The Wrath of Cohen (The Last Hero - Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: wyrdsister

Product:	The Last Hero - Terry Pratchett
Date:	03/03/02 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Pratchett, Kidby, Great characters

Disadvantages: a bit short, for the fans

If you’re a hardened Terry Pratchett fan, you will undoubtedly be eagerly waiting each year for the next instalment of the Discworld series. It generally arrives right before Christmas, and makes the perfect present for your Disc loving friends or family members, hey that’s my excuse. Last year came The Last Hero, and the first thing I noticed was that is was a bit on the short side. I was a little perplexed by this and I felt a little cheated out of my yearly Pratchett dose. But then again, The Last Hero is not a Discworld novel, is it: it’s a fable, or “short story with a morale” or “ a legendary tale”, and is beautifully illustrated by Paul Kidby. But how did it rate with this reader?

The Disc is a flat world, lying on the backs of four giant elephants that travel through space on the back of Great A’Tuin, the giant space turtle. It is a magical world, filled with old magic and bizarre inhabitants. In the middle of this world is the ten miles high peak, Cori Celesti, the home of the Gods. At the heart of the Disc is the infamous twin city of Ankh-Morpork, home to Unseen University (college of wizardry), the Guilds and more or less anything that can’t find a home anywhere else.

There is trouble brewing: Cohen the Barbarian, a legend in his own (very long) life time is heading towards Cori Celesti and, quite uncharacteristically, he wants to return something that belongs to the Gods. He intends to return what the first hero stole: fire. Well, he really wants to blow them all to kingdom come, but he has a sense of poetic justice with razor-sharp edges. The problem is that unfortunately, this will collapse the magical field that holds the Disc together and effectively destroy the world.

Ankh-Morpork’s ruler, Lord Vetinari has been kindly asked to do something about it. And so, in true mission impossible style, a group of men are assembled for the task of stopping the legendary Cohe
n. They are: Leonard Da Quirm, an inventor of absentminded and frightening genius, Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson of the City Watch, a man with charisma, persuasion and a sword and finally Rincewind, the Disc’s worst wizard and a true coward. To help them with their mission are an Ape, two hundred swamp dragons, the best wizards food can buy and gravity. But will it be enough to save the world from the Wrath of Cohen? Can they go where no man has gone before?

The Last Hero sees the return of some of Pratchett’s better-known characters, which is a plus for the fans. However, there is no real background to them in his book so if you haven’t read the stories that concern them or if you are new to Discworld, this is not the best book to start with. There are also references to other stories that, if you haven’t read The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic, Men at Arms and Interesting Times, will probably leave you in the dark.

The story is well crafted as usual with Pratchett and while shorter than previous works is still entertaining and very readable. There is suitable tension and the fun is still very much present and mostly provided by the wizards and Rincewind, whose trademark cynicism and generally depressed attitude really add to the wit and humour of the book. Equally, the simple but ruthlessly cunning Cohen and his horde of geriatrics heroes also provide a healthy dose of humour expertly balanced with a touch of melancholy.

A real advantage to this book is the beautiful illustrations. As Discworld fans will know, this is not the first time the name Paul Kidby has appeared alongside that of Pratchett’s. Kidby has been a freelance illustrator since 1986, working mainly in advertising and on colour magazine covers. In 1993 he approached Pratchett with his artwork and “The Pratchett Portfolio” was produced in 1996 and is now in its fourth reprint. Kidby’s style is very different from Josh
Kirby’s, whose trademark artwork has adorned Discworld covers since 1983. While both respect the caricatured nature of the Disc, Kidby feels more naturalistic. His background in technical drawing is definitely reflected in the mad invention sketches of Leonard Da Quirm and his colour work is exquisite, whether full paintings or watercolour works. The illustrations definitely enhance the visual aesthetics and add to the general enjoyment of this book.

As a fan of the novels, I must confess to having been slightly disappointed by the quality of Pratchett’s later novels. Although the weirdness and perverted logic of the Disc are never absent, I feel that the books are now mainly designed to please the adoring and hungry fans and lack the depth of thought present in the earlier novels. This may become a problem as they are increasingly loosing appeal for newcomers, who generally pick up the latest book and work backwards (I certainly did not start at the start if you know what I mean). Still if you know the characters, their life stories and you have read all the Pratchett that there is, The Last Hero is for you.

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