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In a 2003 BBC survey of 140,000 UK residents to determine the nation’s favorite novels, only two authors had five books each in the top 100: Charles Dickens and the legendary Sir Terry Pratchett.
Born on April 28, 1948, in Buckinghamshire, Pratchett authored or co-authored over 70 books in his lifetime. His first novel, The Carpet People—a revised edition of a fantasy story he wrote for the Bucks Free Press—was released in 1971, paving the way for the immensely popular Discworld series. This collection of humorous fantasy tales, set on a flat, disc-shaped world carried by four elephants standing on a massive turtle, has sold over 80 million copies globally. Discover 10 fascinating facts not taught at Unseen University.
1. PRATCHETT PENNED THE FIRST FOUR BOOKS WHILE SERVING AS A SPOKESPERSON FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS.
In 1980, Pratchett departed from the Bucks Free Press to join the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) as a press officer, tasked with addressing public concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants. (This was a challenging role, as he was hired shortly after the Three Mile Island incident in Pennsylvania.) During this period, Pratchett authored and released the first four Discworld novels: The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, and Mort. Their popularity eventually led him to leave the CEGB and dedicate himself to writing full-time.
2. RINCEWIND’S NAME WAS INSPIRED BY A NEWSPAPER COLUMN.
While many characters in Discworld boast unusual names (such as Moist von Lipwig or Carrot Ironfoundersson), their origins are often grounded in reality. “Many names people consider strange in my books are actually real,” Pratchett explained in a 2011 interview. For instance, Granny Weatherwax shares her surname with Rudd Weatherwax, the trainer of the famous Lassie dogs from film and television.
However, not all of Pratchett’s characters were named after real individuals. The inept wizard Rincewind, for example, owes his name to “By the Way,” a humorous column in The Daily Express that ran from 1919 to 1975. Written primarily by J.B. Morgan under the pen name “Beachcomber,” the column featured recurring fictional characters, including a red-bearded dwarf named Churm Rincewind.
As a child, Pratchett was a devoted reader of “By the Way.” When writing The Colour of Magic, he unintentionally borrowed the name Rincewind from Morgan’s columns. A fan later brought this to his attention, prompting Pratchett to revisit the anthologies and confirm the source. He remarked, “I thought, oh, blast, that’s where it came from. But then I decided, what the hell, anyway.” (This admission is slightly undercut by Rincewind’s line in The Colour of Magic: “I suppose we’ll take the coast road to Chirm.”)
3. THE SCIENCE OF DISCWORLD SERIES WAS SPARKED BY A WELL-KNOWN STAR TREK BOOK.
The Science of Discworld series merges fantasy with rigorous scientific exploration. In the inaugural book, a magical mishap at Unseen University results in the creation of “Roundworld,” a peculiar universe filled with spherical planets governed by physics rather than magic. Over the course of four books, the university’s faculty investigates this new world, with the storyline interspersed with non-fiction chapters authored by biologist Jack Cohen and mathematician Ian Stewart. These sections delve into real-world scientific concepts, from evolution to quantum mechanics, seamlessly connecting to the narrative.
The series originated from a meeting between Pratchett and Cohen at a science fiction convention in the Netherlands. At the time, Cohen and Stewart were collaborating on a book about the evolution of human intelligence but struggled to unify their chapters. Pratchett offered guidance during a meeting at a Mongolian restaurant in Berlin, and his suggestions were incorporated into the final draft.
As avid science fiction enthusiasts, the trio’s discussion eventually turned to Star Trek. They expressed dissatisfaction with Lawrence Krauss’s The Physics of Star Trek, a 1995 book analyzing the science behind the TV series. Pratchett, Stewart, and Cohen found it underwhelming, with Cohen describing it as “bloody awful.” However, the book inspired Stewart to propose a similar project centered on Discworld, though the idea was initially dismissed due to the lack of science in Pratchett’s fictional universe.
Despite the initial rejection, the concept was too compelling to abandon. Eventually, the trio devised a solution: since science didn’t exist in Discworld, they would introduce it. “We realized we needed to create a fusion of fantasy and fact,” Stewart explained. “Instead of commenting on existing Discworld events, we crafted a narrative where wizardly science intertwined with a popular science book. Terry would write a genuine Discworld story to anchor it.”
Pratchett crafted a 30,000-word short story that was expertly interwoven with essays by Stewart and Cohen. After completing the manuscript, Ebury Publishing released The Science of Discworld in 1999. Despite skepticism from some executives—who warned the editor that selling fewer than 10,000 copies could cost him his job—the book exceeded expectations, selling over 200,000 copies in its first year. Cohen later recounted this success to The Guardian. The book’s popularity led to three sequels published between 2002 and 2013.
4. PRATCHETT REMOVED GOING POSTAL FROM HUGO AWARD CONTENTION.
Discworld novels have garnered numerous awards: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents won the Carnegie Medal in 2001, Night Watch secured a Prometheus Award in 2003, and Pyramids received the 1989 British Science Fiction Award for best novel. In 2005, Pratchett’s Going Postal was nominated for a Hugo Award, one of the highest honors in science fiction and fantasy literature. The Hugo Awards, presented by the World Science Fiction Society, include categories like “best novel,” which has recognized works such as Frank Herbert’s Dune and Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.
Typically, authors do not withdraw their works from Hugo Award consideration, especially in the “best novel” category. However, Pratchett did just that in 2005. The winners are chosen at Worldcon, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society. Pratchett, who attended the 2005 event, later explained to his readers that he withdrew Going Postal to avoid the stress of the selection process and to fully enjoy the convention. This decision made him only the third author in history to remove a book from Hugo contention, following Robert Silverberg and James Tiptree Jr.
5. IN 2011, TWO ICONIC DISCWORLD CHARACTERS WERE FEATURED ON POSTAGE STAMPS.
Great Britain is widely regarded as the cradle of modern fantasy literature. To honor this cultural legacy, the Royal Mail issued a collection of eight commemorative stamps showcasing iconic fantasy characters from British literature. Among them were Merlin and Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legends, Voldemort and Dumbledore from Harry Potter, and Aslan and the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia. Discworld was also represented, with Rincewind and the wise witch Gytha “Nanny” Ogg completing the set.
6. THE FINAL DISCWORLD NOVELS WERE DICTATED USING VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE.
In 2007, Pratchett revealed he had been diagnosed with a form of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The condition impaired his memory, made certain fonts illegible, and robbed him of his typing ability. Despite these challenges, Pratchett continued writing. Unable to use a keyboard, he turned to voice recognition software to dictate his manuscripts. This technology allowed him to complete novels like Snuff and Raising Steam. “It’s not a problem,” he said in a 2013 NPR interview. “I’m a bit of a tech enthusiast, so speaking to a computer feels natural. Eventually, everyone talks to their computers—usually to call them names!”
7. PRATCHETT RECEIVED LETTERS FROM TERMINALLY ILL FANS WHO ADORED DISCWORLD’S DEPICTION OF DEATH.
The Death character in Discworld, who appears in all but two novels, defies the traditional Grim Reaper archetype. He rides a white horse named Binky, has a keen interest in physics, loves cats, and exhibits a gentle curiosity about humanity. Unlike most portrayals of death, Discworld’s version is kind and empathetic. In The Art of Discworld (2004), Pratchett shared how deeply the character resonated with readers. “Occasionally,” he wrote, “I receive heartfelt letters from people nearing the end of their lives, expressing hope that I’ve portrayed Death accurately. Those letters often leave me staring at the wall, lost in thought…”
“AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER. Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night. The end.”
8. THE SHEPHERD’S CROWN WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO HAVE A DIFFERENT ENDING.
Five months after Pratchett’s passing, the 41st Discworld novel, The Shepherd’s Crown, was released. The story revolves around the apparent death of Granny Weatherwax, leaving her protégé, Tiffany Aching, to rally the witches against a looming danger. Neil Gaiman, Pratchett’s friend and collaborator, revealed that the book was meant to conclude with a heartfelt epilogue. “It would have elevated the story,” Gaiman told The Times, “but he never had the chance to write it.”
Gaiman, author of American Gods, shared that he and Pratchett had discussed the novel’s ending before the latter’s death. “There was a beautiful twist planned that would have moved readers to tears,” Gaiman explained. The twist involved Granny Weatherwax and a cat named You. Pratchett’s unwritten chapter would have revealed that Weatherwax hadn’t truly died but had instead transferred her consciousness into the cat. “The final scene would have shown her saying, ‘I am leaving on my own terms,’ followed by Death arriving to take her away for good,” Gaiman disclosed.
9. SONY ATTEMPTED TO ADAPT WEE FREE MEN INTO A FILM.
“I’m allergic to Hollywood,” Pratchett once quipped. To date, no Discworld novel has been turned into a major theatrical film, though attempts have been made. In 2006, Sony acquired the rights to adapt The Wee Free Men, a young adult Discworld tale. Sam Raimi, director of Evil Dead, was attached to helm the project, but it stalled during development. Pratchett disapproved of the script, stating, “It contradicted everything The Wee Free Men stands for. The book is anti-Disney, but the studio had Disneyfied it to appeal to American audiences.”
On the topic of Disney, rumors suggest that the directors of Aladdin were developing a film adaptation of Mort, the fourth Discworld book, as recently as 2011. However, the project was reportedly shelved, paving the way for another film titled Moana.
10. A NEW DISCWORLD TV SERIES HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS SINCE 2011.
While Discworld has yet to make it to the big screen, several novels have been adapted for other formats. In 1990, playwright Stephen Briggs became the first to dramatize a Discworld novel, adapting Wyrd Sisters for the Studio Theatre Club in Abingdon, Oxon. The play debuted in 1991 and was an instant hit, with tickets selling out quickly. Briggs went on to adapt other Discworld classics like Men at Arms, Making Money, and The Fifth Elephant. Additionally, BBC Radio 4 produced six radio dramatizations based on Guards! Guards!, Wyrd Sisters, Mort, Small Gods, Night Watch, and Eric, starting in 1992.
Discworld has also found a home on television. Sky Productions has created TV films based on Hogfather, The Colour of Magic, and Going Postal. Now, a new series inspired by the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is in development. Rhianna Pratchett, Terry’s daughter, has ruled out new Discworld novels but is working on a TV series titled The Watch, which follows Sam Vimes and his team in a “crime of the week” format. The project, which began in 2011, had Terry Pratchett’s full support.
