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klparmley's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of bits and pieces. Some are very good (The Sea and Little Fishes) and some aren't, more doodles than anything. I'm glad to add the book to my Discworld collection. If half was removed, I wouldn't miss it.
rui_leite's review against another edition
4.0
As with any short writings collection this has it's ups and downs. But for a Pratchett fan (not necessarily for a Discworld fan, though) this is actually quite interesting, as we get to see his progress from his early writings to latter stuff so well crafted as "The Sea And Little Fishes" (I really think it was not by coincidence that "A Blink of The Screen" ends with an "out-take" of that story - to me one of the best character based pieces Pratchett has ever written in any format).
This is a very effective way to see what has changed and what has remained very much constant since....well... Pratchett was 13 (and I have to say that "Hades Business" is not perfect, all right, but remarkably good for a 13 year old... better than some of the stuff I come up with right now, really.)
So, do read this if you are already a fan and are curious about the way many of the ideas that popped about in Pratchett's work came to be. If you're not... well... maybe you'll be better off reading something else. There are 30 something books with the man's name on the cover, for God's sake, I'm sure you'll be able to find at least one to your liking.
This is a very effective way to see what has changed and what has remained very much constant since....well... Pratchett was 13 (and I have to say that "Hades Business" is not perfect, all right, but remarkably good for a 13 year old... better than some of the stuff I come up with right now, really.)
So, do read this if you are already a fan and are curious about the way many of the ideas that popped about in Pratchett's work came to be. If you're not... well... maybe you'll be better off reading something else. There are 30 something books with the man's name on the cover, for God's sake, I'm sure you'll be able to find at least one to your liking.
shksprsis's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
When I saw this book in the bookstore I just had to get it so I ordered it online when I got home. And wow, I loved it.
Ok not everything, but most of the short stories were absolutely wonderful and I enjoyed them. Some I skipped though, mostly because they just didn't interest me that much.
I can say I loved, loved, loved the Discworld short stories. Finally we get all those older characters again, The witches, Death, the UU and more. All characters that I miss so much, characters for which I keep hoping they will get a new book. For some reason the new Discworld just doesn't have that spark any more, maybe because I don't really like the new characters that much. Bring back Death! The Witches! And others. :)
So yeah, I really enjoyed the witches long story, it was really fun to see Ogg and Weatherwax together again.
In short, this book is really something if you are a big fan of Terry Pratchett, and I would recommend it to those who are. :)
Ok not everything, but most of the short stories were absolutely wonderful and I enjoyed them. Some I skipped though, mostly because they just didn't interest me that much.
I can say I loved, loved, loved the Discworld short stories. Finally we get all those older characters again, The witches, Death, the UU and more. All characters that I miss so much, characters for which I keep hoping they will get a new book. For some reason the new Discworld just doesn't have that spark any more, maybe because I don't really like the new characters that much. Bring back Death! The Witches! And others. :)
So yeah, I really enjoyed the witches long story, it was really fun to see Ogg and Weatherwax together again.
In short, this book is really something if you are a big fan of Terry Pratchett, and I would recommend it to those who are. :)
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
5.0
As seen on The Everyday Reader
I still haven’t made my way through the whole of the Discworld, but have been picking up Terry Pratchett’s work on and off as the mood strikes me for nearly 7 years now and am still constantly astounded (and overjoyed) by the combination of wit and intelligence in his writing. A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction offers real die-hard Discworld fans a chance to see some of the more obscure odds-and-bobs he’s produced, while the rest of us can soak in some really quite good non-Discworld short fiction. A Blink of the Screen shows that Pratchett’s flair for the written word doesn’t end with the Discworld. The short pieces come in a variety of forms – from poetry to board game write ups. Although I think some of the included pieces, especially in the Discworld section, were really just fluff (such as a 1 and a half page speech written from the perspective of Lord Vetinari on the twinning of Ankh-Morpork and Wincanton) it’s not necessarily bad fluff and the gems make the whole book worth it. Some of my favourites:
The Prince and the Partridge: A fairy tale style origin story for the Christmas carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’ Short and sweet
The Glastonbury Tales: A side-splitting poem about the perils of picking up hitchhikers near Glastonbury
The Ankh-Morpork National Anthem: Plays on what we all know to be true about national anthems and their second verse
Death and What Comes Next: Probably my favourite piece in the book. A conversation between DEATH and a dying philosopher, which rolls the crucial elements of scientific, religious and philosophical theory on life into one and a half pages.
If you’re not familiar with Terry Pratchett’s work A Blink of the Screen probably isn’t the place to start, as the second half will likely confound anyone who isn’t at least vaguely familiar with the major Discworld characters. Then again, you could just read the first half. I’m sure you’d like it just as much. How could you not, if you have half a brain in your head and like to laugh? If you are already familiar, A Blink of the Screen is certainly worth picking up.
I still haven’t made my way through the whole of the Discworld, but have been picking up Terry Pratchett’s work on and off as the mood strikes me for nearly 7 years now and am still constantly astounded (and overjoyed) by the combination of wit and intelligence in his writing. A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction offers real die-hard Discworld fans a chance to see some of the more obscure odds-and-bobs he’s produced, while the rest of us can soak in some really quite good non-Discworld short fiction. A Blink of the Screen shows that Pratchett’s flair for the written word doesn’t end with the Discworld. The short pieces come in a variety of forms – from poetry to board game write ups. Although I think some of the included pieces, especially in the Discworld section, were really just fluff (such as a 1 and a half page speech written from the perspective of Lord Vetinari on the twinning of Ankh-Morpork and Wincanton) it’s not necessarily bad fluff and the gems make the whole book worth it. Some of my favourites:
The Prince and the Partridge: A fairy tale style origin story for the Christmas carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’ Short and sweet
The Glastonbury Tales: A side-splitting poem about the perils of picking up hitchhikers near Glastonbury
The Ankh-Morpork National Anthem: Plays on what we all know to be true about national anthems and their second verse
Death and What Comes Next: Probably my favourite piece in the book. A conversation between DEATH and a dying philosopher, which rolls the crucial elements of scientific, religious and philosophical theory on life into one and a half pages.
If you’re not familiar with Terry Pratchett’s work A Blink of the Screen probably isn’t the place to start, as the second half will likely confound anyone who isn’t at least vaguely familiar with the major Discworld characters. Then again, you could just read the first half. I’m sure you’d like it just as much. How could you not, if you have half a brain in your head and like to laugh? If you are already familiar, A Blink of the Screen is certainly worth picking up.
m1thrandir's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
spockpandasaurus's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
silthy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
5.0
This book...is going to utterly torment me about not having started Discworld yet, isn't it? I've read little bit! "Circle of Magic," a few short stories, some descriptions. But I'm only vaguely aware of the real plot of the series. And...this book is going to change that, because the glimpse I got was so tantalizing, I do believe tomorrow I'm hitting the used bookstore.
This isn't just a Discworld book. About half of the stories are unconnected short fiction, including some of Pratchett's earliest works. Like, not a legal adult yet earliest. And the general quality of everything is still rather high. You'd expect his first published work to be sort of bad (as seen in some of George R. R. Martin's early work collections), but Pratchett always had a general understanding of what makes a good story. Certainly, he improved over the years, but his work never wastes your time.
I'm a particular fan of "Final Reward," in which the author of a sword and sorcery series kills off his main character, only to realize that literary promises that he would "meet his maker" and "dine in his halls" were literal, and there is a large, somewhat violent man standing on his front stoop.
I listened to the audiobook version of this series, which is all done by one reader, so don't go in expecting to have a big difference in voices between stories. There's no confusion for a listener as voices are repeated, luckily, but there's just not the variety available from a wider cast. Still, feel free to read or listen, whichever is available to you.
This isn't just a Discworld book. About half of the stories are unconnected short fiction, including some of Pratchett's earliest works. Like, not a legal adult yet earliest. And the general quality of everything is still rather high. You'd expect his first published work to be sort of bad (as seen in some of George R. R. Martin's early work collections), but Pratchett always had a general understanding of what makes a good story. Certainly, he improved over the years, but his work never wastes your time.
I'm a particular fan of "Final Reward," in which the author of a sword and sorcery series kills off his main character, only to realize that literary promises that he would "meet his maker" and "dine in his halls" were literal, and there is a large, somewhat violent man standing on his front stoop.
I listened to the audiobook version of this series, which is all done by one reader, so don't go in expecting to have a big difference in voices between stories. There's no confusion for a listener as voices are repeated, luckily, but there's just not the variety available from a wider cast. Still, feel free to read or listen, whichever is available to you.