Lively and affectionate, this is not a critical biography, but nor is it sycophantic. It shows Pratchett as brilliant and generous, but also cantakerous, with a ruthless sense of the ridiculous. i News

Here’s the former press officer of the Central Electricity Generating Board, South Western Region, with his name in lights – Terry Pratchett at the peak of his powers.Drawing on his own extensive memories, along with those of Terry's family, friends, fans and colleagues, Rob recounts Terry's extraordinary story - from his early childhood to the literary phenomenon that his Discworld series became; and how he met and coped with the challenges that 'The Embuggerance' of Alzheimer's brought with it. I may be overwhelmed by indecision when asked to name anything as my absolute favorite (choices, there are just too many), unless you ask me who my favorite writer is. There is no hesitation there. It’s Terry Pratchett. Indisputably so. But Sir Terry unashamedly enjoyed his commercial success. He would answer thanks from fans with, “Thank you for the money,” and when asked by a friend what he would do with the vast tract of land he had just bought, replied: “Walk on each bit of it and say, ‘I own you, I own you, I own you…’” Drawing on his own extensive memories, along with those of Terry’s family, friends, fans and colleagues, Rob recounts Terry’s extraordinary story – from his early childhood to the literary phenomenon that his Discworld series became; and how he met and coped with the challenges that ‘The Embuggerance’ of Alzheimer’s brought with it. Look after Lyn, please. Have those fine pieces of jewellery cast to my design and give them with my love. Choose a gift every Christmas and birthday. Send flowers. Have a big dinner each year, more if necessary or if a celebration is required, and raise a brandy to my memory and to happy days.

It may have been a reaction to years of contempt from literary circles. His achievements eventually included a knighthood and a Carnegie Medal (for The Amazing Maurice), but in his early career his work was derided – unjustly, given the intricate craftsmanship required to combine funny fantasy with subtle humanism.People knowing Pratchett and his works also know that Wilkins has been working for and living with the Pratchetts for years, before the diagnosis even. They had a kind of symbiosis going and it shows in this book. Following his untimely death from Alzheimer's disease, the mantle of completing Terry's memoir was passed to Rob Wilkins, his former assistant, friend and now head of the author's literary estate. Některý knihy mají tu sílu najít si k vám cestu, i když jste se ani neobtěžovali podívat se jejich směrem. Neplánovala jsem a nečekala na první výtisky v knihkupectví. Přesto se mi jeden z nich do rukou dostal. A abych neurazila zběsilé nadšení majitele onoho výtisku, nalistovala jsem si předmluvu a začala číst … In addition to a whole bunch of amusing and less than amusing key events in Pratchett's life, the biography also includes a jaw-dropping amount of stuff I never knew before. For example, it suddenly became abundantly clear to me why Tiffany Aching lives where she does, and good heavens, I had no idea Pratchett had a shepherd's hut that inspired the one in the books. I was so tempted to start reading The Wee Free Men again and continue until The Shepherd's Crown, but alas, my TBR list won't allow it right now. They're right there on my shelf, though, so maybe later.

It’s a great biography, but be prepared to feel some raw pain if you care about Terry Pratchett at all, because by the end of it you’ll care about Terry as a person and not just an absolutely brilliant writer. The joy of this biography . . . is that it spins magic from mundanity in precisely the way Pratchett himself did. The Telegraph Terry Pratchett was a true library lover and wrote, “it seemed to be that just being inside a library was nearly enough, as if everything in the books would permeate your skin by some kind of osmosis.” As a lad, he hung out at Beaconsfield Library and “found himself incorporated into the library workforce as a Saturday boy.” He worked at reshelving and repairing books on a voluntary basis. In return, the unspoken agreement was that he could borrow an unlimited number of books from the library. Written by Sir Terry’s long time assistant with the consent and support of his family and the great man himself before his untimely demise.If you are not a fan of the Discworld then you may not appreciate all the references made to the books but even as an autobiography of one of the UK's best selling and prolific authors, this is an extremely well written, thoughtful and very personal look at Terry Pratchett's remarkable life and work. This edition also features a number of photographs, some showing scribbles or notes or sketches and some old ones taken by the family. Here are some of them that nicely show Sir Terry, the author, the husband, father, boss, friend and nerd/geek.