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By RAPHAEL G. SATTER
LONDON (AP) — Best-selling fantasy author Terry Pratchett has been
diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, he said in a
message posted to his illustrator's Web site.
In a brief note to
fans entitled "An Embuggerance," Pratchett, 59, said he was taking the
news "fairly philosophically" and "possibly with a mild optimism."
"I
would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because
of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers
informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news," he wrote on the
Web site of Paul Kidby, who has illustrated many of his books.
Pratchett
is best known for his Discworld series, which explores the residents of
very flat, very weird and almost invariably hilarious planet dominated
by the sprawling, chaotic city of Ankh-Morpork. Pratchett wrote his
first Discworld novel, "The Color of Magic," in 1983, and 35 more books
followed, many of which topped the best seller charts.
Pratchett's Web site said his novels have sold more than 45 million copies and have been translated into 33 languages worldwide.
His
latest work, "Making Money," was published in September and Harper
Children's was due publish a non-Discworld novel, "Nation," in 2008.
Pratchett
said he would continue completing "Nation" and that he had already
begun working on "Unseen Academicals" — another writing project.
"Frankly,
I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think
there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)" he wrote in his
message. "I know it's a very human thing to say 'Is there anything I
can do,' but in this case I would only entertain offers from very
high-end experts in brain chemistry."
www.ap.org
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