Scan barcode
A review by jaikney
A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
More of a historical curiosity than a genuine collection: it brings together Terry Pratchett's work previously published (sometimes pseudonymously) in various newspapers and magazines.
Some of these are, frankly, a bit naff. There are a handful of Christmas stories that are brief and, essentially, a single joke. It doesn't help that these are a good portion of the first half of the collection. It's only in the latter half that we get to more familiar Pratchett territory: magic, and the charming backwardness of provincial bureaucracy.
Particular highlights are The Blackbury Jungle, which sees a small town taken over by plant life, and The Haunted Steamroller, which, well, you'll never guess.
For Pratchett fans, the mere existence of this volume tugs at the heartstrings a little. Through some effort and bonafide detective work, the man's bibliography is now complete. It's finished. And yet it lives forever.
Some of these are, frankly, a bit naff. There are a handful of Christmas stories that are brief and, essentially, a single joke. It doesn't help that these are a good portion of the first half of the collection. It's only in the latter half that we get to more familiar Pratchett territory: magic, and the charming backwardness of provincial bureaucracy.
Particular highlights are The Blackbury Jungle, which sees a small town taken over by plant life, and The Haunted Steamroller, which, well, you'll never guess.
For Pratchett fans, the mere existence of this volume tugs at the heartstrings a little. Through some effort and bonafide detective work, the man's bibliography is now complete. It's finished. And yet it lives forever.