The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable (Discworld Novels)
by Terry Pratchett

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Book Reviews of The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable (Discworld Novels)

Book Review: "Morituri Nolumus Mori"
Summary: 4 Stars

In many ways this is the most epic of all Discworld adventures. The travels of Cohen the Barbarian (and cohorts) and Rincewind the coward (and companions) take us to Dunmanifestin (home of the gods), over the edge of the Rimfall (where we discover there are actually people living on the SIDE of the Discworld -- I sense a future tale being set up) into the void, over the shell of the mighty spacefaring turtle A'Tuin and through the legs of the giant world-carrying elephants, and to the surface of the moon itself. And happily, the Librarian is along for the ride (though, sadly, the Luggage makes only a cameo appearance).

And the illustrations of Paul Kidby give the tale an extra dimension of wonder; each gorgeous, hilarious, perfectly-rendered painting builds upon the words and makes the story deeper and richer. The artwork is not simply slapped in between chapters, but rather is integral to the advancement of the story. The sketches from Leonard's notebook are vital to the story, and the renderings of Death cradling a kitten, and of Ponder Stibbons wearing his "Actually I AM a Rocket Wizard" T-shirt are priceless in their own ways. Kidby's art is a great asset, and I am already hungry for another collaboration between him and Pratchett.

My only complaint is that the story itself feels a bit choppy. The situations and the character moments are among Pratchett's best -- especially Rincewind's resignation to his participation in the dangerous adventure, and his regrettable familiarity with space travel, Cohen and his Silver Horde, and many other hazardous elements he has spent his cowardly life trying, but miserably failing, to AVOID -- but the actual flow of the story feels, at times, forced and awkward, as if Pratchett were trying to work around the artwork and not quite succeeding. It's not a bad story by any stretch of the imagination, but it's less cohesive than some of his other works and could have used another go-through by an editor. But still, a slightly less than his best effort from Pratchett is miles ahead of the best works from most anyone else.

In short, The Last Hero is an absolutely essential addition to the library of any Discworld fan, as well as the library of any fan of humor, fantasy, adventure, just plain good writing, or wonderful art.

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