Dragons at Crumbling Castle

Even early Terry Pratchett is better than the usual run-of-the-mill fantasy, and this collection is no exception to that rule. These stories, written for the children's corner of a newspaper the young Pratchett worked for, are quirky and entertaining, and they're perfectly matched by the whimsical illustrations; his notes for each one are fun too. I don't feel the need to own this, though I might change my mind if someone ever published an edition that benefitted either Alzheimer's research or one of the other causes Pratchett supported during his lifetime.

I’ve had the enjoyable experience of reading all the Discworld books as they came out, but hadn’t especially followed the rest of Pratchett’s work. When this collection of his early stories came up in my feed, I was curious enough to pick it up.

The stories, aimed at younger readers, are a charming indicator of how his later writing would develop. Of course there’s a lot of humour and silliness, which even then tends towards the wry rather than full-on slapstick. The illustrations were fun. And there were threads of underlying social commentary that we see later in the Discworld books.

I wouldn’t have bought this book if it were written by anyone else. But I had fun reading it in the context of his wider works.

A cute collection show more of early stories that still have some depth to them. show less

Dragons at Crumbling Castle is a collection of 14 tales for children by Terry Pratchett but, trust me, you don’t need to be a child to appreciate them – all you need is a sense of humour and whimsy and perhaps a little private space so that people won’t stare at you funny when you read them on the bus (trust me, it’s embarrassing).

Although these tales were written early in Pratchett’s career, they are just as funny as his Discworld books. As I read them I kept thinking I wish I had a small child to read them to because these are the kind of stories that make you want to do silly voices and sound effects.

In the title story, King Arthur is informed that dragons have invaded crumbling castle. Ralph ‘a small boy in a suit of show more mail much too big for him’ is chosen by the king to deal with the problem (mainly because no one else is available) so he sets out with his talking donkey. After many exciting (and hilarious) adventures, they arrive at the castle only to discover that dragons are actually quite nice and peaceful. They only moved to the castle when the original lord dammed the river to build a swimming pool and accidentally flooded their cave.

Among the other stories are two tales about the carpet people who set out on an adventurous journey across the carpet seeking a new home perhaps near the shiny plains of Linoleum, one about an egg-dancing contest, and one about Father Christmas’ attempt to find a job to help make ends meet during the other 364 days of the year when he’s not employed. I liked some stories more than others but they are all hilarious.

Dragons at Crumbling Castle is the perfect antidote for a rainy afternoon or for the reluctant child at bedtime. It is just a whole lot of fun. The marvelously quirkly illustrations by Mark Beech are a perfect complement to the tales. The best thing: this is the kind of book you will probably enjoy just as much if not more than the kids. show less

Terry Pratchett sits fairly high up on my list of must-read authors. His brand of writing, with its wit and whimsy, never fails to delight me. That meant, of course, that I wanted to read his Middle Grade short story compilation the minute I knew it existed. I was thrilled by the fact that these were all stories Pratchett wrote as a boy and, awesomely enough, were the launchpad for a lot of his writing now.

First off, I want to praise Mark Beech for his illustrations. They perfectly compliment the stories inside this book! I was actually so enamored with them that I had to go and look his portfolio up online. There's something whimsical about his illustrations which, as I mentioned above, matches the whimsy in Pratchett's stories. I can show more absolutely see sitting next to a young reader and sharing these stories with them before bed!

As to the stories themselves, I really believe that these will appeal to a lot of readers. I wasn't a huge fan of all of them, I felt like some were a little unfinished, but of course I couldn't help but remember that a young Pratchett's wonderful mind created these. That same fun, romping pace I've come to love winds its way through all the stories, and most of them have their own little lessons built in. Best of all, there are giggle-worthy parts thrown in at the most unexpected moments.

Final verdict? Definitely a fun compilation for both Terry Pratchett fans, and those looking for a set of short stories to share with their kids! I don't like to compare books, but I'll be honest in saying that these reminded me a lot of Roald Dahl. Trust me, that's a huge compliment. Enjoy! show less

The juvenile works of a popular authors are often read as a curiosity, as a study, as a building block toward the greatest that would later appear. You may approach this book in that way, but I am happy to say that there are many other reasons to do so.

The stories in this collection are intended for children, and yet to the adult display all of the wit and invention of the greatest days of Discworld. If they lack depth of characterization, or tackle juvenile themes, what of that? I will happily hold this book on my shelf until I can read them to my own children, as a gateway to an even greater world of adult fantasy fiction.

Review originally posted at The Children's Book and Media Review

Dragons at Crumbling Castle is a collection of short stories written by Terry Pratchett in his younger years. The stories contain a unique set of heroes, including Hercules the Tortoise, people on a speck bent on traveling to another speck, carpet people exploring new lands, a caveman who enjoys inventing things that will change the world, a champion egg dancer, a boring knight, and an abominable snowman. The book contains fourteen zany stories with plots ranging from going to fight dragons to a bus going back in time.

The stories might have been written at the beginning of his writing career, but they have all the wit and charm that Pratchett fans would expect. The stories show more are short enough to read in small intervals, but entertaining enough that readers will be laughing out loud and eager to read the next one. The illustrations are funny, amusing, and will likely remind readers of the artwork by Quentin Blake. Readers who enjoy silliness, fantasy, and adventure are likely to enjoy these stories, whether they are already Pratchett fans or not. show less

Funny little stories for kids, rather in the mould of Norman Hunter ('Professor Branestawm', 'The Dribblesome Teapots') or the lighter end of Roald Dahl. Obviously not up to the level of his later work, but even so, there were a couple of things that made me laugh. MB 28-xii-2022