A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories
by Terry Pratchett
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"These rediscovered tales were written by Terry Pratchett under a pseudonym for British newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. The stories have never been attributed to him until now, and might never have been found-were it not for the efforts of a few dedicated fans. As Neil Gaiman writes in his introduction, "through all of these stories we watch Terry Pratchett becoming Terry Pratchett." Though none of the short works are set in the Discworld, all are infused with Pratchett's trademark show more wit, satirical wisdom, and brilliant imagination, hinting at the magical universe he would go on to create. 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 embark on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork . . . A Stroke of the Pen is an essential collection from the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett, a "master storyteller" (A. S. Byatt) who "defies categorization" (The Times); a writer whose "novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies" (Independent UK)"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
What a delight to read this collection - both from the point of view of how these stories were recovered, and in the stories themselves. No Discworld, here, but you can see how it evolved, and I found I enjoyed this collection more than previous collected early works. Funny, pointed, thoughtful, acerbic Pratchett. What a loss to the world when he passed, what a great contribution he made in his time.
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.
Cute stories, published in serial form in newspapers. (They must have been extremely short excerpts, because these are not long stories at all, twenty in barely over 200 pages!) I tagged it Christmas because there are a surprising number of stories about Christmas-adjacent themes: Father Christmas twice, a snowman, a Christmas pie, a partridge in a post box, Good King Wenceslaus. There are also fantasy, divided between sword-and-sorcery and bizarre occurrences in small English villages, mostly one named Blackbury. There are flashes of Sir Terry's wit (in its wry form) and footnotes to snicker at, but the stories are intended for feel-good reading in a general-circulation newspaper, so one neither expects nor finds the full force of show more Pratchett's most incisive wit. The struggles of the postman tasked with delivering all the presents of the Twelve Days of Christmas (on his bicycle) are amusing and memorable; the 11 pipers stuck all over with stamps are a striking image. And what to do when the 12 Lords a-leaping get lost in the mail?! A Stroke of the Pen is an enjoyable, quick, light read. I was going to suggest it would be good for the beach, but then I remembered all the Christmas stories. Good blizzard reading, then, by lamplight. show less
Some new-but-old Pratchett from his earlier days of writing. These charming, imaginative stories are brought to life in the audio version; a cavalcade of talented narrators guarantees enchanting and distinctive renditions of each tale. I enjoyed a few each night before sleep and can attest they make for the best kind of bedtime stories. It was so delightful to experience Sir Terry's younger voice and the early rumblings of characters and imaginations that would one day become foundations of his seminal works.
A collection of lost stories written before Discworld. There are many hints of Terry’s developing style here and of his books to come. Light reading but charming, and every story left me smiling. Worthwhile for the dedicated Pratchett fan.
While mildly amusing and predictive of the later and better work, it is clear why Sir Terry did not seek these out for reissue.
Glorious, gentle stories. Warm and fuzzy reading.
Inevitably the wordcount restrictions on each story cut both ways.
Inevitably the wordcount restrictions on each story cut both ways.
A collection of formerly-misplaced short stories by Terry Pratchett, from his very early writing years.
These were fun, but also clearly early writings. The best part was David Tennant reading one of them and Neil Gaiman reading his foreward.
These were fun, but also clearly early writings. The best part was David Tennant reading one of them and Neil Gaiman reading his foreward.
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Terry Pratchett, A stroke of the pen in All Things Discworldian - The Guild of Pratchett Fans (December 2024)
OT - Blackwell's Terry Pratchett Collector's Edition in Folio Society Devotees (October 2023)
New Short Stories found in All Things Discworldian - The Guild of Pratchett Fans (March 2023)
Author Information
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Terry Pratchett was on born April 28, 1948 in Beaconsfield, United Kingdom. He left school at the age of 17 to work on his local paper, the Bucks Free Press. While with the Press, he took the National Council for the Training of Journalists proficiency class. He also worked for the Western Daily Press and the Bath Chronicle. He produced a series show more of cartoons for the monthly journal, Psychic Researcher, describing the goings-on at the government's fictional paranormal research establishment, Warlock Hall. In 1980, he was appointed publicity officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board with responsibility for three nuclear power stations. His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. His first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. He became a full-time author in 1987. He wrote more than 70 books during his lifetime including The Dark Side of the Sun, Strata, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Mort, Sourcery, Truckers, Diggers, Wings, Dodger, Raising Steam, Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Tales, and The Shephard's Crown. He was diagnosis with early onset Alzheimer's disease in 2007. He was knighted for services to literature in 2009 and received the World Fantasy award for life achievement in 2010. He died on March 12, 2015 at the age of 66. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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The Guardian Book of the Day (2023-10-11)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- A toll lesújt
- Original publication date
- 2023-10-10
- Dedication
- This volume is dedicated to Pat and Jan Harkin who have spent countless hours in the British Newspaper Archive in Boston Spa, Yorkshire, establishing the dates when episodes of the story 'The Quest for the Keys' were actually... (show all) published. As Rob Wilkins and I did not initially know when they appeared, Pat and Jan had to check through thousands of issues of the Western Daily Press and, while doing so, discovered stories written by Terry under the pseudonym Patrick Kearns, which are republished here for the first time.
And to Chris Lawrence who at the age of fifteen was so impressed with Terry's story 'The Quest for the Keys' that he tore out the pages from the Western Daily Press in which it appeared and kept them for forty years before he cut out the columns, removing the dates, with happy consequences. Had he not done so, the Harkins would not have gone on their search and thus unearthed all the rest of the stories in this book.
We are deeply in their debt. - First words
- Terry Pratchett being now these eight years dead, I have watched at first hand as the living person I knew has become a legend of sorts.
Foreword.
It had always puzzled me that Terry's inspiration for writing his Bucks Free Press-style short stories had dried up during parts of the 1970s.
Introduction.
Right from the start some of the older cavemen were completely against the idea.
How it all began . . . - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The last thing that was heard, as the three disappeared arguing over the sand, was Grubble saying: 'Of course we can share them out equally. There's two for you two and two for me, too . . .'
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823.92
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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