Review: The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett

Cohen the Barbarian. He's been a legend in his own lifetime.
He can remember the good old days of high adventure, when being a Hero meant one didn't have to worry about aching backs and lawyers and civilization. But these days, he can't always remember just where he put his teeth...So now, with his ancient (yet still trusty) sword and new walking stick in hand, Cohen gathers a group of his old -- very old -- friends to embark on one final quest. He's going to climb the highest mountain of Discworld and meet the gods.It's time the Last Hero in the world returns what the first hero stole. Trouble is, that'll mean the end of the world, if no one stops him in time.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Until recently, I though I'd read all of Terry Pratchett's books. Then I discovered there are actually a few that I don't remember, so may possibly not have read. This, being all graphicy and illustrated (beautifully, I may add), I though I'd read it for the Graphic Novel Challenge, although I'm not sure it counts, as the story isn't actually told through the pictures, but they definately enhance it! Also, it was big enough to not fit in my bag, so I'm counting it!

Basically, this is a story about heroes and Gods and the end of the world. But the thing I love about Terry Pratchett is that he takes such huge events as death, religion, and even the Post Office, and just makes them really really funny.

If it hadn't been for its' huge format, meaning I couldn't physically take it out of the house, I would probably have finished this within a couple of days. I loved the fact that it was a book that you could read and completely absorb and understand, without really having to pay attention to it at all. Pratchett's storytelling style is also very similar to my dads, which I love. When we were kids, my dad used to tell us 'made up stories', that went on for days at a time, and eventually went on to have sequel after sequel, and become series, and they were always very 'and then this happened, and then something else happened', but the something else would always be very bizarre, and they were always hilariously funny. It always felt a bit accidental, and Pratchett's writing is the same, so it kind of felt like he took over when I felt I was 'too old' to listen to bedtime stories anymore.

What else can I say? The man's a genius.

Rating: *****