The Last Hero
 First edition hardcover by Paul Kidby | |
| Author | Terry Pratchett |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Tony Robinson (Corgi) Stephen Briggs (Isis) Colin Morgan (Penguin) |
| Illustrator | Paul Kidby |
| Cover artist | Paul Kidby |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Series | Discworld |
Release number | 27 |
| Sub-series | Rincewind |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 2001-10-16 |
| Preceded by | Thief of Time |
| Followed by | The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents |
The Last Hero is the twenty-seventh Discworld book, and the second large-format illustrated novella, with illustrations by Paul Kidby. It is notable as one of the few major crossovers between Discworld series, involving Rincewind, the wizards of Unseen University, Cohen the Barbarian and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, in particular Carrot Ironfoundersson. Because the text is tied to the illustrations (which feature additional context and jokes, including text written in Leonard of Quirm’s handwriting), it has never been published without them. Until 2024, the layout of all editions was identical, except that the first edition lacks several double-page spreads which alter the page numbering (but nothing else). In February 2024, Gollancz published a new edition with a cover matching the new Penguin paperbacks, and for the first time updated the layout of the book.
Blurb
He's been a legend in his own lifetime.
He can remember the great days of high adventure.
He can remember when a hero didn't have to worry about fences and lawyers and civilisation.
He can remember when people didn't tell you off for killing dragons.
But he can't always remember, these days, where he put his teeth...
He's really not happy about that bit.
So now, with his ancient sword and his new walking stick and his old friends – and they're very old friends – Cohen the Barbarian is going on one final quest. It's been a good life. He's going to climb the highest mountain in the Discworld and meet his gods. He doesn't like the way they let men grow old and die.
It's time, in fact, to give something back.
The last hero in the world is going to return what the first hero stole. With a vengeance. That'll mean the end of the world, if no one stops him in time.
Someone is going to try. So who knows who the last hero really is?[1]
Podcast episodes
Major appearances
These are episodes primarily devoted to discussing this book.
| Date | Show | Episode | External link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-06-23 | Radio Morpork | “Saga Megadrive” | radiomorpork.wordpress.com |
| 2020-12-15 | The Death of Podcasts | “The Last Hero” | aalgar.com |
| 2021-05-28 | Wyrd Sisters | “The Last Hero” | wyrdsisters.podbean.com |
| 2022-03-29 | The Compleat Discography | “The Last Hero” | compleatdiscography.page |
| 2022-05-08 | Pratchat | “Mr Doodle, the Man on the Moon” | pratchatpodcast.com |
| 2022-10-16 | The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret | “Speaking of Unhinged Rants” (1/2) | thetruthshallmakeyefret.com |
| 2022-10-23 | The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret | “Legacy is Best Served Cold” (2/2) | thetruthshallmakeyefret.com |
| 2022-11-20 | Desert Island Discworld | “Alasdair Stuart and The Last Hero” | desertislanddiscworld.com |
| 2023-02-03 | Nanny Ogg's Book Club | “The Last Hero” | fireside.fm |
| 2023-03-24 | Who Watches the Watch | “Thomas the Crank Engine” | pinecast.co |
| 2023-11-01 | Fiction Fans | “The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett” | fictionfanspodcast.com |
| 2024-04-09 | Disc Coverers | “The Last Hero” | spotify.com |
Other appearances
Episodes where there's significant discussion of the book, but it's not the focus of the episode.
| Date | Show | Episode | External link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-10-01 | The Pratchett Podcast | “EPISODE46” | app.talkshoe.com |
External links
- The Last Hero at the L-Space Wiki
- The Last Hero on Wikipedia
- The Last Hero at colinsmythe.co.uk
Footnotes
- ↑ This last line is omitted in the second edition.