Terry Pratchett. In Second Life. No, your eyes do not deceive you. On the 9th of October, 2008, at 8pm (BST), Pratchett will appear in-world on “Nation” island to take part in a Q&A with fans from across the globe, as a part of a month-long Second Life promotion of this new children’s novel by UK Publisher, Random House.

Pratchett’s latest work, Nation, is set to be published in the UK on 11th September by Doubleday, price £16.99 and in the US on 30th September by HarperCollins.

From Pratchett’s web site:

• “The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1985 and there are now 36 books in the series.”
• “Only 12 books have never been out of the top 5,000 chart and three of them are by Terry Pratchett.”
• “Nation is set on a small desert island and challenges the way we think about cultural identity, nationhood and the history of civilization.”

From Pratchett’s Wikipedia entry:

• “Pratchett’s first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971.”
• “As of December 2007 [he] has sold more than 55 million books worldwide, with translations made in 33 languages.”
• “Nation (2008) marks his return to the non-Discworld children’s novel.”

In the build up to Pratchett’s appearance, a number of things will be happening to whet our appetite for the grand finale of his appearance. A treasure hunt will run from the 11th of September to the 10th of October, and during each week of that period fancy dress parties, quiz nights and special events will be held.

All events will occur on Elysian Isle (the treasure hunt begins here) or on “Nation” island.

As of 2am on the 11th of September (US Pacific time), the island is accessible to Second Life users, but the treasure hunt was not yet fully set up and ready to run: the group that you need to join to take part has not yet been created (or does not appear in search), and some of the clue cards have not yet been filled in with information. The build on “Nation” island looks to be complete: a lush rain forested isle, picked out with rude huts, lines of crops, unfinished and finished canoes and sea-going craft, and the obligatory ship-wreck. “Nation” island, too, is accessible to the public at this time.

If you head on down to Elysian Isle in Second Life, you can collect a note card (hopefully also as yet unfinished, as it seems somewhat incomplete); here is a precis of the information:

Terry Pratchett Nation Treasure Hunt.

1. Join the “Terry Pratchett Fans” group.
2. Visit the eBook exhibition on Elysian Isle. Look for a poster for a title by Terry and now available in eBook form. Touch the poster; you will get three objects.
3. Follow the instructions contained in the objects you received in step #2.

Good luck!

Be sure to keep a close eye out for the group creation, which should denote the beginning of festivities. There are apparently many delicious prizes to be won, both real and virtual.

Pratchett’s appearance in Second Life is particularly surprising since, due to the onset of a very rare form of Alzheimer’s, posterior cortical atrophy, he has had to give up writing dedications at book signings. One also wonders, since this is a children’s book, and not one of the Discworld series of books for which he is so well-known, why he is making an appearance on the adult Second Life grid.

Perhaps, despite being titled a children’s book, it is yet another example of Pratchett’s work that is accessible by all ages. Like every other book he has written, it probably carries that wonderful satirical flavor and important knowledge about the world that makes fans love his books so much.