The wonderful Terry Pratchett.

It was so sad yesterday to hear the news of the passing of one of Britain's greatest writers. He was, and always will be, one of my all time favourite novelists. Not only did he spin a good story, but he made you believe in trolls and demons and witches. His Discworld novels were a fantastic sideways look at the human condition. You cared about the characters that he created, making the unbelievable, believable.

The descriptive work he produced was second to none. The description of the staff taking roots in Equal Rites was a phenomenal piece of writing. His description of the Silver Horde as being, “not that fast, but never in the place you expected them to be,” was brilliant.

I discovered his work late in the nineties when I bought The Hogfather to read while on holiday. It was recommended to me by a friend, and, to be honest, I wasn't that keen on reading it, as I tend to read only factual books as a rule. Having read the book, I was soon hooked and now proudly own all his books in hardback. They are my little treasures, that I re- read often. As with all great pieces of art, you discover something new every time you read them.

If you talk to any Discworld fan, they will tell you that they have a favourite character. For me, there are so many to choose from that it is hard to say which is my favourite, though I do have a soft spot for Corporal Nobby Nobbs. But I also love the contrast between the two witches. We have all met two old women like these, who seem to be friends but you can never understand how or why!

If you have never read a Discworld novel, I envy you, because you have such a wealth of books to read and people to meet for the first time. You will be guided through a strange world that you seem to recognise. But most of all, you will laugh out loud as you journey on through each story, falling in love with the many characters.

It was well known that Terry suffered from a rare form of Alzheimer's, but this didn't stop him from writing or dull his wit. He wrote and campaigned for more study on the disease he suffered from, right up until his early and untimely death yesterday. He even donated half million pounds for more studies to be carried out. He will be sorely missed by millions of people the world over.

I would love to think that when death visited him he was carrying his hour glass in his hand and they both rode off on the horse together.

Terry Pratchett 1948-2015.