Ave atque vale

I haven't read as much Terry Pratchett as many of my friends, but I've loved what I *have* read. The first couple of Discworld books are on my "re-read as necessary" list, as is "Good Omens". His writing was warm, funny , and generally kind. He also routinely had moments where he took my breath away- Death's speech towards the end of "Hogfather" will still bring tears to my eyes.

Another appreciation, entirely personal to me: I generally dislike being Told Something for My Own Good. Although I often got the feeling that's what Pratchett was doing in at least some of his books, it didn't bother me and I still loved what I was reading.