"most men don't fear death, they fear those things - the knife, the shipwreck, the illness, the bomb - which precede, by microseconds if you're lucky, and many years if you're not, the moment of death."
Shaking Hands With Death is not a typical book by Terry Pratchett. Firstly, it is a little booklet with only 59 pages. Secondly, it is not set in the Discworld or in any other fantastic space. Thirdly, it contains the speech he gave as The Richard Dimblebly Lecture in 2010.
The book itself consists of two parts. An introduction by Rob Wilkins and the speech by Pratchett. Pratchett, who has died in March 2015 after years of him living with Alzheimer's disease. The introduction is as much part of the book as is the speech itself because it describes how Pratchett struggled (because of his illness) to write (he could not type) and deliver (someone else had to read it for him) the speech. This view into his life is an important perspective to remember when reading the rest of the book.
His speech very much speaks for itself. It is concise and important. It talks about life and death and our ability to make decisions regarding the two. And as all things Pratchett it is written in a way that keeps you reading all the way through.
This book is certainly not an easy read. It talks about a difficult topic and does so rather well in my opinion. It also tells the reader more about a widely loved fantasy author. For me it also gave more depth and background to the story arch of Granny Weatherwax in The Shepherd's Crown. It is an important piece of writing concerning illness, for Pratchett fans and everyone else.
Shaking Hands With Death is not a typical book by Terry Pratchett. Firstly, it is a little booklet with only 59 pages. Secondly, it is not set in the Discworld or in any other fantastic space. Thirdly, it contains the speech he gave as The Richard Dimblebly Lecture in 2010.
The book itself consists of two parts. An introduction by Rob Wilkins and the speech by Pratchett. Pratchett, who has died in March 2015 after years of him living with Alzheimer's disease. The introduction is as much part of the book as is the speech itself because it describes how Pratchett struggled (because of his illness) to write (he could not type) and deliver (someone else had to read it for him) the speech. This view into his life is an important perspective to remember when reading the rest of the book.
His speech very much speaks for itself. It is concise and important. It talks about life and death and our ability to make decisions regarding the two. And as all things Pratchett it is written in a way that keeps you reading all the way through.
This book is certainly not an easy read. It talks about a difficult topic and does so rather well in my opinion. It also tells the reader more about a widely loved fantasy author. For me it also gave more depth and background to the story arch of Granny Weatherwax in The Shepherd's Crown. It is an important piece of writing concerning illness, for Pratchett fans and everyone else.
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