A Stroke of the Pen

The Lost Stories

by Terry Pratchett, Terry Pratchett

Hardcover, 240 pages

English language

Published Oct. 10, 2023 by Harper.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-337619-9

(10 reviews)

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 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 evictedghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and embark on a dangerous quest through time …

10 editions

jonn reviewed Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett

Beautiful collection, tainted by Gaiman's foreword

5 stars

Cosy, cute and slightly naive. And yet, these sketches and ideas were clearly shaping into a coherent universe.

I'm happy that the portrayal of witches became more sophisticated, and that troll diet was changed to something completely outlandish in the books.

Conversely, I felt so happy to meet on these pages the English counterparts of unseen university fellows.

And, of course, reading about Santa changing jobs on a sunny Autumn day in Naples after having some ice cream is something I won't ever forget.

2023/24 were years of Pratchett for me and this book was a nice penultimate conclusion to it.

I know that I have rated it as 5 stars, which means that I should be able to provide many quotes, but for me this book was simply pure vibes. The literary sausage in the making. Travels and slow reading. So yes, here you go, young Terry, five stars. …

Cosy, cute and slightly naive. And yet, these sketches and ideas were clearly shaping into a coherent universe.

I'm happy that the portrayal of witches became more sophisticated, and that troll diet was changed to something completely outlandish in the books.

Conversely, I felt so happy to meet on these pages the English counterparts of unseen university fellows.

And, of course, reading about Santa changing jobs on a sunny Autumn day in Naples after having some ice cream is something I won't ever forget.

2023/24 were years of Pratchett for me and this book was a nice penultimate conclusion to it.

• • •

P. S. On Gaiman: I didn't know who Gaiman was when I started the book, aside from roughly remembering that Good Omens had someone as a co-author (I never managed to start reading Good Omens properly, and now shan't).

I've savored this book since 2023, reading a short story now and then and already forgot who authored the foreword until I get to review it.

In the foreword, by the way, I think the guy moralizes Pratchett from a high horse vantage. Well, anyway, I don't want to turn this into a rant, but in my eyes now the guy is under a horse and I hope he gets thoroughly trampled.

Brackmeister reviewed A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett

Ganz klar Pratchett!

5 stars

Knapp zwei Dutzend einfach schöne Geschichten von i.d.R. unter 15 Seiten (nur The Quest for the Keys hat 40), bei denen man sich gleich wohlig zuhause fühlt, wenn man Pratchett mag.

Paul Oldham reviewed A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett

Entertaining early Pratchett

4 stars

A collection of serialised short stories written by pTerry in the early 70s, mainly in the 'Western Daily Press' and mainly using the name Patrick Kearns. You can see how his style is developing towards the early Discworld novels and they're an amusing read.

Courts reviewed A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett

A Glimpse Into The Early Pratchett

5 stars

This book contains lovely little stories from Pratchett's earliest writings under Pseudonyms, only recently unearthed from newspaper archives by dedicated fans.

They give a hint into the later, more elaborately done writings, and read a bit like rough sketches of the intricate humour and intelligence of Pratchett's later works.

Recommended for Pratchett fans and people who like silly little stories.