Saying Goodbye and Hello to Terry Pratchett

I was saddened to hear of the loss of Terry Pratchett this past week and all the more so because I have never read any of his books and likely do not fully appreciate what was lost. I say that because I was an avid SciFi/Fantasy (SFF) reader as a kid and teenager, only to have that love grow cold and lie dormant throughout much of my adulthood, resurfacing again in my forties. I was aware of Terry Pratchett and his Discworld series, but there were just too many books in the genre to hit everyone and I tended to read multiple books by a single author if they tickled my fancy.  For whatever reason, Terry never made that cut.

My first forays into SFF were in elementary school and included Eleanor Cameron's "Mushroom Planet" series as well as Alexander Key's "Rivets and Sprockets", books that have been out of print for decades and sell for hundreds of dollars on Amazon as a result. I built my personal library of hardback SFF books (of which I was very proud) as a kid by getting my five free books for joining the Science Fiction and Fantasy Bookclub, buying the minimum required amount, dropping my membership, and then rejoining to get my five free books and repeating the cycle ad infinitum (and I say “ad infinitum” for dramatic effect because my funds were limited by the finite number of summer yards to mow and bottles to return for ten cents a pop).

Terry was known for his highly humorous touch, which I'll just have to take on faith. I read all of Douglas Adams's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series as well as "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and thought I'd plumbed the depths of SFF humor. During my second year of medical school Douglas Adams and Ray Bradbury were speaking together at Butler University's Visiting Writer's Series. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it was the night before a pharmacy exam that was a do or die affair for me, so I skipped the talk and within a few months Douglas Adams unexpectedly passed from this world.  Ray would follow him about a decade later.  It hurts to think that was the choice I was forced to make at the time.

When I heard of Terry's death on Facebook, I determined I would finally read at least one of his books and stop ignoring him. I stopped by Half Price Books on the way home from work and took in some books we'd weeded out for donation and were languishing in the back of my car. While waiting for my books to be tallied and a buy back offer made I went looking for Terry. There was only one hardback book by him, but it turned out to be the perfect one. It had a cheesy front cover, slightly tattered, and included the first three books of his Discworld series stickered at $7.99. I could hardly believe my good luck (maybe he was smiling down on me).

And to make the experience of fortune-smiling-upon-me complete, they offered me an eight dollar credit for my books and handed me a ten percent off coupon for bringing them in to sell. I gave the two slips of paper to the front check out girl and reached for my wallet. Instead of giving me a total she handed me twenty six cents and told me to have a nice day. Thank you Terry for not taking my neglect personal. I imagine I will soon be joining the ranks of your many fans.