RIP Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett was, to me, a perfect writer. He allowed one to escape to a magical world so unlike the one we live in that one could simply tune out - but he also addressed things he thought were important in the real world. He was funny, but also gentle and kind, and could make even the hardest hearts shed a surreptitious tear or two. As a writer, my envy for his talent was only overshadowed by my admiration for his mastery of prose - but it was nearly impossible to read his work with a clinical writer's eye. His writing turned even the most jaded critics into wide-eyed children, and he will be missed.