Earlier this month, Rhianna Pratchett, daughter of the late Sir Terry Pratchett, took to Twitter to announce that The Shepherd’s Crown (available September 1) will be the final Discworld novel. While Pratchett had announced in 2012 that Rhianna would carry on the Discworld legacy once he was no longer able to do so, she has clarified that she will not write any more books, nor give others permission to do so, saying, “The books are sacred to dad.”
The announcement was prompted by some fans asking if Rhianna would be continuing the book series after the publication of The Shepherd’s Crown:
.@Jacob_S_Smith @Shawn_on_Games No. I’ll work on adaptations, spin offs, maybe tie-ins, but the books are sacred to dad.
— Rhianna Pratchett (@rhipratchett) June 5, 2015
To reiterate – No I don’t intend on writing more Discworld novels, or giving anyone else permission to do so. They are sacred to dad.
— Rhianna Pratchett (@rhipratchett) June 5, 2015
I will be involved with spin-offs, adaptations and tie-ins, but that’s it. Discworld is his legacy. I shall make my own.
— Rhianna Pratchett (@rhipratchett) June 5, 2015
She also clarified that Rob Wilkins, Pratchett’s longtime assistant who helped him write several of his books through dictation, would also not be writing any Discworld novels. One fan’s suggestion of an “unfinished writings compilation” is also unlikely.
Little is known about the plot of The Shepherd’s Crown, aside from it featuring the witch Tiffany Aching. In a statement to The Bookseller, Larry Finlay, managing director of Pratchett’s UK publisher Transworld, shared his support for Rhianna’s decision:
We are proud to preserve and curate Terry Pratchett’s legacy according to his family’s wishes, and we are thrilled that there is still one more Discworld novel by Terry, The Shepherd’s Crown, to come.
