Rating: 
Summary: Chasing the Giant Turtle
Review: Terry Pratchett has been writing books about Discworld since at least the mid-1980's. From that time on I have loyally followed it's eccentric denizens as they scooted about on the only turtle-powered world in the universe. Pratchett normally leaves us wondering exactly what it all looked like. Not that he doesn't write good descriptive prose, mind you. But all those places and characters are enough to severely stretch the imaginations of forgetful folks like me. While there seem to have been some recently illustrated work, most of it has refused to appear in my local bookstores. Well, thanks to illustrator Paul Kidby and "The Last Hero," all that's been fixed.The work in question is a Discworld novella, totaling 160 pages of large print with a lot of illustrations. Even in this short space, Pratchett manages to put together his usual twisted, acerbically written plot. Genghiz Cohen the (nonagenarian) Barbarian and his equally Silver Horde have set out for their last quest - to return fire to the gods. After countless efforts at dying heroically they have decided to force the issue, and intend to use the Discworld equivalent of a hydrogen bomb to do it. They are aided in this hero-brained scheme by Evil Harry Dread the Dark Lord, the now gray-haired Vena the Raven-Haired (AKA Mrs. McGarry), and bring along a desperately unwilling minstrel to take notes. Earnestly trying to prevent Cohen's immolation of Cori Celesti, the Mountain of the Gods, is an equally motley crew. The wizards of the Unseen College have appealed to Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, for support in preventing an act which will destroy all magic and shut down Discworld permanently. Vetinari enlists Leonard of Quirm (best known for dangerous inventions and pictures whose eyes follow you around) to figure out how to get to Cori Celesti in time to stop the Heroes. Leonard invents the first spacecraft, powered by swamp dragons, and crewed by Leonard, Captain Carrot of the Watchmen, and Ridcully the Inept, one of Pratchett's oldest characters. Oh, stowaway duties are done by the Librarian, an orangutan wizard. Pratchett is at his tongue in cheek best. I counted about 10 dire quips on each page, so expect to do a lot of smirking and giggling. Pratchett has no qualms about parodying himself, and he does so with relish. The plot, which is great fun, often gives away to the sheer exuberance of being able to say sarcastic and witty things at will. And fans will spend hours picking out various Pratchett characters and figuring out in which book they first appeared. Of course, DEATH makes his obligatory appearance. And did I mention the illustrations? Paul Kidby is the perfect illustrator for Pratchett. He has a good sense of both the dramatic and the humorous and a detailed colorful style that harkens back to the illustrations on the old witch books. I never once felt that he had gotten a figure wrong. This is absolutely the perfect present for a Pratchett fan. It has a bit of a sticker shock to it. But for us addicts, it's worth it. The rest of you should run off to a bookstore where you can snort and smirk for free, and peek at it first. Then come back and buy it here at a discount.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but a little thin
Review: The illustrations are good, but occasionally a little distracting and unecessary. The story is true Discworld, with satire and references. When you remove all the illustrations, the book would only be about 70 pages (a novelette?) I liked the story, but I hope this isn't the future of Terry Pratchett's output. I'd rather wait 18 months for a novel that 9 months for an illustrated short story.
Rating:
Summary: Great for ANYONE
Review: This is a great book. I think everyone will enjoy it. For someone unfamiliar with Terry Pratchett's novels, it is a marvelous introduction to his Discworld. Technically, it is fantasy, but in truth you won't find more realistic characters in any other author's books. And, long time Pratchett fans will marvel at the quality of the writing and the splendid illustrations.
Rating: 
Summary: Less is not more.
Review: Bare in mind that most folks reviewing this book are die-hard Pratchett fanatics, the types who will pay a lot of money for a 167 page coffee-table book. If you witlessly love anything Discworldian then you do not need reviews; you will adore this book. If you like, rather than worship, the excellent writing that Terry Pratchett is capable of then you will be seriously disappointed with The Last Hero. This is the sort of substandard (compared to the usually high standards of Discworld novels) work that inspires conspiracy theories. Perhaps the pod-people have taken over Pratchett's body and are trying to pass as him. Or an obsessive fan has written a Discworld book and palmed it off as the real thing. Terry Pratchett is indeed one of the best satirists currently in print; it is a shame that he now seems to be writing fake versions of his oun style.
Rating:
Summary: Heros and Gods and Missions, Oh My!
Review: This is a short story, a novella at most, but it's wrapped in the gorgeous illustrations of Paul Kidby. And while the story is short, it features the Patrician, Cohen and the Silver Horde, Carrot, Leonard of Quirm, the Librarian and, once again in an astronaut, er..., chelonaut suit, Rincewind. Cohen and the Silver Horde (except Vincent the Ripper, who choked to death on a concubine) are on a final heroic quest: they are going to return the fire that was stolen from the gods. With interest. And while anyone can sympathize with their grievances, it will mean the destruction of the Disc. So it's up to our favorite characters from Ankh Morpork to stop the unstoppable. The plot's not bad, but the illustrations range from quite good to jaw-dropping stunning. In particular, I was knocked over by the drawing of Elephant-rise from the Disc's moon. A conscious parody of the famous NASA photo of earth rise from the moon, it transcends parody and makes the Disc suddenly real. As others have noted, Death and the kitten is pretty fine, too. Kidby has thought it through. Even in a novella, Pratchett manages to introduce a memorable new character, perhaps the best since Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers from "Hogfather." Evil Harry Dread, and his Shed of Doom, a Dark Lord who has always played by the Code, always hired really stupid henchmen, and always left a back way into his Tower of Doom. So Evil Harry, Cohen and his Silver Horde, the gods themselves come to a final confrontation at the home of the gods, Dun Manifestin, with the future of the disk itself at stake. Will the Ankh Morpork chelonauts arrive in time? Will the disk be saved? Does Rincewind _really_ look like that? Can Pratchett possibly top this? Great fun, wonderful art and another excellent entry in the Discworld series.
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff but not for Disc newbies
Review: If you're new to the Discworld, then "The Last Hero" is not the place to start. Sure you can read and still enjoy it but you'll enjoy it even more if you already have some background knowledge of this wonderful fantasy world (like why is the Librarian an ape and how come the best lawyer in Ankh is a zombie?) For those of us who have joined the roller coaster ride that is the Discworld novels, this coffee book production is must have if only for the great Kidby artwork. In fact, I think the book was more Paul Kidby's than Terry's. The all-too-short story, it seems to me, played second fiddle to the visualisation of well known characters like Rincewind, Carrot and Cohen. Saying that though, the tale isnt half bad. Old Cohen the Barbarian, last seen in "Interesting Times", goes on a final big quest. He and his compatriots, the Silver Horde, may not survive the quest. Thats not the problem. The problem is Cohen's quest may cause the end of all life on the Disc. Enter Rincewind.... After growing up reading Disc books with cover art by Josh Kirby, its quite strange (but not much) to see a different version of well known characters. Rincewind as drawn by Kidby is younger and Carrot more handsome. The Librarian is...dare I say it?...cute and Ponder Stibbons looks like Harry Potter.
But the most beautiful of all are the splash pages throughout the book. Great A'Tuin, City of Ankh-Morpork, the sea water dropping off the edge of the Disc, the Silver Horde with Cohen leading the charge....Simply eye candy par excellence! Also, check out the 'Mona Lisa' in page 30. Better than the original HAHAHAHA!! Finally, this is also the first Discworld novel that share the same cover in both UK and US. Usually, the US covers are just dead boring. How come they cant use the Josh Kirby covers for the American editions?? Too much red tape??
Rating:
Summary: Pratchett at his best
Review: This is Pratchett's best work since 'Interesting Times'. This one includes an all star cast of: Rincewind, Cohen the Barbarian, Captain Carrot and a host of supporting characters including,of course, Death. The art by Paul Kidby is truly wonderful. I can't imagine reading this without the great artwork. The art complements the story perfectly. It's Beautiful!
The reason I gave 'The Last Hero' four and not five stars is because it is woefully short. You can read this in a day. I suggest that you savor the art while reading this so that it lasts longer. Other than the length, the book is near perfect.
A collector's item for all Discworld fans!
Rating:
Summary: Discworld, As We've Always Wanted To See It...
Review: In his second collaborative Discworld 'picture' book (the first Being "Eric", which never received a proper release here in the States), Terry Pratchett shows that the momentum he seems to have regained in his last two or three books continues to mount. While the story is his shortest novel yet, it's packed with enough adventure for two of his regular novels. Featuring not only Cohen the Barbarian and Rincewind, but also Carrot, the wizards of Unseen University and Leonard of Quirm, he somehow manages to combine the legend of Prometheus with the Apollo Program while tossing in evil overlords, Schrodinger's Cat and everything you ever wanted to know about dragons. The story is vintage Pratchett and the illustrations are all gorgeous. While sometimes threatening to overwhelm the text, they work to immerse us in the Discworld in a way that, surprisingly enough, surpasses Pratchett's usual work. From beautifully rendered characters and Discscapes to the notes of Leonard and technical schematics, they give you the feeling of a Discworld almost real enough to touch. If you're a Terry Pratchett fan, I can't recommend this book enough. Even with the somewhat steep price tag, it's well worth adding to a Pratchett collection. If you're not overly familiar with Pratchett, I recommend starting at a different book in the series, perhaps "Guards! Guards!" or "Small Gods" and then moving on to this one after getting a feel for the series. However, once you've gotten a feel for the series, definitely come back to this one.
Rating:
Summary: Burning with the splendour of the brightest fire
Review: This is fantastic ! I've been a Pratchett fan for quite a long time now and he just keeps surprising me. Just when I thought I'd seen it all, he just comes up with something totally new ! OK, I have to admit it, the story isn't as good as some of his others. Well, maybe "good" is not the right word, ofcourse the story is good, but it's just not as complicated, as detailed as the other masterpieces Terry gave birth to. It is more of a slideshow of all the witty characters he's been creating during the past decades. For a die-hard DW fan like me, reading this book was like coming home from an unforgettable holiday and looking at all those incredibly funny pictures I took there. And then Paul Kidby, he is unbelievable ! I do like to draw myself, but the day I create something that's even half as fantastic as Kidby's works of art, I'll buy all the people who've read this review a copy of my favourite Pratchett book, "Wyrd Sisters". What more does any sane man desire than a combination of Terry's great writing talent and Paul's magical drawing hand ? The best way to describe what it feels like to read this book, is to compare it with the books I read in my childhood. I just felt 7 again; reading a wonderfull tale about heroes and magic, made even more wonderfull by marvellous drawings. Every page you turn is a revelation, opens a new world of colours and words. I found myself staring at the pictures as if I were a little boy, seeing his first airoplane. And what is more honest than the amazement and the pure delight of a child ? Just buy this, you won't regret it !
Rating:
Summary: Too expensive
Review: (...) First, let me say what I do not like about the book. It is a coffee table sized book, with too many illustrations. It is too expensive (though I paid about half list with coupon). Some of the illustrations are really great, some are very funny, really, the only problem is that there are way too many, sometimes two pages. I did not realize this when I purchased the book. I thought it was like previous ones, just shorter. The size of the book makes it awkward to take places.....With that said, the writing style is pure Pratchett, very funny in places. It is not the best of the series, but perhaps in the top ten. I am almost finished with the book, and it actually is getting better as I go. I was not too happy with it at first, but there are at least 5 different times when I burst out laughing, and then re-read the paragraph and started laughing again. The characters are all old favorites, I just wish the story line did not jump around quite so much. For the price, the book deserves 3 stars. For the literary content a 5. The art work is great, but too much. So over all, I think a 4 is fair. If you are a die hard fan like me, you have to buy the book now. You can't wait. I know. I needed my fix right away. If you are not a die hard fan, I would suggest you wait until this ends up in the bargain bin/discount rack. At half the list price, I am happy. Anywhere close to list and I would have felt cheated. (Of course, this may be more personal than anything else). In any case, if you are reading this, you have already pretty much decided to buy the book, and are already one of the poor, addicted fools, like me. So, buy the book already and enjoy! ;-)
|
