Reading roundup: The Shepherd's Crown
57. Terry Pratchett, The Shepherd's Crown -- This is such a weird and difficult book for me to talk about, because first, there's the fact that it's the last Discworld book -- just reading the blurb on the rear inside flap, talking about PTerry in past tense, made me tear up. And then there's the book itself, which -- I really can't talk about this
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Exactly, an excellent way to put it! Like, whatshisname, the slightly Sue-ish boy with the goat, felt like he needed a bit more fleshing out, and he kept implying that there was something wrong with Nanny Ogg (like when she didn't notice that one of her ornaments had been moved), perhaps that her drinking had moved into straight-up alcoholism... It was strange.
Granny's card and Nanny's reaction and Ridcully with the letters... It was less like reading something sad in a book and more like losing an actual person.
Oh, no. Oh, oh, no. This, and your subsequent thoughts, actually got me teared up all over again. Like you, Snuff gave me a scare, and I did at least entertain the idea that he was setting up a death for Vetinari, but, again like you, I somehow never even considered the fact that Esme might not be eternal. And it was seeing all these calm, unflappable characters so absolutely floored, so at a loss for what to do - Mustrum Ridcully weeping, fergawdsakes, and Nanny Ogg suddenly being all alone, and that bit about the animals congregating and the birds singing Granny's soul to rest... I believe there has never been a better time to say, "Ow, my heart."
I mean, it's not just Granny herself, of course, it's PTerry and Discworld, too, but it felt like both losing PTerry again and losing Esme as a whole separate person I've known and admired for years.
Exactly this. Because we'd spent so much time with Granny (28 years real time, by my calculator, and probably 15 years, give or take, in universe, if Sam Vimes' career is anything to go by), and gotten to know her so well, it really did feel quite like losing a real-life person. For me it was like losing a favorite professor or mentor - someone you didn't speak to every day, but who had shaped the way you look at the world, and was always in your thoughts at a subconscious level.
And although it was a long time ago, I'm so sorry about your loss of BL. I'm very lucky in that I wasn't particularly close to the older relatives I've lost so far, but I'm really dreading what it'll be like when my last remaining grandmother dies. And if I recall correctly, you were fairly young when BL died (I mean, old enough to have formed a significant relationship with her, but still young in general), so that must have been extra-hard for you.
And it's interesting that we never got a farewell Death book, isn't it... *cries some more*
Well, I guess you could say that the tweets his family released upon his death were Death's last appearance, so in a way... I'm sorry, I'll show myself out.
The idea of a Queen of the Elves learning human empathy by hanging around a witch is a really interesting one, actually, but I wish it had gotten a lot more development
Exactly! It sort of developed by fits and starts and, yes, felt very rushed indeed, but I could still sort of see the shape of what it would have been, had he not felt that he had to get everything done while he still could.
And it was interesting to see Magrat grown into a queen and advising Letitia on being both a witch and nobility, and good to see her in her Queen Ynci armour once again.
This was one of the few moments where I got sniffly post-The Big Thing, because it felt so very much like Terry Pratchett making his last rounds, so to speak, like Granny Weatherwax going out to talk to her bees.
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...And on the other hand, there were bits like this. This was another place that felt unfinished - he needed to be dirtied up a bit, the way PTerry was so good at. Like, Esme wouldn't have been half so interesting if she didn't have to struggle against her nature to be The Good One, and some of my favorite Tiffany moments are when she thinks she knows best but really doesn't, or when she's pushing back against the attitudes of the people around her, or really whenever she was in any situation when she wasn't completely and unequivocally right. (Sorry, I seem to have developed a Geoffrey Thing.)
Young Feegles wearing their kilts too low, with underpants peeking out was fairly amusing.
Hey, at least we now have confirmation that they WEAR underpants! XD
I thought about it and decided I wanted something random, non-symmetric and with a lot of different bits, like a shamble.
Oooh, excellent idea. I love how much thought went into it, and how very shamble-like it ended up looking, right down to the "living thing"!
we're not sure what the light blue stone is
Turquoise, maybe?
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there was something wrong with Nanny Ogg (like when she didn't notice that one of her ornaments had been moved), perhaps that her drinking had moved into straight-up alcoholism.
I remembered you mentioning that and so was on the lookout, and I think nearest as I can tell, it's not so much that Nanny has a standing drinking problem (I mean, she has a drinking... opposite of a problem, I guess, normally) and more that Granny's death was doing weird things to her. Like, those things all felt like transient effects of grief to me. But there really isn't anything done with that to confirm or disprove that hypothesis or any other, I feel like.
but, again like you, I somehow never even considered the fact that Esme might not be eternal.
I'm very glad to hear you say that, because in retrospect it felt kind of dim not to have entertained that possibility, but I do think that's intentional, probably, because it's GRANNY, and... yeah.
we'd spent so much time with Granny (28 years real time, by my calculator, and probably 15 years, give or take, in universe,
Was it only 15? Well, I guess it might be longer if one includes Equal Rites, which I'm never sure whether to include or not... There might be some actual internal chronology via the info in Lords and Ladies, or added clues in Ridcully's history? But, yeah, wow, 28 years... Only about 15 for me, given when I encountered Discworld, and probably even a little less for the Witches, but that's still a really long time. And you're exactly right that it's a similar kind of feeling as losing a favorite professor or other mentor.
And if I recall correctly, you were fairly young when BL died (I mean, old enough to have formed a significant relationship with her, but still young in general), so that must have been extra-hard for you.
I was actually in college (you might be thinking of my paternal grandmother's death, when I was 10) -- but I actually think that's harder, to lose someone important at that age rather than younger, because of the more sophisticated awareness of mortality. In any case, thank you for your sympathy ♥
Well, I guess you could say that the tweets his family released upon his death were Death's last appearance, so in a way... I'm sorry, I'll show myself out.
That actually crossed my mind, too. Oh shoot, now I'm trying to think if Death actually spoke in this book. I can't remember and my copy is back home, but I feel like it's described without dialogue?
because it felt so very much like Terry Pratchett making his last rounds, so to speak, like Granny Weatherwax going out to talk to her bees.
Yes, it did... *sniff*
Yeah, the Geoffrey story is really weird, and it kind of bugs me, too, but I can see egelantier's point above -- that Geoffrey's story wasn't ready, but PTerry wanted Discworld in its final form to have someone like Geoffrey in it, so he put him in. I can't begrudge him that.
Hey, at least we now have confirmation that they WEAR underpants! XD
But just for the purposes of saggy kilts, it would appear from Tiffany's reaction :P
Thank you, re: the shamble! It feels fitting the way it turned out! (I don't think the blue stone is turquoise... the colors are a bit weird in the photo, but it's the wrong blue -- too light -- and the striations are different and there are no veins. It looks like some kind of dyed agate or something to me, but L thought it was a natural stone.)
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