Far away and long ago, when dragons still existed and the only arcade game was ping-pong in black and white, a wizard cautiously entered a smoky tavern in the evil, ancient, foggy city of Morpork...
A truly unmissable, beautifully illustrated collection of unearthed stories from the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett: award-winning and bestselling author, and creator of the phenomenally successful Discworld series.
I was so intrigued when I saw that this selection of short stories was published in October 2023, but, as usual, it took me an age to get to read them. Part of that intrigue was definitely down to how they were unearthed. Fans of the author will know that there have been several collections of stories written whilst he was a working journalist. This collection was unearthed by a couple of very dedicated treasure hunters on the basis that there was an unexplained gap in the publishing timeline. It's a fascinating story, told in more detail as part of this collection.
The stories themselves are fascinating, reading them as we do now, after the release of all those wonderful books set in fantastical locations and times. Partial bits of future names / places and style elements are there. The footnotes begin to make an appearance.
Of course they aren't all masterpieces, and there are some decidedly ropey endings in there, but, given the timing of their original publication (you can read all about how they came to be written under a pseudonym in the collection), they give a real insight into a writer finding his voice, honing his craft, setting up the structures that he would go onto perfect.
20 stories in total, it's the final one, where you can see, feel, recognise what was to come. If the detective work hadn't already been done, and the identify of the writer already sussed, there's enough there to make any fan think... hang on a minute....
How lucky we are to have this collection. And the rest of the books to go back over and over again. How unlucky we are that the world lost his eye, his words, his take on things. I've been watching some of the quotes from him flying around in recent days, as the world has gone to hell in a tattered handbasket.
What kind of man would put a known criminal in charge of a major branch of government? Apart from, say, the average voter. ~ Terry Pratchett
A Stroke of the Pen
Far away and long ago, when dragons still existed and the only arcade game was ping-pong in black and white, a wizard cautiously entered a smoky tavern in the evil, ancient, foggy city of Morpork...
A truly unmissable, beautifully illustrated collection of unearthed stories from the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett: award-winning and bestselling author, and creator of the phenomenally successful Discworld series.
Twenty early short stories by one of the world's best loved authors, each accompanied by exquisite original woodcut illustrations.
These are rediscovered tales that Pratchett wrote under a pseudonym for newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. Whilst none are set in the Discworld, they hint towards the world he would go on to create, containing all of his trademark wit, satirical wisdom and fantastic imagination.
Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Ministry of Nuisances with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and go on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork...