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Terry Pratchett "not dead" - official

It has his signature on it: a bulletin on Discworld News reveals that, after all, SF/Fantasy writer and humourist Terry Pratchett is not dead, and doesn't expect to be for some time.

That's the good news; the bad news is that the "phantom stroke" he suffered earlier this year is actually a serious illness.

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".

says the bulletin

I haven't had a chance to verify this, by the way. But it looks kosher - and while I would love to be able to claim Terry as one of my close friends, I don't have his mobile number on my speed dial.

We only ever met face to face the once, in fact, when both of us were asked to help judge an IBM fiction contest. The prize was given to a piece both Terry and I agreed was the least qualified to win; and the one we both agreed was by far the best, was not considered; our judgement was over-ridden by IBM executives.

Terry, with more fire in his belly than I, withdrew his involvement, and I found myself left on stage to do the presentation in his absence. I'm not sure why I let them bully me - I wasn't even being paid! But at least I did get a couple of hours to sit and chat, and enjoy the rich vein of astonishing anecdote he can mine from his years on English local newspapers...

The good news, as the bulletin says, is that "I think there's time for at least a few more books yet" and, he adds: "We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals."

I comfort myself with the thought that, life being what it is, I might well be dead before he is. And also, with the cheerful thought that the computer on which NewsWireless actually runs, is called "Tzut" in honour of a Discworld God. But it's not altogether fun to be reminded of our mortality in this way... and I shall have to go off and fill in the gaps in my collection of his books, to compensate.

And it is good, in a weird way, to be able to say good bye. I remember ringing John Diamond when he revealed he had terminal cancer, and saying how thoughtful it was of him to give us notice - giving us time to get those Last Words and esprit d'escalier ripostes in before it was Too Late.

"I'm just glad to be able to express how smug I feel about rejecting all those pompous idiots who tried to sell me pension schemes," said Diamond.

Hopefully, Terry will be able to get a good few digs in, yet!