FAREWEL SIR TERY
In 1988 I gave my copies of The Colour Of Magic, The Light Fantastic and Mort to a friend of mine who was going to see Sir Terry when he went to a comic shop in Peterborough. The owners of the grotto- like shop had told me that he always stopped by when he came through to sign a few copies of his books for them. I had to go to work but my friend went to the comic shop and Sir Terry signed my three books, filling a whole page of each with his “killer best wishes from 10,000 leagues under the sea”.
That was 1988 and only us nerds knew who he was then. Over the years I bought and read all of his books, reading them at university and then taking them to oil rigs in various other countries. I remember being annoyed at the sycophancy over a certain home- counties magical schoolboy and not having read a word in the press about Sir Terry’s assassin- school educated pharaoh Teppic – to name but one of many vibrant characters.
So thank you, Sir Terry; thank you for your characters and your world and for taking the time to go to a small comic shop and sign your books for us when anyone else would have stayed on the train at Peterborough station. You are no small god now and my thoughts are for your family.
Craig Bunting Thanks Chris, and thanks to all for your letters about Sir Terry. Meeting the man – particularly when he came to SFX Towers to guest edit issue 196 – was a career highlight for many of the magazine team. Turn to page 60 for our full tribute.