The Shepherd's Crown

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The Shepherd's Crown, by Terry Pratchett

It's always bittersweet to read a favorite author's last novel, and I didn't get to The Shepherd's Crown right away.  It's the last Tiffany Aching story!  So there were lots of feelings.  And Pterry being who he is, he doesn't pull any punches, either.  Also if you haven't read this yet, there are some big events, so don't go looking for spoilers.

Tiffany is now almost grown, and she's coping with more responsibility than ever, which is an awful lot; she's a one-woman poverty relief team, midwife, and watcher-out for the defenseless.  It is, in fact, getting to be overwhelming, and the rest of us can see that Tiffany needs to learn some delegation skills.  But there's no time to think about that, because the boundary between worlds is faltering, and the Fairies have noticed, and they're planning an invasion.

Pterry always had a habit of asking questions about who belongs and who can change.  He's still doing that, reminding us that goblins are now respectable and productive members of society.  Once we had Esk, a girl who might be a wizard; now we have Geoffrey, a boy who might want to be a witch.  Could even the Queen of the Fairies learn to have some feelings?

And of course, there are lots and lots of Feegles.  I do love Feegles!

It's a worthy finale for the Tiffany Aching and Discworld books.  I still think I Shall Wear Midnight is the apex of Pterry's writing, but this is a lovely coda.


Comments

  1. looloolooweezMay 22, 2016 at 7:03 AM

    I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. And thank you for posting a spoiler-free review -- I've completely stayed away from this book's Goodreads page, posts of Reddit, etc. for fear of spoilers haha. I'm simultaneously looking forward to and dreading reading this last Discworld book & haven't decided whether to read it when I'm in a good headspace so as to have a bit of a mental buffer, or to read it when I'm feeling down so as to get all the tears out at once.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JeanMay 22, 2016 at 8:53 AM

    It was hard not to have spoilers! I understand your feelings. This was a good finish, though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KailanaMay 22, 2016 at 4:51 PM

    I just kind of scrolled down to see your overall thoughts because I haven't had a chance to get to this. Hopefully soon now that I bought a copy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kristen M.May 23, 2016 at 12:21 AM

    I agree that it's a good finish but not the best of the series. There were definitely parts that could have been fleshed out but obviously ... reasons, right? :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. JeanMay 23, 2016 at 6:26 AM

    Yup. :(

    ReplyDelete

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