My Discworld Book Number
This is my 29th Discworld book.
Discworld Serial Number Based on Publishing Date
This is the 27th book in the Discworld series and was published for the first time in 2001.
Introduction to Discworld Series
Discworld is a fictional world created by writer Terry Pratchett. It is a flat world balanced on the back of 4 elephants; they in turn stand on a giant turtle. The turtle’s name is Great A’Tuin. The names of 4 elephants are Berilia, Tubul, Great T’Phone, and Jerakeen.
Pratchett writes stories set in this world. He has written 41 Discworld books. The genre of these books can be broadly said to be fantasy-satire.
Discworld is a satiric reflection of our own world. The flat world should be the first indication of the satire. Because in this world things are as people (as in flat-earthers) want them to be.
Magic is strong in Discworld. Light travels quite slowly because of thick magic in the atmosphere.
In this world different humanoid species (combinedly known as sapients) live together, but not necessarily peacefully.
Premise of The Last Hero
The books of Discworld series are set in different parts of Discworld with different set of characters and different subjects. Present book is 7th book in the Rincewind’s adventure sub-series. Incidentally the very first book in the Discworld series, The Colour of Magic, is also the first book in the Rincewind’s adventure sub-series.
An unlikely team is formed consisting of the unwilling Rincewind, the ever willing Captain Carrot, and the oblivious Leonard of Quirm. The team must go to the other side of the Disc to reach at the abode of the gods, Dunmanifestin on Cori Celesti (the mountain at the hub of the world) to save their world. Ponder provides the much needed technical assistance from the ground.
Important Characters
RINCEWIND
All Rincewind ever want is a normal boring life yet he is thrust into the heart of adventures again and again. He joined in Unseen University as a student but due to his being academic challenged he could not finish the course. The University again and again sends him to do their dirty works. In return Rincewind is considered a full fledged Wizard without passing the course work. In this book his position in the University is said to be unpaid Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography.
He has done it all and been all of “there” from the other side of the Disc to the beginning of the Time. Rincewind, as we know, is not really a wizard. All he wants is a normal non-interesting boring life.
Against his wish he volunteers to go on the mission. He was in a way forced to “volunteer” because the mission involves Cohen, who is a friend of Rincewind. Or at least he has never tried to kill Rincewind.
COHEN THE BARBARIAN
Cohen the Barbarian is a significant character of Rincewind subseries. He is a very very “elderly” warrior. He and his small troupe of “elderly” soldiers have achieved the impossibles in battle field. Cohen is pigheaded and always ready for some pillaging. But he has the unique quality of spreading optimisms. He is like those heroes from films who can give rousing speeches and send an entire generation of youth to risk their life in an impossible-to-win war. There are few differences in case of Cohen. He inspires people of all ages (mostly of his own age) to go to war, he does not “send” he leads, and impossible things always happen with Cohen. So he and his army always win the impossible-to-win wars. Last we heard of him, he had become the emperor of the Agatean kingdom.
The first hero of the Discworld, Mazda stole the fire from the gods and gave to the humans. For that he has been getting punished till eternity. The last hero (as in Cohen) must return the fire and free Mazda. Knowing Cohen this is not a cordial return but burning down the gods’ abode. If the abode of gods is destroyed, whole magic is destroyed. The core of Discworld is magic. Without magic, it will get destroyed.
Rincewind and his team must stop Cohen.
LEONARD OF QUIRM
As I have written before, Leonard is a character based on Leonardo Da Vinci. Like Leanardo, Leonard is multi-talented and super genius. He has the scientific ideas, power of imagination, and mechanical knowledge to make a space ship to the centre of the world.
He is the stereotypical absent minded scientist. He lives in his own world. He gives more weightage to science and his creations and science, even above humans.
He maintains a sketch book like Leanardo. The excerpts from it are given in The Last Hero in many places. I found it tough to read the font used in the sketch book.
PONDER STIBBONS
This young wizard Stibbons is the sanest and most sensible person in Unseen University. He is the youngest faculty member and also the keenest. In fact, he is one of the very few, who can baffle Lord Vetinary.
Stibbons’s magic is so good that it is almost science! He helps Leonard in creating and launching their space ship, named the Kite.
In this book, he is referred as the new Head of Inadvisably Applied Magic.
Interestingly, his description matches to the other and more famous fictional wizard albeit created later, Harry Potter.
CAPTAIN CARROT
Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson is embodiment of all things good in the Discworld. His sense of duty, honesty and loyalty rubs on others in the Watch. He considers himself to be a Dwarf as he was adopted by a Dwarf couple in his childhood, although he is a very tall human.
He is a major character in the Watch subseries, not in Rincewind subseries. Whereas he is a major character in this Rincewind book. “What is this, a crossover episode?” as Mr. Peanutbutter from Bojack Horseman would have said.
FEW OTHER INTERESTING CHARACTERS
Apart from the Lord Vetinary, Ridcully brothers, the orangutan librarian, the gods, Cohen’s band of brothers there are many new interesting characters.
Evil Harry: The supposed dark lord is burdened with his evilness. Because only the villains make intelligent plans, heroes don’t. He is part of Cohen’s troupe.
Minstrel: The reluctant singer of Cohen’s heroism
My Two Pennies
By 2020 I had read only 3/4 books from Discworld series in random order. And then I fell in love with the Discworld series. I decided to start reading the series from the beginning in chronological order. The series has 41 books and I decided to read two books in a year. And then did the math and realised it would take 18 years to finish the series. I don’t have that kind of patience. So decided to read 7 books per year. It was exciting in the beginning but this year when I am touching the figure 31, things are becoming sad. I have to say good byes to so many characters.
I felt sad after finishing this book. I said good bye to one of the most colourful characters of the Discworld.
To the best of my knowledge, The Last Hero is the only book in the series, which is a graphic book. The book has gorgeous illustrations by Paul Kidby. The thick pages of this slim book are splattered with one mind blowing pictures after another. Some of the pictures are supposed to be done by Leonard.
I loved the book no doubt, but the book will be always special for the pictures.
The style of the book is a parody of space disaster narrations. The team faces odds to travel to space for their mission. There is reference to real life space travel, especially to the first moon landing.
The chief theme of the book is Greek myth.
According to Greek myth Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. For that he gets punished for eternity. This creates the premise of this book. Interestingly, a movie I watch recently, Oppenheimer, started with the reference to Prometheus. Like Prometheus, Oppenheimer gave the atomic power to his countrymen. Rest of his life he got persecuted by many including his own conscience. Similarly, in this book Mazda had been punished for stealing fire. Cohen wants to free him.
There is also mention of a Valhalla like Halls of Heroes. What baffled me about the book is absence of Angua. When Carrot is living for a dangerous mission should not there be any mention of Angua?
Musings 