Remembering Sir Terry Pratchett, author of the “Discworld” book series, who has passed away at the age of 66.

It is with a heavy heart and teary eyes that I write this article about the life and loss of Sir Terry Pratchett. Writing an obituary is always a sad time but in this case, it’s akin to the end of an era. I first read The Colour of Magic in late 1983, shortly after it was published. I was fairly new to the fantasy genre, having read the first book or two of David Edding’s Belgariad and the first book of Raymond E. Feist’s “Riftwar Saga.”

What I found in that first “Discworld” novel was something that not every author, regardless of the genre, understands. What I found was a wit so cutting that you were almost taken aback. The book was pure, unadulterated fun! Lots of novels are good, but not many will keep you smiling throughout the entirety. And that fun never ended, not once in the forty “Discworld” novels that he produced for my enjoyment. Well, it never ended until today, that is.