The Shepherd's Crown

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Stephen Briggs

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Terry Pratchett's final Discworld novel, and the fifth to feature the witch Tiffany Aching.

©2015 the Estate of Terry Pratchett (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"With the warmth, humor, and assurance of an old friend, Stephen Briggs, who worked with the late author for more than 25 years, delivers this fifth Tiffany Aching Adventure with all his heart." ( AudioFile)

Magrat still has her armor...

Because of major spoilers I cannot write the review I want to write. This is Tiffany's book, she is a magnificent young woman who has the support of all the witches we have come to know and love (and ok, fear). It gives those of us who love all the Witches of Lancre a chance to meet them again, if only for a little while.

Like all of Terry Pratchett books, this one has an underdog. Like all of Terry Pratchett books the main characters flatly refuse to be overwhelmed ,even for a moment, by circumstances no matter how alarming they are. Ok, they may do a lot of going off in odd directions, and trying tons of things before they get to the place they want to be, but they do not give up, give in, or even think about quitting. There may be tears, just this once, but even tears are part of the solution, not the problem.

In Tiffany Aching's last book but this one, I Shall Wear Midnight, we may have thought she had at last come of age. But like the most grown-up of us she still has the most difficult of lessons to learn. The least of these lessons is that she cannot do it all. It can be arrogant not to ask for help when it is needed, rather than an admission of weakness. It is also respectful to the person who is taking on a task that is important, to allow them to help.

And like all grown-ups no matter how young she must handle the most difficult of lessons all by herself.

Terry Pratchett's last book is as clear eyed and straight forward as all of his books from the ones he wrote when he was just out of childhood to the sophisticated Small Gods and Night Watch. The character Death does not appear in this book. But then he is not needed to help persons find their way to what comes next. After all this is a book of the Witches, and they do not not need Help, they are always in control. Nope they have this just as the fairy Godmother Witch had it in Witches Abroad.

Like most people who love Terry Pratchett and all his works, I found it almost painful to begin his last book. I've met so many people I would not have gotten to know if we had not shared the Discworld. Its quirky, wise, and cranky characters have become like mutual friends.

really Really REALLY going to miss Terry Pratchett

One of the great things about this man's work is that each story is a stand alone gem which, when combined with the others, builds a whole amazing world complete with people (human or not) so real that you feel like you know them., This one fits right in. I'm sitting here pondering the evolution of an imaginary world for goodness sake..But weirdly, it's like letters from home.
Add to that humor that may be pointed but is never mean.
Sigh.

Beautiful ending to a phenomenal world.

Beautiful ending to a world I will always love. Well done & RIP Sir Terry Pratchett.

Crivens....

I'm sad to know this is the end of such an amazing and life changing series, but I am happy that Sir Terry's final work went out on such a high note. Definitely a worthy conclusion for the discworld.

Wonderful man, Wonderful gift

All blessings and thanks to Sir Terry and to his family. Oh, the joy and wonder in my heart,,, a timeless gift.

The best and last Terry Pratchett book

Terry wraps up the Tiffany Aachen series in the last wonderful book, published after his death. There are cameos of all the famous cat of characters from across his Discworld.

Like Granny Weatherwax, we will miss him.

It could have been worse

This book wasn't ready for publication. Not only did it lack the usual level of polish, but it just felt as if scenes were flat out missing. No part of it was *bad,* but it was clear that the story was unfinished by Sir Pratchett at the time of his death and that his trust just finished it up as best they could in as short a time as possible and shipped it. I wish that Rhianna or another author was given the privilege of making the last Discworld novel shine. I wanted more from the last book in the best fantasy series of all time.

Do I regret buying it? No. But do I feel like I more about the human condition after reading it, a facet of all previous Tiffany books? No. I wanted to love it, I loved the concept behind the story, but the book just wasn't done.

Sir Terry, we miss you already.

Impossibly fine book!

They can pull the curtains down on Sir Terry's brilliant mind and, yes, eventually close his Book Of Days, but with this final work he takes hold and slams the lid down with a resounding thumping bang.
All down the decades that I've whiled away with his stories I've closed the covers on the latest masterpiece, wondering to myself, "How can he make each book more hilariously entertaining and insightful than the last?"
Good night, Sir Terry Pratchett, and thank you for enriching my life.
Scrivvens , what a Scrivener!

Ending With a Whimper

It breaks my heart to review the last book of the late and much lamented Sir Terry Pratchett with less than my usual effuse straight five stars. If you are a fan you will already know that we lost Sir Terry all too soon and his last work has been published posthumously.

The Shepherds Crown is the last of his Tiffany cycle and it is by far the weakest. Although the Tiffany stories are pigeonholed as children’s fiction I was a huge fan. They were beautifully written, very funny and often quite moving. They remain some of my favorite Pratchett books. The postscript to the story talks about Sir Terry’s process and how he would draft a story then craft it over multiple iterations. This story is clearly not much more than a first draft, much like the also very unsatisfying “Raising Steam.” Both feel rushed and patchy with flashes of excellence surrounded by untidy somewhat pedestrian writing. They both lack the twinkle in the eye which Pratchett brought to most of his work. The reading is also a bit off. Stephen Briggs is usually completely unimpeachable. This reading feels like there was something wrong in the studio…could it have been recorded at slightly the wrong speed?

If you are a completest then by all means you have to add this to your collection. Otherwise I can’t honestly recommend this last book particularly strongly. It’s not horrible, Sir Terry’s first draft is better than many people’s hardest work but still. It was sad to see one of Sir Terry’s key characters die and stay dead…it feels like that wasn’t how he would have wanted it to be in the final version.

If you aren’t already a fan please don’t start here. Download Thud or The Wee Free Men both of which are sir Terry at the height of his powers…and explore from there.

Waily waily waily!!

So sad there will be no more Terry Pratchett tales, but thank goodness we listen to them time and again without tiring of them.