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Originally Posted by tompe
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Thanks for that link, tompe; he says it well.
One quote from that link:
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One of these is conscious use of language. Pratchett has that—boy does he. Each and every word is chosen with precision [...].
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makes me think of Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad trilogy (Truckers, Diggers and Wings). Every time I re-read those three small books (meant for kids, I think, but I don't care), I am simply amazed at how much he packs in without seeming to try. It's like a miniature epic.
I fairly recently read Pratchett's short story "Rincemangle, the Gnome of Even Moor" (in the collection "A Blink of the Screen"). This story was apparently written in 1973 and is obviously the start of the idea that became Truckers - published in 1989. So the apparent effortlessness of the Bromeliad books was 16 years in the making.
He allowed himself more room in his Discworld novels, but he still didn't waste words. There is a skill in such writing that tends to be overlooked, probably because Pratchett makes it look easy, and yet the clarity and accessibility of his style is something that was hard-earned and deserves to be admired.