The Shepherd's Crown, by Terry Pratchett
The last Terry Pratchett novel, written in the full knowledge that it would be; death and its consequences are a major part of the book (with a much spoilered plot development near the beginning setting the tone). But another large part of the plot centres around the battle between Faerie and technology, the essential conflict between magic and modernity expressed in a way that I don't think we had seen Pratchett do before. It's quite a difficult feat for a fantasy novel to make the case for rationalism and tech against superstition and brainwashing magic, and I think Pratchett managed to thread the needle here with his usual humanity and compassion.
It's not one of the greatest Pratchett books, but - unless the Pratchett family indicate in public that they do not want it to be considered - it will be significantly more likely to get one of my Hugo nominations because it is the last. That said, if I do read as many as five other novels that are mindblowingly better, I will consider the options carefully.
It's not one of the greatest Pratchett books, but - unless the Pratchett family indicate in public that they do not want it to be considered - it will be significantly more likely to get one of my Hugo nominations because it is the last. That said, if I do read as many as five other novels that are mindblowingly better, I will consider the options carefully.