Product Description

Cohen the Barbarian.

He's been a legend in his own lifetime.

He can remember the good old days of high adventure, when being a Hero meant one didn't have to worry about aching backs and lawyers and civilization.

But these days, he can't always remember just where he put his teeth...

So now, with his ancient (yet still trusty) sword and new walking stick in hand, Cohen gathers a group of his old -- very old -- friends to embark on one final quest. He's going to climb the highest mountain of Discworld and meet the gods.

It's time the Last Hero in the world returns what the first hero stole. Trouble is, that'll mean the end of the world, if no one stops him in time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22492 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Released on: 2002-08-20
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Amazon.com
A new Discworld story is always an event. Terry Pratchett's The Last Hero is unusually short, a 40,000-word "Discworld Fable" rather than a full novel, but is illustrated throughout in sumptuous color by Paul Kidby.

The 160 pages cover the series' longest and most awesome (but still comic) journey yet, a mission to save all Discworld from a new threat. An old threat, actually. Aged warrior Cohen the Barbarian has decided to go out with a bang and take the gods with him. So, with the remnants of his geriatric Silver Horde, he's climbing to the divine retirement home Dunmanifestin with the Discworld equivalent of a nuke--a fifty-pound keg of Agatean Thunder Clay.

This will, for excellent magical reasons, destroy the world.

It's up to Leonard of Quirm, Discworld's da Vinci, to invent the technology that might just beat Cohen to his goal. His unlikely vessel is powered by dragons, crewed by himself and two popular regular characters, and secretly harbors a stowaway. Before long we hear the Discworld version of "Houston, we have a problem...."

Kidby rises splendidly to the challenge of painting both funny faces and cosmic vistas. As Pratchett puts it, The Last Hero "has an extra dimension: some parts of it are written in paint!" New characters include Evil Dark Lord Harry Dread, who started out with "just two lads and his Shed of Doom," and a god so tiresome that his worshippers are forbidden chocolate, ginger, mushrooms and garlic.

Pratchett's story alone is strong and effective, with several hair-raising frissons contrasting with high comedy; Kidby's paintings make it something very special. Not to be missed. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly
Cohen the Barbarian, aka the Emperor Ghengiz Cohen, hero of 26 Discworld fables, and his Silver Horde go gentle into any good night? Never. Not even if they're held together by various elasticized supporters and forget where they left their false teeth. The gods unpardonably let Cohen and Co. succumb to old age, and the members of the Horde Boy Willie, Caleb, Truckle and Hamish, who's ("Whut?") stone deaf still want drink, treasure and women, even if they admit they've had to ease back on the last one. Cohen gets a bard to record their one last universe-defying hobble toward immortality, and old age has rarely been so gut-splittingly yet accurately portrayed here, embellished by Paul Kidby's wacky and wicked illustrations. The Horde's last quest is to return the fire Cohen stole long ago from Dunmanifestin, the gods' ultimate Good Address. Unfortunately, that will destroy the magic holding the world together, so Lord Vetinari of Ankh-Morpork "workshops" the situation ("the means by which people who don't know anything get together to pool their ignorance") and sends a dragon-powered vessel crewed by an inventor, a soldier, a wizard and an orangutan librarian to stop Cohen and his tottery Horde. Pratchett lets fly sly volleys at today's civilization and skewers nearly every barbarian-fantasy clich, rampant in too many books and films. This far-out farce rollicks along hilariously enough to make the inevitable aging process, if not palatable, at least worth a few good belly laughs. (Nov. 1)Forecast: You don't have to be a fantasy fan to appreciate the marvelous jacket art, depicting a skinny, bald, aged barbarian clutching a sword in one hand and a cane in the other.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
When Cohen the Barbarian and a select group of aging heroes set out on one final quest that will, incidentally, bring about the end of the world, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork enlists a brilliant inventor, a luckless tourist-turned-wizard, and an intrepid city watchman to foil the heroes' quest. Lavishly illustrated by Discworld regular Kidby, Pratchett's latest brings together some of the series' most beloved and unforgettable characters in a tribute to one of comic fantasy's most celebrated worlds. Though slim in pages, this oversized illustrated novel showcases Pratchett's comic genius and belongs in libraries where the series has a following. Essential for fans.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Twisty
In an inversion of wacky proportions, it is in fact, Man's pride which saves the disc from certain annhilation! Fun, huh. There's probably much more going on here too, but I gave the book something of a flyby, skipping most of the wizards and the librarian. Will re-read when I get a chance. Mostly, it's what you'd expect from the disc, with numerous funny bits, and several jokes that are well worth further thought. Rincewind is my favorite character, and I'm a little peeved that he's done manifestin.' Heh. The paintings are generally quite good, but... missing a little something. The cover painting in particular, doesn't make much sense to me. The scene it's pulled from doesn't seem to have Rincey screaming...

Beautiful Illustrations. Stale wit.
I love discworld. This was the only book I hadn't yet read. I've read the others anywhere from two to five times.

This one was... okay. You had to really like the Leonard da Quirm character and Captain Carrot, two of my least favorite characters. I like Rincewind but he didn't get to play a very large role. Even the silver horde only got to re-hash their lines from Interesting Times.

Basically, if you've read Jingo and Interesting Times you've read all of the narrative and most of the humor in this book.

That said - the humor and narrative are a side show for what the book really is... a picture book for discworld fans. As someone who prefers books over television for the very reason that I get to see the places and people however I choose (occassionally regardless of what the descriptions list) the picture book didn't do a lot for me.

And again - that said - the illustrations are truly marvelous.

So overall
Discworld Baseline: 5 stars
Rehashed narrative and been there done that humor: -2 stars
Beautiful illustrations: +1 star
Overall rating: 4 stars

Excellent book!
I loved this book! The story was great fun (as are all of the Discworld stories) and quick to read. I believe the story is particularly interesting as it brings together several characters who have not yet interacted in any of the Discworld novels (Rincewind, Leonard of Quirm, and Carrot work together for example) and introduces some great new characters as well. The premise of the story is quite amusing - any book with Cohen the Barbarian is bound to be entertaining. However, I would not have liked this book nearly so much without the illustrations. I really love the illustrations. Some of the characters of course don't look anything like I imagine them looking, but several of them are spot on. I'm particularly fond of the images of The Librarian and Mad Hamish, both of whom look adorably insane in their portraits. This book is completely worth the price because it effectively combines two books into one - The Last Hero and The Art of Discworld. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to any Discworld fan.