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...
Look at that amazing cover! Absolutely gorgeous. Props to whoever designed it.
Scholars of Terry Pratchett have known for a while that he wrote for various local papers before and slightly after beginning the Discworld. However, the stories in this volume were written under pseudonyms and unknown until recently - the story of their discovery is covered in the book, and it's very nearly as good as Terry's works, so I won't spoil it here! Basically, the universe has conspired to give us a few more precious works from Terry.
And these are very much PTerry. They're not PTerry as he was at the height of the Disc; they're closer to his early kids' works, Johnny and the Nomes, and they're too short for much of his clever set ups and pay offs. But they are definitely PTerry - some of the phrases and word play made me gasp, and they're very enjoyable. They're simple and short enough for kids to follow, though they may miss some of the jokes.
Bearing in mind that I was reading a proof, I didn't have any of the wonderful illustrations we were promised so I can't talk about them. One other feature I would have liked; most of these stories were split over several issues, and I'd have liked a mark or note to see where those splits were. But, as always, the finished volume might have those things.
This book is a gift to PTerry's fans, and if you know any, you should plan to buy it for them immediately. If you don't, start reading him yourself! He's worth it.
GNU, Terry.
A Stroke of the Pen published on the 10th October, 2023 in the US and UK using the same cover. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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