A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories
by Terry Pratchett (Harper Collins, 2023)
audiobook read by various narrators (ISIS, 2023)
A collection of very early Pratchett stories, pseudonymously written and mostly lacking impact as individual pieces. Though they have their moments (and are lent panache by the various audiobook readers), few would garner more than a ‘ho-hum’ if their authorship were unknown.
Men at Arms
by Terry Pratchett (Victor Gollancz, 1993)
audiobook read by Nigel Planer (Isis, 1996)
A consistently funny mystery scripted like a jigsaw puzzle. The sidelining of Vimes affords space for the new watchmen (Angua, Detritus, Cuddy) to shine, and for Carrot—so often reduced to a walk-on support role—to have his day in the sun.
Snuff
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2011)
audiobook read by Jon Culshaw (Penguin Audio, 2023)
Surely the least funny Discworld novel, though in the best possible way. Pratchett’s humour is rooted in humanity, and thus flown at a respectful half-mast throughout what proves a chastening examination (by the incomparable Sam Vimes) of murderous privilege and unthinking prejudice.
Carpe Jugulum
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 1998)
audiobook read by Nigel Planer (Isis, 2000)
A perfectly respectable Discworld novel. The vampires pose a serious threat; Agnes Nitt evinces personality(ies). Still, there are rather more characters than focus, and thus a nagging sense of Pratchett extemporising a skyscraper and pulling it into place at the pointy end.
The Truth
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2000)
audiobook read by Matthew Baynton (Transworld, 2023)
A curious instalment. The satire is atypically direct, and while the characters sprout like humorously shaped vegetables from page to page, their various plot roots shrivel in the shadow of the truth/news as entity unleashed—which may well have been Pratchett’s point.
Thud!
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2005)
audiobook read by Stephen Briggs (Isis, 2005)
Loses some edge upon re-reading, and a little too serious-minded to be top-shelf Pratchett, but nevertheless a cutting examination of religion and prejudice, shrouded in pseudo-mystery. Sam Vimes is good value (as always), as is Stephen Briggs (especially narrating Where’s My Cow?).
A Hat Full of Sky
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2004); audiobook ready by Stephen Briggs (2004)
Tiffany Aching again proves a winning protagonist, her precocious powers stemming from nothing more innate than a clear, logical, inquisitive mind. While the threat feels real, Pratchett has fun with the Nac Mac Feegle. Granny Weatherwax’s character benefits from an outside perspective.
Maskerade
by Terry Pratchett (Victor Gollancz, 1995)
audiobook read by Indira Varma (Penguin, 2022)
Pratchett takes aim at opera and in doing so makes some serious points about stereotyping. The mystery is a bit muddled, the humour at times over-egged (though still great fun). Indira Varma’s audiobook reading is perfect for Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2001); audiobook read by Stephen Briggs (Isis, 2001)
Only nominally a children’s book. Pratchett puts a sardonic spin on the Pied Piper fairy tale, foregrounding the rats so as to take humans down a notch. Narrator Stephen Briggs soups up the audiobook by using his Sam Vimes voice for Darktan.
Sunset at Blandings
by P.G. Wodehouse (Chatto & Windus, 1977; revised Everyman’s Library, 2015)
The final, unfinished Wodehouse novel. Much like Pratchett’s ‘The Shepherd’s Crown’, the un-fleshed-out text stirs memories of what was, while throwing light on the authorial process. In this instance, Plum-worship has led to the adding of copious and mostly inconsequential third-party annotations.