Pratchett has Alzheimer's disease

[Iain]

Author Terry Pratchett is suffering from a rare form of early Alzheimer's disease, it has been revealed.

He said in a statement that with forthcoming conventions and the need to inform his publishers it would have been "unfair to withhold the news".

Discworld author Pratchett has sold more than 55 million books worldwide.

He told fans the statement should be interpreted as "I am not dead".

"I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else," he said.

"For me, this may be further off than you think. It's too soon to tell.

"I know it's a very human thing to say 'is there anything I can do', but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry."

Pratchett was made an OBE in 1998 for services to British literature.

More at link - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7141458.stm

[Cromlech]

Shame. 

[Fjolnirsson]

That is sad news.
I recently caught "Hogfather" on cable. Very well done, and stayed fairly true to the book. The casting was fantastic.

[The Viking]

 
This is the saddest thing I've heard this year. Hopefully there will be some cure for it before it is too late for him.

[The Viking]

That is sad news.
I recently caught "Hogfather" on cable. Very well done, and stayed fairly true to the book. The casting was fantastic.

"Fairly true" isn't enough I feel. I don't think I've ever seen a movie that is so close to the original book. Most of the book got into the movie. I just wish that the restaurant scene, with the old boots and mud had been included . Seeing Foul Ol' Ron on screen would've been so awesome.

[grislyatoms]

Damn. One of my favorites. Hang in there, Patrician.

[grislyatoms]

"Seeing Foul Ol' Ron on screen would've been so awesome."

"Bug'rit, Millennium hand and shrimp!"

I would really like to see Wee Mad Arthur on film.

[MechAg94]

Can someone give a brief explanation of why I am supposed to know who this guy is? 

[grislyatoms]

Hard to describe.

His humor is very dry, sometimes to the point I have to read a book through a couple of times to catch all the puns and double entendres. Dry as it is, he is downright hilarious. The only author I like more than Pratchett is Mark Twain.

Nothing is sacred to Pratchett, he lampoons it all and it is always entertaining.

Magnificent satirist.

A good few first reads from Pratchett would be "Carpe Jugulum", "Feet of Clay", or "Witches Abroad", if you are inclined to check him out.

[The Viking]

"Seeing Foul Ol' Ron on screen would've been so awesome."

"Bug'rit, Millennium hand and shrimp!"

I would really like to see Wee Mad Arthur on film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wee_Free_Men#Film
Could go either way I guess. Haven't seen Corpse Bride, but I did see Spider Man, Evil Dead, and probably a few others...

[grislyatoms]

Wee Mad Arthur isn't Nac Mac Feegle, he's a gnome...

[The Viking]

Wee Mad Arthur isn't Nac Mac Feegle, he's a gnome...

According to Pratchetts Discworld Companion, Wee Mad Arthur is an urbanized, slightly civilised Feegle.

[grislyatoms]

Huh. I stand corrected. I could have sworn he was described as a gnome in "Feet of Clay", that's why I associated him with Foul Ol' Ron.

Oh well.

[The Viking]

Huh. I stand corrected. I could have sworn he was described as a gnome in "Feet of Clay", that's why I associated him with Foul Ol' Ron.

Oh well.

Well, there might be inconsistencies, but if Pratchett says he is an urbanized NMF, then by Blind Io he is! .

[grislyatoms]

Good place to get acquainted with Pratchett's brand of humor, for those unfamiliar.

http://www.lspace.org/books/pqf/