austinhehir's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
ladybluerose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bookishshadeofmagic's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
davidsandilands's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
badger1984's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
fourfoil1032's review against another edition
4.0
Terry Pratchett has been one of my favourite authors ever since I read "The Colour of Magic", oh, about ten years ago. "Mort" is one of my all-time favourite books, and I constantly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read a Terry Pratchett book. So when I saw this book at work, I didn't even consider not buying it.
The first thing I will say about this book is that it is short, and yes, I know it's a book of short stories. I read the entirety of "A Stroke of the Pen" on a four-hour flight. And I honestly enjoyed every second of it. The stories themselves are nothing spectacular; they're not groundbreaking or thought-provoking (or at least I didn't find them to be, but I think that says more about me than the book). What they are are enjoyable, funny, and often extremely silly stories by a young Terry Pratchett finding his literary style and voice.
Anyone who's read Pratchett's other works (which you should, cause they're great) will be able to see the same type of humour running through this book. It's a lot like classic British comedies from the 80's, like "Yes Minister", "Dad's Army" and that kind of thing.
Some people have mentioned that the only reason this is getting such high reviews is because Pratchett's name is slapped on the front and people are biased, and to be honest, I'd have to agree. If this were a new author's work, it wouldn't get even a quarter of the attention it has gotten. The reasons I gave it four stars are part nostalgia and part bias, but mainly because I just really enjoyed getting an insight into Pratchett's early writing style and work. I'll confess that Discworld is one of my comfort series that I break out every once in a while to cleanse my palette after a particularly bad or boring book or if I want a little dopamine. So I'm naturally going to be biased. That doesn't change the fact that I still enjoyed this book, but one out of those four stars is definitely from nostalgia and bias. But this is my review, and I'm allowed to do that.
The first thing I will say about this book is that it is short, and yes, I know it's a book of short stories. I read the entirety of "A Stroke of the Pen" on a four-hour flight. And I honestly enjoyed every second of it. The stories themselves are nothing spectacular; they're not groundbreaking or thought-provoking (or at least I didn't find them to be, but I think that says more about me than the book). What they are are enjoyable, funny, and often extremely silly stories by a young Terry Pratchett finding his literary style and voice.
Anyone who's read Pratchett's other works (which you should, cause they're great) will be able to see the same type of humour running through this book. It's a lot like classic British comedies from the 80's, like "Yes Minister", "Dad's Army" and that kind of thing.
Some people have mentioned that the only reason this is getting such high reviews is because Pratchett's name is slapped on the front and people are biased, and to be honest, I'd have to agree. If this were a new author's work, it wouldn't get even a quarter of the attention it has gotten. The reasons I gave it four stars are part nostalgia and part bias, but mainly because I just really enjoyed getting an insight into Pratchett's early writing style and work. I'll confess that Discworld is one of my comfort series that I break out every once in a while to cleanse my palette after a particularly bad or boring book or if I want a little dopamine. So I'm naturally going to be biased. That doesn't change the fact that I still enjoyed this book, but one out of those four stars is definitely from nostalgia and bias. But this is my review, and I'm allowed to do that.
ericthelemming's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0