainstormed with [[Larry Niven]] on a story that became the short novel "[[Rainbow Mars]]". Niven eventually completed the story on his own, but he states in the afterword that a number of Pratchett's ideas remained in the finished version.<ref name = "rainbowmarsafterword">{{cite book | last = Niven | first = Larry | author-link = Larry Niven | title = Rainbow Mars
| publisher = [[Tom Doherty Associates]] | date = 1999
| location = New York City, United States | pages = [https://archive.org/details/rainbowmars00nive/page/368 368]–369
| chapter = AFTERWORD: SVETZ AND THE BEANSTALK
| isbn = 9780312867775 | url = https://archive.org/details/rainbowmars00nive
| url-access = registration | access-date = 2015-02-27}}</ref> Pratchett also collaborated with the British science fiction author [[Stephen Baxter (author)|Stephen Baxter]] on a parallel Earth series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jun/16/terry-pratchett-science-fiction-book|title=Terry Pratchett enters parallel worlds of science fiction|first=Alison|last=Flood|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=16 June 2010|accessdate=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701022728/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jun/16/terry-pratchett-science-fiction-book|archive-date=1 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="announce">{{cite web |title=The Long Earth |url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/2010/06/16/terry-pratchett-and-stephen-baxter-collaborating-on-the-long-earth/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619132614/http://www.sfx.co.uk/2010/06/16/terry-pratchett-and-stephen-baxter-collaborating-on-the-long-earth/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 June 2010 |access-date=18 July 2012 |work=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]}}</ref> The first novel, entitled ''[[The Long Earth]]'' was published on 21 June 2012. A second novel, ''[[The Long War (novel)|The Long War]]'', was released on 18 June 2013.<ref>{{cite news |date=15 January 2013 |title=Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter – The Long War (The Long Earth 2) announced |url=http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/terry-pratchett-stephen-baxter-the-long-war-the-long-earth-2-announced |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615021400/http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/terry-pratchett-stephen-baxter-the-long-war-the-long-earth-2-announced |archive-date=15 June 2013 |access-date=15 January 2013 |newspaper=Upcoming4.me}}</ref> ''[[The Long Mars]]'' was published in 2014. The fourth book in the series, ''[[The Long Utopia]]'', was published in June 2015, and the fifth, ''[[The Long Cosmos]]'', in June 2016.

In 2012, the first volume of Pratchett's collected short fiction was published under the title ''[[A Blink of the Screen]]''. In 2014 a similar collection was published of Pratchett's non-fiction, entitled ''[[A Slip of the Keyboard]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Slip of the Keyboard |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/terry-pratchett/a-slip-of-the-keyboard/ |access-date=29 December 2014 |publisher=kirkusreviews.com}}</ref>

Pratchett wrote parts of the dialogue for a [[Video game modding|mod]] for the game ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'' (2006), which added a Nord companion named Vilja. He also worked on a similar mod for ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]]'' (2011), which featured Vilja's great-great-granddaughter.<ref>{{cite web |last=Boudreau |first=Ian |date=28 May 2018 |title=Terry Pratchett was an Oblivion modder |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/terry-pratchett-oblivion-mods |access-date=30 December 2024 |work=[[PCGamesN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216082812/https://www.pcgamesn.com/terry-pratchett-oblivion-mods|archive-date=16 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Maher |first=Cian |date=31 January 2019 |title=The story behind the Oblivion mod Terry Pratchett worked on |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-01-29-the-story-behind-the-oblivion-mod-terry-pratchett-worked-on |access-date=30 December 2024 |work=[[Eurogamer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212123854/https://www.eurogamer.net/the-story-behind-the-oblivion-mod-terry-pratchett-worked-on|archive-date=12 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Children's literature ===
Pratchett's first children's novel was also his first published novel: ''[[The Carpet People]]'' in 1971, which Pratchett substantially rewrote and re-released in 1992. The next, ''Truckers'' (1988), was the first in ''[[The Nome Trilogy]]'' of novels for young readers (also known as ''The Bromeliad Trilogy''), about small [[gnome]]-like creatures called "Nomes", and the trilogy continued in ''Diggers'' (1990) and ''Wings'' (1990). Subsequently, Pratchett wrote the ''[[Johnny Maxwell]]'' trilogy, about the adventures of a boy called Johnny Maxwell and his friends, comprising ''[[Only You Can Save Mankind]]'' (1992), ''[[Johnny and the Dead]]'' (1993) and ''[[Johnny and the Bomb]]'' (1996). ''[[Nation (novel)|Nation]]'' (2008) marked his return to the non-''Discworld'' children's novel, and this was followed in 2012 by ''[[Dodger (novel)|Dodger]]'', a children's novel set in Victorian London.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dodger: Amazon.co.uk: Terry Pratchett: Books |date=2 January 2011 |id={{ASIN|0385619278|country=uk}}}}</ref> On 21 November 2013 [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday Children's]] released Pratchett's ''Jack Dodger's Guide to London''.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 June 2013 |title=Terry Pratchett – Jack Dodger's Guide to London cover art and synopsis reveal |url=http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/terry-pratchett-jack-dodgers-guide-to-london-cover-art-and-synopsis-reveal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702191408/http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/terry-pratchett-jack-dodgers-guide-to-london-cover-art-and-synopsis-reveal |archive-date=2 July 2013 |access-date=28 June 2013 |publisher=Upcoming4.me}}</ref>

In 2001, he wrote ''The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents'', his first ''Discworld'' book marketed for children.<ref name=medal2001/>

Pratchett also wrote a five-book children's series featuring a trainee witch, [[Tiffany Aching]], and taking place on ''Discworld'', beginning with [[The Wee Free Men]] in 2003.

In September 2014, a collection of children's stories, ''Dragons at Crumbling Castle'', written by Pratchett, and illustrated by Mark Beech, was published. This was followed by another collection, ''The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner'', also illustrated by Mark Beech, in 2016. A third volume, ''Father Christmas's Fake Beard'', was released in 2017. A fourth collection, ''The Time-travelling Caveman'', was released in September 2020.<ref name="Final Terry Pratchett stories to be published in September">{{cite web |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=7 July 2020 |title=Final Terry Pratchett stories to be published in September |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/07/terry-prachett-the-time-travelling-caveman-published-september |access-date=16 August 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> A final collection, ''[[A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories]]'', was published in October 2023, collecting 20 stories written by Pratchett for newspapers in the 1970s and 80s under pseudonyms such as "Patrick Kearns" which had not previously been attributed to Pratchett.<ref name="Rediscovered Terry Pratchett stories to be published">{{cite web |last=Shaffi |first=Sarah |date=27 February 2023 |title=Rediscovered Terry Pratchett stories to be published |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/27/rediscovered-terry-pratchett-stories-to-be-published |access-date=5 May 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

===Collaborations===
* ''[[The Unadulterated Cat]]'' (1989) is a humorous book of cat anecdotes written by Pratchett and illustrated by [[Gray Jolliffe]].
* ''[[Good Omens]]'', written with [[Neil Gaiman]] (1990)
* ''[[Once More* With Footnotes]]'', edited by Priscilla Olson and Sheila M. Perry (2004), is "an assortment of short stories, articles, introductions, and ephemera" by Pratchett which "have appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, anthologies, and program books, many of which are now hard to find".<ref>{{cite book |last=Pratchett |first=Terry |title=Once More* (with footnotes) |publisher=NESFA Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-886778-57-4 |editor1-first=Priscilla |editor1-last=Olson |editor2-first=Sheila M. |editor2-last=Perry}}</ref> These include the short stories "The Sea and Little Fishes", "Troll Bridge", "The Hades Business", "Final Reward", "Hollywood Chickens", "Turntables of the Night", "Once and Future", and "#ifdef DEBUG + 'world/enough' + 'time{{'"}}, as well as nonfiction articles.
* The five-book "[[The Long Earth (series)|Long Earth]]" series written with [[Stephen Baxter (author)|Stephen Baxter]], published between 2012 and 2016 beginning with ''[[The Long Earth]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Adam |date=20 June 2012 |title=The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter – review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/20/long-earth-terry-pratchett-stephen-baxter-review |accessdate=5 April 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Flood |first=Allison |date=25 July 2015 |title=Stephen Baxter interview: why science fiction is like therapy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/25/stephen-baxter-interview-why-science-fiction-is-like-therapy |accessdate=5 April 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

===Unfinished texts===
Pratchett's daughter, the writer Rhianna Pratchett, is the custodian of the ''Discworld'' franchise. She said that she had no plans to publish her father's unfinished work or continue the ''Discworld'' series.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=12 June 2015 |title=Terry Pratchett's daughter declares The Shepherd's Crown will be the last Discworld novel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/12/terry-pratchett-daughter-fans-shepherds-crown-last-discworld-novel |access-date=23 June 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Pratchett told Neil Gaiman that anything that he had been working on at the time of his death should be destroyed by a [[steamroller]]. On 25&nbsp;August 2017 his former assistant Rob Wilkins fulfilled this wish by arranging for Pratchett's hard drive to be crushed under a steamroller at the [[Great Dorset Steam Fair]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Convery |first=Stephanie |date=30 August 2017 |title=Terry Pratchett's unfinished novels destroyed by steamroller |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/30/terry-pratchett-unfinished-novels-destroyed-streamroller |access-date=30 August 2017 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

According to Wilkins, Pratchett left "an awful lot" of unfinished writing, "10&nbsp;titles I know of and fragments from many other bits and pieces".<ref>{{cite news |date=27 August 2015 |title=Final Terry Pratchett novel The Shepherd's Crown on sale |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34067207 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Pratchett had mentioned two new texts, ''Scouting for Trolls''<ref name="Nation">{{cite web |date=10 October 2005 |title=Interview: Terry Pratchett |url=http://www.alternativenation.net/forums/showthread.php?t=87270 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612061915/http://www.alternativenation.net/forums/articles-features/87270-interview-terry-pratchett.html |archive-date=12 June 2008 |access-date=28 September 2011 |work=Alternative Nation}}</ref> and a ''Discworld'' novel following a new character.<ref>{{cite news |last=Robinson |first=Tasha |date=16 November 2012 |title=Terry Pratchett on his latest novel, his medical diagnosis, and more |url=https://www.avclub.com/terry-pratchett-on-his-latest-novel-his-medical-diagno-1798234659 |work=A.V. Club}}</ref> The notes left behind outline ideas about "how the old folk of the Twilight Canyons solve the mystery of a missing treasure and defeat the rise of a Dark Lord despite their failing memories"; "the secret of the crystal cave and the carnivorous plants in the Dark Incontinent", about Constable Feeney of the Watch, first introduced in ''Snuff'', involving how he "solves a whodunnit among the congenitally decent and honest goblins"; and a second book about Amazing Maurice from ''The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barnett |first=David |date=27 August 2015 |title=Terry Pratchett 'was working on new Discworld stories when he died' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/27/terry-pratchett-was-working-on-new-discworld-stories-when-he-died |access-date=10 June 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

===Television===
* Terry Pratchett's Jungle Quest (1996)<ref>{{Citation |last=McLeod |first=Andy |title=Terry Pratchett's Jungle Quest |date=1995-06-12 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13873460/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 |access-date=2024-11-15 |series=Short Stories |others=Birute Galdikas, Terry Pratchett, Ian Redmond}}</ref>
* ''Terry Pratchett: Living With Alzheimer's'' (2009)<ref name="alz1" /><ref name="alz2" />
* ''[[Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die]]'' (2011)
* ''Terry Pratchett: Facing Extinction'' (2013)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terry Pratchett: Facing Extinction |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pz9rj |access-date=13 November 2022 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* ''Terry Pratchett: Back In Black'' (2017)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terry Pratchett - Back in Black |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08fjlvx |access-date=13 November 2022 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Works about Pratchett==
A collection of essays about Pratchett's writings is compiled in the book ''Terry Pratchett: Guilty of Literature'', edited by [[Andrew M. Butler]], [[Edward James (historian)|Edward James]] and [[Farah Mendlesohn]], published by Science Fiction Foundation in 2000. A second, expanded edition was published by Old Earth Books in 2004. Andrew M. Butler wrote the ''Pocket Essentials Guide to Terry Pratchett'' published in 2001. ''Writers Uncovered: Terry Pratchett'' is a biography for young readers by Vic Parker, published by [[Heinemann (book publisher)|Heinemann Library]] in 2006.

A [[BBC]] [[docudrama]] based on Pratchett's life, ''Terry Pratchett: Back In Black'', was broadcast in February 2017, starring [[Paul Kaye]] as Pratchett. [[Neil Gaiman]] was involved with the project which used Pratchett's own words. Pratchett's assistant, Rob Wilkins, said that Pratchett was working on this documentary before he died. According to the BBC, finishing it would "show the author was still having the last laugh".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15049908.Landmark_Sir_Terry_Pratchett_documentary_partly_filmed_at_BFP_offices_to_air_next_month/|title=Landmark Sir Terry Pratchett documentary partly filmed at BFP offices to air next month|website=Bucks Free Press|date=26 January 2017 }}</ref>

The English author, critic and performer Marc Burrows wrote an unofficial biography, ''The Magic of Terry Pratchett'', published by Pen & Sword on 6 July 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/04/untold-story-terry-pratchett-met-roald-dahl/"|title=The untold story of how Terry Pratchett met Roald Dahl|date=4 July 2020|access-date=26 October 2021|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|author=Dalya Alberge}}</ref> Though it was not endorsed by the Pratchett estate, prior to its publication they did wish Burrows "all the best" regarding the book through the official Pratchett Twitter account.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=terryandrob|number=1244929745730617346|title=It isn't an official or authorised biography...}}</ref> It received generally favourable reviews and won the 2021 [[Locus Award]] for Non-Fiction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://locusmag.com/2021/06/2021-locus-awards-winners/|access-date=26 October 2021|date=26 June 2021|title=2021 Locus Awards Winners|publisher=[[Locus Magazine]]}}</ref>

In 2022, Wilkins wrote the official biography, ''Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilkins |first1=Rob |title=Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes |date=29 September 2022 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0857526649 |url=http://www.alifewithfootnotes.com/ |access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> The biography was well received.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="DTreview"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/25/terry-pratchett-a-life-with-footnotes-review-rob-wilkins-life-death-in-discworld|title=Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes by Rob Wilkins review – anecdotes, elephants and 'an embuggerance'|first=Frank|last=Cottrell-Boyce|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=25 September 2022|accessdate=5 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/humorous-harrowing-and-productive-the-world-of-terry-pratchett-20221005-p5bnh8.html|title=Humorous, harrowing and productive: The world of Terry Pratchett|first=Elizabeth|last= Flux|work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=12 October 2022|accessdate=5 April 2023}}</ref>}} In ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Tristram Fane Saunders wrote that it "spins magic from mundanity in precisely the way Pratchett himself did".<ref name="DTreview">{{cite news |last1=Saunders |first1=Tristram Fane |title=Terry Pratchett by Rob Wilkins review: the gloriously mundane magic of Discworld |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/terry-pratchett-rob-wilkins-review-gloriously-mundane-magic/ |access-date=11 October 2022 |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=29 September 2022}}</ref> However, in a review for the ''[[Irish Independent]]'', Kevin Power called it more a collection of fan notes than a serious biography.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/book-reviews/terry-pratchett-a-life-with-footnotes-fans-eye-view-misses-the-big-questions-41953641.html?reg=true|title=Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes – fan's-eye view misses the big questions|first=Levin|last=Power|work=[[Irish Independent]]|date=3 September 2022|accessdate=5 April 2023}}</ref>

In April 2023, "Entering Discworld Population", an episode of the podcast ''[[Imaginary Worlds (podcast)|Imaginary Worlds]]'', was released to mark the 75th anniversary of Pratchett's birth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/|title=Entering Discworld Population|author=Eric Molinsky|date=April 2023|website=Imaginary Worlds|access-date=13 April 2023}}</ref> It discussed four of Pratchett's recurring fiction characters as representative of his underlying philosophy.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=medal2001>[http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=57 (Carnegie Winner 2001) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129234016/http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=57 |date=29 January 2013}}. Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. [[CILIP]]. Retrieved 18 August 2012.</ref>
<ref name=prdir2001>[http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/index.php?year=2002 "Press releases for the 2001 Awards, presented in 2002 "] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504055603/http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/index.php?year=2002 |date=4 May 2012}}. Press Desk. CILIP. Retrieved 18 August 2012.</ref>
<ref name=edwards>[http://www.ala.org/yalsa/edwards/previouswinners/pratchett "Edwards Awards 2011"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012103908/http://www.ala.org/yalsa/edwards/previouswinners/pratchett |date=12 October 2013}}. [[Young Adult Library Services Association]] (YALSA). American Library Association (ALA).<br/>
&nbsp; [http://www.ala.org/yalsa/edwards-award "Edwards Award"]. YALSA. ALA. Retrieved 12 October 2013.</ref>
}}

==Works cited==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Burrows |first=Marc |year=2020 |title=The Magic of Terry Pratchett |publisher=White Owl |isbn=978-1-52676-551-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Cabell |first=Craig |year=2011 |title=Terry Pratchett: The Spirit of Fantasy |url=https://archive.org/details/terrypratchettsp0000cabe/ |url-access=registration |publisher=John Blake |isbn=978-1-84358-507-7}}
* {{cite book |last=James |first=Edward |author-link=Edward James (historian) |year=2012 |chapter=Tolkien, Lewis and the explosion of genre fantasy |editor-last=James |editor-first=Edward |editor-last2=Mendlesohn |editor-first2=Farah |editor-link2=Farah Mendlesohn |title=The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-42959-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Pyykkonen |first1=Carrie |last2=Washington |first2=Linda |year=2008 |title=Secrets of The Wee Free Men and Discworld: The Myths and Legends of Terry Pratchett's Multiverse |url=https://archive.org/details/secretsofweefree0000pyyk |url-access=registration |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |isbn=978-0-312-37243-9}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{commons}}
* {{Official website| https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com}}
* {{British council| terry-pratchett}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160510150358/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bb3628b27 Terry Pratchett] at the [[British Film Institute]]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template.|date=October 2023}}
* {{IMDb name| 0695332}}
* {{ISFDB name| 155}}
* {{IBList|type=author|id=27|name=Terry Pratchett}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/bookclub/ram/bookclub_20040704.ram Bookclub]: BBC's [[James Naughtie]] and a group of readers talk to Terry Pratchett about his book ''Mort'' ('''audio''')
* [http://www.senatehouselibrary.ac.uk/our-collections/special-collections/printed-special-collections/colin-smythe-terry-pratchett-archive Terry Pratchett Archive at Senate House Library, University of London]
* [http://richannel.org/collections/2012/terry-pratchett Terry Pratchett talking about The Long Earth with Stephen Baxter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001181831/http://richannel.org/collections/2012/terry-pratchett |date=1 October 2015}}, [[Royal Institution]] video, 21 June 2012
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00944ry Terry Pratchett] [[Desert Island Discs]] interview, 1997
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8304000/8304467.stm 12 October 2009 radio interview] discussing 'Unseen Academicals' and brain donation at [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/wiltshire BBC Wiltshire]
* [http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=772 Out of the shadows] : Four videos in which Terry Pratchett reveals what it was like to be diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), a rare variant of Alzheimer's disease.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210839/http://www.douglasadams.se/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12162 2 May 2007 Live Webchat] transcript at Douglas Adams Continuum
* {{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/bookfest/authors/ram/tpratchett.ram |title=29 September 2007 Live Webcast |website=[[Library of Congress]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307181507/http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/authors/ram/tpratchett.ram |archive-date=7 March 2008|quote = Terry Pratchett speaks and answers questions at the 2007 National Book Festival in Washington DC|format = audio}}
* [http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/meeting-mr-pratchett/2007/02/15/1171405371862.html Meeting Mr Pratchett] at ''[[The Age]]''
*[http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/1093836883-na-plovarne/211522160100014/bonus/3226-terry-pratchett On-line video interview for Czech TV (24. 4. 2011)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315075108/http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/1093836883-na-plovarne/211522160100014/bonus/3226-terry-pratchett |date=15 March 2015}}
* ''[http://discworldmonthly.co.uk Discworld Monthly]'' has been providing monthly Terry Pratchett news since May 1997
* [http://st-news.com/issues/st-news-volume-9-issue-3/features/this-issue-is-dedicated-to/the-pterry-interview/ Interview with Terry Pratchett, 1994] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705212029/https://st-news.com/issues/st-news-volume-9-issue-3/features/this-issue-is-dedicated-to/the-pterry-interview |date=5 July 2022}}
{{Terry Pratchett}}
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