So I didn’t really know what to make of The Last Hero. I have read it before, and have to confess tended to dismiss the book as a ‘Discworld Novel’ Obviously the story IS set in the Discworld and indeed its a short novel designed more of a visual experience and honestly Cohen is a strange sort of character to focus a book around IMO.
What I was particularly interested in was this weird note that this is technically Rincewind’s last book. I understand our “racist” (very keen to “race” away from danger) wizzard appears in future ‘non-fiction’ books but I was kind of keen in my Discworld to take notice of characters last books.
The Last Hero doesn’t really give Rincewind a sendoff but its actually kind of relieving to know that he has settled somewhat with a position at the Unseen University, I confess in previous readings I couldn’t remember where or what happened to the scruffy coward.
I’d also forgotten the weird mash-up of characters, in the story Rincewind, Carrot, and Leonard De Quirm team up – broadly speaking Pratchett doesn’t do much cross-overs (almost a mortal sin in the modern world of Big Franchise Universes am I right) – there are moments where an MC from one series will feature or cameo in another story (e.g. Nanny Ogg in Thief of time) and some minor characters that are minor characters across all the Discworld, but largely the main stories do not interact.
So it’s odd that Rincewind and Carrot hang out together. Unfortunately there isn’t much depth to the scenario. Mostly being a short novel there simply isn’t the depth of anyoness character compared to other stories, there are some really well done moments but just in my opinion it lacks the material to have much oomph.
In reading Pratchett’s biography it was explained that the Knight kept a ‘pit’ of writing to recycle and reuse The Last Hero feels largely designed to create a send off for Cohen which again is just odd given that many MCs don’t even get an official ending
Lonely Power Poles 