#A stroke of the pen

[betterthanapokeintheeye]

Rob Wilkins - In Bath talking about Terry Pratchett, A Stroke of the Pen

Rob Wilkins will be in Bath talking about, and signing the book, Terry Pratchett: A Stroke of the Pen

Date: Wed 22nd November 2023 Doors Open 7pm

Location: Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath, York Street, Bath, Somerset BA1 1NG

Rob Wilkins, Pratchett’s former assistant, friend, head of the Pratchett literary estate & author of Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes joins the team at the shop to talk on A Stroke of the Pen: the recently rediscovered short stories by Terry Pratchett.

The book is a truly unmissable, beautifully illustrated collection of unearthed stories from the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett: award-winning and bestselling author, and creator of the phenomenally successful Discworld series. It contains twenty early and once-lost short stories by one of the world's best loved authors, each accompanied by exquisite original woodcut illustrations.

These are rediscovered tales that Pratchett wrote under a pseudonym for newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. Whilst none are set in the Discworld, they hint towards the world he would go on to create, containing all of his trademark wit, satirical wisdom and fantastic imagination.

Tickets available from https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/events/bath/rob-wilkins-for-terry-pratchetts-a-stroke-of-the-pen-2023/

#terry pratchett #books #rob wilkins #discworld #not discworld #A stroke of the pen #book event

[the-truth-shall-make-ye-fret]

We were absolutely delighted to speak to Drs Pat and Jan Harkin about Pat’s status as Terry Pratchett’s pathology advisor, the gargantuan collection of Discworld memorabilia, the research behind the soon-to-be-published A Stroke of the Pen, and many Pratchettean anecdotes.

Listen to the full interview now wherever you usually find podcasts :)

#terry pratchett #podcast #a stroke of the pen

[possforeffect]

I found a copy of Sir Terry Pratchett's A Stroke of the Pen today and I can't bring myself to read it.

For those who don't know, A Stroke of the Pen is a collection of short stories Sir Terry published before The Colour of Magic, printed in British newspapers under various pseudonyms, most prominently "Patrick Kearns". The stories were collected and assembled by avid Pratchett fans following his death, and...

This is it. This collection of twenty short stories, all created before Pratchett knew what Discworld would turn into, are the last stories of his that will ever be collected and published, unless by some miraculous circumstance, we uncover a manuscript of his that's been in storage at a publisher somewhere or something. I realized this as I read Neil Gaiman's foreword, which talked about how Sir Terry, who we've made into a mythological figure, was just another human being, who held opinions that some of us probably wouldn't agree with. I've been trying not to tear up as I start reading The Quest For Keys, which opens in the city of Morpork, sans Ankh.

#discworld #sir terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen #neil gaiman #ankh morpork

[queerestqueertoeverqueer]

[Image ID: a photograph of a book cover which reads "Terry Pratchett - A Stroke of the Pen - The Lost Stories - Foreword by Neil Gaiman". It is a black hardback with art including a gnome, a dragon, a sword, a fountain pen and some leaves. End ID]

SHE HAS ARRIVED <333

#rip my bank account but worth it look at her #im excited for this #terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen #gnu pterry

[terrypratchettestate]

Happy publication day to A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories, featuring 20 rediscovered tales from decades ago by Terry Pratchett, complete with a foreword by Neil Gaiman.

Read more here.

#terry pratchett #pratchett #a stroke of the pen #gnu terry pratchett #books #2023 books #currently reading #book recommendations #neil gaiman

[khorazir]

Treated myself to a new Terry Pratchett book and some baklava today. The latter was necessary because in the third chapter of my Johnlock Speed AU London Speed (which is at about 5k words and two thirds finished, in my estimation), the boys snatch a moment upstairs to refuel with baklava and have a little chat. Writing this made me crave the sweets.

#sherlock #johnlock #writing #fanfic #london speed #speed au #baklava #wip #gnu terry pratchett #terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen

[tokyoterri2]

y’all, a new wonderful just dropped!

A Stroke of the Pen

The Lost Stories

By: Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman - foreword

Narrated by: David Tennant, Claire Foy, Steffan Rhodri, Jon Culshaw, David Jason, Katherine Parkinson, Paterson Joseph, Indira Varma, Tony Robinson, Nigel Planer, Stephen Briggs, Rhianna Pratchett

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Allons-y!

#gnu terry pratchett #neil gaiman #a stroke of the pen #good omens #david tennant #creativewriters

[a-ramblinrose]

Happy Terry Pratchett Day!!! 🐢

#A Stroke of the Pen #A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories #Terry Pratchett #books #book photography #current reading #Reasonably Priced Love and a Hardboiled Egg #Not out of void but out of chaos #gnu Terry Pratchett

[ankh-morporkianpostalworker]

Yesterday, I went out and bought "A Stroke of the Pen", and the short story where it's revealed that Scrooge totally missed the point of his original Christmas adventure and bought everything Christmas-related feels like a bit that was cut from Hogfather for time. (Yes, I know these are all writings from before he invented Discworld, I'm just describing what it feels like).

It's a really good book, y'all.

#gnu terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen #terry pratchett #discworld

[msunitedstatesjames]

I felt a little bit bittersweet when this came in the mail the other day.

I came a little late to the Terry Pratchett fandom.

I first read one his books (Nation) probably around 2008 or 2009, when I was still in high school and saw it on the new YA shelf at my local library. I remember seeing his name on the cover and seeing that he was a "bestselling author," which apparently impressed me at the time, so I picked it up. I do remember liking it overall, though when I look back I have a feeling that I thought it was a little odd, and I didn't feel the distinct need to go out and search for his other works. Being a teen is weird, I was still developing my sense of humor and analysis skills and all that, so, like many books, I really should reread it now that I'm an adult. At the very least, it left some kind of an impression on me, because at the time I was in the reading frenzy of a girl who would shortly become an English major and eventually an English teacher. I've forgotten a lot of the titles and authors I read in those years, but for some reason I never forgot that one.

I really didn't think much more about Terry Pratchett for years. I remember seeing the news when he passed away, and I was like, "Oh, yeah, he's the guy that wrote Nation." But I'm an American, and though he clearly has lots of fans here, he didn't seem to have the kind of widespread devotion that he had overseas, so I don't think I realized until then that Terry had a hugely devoted fan base. I kept seeing more and more articles and posts about him, and I read some, and I remember thinking, "Wow, this really sucks. This guy was really loved. Maybe I'll have to look at more of his work some time." But at the time I was in grad school, and I was starting my career, and I didn't have time to read for fun as much as I had a few years before.

Another few years later, in my mid-twenties, I joined a couple of Facebook groups devoted to fantasy and sci-fi. I was still transitioning from reading lots of YA fantasy and sci-fi to more "adult" market fantasy and sci-fi, and I joined the groups to get some different recommendations. Terry Pratchett was one of those names that kept coming up over and over. When people asked about humorous books he was always mentioned, when people asked for all time favorite authors he was a popular choice, when people asked for favorite quotes his words featured prominently, when people asked for long series recommendations he was obviously recommended, when people argued about which of the Big 3 Terrys of fantasy were the best, he always won. You get the picture. And again I thought about reading more of his work, but I still didn't.

Finally, Good Omens season 1 came out. It must have been marketed pretty successfully because I really wasn't seeking it out. I love fantasy, but I've never really cared for the whole 'angels and demons' sub-genre. I didn't really have an opinion on David Tennant or Michael Sheen at this point (don't come at me, Tumblr), and I'd read a few Neil Gaiman books and enjoyed them, but I wouldn't have gone around shouting about him in the streets or anything (still don't come at me, Tumblr). But I'd seen the book recommended in my Facebook groups, and I kept seeing trailers for it and thinking it looked entertaining, so I decided to do what any book-snob English teacher would do and read the book before I watched the show. That didn't last very long, because I loved the book so much from page one that I immediately wanted to watch the show and see if it could possibly live up to the book. But I also didn't want to spoil the ending of the book, so I ended up having a pretty weird but ultimately interesting experience with Good Omens, where I would read a chunk of the book, then watch an episode of the show, hoping it would cover the chunk I'd just finished reading. It was awesome, and I'd go back and do it the same way all over again if I had the chance.

And Good Omens acheived what the rest of the world hadn't been able to do, which was convince me to read more Terry Pratchett. I did what everyone in my fantasy groups told me not to do, and decided to read Discworld in publication order. I loved book one so much that I couldn't believe it when everyone said it was perhaps the weakest book in the series, so I did what I almost never do and read eleven books by the same author over the course of the year. Since then, I've slowed down to only reading about four of his books a year, but I almost never read more than two books in a year from any other given author, so it's still pretty impressive. I've loved every one of them. I love the dry sense of humor, and the subtle and not so subtle social commentary, and every time I read one of his books I just think, "this dude must have been so intelligent." He parodies and satirizes everything, which is hard to do if you don't have a good understanding of the thing you're parodying first. This dude's over here making up parody fantasy versions of physics concepts, and I'm like, "this probably makes sense to a person who actually knows about science."

Anyway, he's now my second most read author (and he will be my most read author by this time next year), and he's become one of my go to authors when people ask me for my favorite writers. And the Good Omens fandom has become my favorite fandom ever since season 1 of the show came out.

I've been so grateful for rediscovering Terry Pratchett, but it all makes me a little sad, too. It makes me wish I'd read more of his work earlier. It would have been so cool to be a part of his fandom when there were still Discworld books coming out, and the fandom was full of nothing but hope and excitement for future books. It's sad to know that eventually I'll have read all of his books, and there won't be any new ones for me to pick up. I know I can always reread, but it'll still be sad. I'm happy at least that there are still so many cool people working on continuing his legacy in a variety of ways.

So, when I heard A Stroke of the Pen was coming out, probably late this past summer, I immediately knew I wanted it. At first, I thought it'd be a good book to put on my Christmas list. (Everyone in my family pretty much knows if they're stuck on what to buy me, books are always a win.) But then I thought about it, and I realized it would almost certainly be the only Terry Pratchett book I'd ever be able to say I bought when it was new. (Except the graphic novel version of Good Omens, which I'm eagerly anticipating.) So, I preordered it instead of waiting.

I probably won't read it anytime soon. I opened it up and read Neil Gaiman's foreword, and it made me tear up a little, so I set it aside, just like I did with Terry's biography when I got that for Christmas last year. But even though it's not the next Terry Pratchett book on my list, it's nice to know there will be another one waiting for me when I'm ready for it.

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen #discworld #books

[thatwritererinoriordan]

#sir terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen #the lost stories #neil gaiman

[vpgoldenrod]

My partner had no idea that I wanted this book but surprised me with it for my birthday. I’m in the middle of a different one so it’ll hafta wait, but the forward by Neil Gaiman is so honest and lovely. Can’t wait to read it ❤️

#a stroke of the pen #Neil Gaiman #terry pratchett

[solarishashernoseinabook]

it's here already it's here already It's Here Already iT'S HERE ALREADY

#gnu terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen #i'm in canada so genuinely wasnt expecting it till next month

[baynton]

now on my gdrive in m4b format. enjoy!

#a stroke of the pen #terry pratchett #mat baynton #mathew baynton #david tennant #claire foy #derek jacobi #and many more people #resources #mat resources #*resources #you know me and my mat audiobooks. love em

[reluctantjoe]

a stroke of the pen: the lost stories (pilgarlic towers) - narrated by mathew baynton

-> original audiobook release: 10/10/2023 | image credit: audible

"Twenty early short stories by one of the world's best loved authors, narrated by David Tennant, Claire Foy, Steffan Rhodri, Jon Culshaw, Derek Jacobi, David Jason, Katherine Parkinson, Paterson Joseph, Hattie Morahan, Indira Varma, Tony Robinson, Nigel Planer, Maggie Service, Stephen Briggs, Rhianna Pratchett, Jason Watkins, Richard Coyle, Mathew Baynton and Rob Wilkins. With a foreword by Neil Gaiman, and an introduction by Colin Smythe. These are rediscovered tales that Pratchett wrote under a pseudonym for newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. Whilst none are set in the Discworld, they hint towards the world he would go on to create, containing all of his trademark wit, satirical wisdom and fantastic imagination. Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Ministry of Nuisances with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and go on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork..."

if you have any queries regarding the google drive, reply below or send an ask!

#mathew baynton #mat baynton #a stroke of the pen #the lost stories #6 idiots #six idiots #the six idiots #themthere #them there #rj: google drive #rj: a stroke of the pen: the lost stories #rj: mathew baynton #rj: 2023 #is there a world without the love of queue?

[ohmysatan42]

Just finished a stroke of the pen after finally buying a copy. I found reading it weirdly inspiring, you can see pratchett slowly improving, finding his voice and his feet as a writer. Which isn't to say the stories are bad, but they are not great satirical discworld epics. I especially lived the quest for the keys as it seems a turning point for pratchett, where he works out that he wants to be funny and weird and wacky and the seeds of discworld have started growing in his head.

#gnu terry pratchett #sir terry pratchett #a stroke of the pen #discworld #the disworld #the quest for the keys #pterry