A hard drive with as many as 10 unfinished Terry Pratchett novels has been flattened by a steamroller. But it’s what he wanted.
Pratchett had left instructions that any unfinished work be destroyed in just such a manner. He had said he wanted to be sure that nobody was able to complete any works after his death and then release them.
Pratchett’s assistant Rob Wilkins oversaw the destruction from a 6,500 kilogram steamroller named Lord Jericho, which took place as part of the Dorset Steam Fair. While the steamroller destroyed stone blocks underneath the hard drive, the drive itself was merely squished rather than shattered, so it was finished off in a stone crusher.
The remains of the hard drive will now be displayed as part of an exhibition at Salisbury Museum titled Terry Pratchett: His World, which will also include personal items and artwork.