Book Review: The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett’s final Discworld novel, published five months after his death, can best be described as a farewell gift to his fans. It is the fifth Tiffany Aching book; a sub-series aimed at young adults charting a young girl’s determination to become a witch.

Tiffany finds the natural cycle of life and death has weakened barriers between the worlds. There are shocks to overcome, but malevolent elves are preparing to invade and she must face them down to protect everything she holds dear.

Newcomers will be baffled by unexplained references to canonical events and characters given the barest introduction – and there are a lot of these cameos by fan favourites.

Pratchett’s last adult novel Raising Steam was criticised for lacking his typical biting wit, but this does not seem as obvious here. Yes, some punchlines are predictable, but nostalgia can forgive many imperfections.