A Stroke of the Pen

You always feel the push of the inimitable Pratchett behind them — funny, sharp, warm, wise and always so, so readable * Daily Mail *
Terry Pratchett’s short tales from the 70s and 80s reveal a young talent bursting with invention and wit… there’s much here to delight the open-minded, the fantasy aficionado and the Pratchett completist * Observer *
Funny, fantastical and slyly smart * Mail on Sunday *
A new Pratchett! Clear the bestseller decks: this book is heading for the top. * Guardian *
Shows the beginnings of one of the UK’s best fantasy writers… A treat for seasoned fans and newcomers * The Sun, Pick of the Week ***** *
A Stroke of the Pen shows [Pratchett] at a stage when he was stopping at the first or second tree. Soon he would plunge into the forest * The Sunday Times *
The wit, wisdom and intelligence are interspersed with a lively dose of naivety, with entertaining results * Herald *
This delightful collection is inventive, entertaining and a little quirky, often with a twisty end… a fun read * Independent *
A treasure trove glittering with lost gems * Financial Times *
Expect comic fantastical fragments riffing on everything from cave people to Father Christmas. * Guardian, Best Books for Autumn *
Biggest books for autumn * The Times *
One for the completists * SFX *
This delightful collection is inventive, entertaining and a little quirky, often with a twisty end * Press Association *
Enjoyable literary bonbons * i Paper *
Delicious, bite-sized stories * My Weekly *
A collection of 20 excellent, often laugh-out-loud early works… . Pratchett devotees will be moved and gratified by this unexpected gift and even casual readers will be utterly charmed. There isn’t a bad story in the bunch. * Publishers Weekly *
These early stories show Pratchett’s remarkable ability to poke fun at the absurdity of the real world through fantasy full of irreverent wordplay, silly authority figures, and subverted endings… . Pratchett’s legion of fans will relish the view through this almost-overlooked window into the author’s evolution, finding much to love in these clever, funny, and tightly written tales. * Booklist *
A short and slightly bittersweet portrait of Pratchett as a young writer, as seen through this collection of long-lost and forgotten short stories… . They reflect an author in search of his craft, but there are hints of the Discworld to come… particularly in the standout story in the collection, ‘The Quest for the Keys’ … . The earliest seeds of what later became Discworld are there for readers who still miss his inimitable style. * Library Journal *
A collection of lost stories from early in Pratchett’s career… . Several stories set in the fictional town of Blackbury have a genial, tall-tale feel, and the “proto-Discworld” in ‘The Quest for the Keys’ is a true treat * Kirkus Reviews *

Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

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