Reviews

Pratchett purists may be disappointed in this book - it's not original and new material, it's written for children, it's actually much shorter than it looks - but actually, I found it to be an insight into a young Terry's mind and writing.

Why? Because it's his early jottings and stories, from his own teenage years. How amazing is it to see a famous writer, writing as a 16-year-old, with their quirks and flaws intact? Before editors and style are in place?

I'm not the worlds biggest Pratchett fan but I have read a few of his more mature children's work and I really enjoyed this short glimpse into his early world. His early influences are also in evidence (I've included a few I recognised below).

This is a collection of 14 short stories, as follows:

- Dragons at Crumbling Castle: silly quest story that reminded me of Monty Python in parts
- The Great Speck: like Dr Seuss's Horton Hears a Who, worlds on dust mites show Pratchett's scope for making the small into something bigger. Also reminded me of James and the Giant Peach.
- Hunt the Snorry: some funny word play
- Two Carpet People stories: the most Pratchett-like, precursors to his later children's book
- Hercules the Tortoise: like a myth or fable, Hercules explores his tortoise-sized world and takes on a snake! Bits of The Hobbit and Kipling in here.
- Dok the Caveman: caveman inventor genius creates language, wheels etc but is unappreciated.
- The Big Race: a little bit Genevieve, a little bit Wacky Races, which form of car will be the best and the one to be produced en masse?
- The Great Egg-Dancing Championship: star-crossed lovers and a tale of dancing on eggs
- Edwo the Boring Knight: funny fairy story with a talking donkey
- The 59A Bus Goes Back in Time: self-explanatory, zany little tale
- Abominable Snowman: quite similar to the Dragon story
- The Blackbury Monster: very funny tale about a small town needing PR and creating their own Loch Ness Monster
- Father Christmas goes to work at the Zoo: his wife wants him to find a job, but does he have the right skills?

A great collection to read to a child and for adults to discover how a writer starts off. The quality and humour varies from story to story.

Quentin Blake's illustrations are good as ever but that and the text size/don't make it feel like a Dahl / Walliams book.

I think it would make a fantastic introduction to Pratchett for children who aren't yet eat for his longer stories.

tgurl23's review against another edition

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funny relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

badseedgirl's review against another edition

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4.0

This book of short stories for Terry Pratchett's early career are wonderful and I see hints of the Discworld in them. I especially liked Father Christmas Gets a Job.

beautifuldissonance's review against another edition

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2.0

I really had to force myself to continue reading this book. I'd say it was written for quite a young audience, maybe 7 to 10 year olds.

ellie_the_bookdragon's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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