Rowan Tree and Red Thread

I hadn't heard it. That's a real shame, as he is a national special treasure. Thinks that make him unique:

a) Obviously, his prduct. He has nearly 40 proper Discworld books alone, all but one in the last 21 years. I don't know of a living writer with that workrate sustained, and I doubt they'd pass the other criteria, particularly.

b) They're all really funny. Groaningly so in places, but there's a great idea or a well-turned line on every page, and generally the really immensely obvious puns are obscured by what's going on in the actual plot, because

c) They're all really good. The characters stand up, and not just the main ones - there's always a sense that one of the stock 'gang of' will just shrug and step outside their caricature. Even when you can guess the broad sweep of the plot (World will not end. Bankable character will survive) it seems like anything could still happen to get us to that place.

d) They're all really good. He's got a solid consistent view of the world and his characters show it: cynical enough to get by, but prone to great bursts of idealism within that, again from any character. Similarly with his world - everything works in a comfortable in-the-groove way, except every story is a burst of transforming chaos skittering across it. He is always on the side of the underdog, and even managed to get me nodding throughout a hawkish book like Monstrous Regiment.

Basically I'm saying that he is a unique and admirable voice, and that Thief of Time should have won the Booker :)

Oh how very sad - still at least he will be able to afford the drugs that the NHS won't give you at 'early' only 'moderate', even with evidence that at 'early' they do help.

ETA - My husband is convinced that we all have it wrong, as that actually that entry is on Paul Kidby's blog and he can't see why TP would post there - he reckons it is Paul Kidby's signature as well, and won't believe it.