How sad, and how glad. The Shepherd's Crown is the latest and last novel from the very great Terry Pratchett. While it is not his best, finest or funniest creation, it may be his wisest, and that makes it a fitting finale.
The fifth novel in the Tiffany Aching series for young adults, The Shepherd's Crown begins by recapitulating the device of the first Granny Weatherwax book, Equal Rites (1987), and turning it on its head: this time a boy wants to become a witch. Then something big happens, and the walls separating the worlds weaken sufficiently so that an old enemy is able to enter from the other side. It is up to Tiffany Aching and all the friends she can make and muster to save the world one more time.
Unlike in his Discworld novels for adults, Pratchett states his themes out loud rather than through the use of satire and parody: leave the world a better place than you found it; be kind to others, especially those worse off than yourself - it is good for you; make friends where you can; do not kill without need; believe that redemption is possible, even for the worst of us; and remember that there is no place like home. This is magic indeed, and it is everywhere you go (if you take it with you).
In the end, Terry Pratchett has left us with a consolation rather than a conclusion. There are loose ends, to be sure, and what happens to his characters is now left for us to imagine: the witches, the wizards, the City Watch, the Librarian, Death, and the cavalcade of minor-but-memorable characters - good and bad - that accompanied them.
Farewell, Terry Pratchett, and thank you. You made my world a better place. And, yes, I like cats.
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