The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable [Hardcover]

Terry Pratchett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gollancz Sf S. | Publication Date: October 18, 2001

He's been a legend in his own lifetime. He can remember when a hero didn't have to worry about fences and lawyers and civilisation, and when people didn't tell you off for killing dragons. But he can't always remember, these days, where he put his teeth ...So now, with his ancient sword and his new walking stick and his old friends -- and they're very old friends -- Cohen the Barbarian is going on one final quest. He's going to climb the highest mountain in the Discworld and meet his gods. The last hero in the world is going to return what the first hero stole. With a vengeance. That'll mean the end of the world, if no one stops him in time.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A new Discworld story is always an event. Terry Pratchett's The Last Hero is unusually short, a 40,000-word "Discworld Fable" rather than a full novel, but is illustrated throughout in sumptuous color by Paul Kidby.

The 160 pages cover the series' longest and most awesome (but still comic) journey yet, a mission to save all Discworld from a new threat. An old threat, actually. Aged warrior Cohen the Barbarian has decided to go out with a bang and take the gods with him. So, with the remnants of his geriatric Silver Horde, he's climbing to the divine retirement home Dunmanifestin with the Discworld equivalent of a nuke--a fifty-pound keg of Agatean Thunder Clay.

This will, for excellent magical reasons, destroy the world.

It's up to Leonard of Quirm, Discworld's da Vinci, to invent the technology that might just beat Cohen to his goal. His unlikely vessel is powered by dragons, crewed by himself and two popular regular characters, and secretly harbors a stowaway. Before long we hear the Discworld version of "Houston, we have a problem...."

Kidby rises splendidly to the challenge of painting both funny faces and cosmic vistas. As Pratchett puts it, The Last Hero "has an extra dimension: some parts of it are written in paint!" New characters include Evil Dark Lord Harry Dread, who started out with "just two lads and his Shed of Doom," and a god so tiresome that his worshippers are forbidden chocolate, ginger, mushrooms and garlic.

Pratchett's story alone is strong and effective, with several hair-raising frissons contrasting with high comedy; Kidby's paintings make it something very special. Not to be missed. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Cohen the Barbarian, aka the Emperor Ghengiz Cohen, hero of 26 Discworld fables, and his Silver Horde go gentle into any good night? Never. Not even if they're held together by various elasticized supporters and forget where they left their false teeth. The gods unpardonably let Cohen and Co. succumb to old age, and the members of the Horde Boy Willie, Caleb, Truckle and Hamish, who's ("Whut?") stone deaf still want drink, treasure and women, even if they admit they've had to ease back on the last one. Cohen gets a bard to record their one last universe-defying hobble toward immortality, and old age has rarely been so gut-splittingly yet accurately portrayed here, embellished by Paul Kidby's wacky and wicked illustrations. The Horde's last quest is to return the fire Cohen stole long ago from Dunmanifestin, the gods' ultimate Good Address. Unfortunately, that will destroy the magic holding the world together, so Lord Vetinari of Ankh-Morpork "workshops" the situation ("the means by which people who don't know anything get together to pool their ignorance") and sends a dragon-powered vessel crewed by an inventor, a soldier, a wizard and an orangutan librarian to stop Cohen and his tottery Horde. Pratchett lets fly sly volleys at today's civilization and skewers nearly every barbarian-fantasy clich‚ rampant in too many books and films. This far-out farce rollicks along hilariously enough to make the inevitable aging process, if not palatable, at least worth a few good belly laughs. (Nov. 1)Forecast: You don't have to be a fantasy fan to appreciate the marvelous jacket art, depicting a skinny, bald, aged barbarian clutching a sword in one hand and a cane in the other.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing; 1st ed edition (October 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 057506885X
• ISBN-13: 978-0575068858
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was fifteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983. In 1987 he turned to writing full time, and has not looked back since. To date there are a total of 36 books in the Discworld series, of which four (so far) are written for children. The first of these children's books, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, won the Carnegie Medal. A non-Discworld book, Good Omens, his 1990 collaboration with Neil Gaiman, has been a longtime bestseller, and was reissued in hardcover by William Morrow in early 2006 (it is also available as a mass market paperback (Harper Torch, 2006) and trade paperback (Harper Paperbacks, 2006). Terry's latest book, Nation, a non-Discworld standalone YA novel was published in October of 2008 and was an instant New York Times and London Times bestseller. Regarded as one of the most significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire "for services to literature" in 1998, and has received four honorary doctorates from the Universities of Warwick, Portsmouth, Bath, and Bristol. His acclaimed novels have sold more than 55 million copies (give or take a few million) and have been translated into 36 languages. Terry Pratchett lives in England with his family, and spends too much time at his word processor.  Some of Terry's accolades include: The Carnegie Medal, Locus Awards, the Mythopoetic Award, ALA Notable Books for Children, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Book Sense 76 Pick, Prometheus Award and the British Fantasy Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff but not for Disc newbies, November 14, 2001

By 

K. H. ZAINAL (Malaysia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable (Discworld Novels) (Hardcover)

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??

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discworld, As We've Always Wanted To See It..., November 1, 2001

By 

Carl Malmstrom (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable (Discworld Novels) (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chasing the Giant Turtle, December 4, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable (Discworld Novels) (Hardcover)

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.