"A great gift for the holiday season"

Discworld is a planet shaped like a disk resting on the backs of four elephants that reside on the shell of a humongous turtle. Currently, the orb faces a worldwide crisis because Cohen the Barbarian and his band of followers are returning to the Gods what was stolen from them: fire. If the group succeeds in their quest, Discworld will exist no more.

Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh Morpork, is aware of the situation and heads up an expedition to stop Cohen and his horde. They use a dirigible run by burping dragon's fire. Other then reaching the heroes, Vetinari and his ilk have no disc-worldly idea how to stop them from returning the fire.

Fans of the Discworld novels will definitely want to add the well-written THE LAST HERO to their collection. The tale includes ninety beautiful illustrations that augment the visual impact of this vividly described magical world. Characters from previous books appear lending a feeling of continuity for long time readers. Terry Pratchett furbishes another strong entry with a novella that would make quite a nice gift for young and old fantasy fans.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted October 7, 2001