berodatheelf 's review for:

Terry Pratchett: The Spirit of Fantasy: The Life and Work of the Man Behind the Magic by Craig Cabell

3.0

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My mum gave me this book after she was having a clear out, knowing that I loved Terry Pratchett books like her. Admittedly it took me a while to actually pick it up because often I find books about writers incredibly dull and I often think that these biographies of famous writers are written by people purely trying to make money. Surprisingly I found this not to be the case. I enjoyed reading most of it. Cabell, who stated that he was indeed a fan of Sir Terry's work, was focused more on the themes and Sir Terry's ideas and views shown in his work and was basically a critical analysis of his works. It was interesting and thought provoking. It's simply written and can easily be read in one sitting, if so desired.
However, there were some aspects which irritated me and had it not been for them, I would have given the book a higher rating. He would quote from other writers at some what random points which did not further back points up. It felt like he was just throwing quotes in to show that he was well read. He would also go on to rants which did not add to the book. At one point he ranted about teenagers and as a young reader I found this incredibly annoying and nearly threw the book at the wall (which is something I'm not often prone to).
All in all I would suggest that you read this if you want to and form your own opinions on it.