Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett published his first novel, The Carpet People, in 1971, but the turn came in 1983 with The Colour of Magic — the opening salvo of Discworld, a comic fantasy series he'd sustain at a pace of roughly two books a year for the rest of his life. The flat world and its cast of witches, watchmen, and footnotes became a genre juggernaut: 100 million copies in 43 languages, an OBE in 1998, a knighthood in 2009, and in 2001 the Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld entry aimed at children. He also co-wrote Good Omens with Neil Gaiman in 1990,…