Book Review

A Slip of the Keyboard

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Genre: Nonfiction

A Slip of the Keyboard is a collection of nonfiction by Terry Pratchett, author of, among other things, the Discworld series.  Although none of the essays and speeches have anything to do with romance, I thought I’d review it because I know that we have many Terry Pratchett fans on this site.  This is a lovely, varied collection of short nonfiction.

I happened to read this collection during a week in which my Twitter feed was flooded with bullshit.  If there’s anything I adore about Terry Pratchett, it’s that he is bullshit free.  Whether he’s talking about book tours, being a lackluster student, his struggles with early-onset Alzheimer’s, or orangutans, he’s forthright, funny, and unpretentious, with great tolerance for human foibles but no tolerance for injustice and stupidity.  As Neil Gaiman says in the foreword, people think of Terry Pratchett as “a jolly old elf” but in fact “There is a fury to Terry Pratchett’s writing.  It’s the fury that was the engine that powered Discworld.”

The book is split into four sections:  “A Scribbling Intruder”, “A Twit and a Dreamer”, “Days of Rage”, “And Finally…”  The first section is about writing life, the second about growing up as well as short pieces on journalism and random topics, and the third has essays about education, orangutans, and several powerful pieces about the Right to Die movement of which he is a part.  The last section is very short and consists of some funny bits that wouldn’t fit anywhere else.

The most powerful and passionate pieces are in the “Days of Rage” section.  This is where Pratchett talks about his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and his desire to choose when and where and how his life will end.  The essays are deeply personal even as he uses his own situation as a way to talk about a larger situation.  He doesn’t just rant and rave.  He’s funny, he’s pragmatic, and he’s poignant.  He’s also very, very angry – at his illness, at the fact that he can get Viagra for free from the National Health Service but not Aricept, a medication that slows the progress of Alzheimer’s, and at the system that makes it difficult for people to choose their own ways of leaving the world.

The Fellowship of the Ring
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On a lighter note, the longest section is about reading and writing – and what a joy it is!  He talks about how important his own experience in fandom was, he talks about how much his life changed when a librarian gave him a copy of The Fellowship of the Rings, and how much it changed again when he wrote to J.R.R. Tolkien as a child and got a letter back:  “It might have been dictated.  For all I know, it might have been typed to a format.  But it was signed.”  He talks about the importance of fantasy in literature, and comments that what’s important about escapism is “what you’re escaping from and where you’re escaping to.”

The Color of Magic
A | BN | K | AB
If you’ve never read Terry Pratchett, I wouldn’t start with this book – I’d start with one of the Discworld novels.  I’d pick completely different novels depending on individual interest and taste.  My eleven year old loves the Tiffany Aching books.  Romance readers will enjoy the understated but delightful relationships between Moist Von Lipvig and Adora Belle Dearheart, introduced in Going Postal, and Commander Vimes and Lady Sybil, first introduced in Guards!  Guards!.  For something a little darker and edgier, I recommend Monstrous Regiment.  And of course every December I re-read Hogfather.

In the meantime, I loved this collection of essays.  It was entertaining, moving, and though-provoking.  I laughed and cried and signed a petition.  I can’t ask for more in a collection of essays and now I’m pining to re-read some of my favorite Discworlds.

What was your first Discworld, and what books of Pratchett’s would you recommend to a new reader?

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A Slip of the Keyboard by Terry Pratchett

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  1. Beth Not Elizabeth says:

    My husband and I have very different tastes in books. He hardly ever reads fiction. But he read and recommended Going Postal. I loved it. And, I know this is totally sappy, it made me fall in love with my husband a little bit more now that we have this shared love of Terry Pratchett.

    So Terry Pratchett will always have a special place in my heart and my bookshelf. I will be checking out this current book, too.

  2. PamG says:

    I think Wyrd Sisters was the first Pratchett that I loved. I may have read one or two of the Rincewind novels before it, but the witches really grabbed me. I don’t recall at what point I realized that the Discworld was organized in sub series, but the Guards and the witches (including Tiffany Aching) have since become my go to comfort reading. I also love anything with Susan Sto Helit, William De Worde, Moist von Lipwig–oh well, you get the idea. I discover something new every time I read them. Basically, I’m addicted to the Discworld, as well as Nation and Dodger, and while I know that a wonderful book does not equal a wonderful person as author, there is a spirit flowing through his works that makes me feel that I love Terry Pratchett as well.

  3. carolanne says:

    My first read was Thief of Time…. #26? I liked it enough to go back and read them all. If you start at the beginning, prepare to be underwhelmed. I didn’t find the first few that good. I’m a Susan fan, so I liked Soul Music, and Hogfather.

  4. I read The Colour of Magic when it first came out and was underwhelmed, so I ignored Pratchett for a few years until someone recommended MORT to me.

    That was all it took. Suddenly I was glomming the backlist, reading all the Pratchett I could get my hands on. While I didn’t love all of it equally, the books each got some love. Each series brings its own joy, but I also like the stand-alone novels. I gave Small Gods to my son when he was studying religion and contemplating seminary, I recommended Monstrous Regiment to the women at the feminist bookstore, and I still think Sam and Sybil’s love story is one of the greatest romances in the genre.

    Gaiman’s absolutely correct. Pratchett is akin to Jonathan Swift in his writing, brutally skewering convention and making people look long and hard at the society around them.

    For romance readers, I usually recommend Guards! Guards! as a great place to start.

  5. Venetia says:

    Witches Abroad was my first Discworld novel and it’s still my favourite. I’d recommend it as a good starting point – it’s about the power of stories and how they shape the world around us and inside us. It also makes me laugh until I can’t breathe. Greebo! The Thing with the Bulls!

    A few years ago I had the chance to hear Terry Pratchett talk and have a book signed afterwards. He was so lovely, charming and intelligent – and he signed my battered old copy of Witches Abroad.

  6. Kimari says:

    I’m a Pratchett junkie, I pre-order the hardback of every book released and usually devour it the first day. Lately, I’ve been getting the Kindle versions too so I can easily take it with me.

    My first Discworld was “Moving Pictures,” but my first Pratchett was “Good Omens”. After that I was borrowing a friend’s Pratchett library all through graduate school until I was able to find my own copies (they were a bit harder to find in the US in the early ’90s). I’m partial to the Night Watch series though. I usually recommend “Guards! Guards!” as a starting place.

    I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of years ago when he toured for the publication of “Dodger” and he came across just as wise and witty as I expected from his writings. I can now say I’ve met my trifecta of favorites (Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman).

  7. Astrakhan says:

    I started with the aforementioned “Guards! Guards!” and agree that it’s the best starting point. Rincewind’s faded into the background so much that starting with the early books might confuse (and even turn away) potential fans.

    My personal favorite, however, is “Small Gods”, one of the best examinations of how religions work that I’ve ever read. It takes place a long time before most of the other novels and shares very few characters apart from the ever-present Death, but it’s the one I re-read the most.

  8. Kara says:

    Sir Pratchett is SO GOOD that it’s hard to pick just one. My absolute favorite book of his is Reaper Man- oh, the writing is just so good and the end makes me weep every time. At this time of year, Hogfather might be a good start. Death, and his adopted granddaughter Susan, along with Death of Rats and the Raven Quoth are maybe my favorite literary characters of all time.

    Small Gods is also fantastic as a stand alone book, and I agree with Astrakhan that it’s probably not the best introduction to Discworld. The very first Discworld novel I read was Interesting Times, and I was hooked.

    Pyramids and Eric are my least favorite Discworld novels. I hated Thud! the first time I read it, but it’s grown on me significantly.

  9. Stacey says:

    I can’t remember which was my first, but my favorite is “Night Watch”, and it’s in the group of mostly-annual rereads (along with a couple of Robin McKinleys and some other assorted favorites).

    My dry-witted 12-year-old daughter discovered Terry Pratchett about a year ago and has now read every book twice. She says she can’t pick a favorite – “it’s a tie between quite a few”.

    Thanks for reviewing this nonfic; we’ll be sure to pick it up!

  10. Lara says:

    My first was Mort, which I enjoyed, but not *quite* enough to pick up another in the series. In my defense, I was in college and did not have a lot of time to read anything not on my English Major Required List. After I graduated, I was working as a librarian, and one day picked up a short story collection that had a Discworld story in it–I forget the title, but Granny Weatherwax was the protagonist. Loved loved LOVED it, and proceeded to read the entire series in order. My favorites will always be Hogfather, Guards! Guards! and Going Postal, as well as all four Tiffany Aching books.

  11. Catherine says:

    My first Pratchett was “Monstrous Regiment.” One of my teachers–God bless him–was in the habit of buying little presents for every student in his (very small) class, and he knew I liked fantasy, so he got MR in paperback for me. I loved it. I devoured it. I went looking for more. And then I had the unparalleled joy of encountering, for the first time, an amazing author with a bloody enormous backlist.

    I’d agree that “Guards! Guards!” is a great place for people trying to get into Discworld. (And I don’t say that just because I adore Lady Sybil. She is my heroine.) My personal favorite is probably “Feet of Clay”–I love the golems’ struggle and the determination of Dorfl. But heck, all of them are my favorite in one way or another.

    Thanks for reviewing this, Carrie! I didn’t even know it was out, but I definitely will be picking it up now!

  12. Storyphile says:

    For anyone interested, fantasy author Tansy Rayner Roberts has a great series of essays reviewing Pratchett’s female characters. they are posted individually on her blog but also collected as a ebook.
    Tansyrr.com/tansywp/tag/pratchetts-women/

  13. Beth says:

    I started with THE COLOR OF MAGIC, but it was a slog. I haven’t enjoyed the Rincewind books I’ve tried (not many) but I LOVE his other books, even the non-Discworld ones like NATION. I would recommend the people start with GUARDS GUARDS GUARDS or one of the Witches books.

  14. Cammy says:

    Gods, where do I start regarding Pratchett? I read The Color of Magic when I was 18 and was underwhelmed, but reading one of the later ones hooked me. I’d lure in a new reader with Guards! Guards! for the sheer number of themes and jokes that are in the book.

    I don’t think I can ever fully enumerate the ways that Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series has influenced and enriched my life.

  15. Jazzlet says:

    I read the Colour of Magic when it first came out and have been reading Pratchett ever since. Favourite character is harder, probably depending on which book I last read, but Death and Susan maybe or Granny Weatherwax or, no I’m going to stop there. But you have reminded me I want to get back my copies of the early books I lent to a friend!

  16. So many good books ago, I can’t remember! But the first one I bought was “Lords and Ladies” – still have it!

  17. Katie Lynn says:

    I recall trying to read The Colour of Magic a few years back, in my very early twenties, maybe? and not finishing it. The first books of his that I really got into were the Tiffany Aching books, which still hold a very special place in my bookshelf.

    As for my first real and actual taste of Pratchett, that would come from the miniseries The Hogfather, which features a young Lady Mary as Susan, and is one of my favorite holiday-not-really-holiday movies.

  18. Christina says:

    My first Terry Pratchett was Sourcery some 15+ years ago… After that I was on a quest- I found all of them and read them all in order of publication. He is my one and only absolute-must-buy-in-actual-paperback author. With everything else I don’t have a preference between digital and print but unfortunately, I have no space for hardcovers.

    I love watching the characters grow and evolve as it goes on, even with the skipping about between groups of characters. I never get tired of re-reading any of them. I’ve pretty much stuck to the Discworld set. I think Soul Music is my all-time favorite, followed by Thief of Time and Hogfather (in no particular order). Honestly, I could list ALL of them…

    I’ve also got my Mystic Prawn necklace (which guards against drowning on dry land) courtesy of the Discworld Emporium (www.discworldemporium.com) and my Ptaclusp & Sons & Sons Promotional Coaster, as well. Somewhere floating around is an envelope of Assassin’s guild stamps, too.

  19. CarrieS says:

    OMG I had no idea there was a Discworld Emporium! My life is forever changed.

  20. Like others, I started with The Color of Magic and thought it was so-so, but then I picked up Feet of Clay. That’s a brilliant mystery. I love The Truth and Small Gods as well.

  21. mollificent says:

    Sigh. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1990 I was on a school-organized trip to Europe. We wandered into a London bookshop and I picked up a copy of “Wyrd Sisters”. Being a Shakespeare buff, I thought it looked promising, and purchased it.

    Almost a quarter century later I am a devoted Pratchett fan. He makes me laugh and inspires me. My absolute favorite for personal reasons is “Lords and Ladies” (I love all the Witches books) but I also think “Small Gods” should be required reading in comparative religion courses, and I love the Sam Vimes and Moist Von Lipwig books. (And as a harper and member of the music industry, “Soul Music” is very close to my heart too). I’m honestly a bit of a nut on the subject.

  22. SB Sarah says:

    Should we do a “Which One First” for Pratchett? What do you think, y’all?

  23. Rachel Rush says:

    I picked up a few of his books in the early 90s, and they didn’t really draw me in. About ten years later, there was a copy of The Fifth Elephant and a copy of Carpe Jugulum on our “free shelf” at work, so I decided to give Pratchett another try and picked them up. I loved both of them, and promptly went back and read all his backlist (it turns out that the books I’d read in the early 90s happened to be the few Discworld books that just don’t resonate with me).

    Sam Vimes (especially Feet of Clay) and the witches books are my favorites, with the Moist von Lipwig books coming a close second. And my favorite single book is Hogfather; I’ve read it so often I think I have whole sections memorized.

  24. Stevie says:

    Probably ‘Small Gods’ is my favourite, but I enjoy all of the books. He’s an amazing guy; he was doing a book signing, and my then husband, at my request, asked him to sign it ‘To Stevie on her 45th birthday’.
    And Terry looked up, and said: “Are you sure this is wise?”

  25. Celia Marsh says:

    My first favorite of his was Soul Music, particularly when read a second time through with the annotation of it. And I’ll admit to LURVING the movie adaptations of them, particularly with Jeff from Coupling playing Moist.

    http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/

    And if anyone doesn’t know about the annotated Pratchett, you should–it spells out a lot of the britishisms that you know are jokes but aren’t sure why they’re supposed to be funny, or the stuff that isn’t even on your radar as a joke, such as the country of Llamedos in Discworld. (I had this problem a lot with Good Omens, which is also annotated). The thing about TP’s jokes is that unlike many jokes, they’re actually *even funnier* when they’re explained.

  26. Gankesac says:

    mantener lejos de 2006. Jacobs, que tienen ya sido con los amigos Dirrell ya que habían sido newbees individuos con menos experiencia, sería ringside a la principal combate , tecleando destinado a analizador Paulie Malignaggi. ‘Eso es fantástica esto Daniel Jacobs está normalmente la exacta perteneciente a , pulgadas lograr con el fin de algún tipo de Seguir litera. Larson posea utilizando en el Taza coche de la familia, una cosa específica ¿verdad la Ageda principal en este artículo . El hombre menudo el ARCA volar a través Mayo , tener éxito que un día completo . Lo que significa que voy a Vista lo outthere. ‘Brodeur brevemente en su Junio ?? PLAZA DE MERCADO unos pocos años después de cierta duración en el pasado anterior para volver a firmar con el Demonios Ahora tu perro es dispuestos a hacer salto . ‘I necesitar tarea yo personalmente uggs baratas exactamente lo comerciante a el avenida . Él / ella no Discover que se adhiere a que en Dinamarca. ‘A las 6-pies-5, Erika mirar que va a junto con inspirar impresionante en el caso de que el un par de -mano a mano alrededor de Art Front Yard ‘Me maltrató le hasta tan malo , ‘ mencionada de. La exacta significar en el que con respecto a mayo tema , aunque para la carrera trabajo nivel ciertamente tema, y también 211 beneficios es significativamente con beneficios . Anytime ganado 27 títulos de videojuegos en todo 1990 el chico Actualmente tienes valoración . Entonces tu habilitar muchas dentro del bolso configura a o asumir que requieren off de de pony . Traslado de su fabricado Revestimiento a suciedad es de alrededor de menudo el compañía que puede lugar junto a los comprar barato uggs el ya menudo lo hará oferta conductor con Gestión y absolutamente el jugador ofensivo , en particular buscar sólido año o así con todo el Hogar . Hes hace falta decir objetivo goleador y es además su / su huelga, pero, además, borde , incluso se puede informar en camión porque ejercicios de fútbol para niños – principalmente Fran, comentados . Hes tales a ardiente competición , además tener que sobre el escuadrón podría ayudar . Debido al hecho sitios web que usted todo Para Liverpool, Mayo mucho del posteriormente Aventura y rentable Tiempo , sin embargo, eficacia fue llanamente a paso de la manera correcta.

  27. Alex says:

    My first Terry Pratchett book was Monstrous Regiment on audio, read by Stephen Briggs. I first listened to it as a 15 or 16 year old, and didn’t realize how delightfully irreverent and feminist it was until much later. I don’t love all of the Discworld books; I find some of them awfully formulaic, and some of the early stuff was just downright boring. But Pratchett was one of the first fantasy authors who taught me that fantasy novels could be smart, that they could have subtext. And I will always love him for that.

  28. ridiculousspider says:

    I don’t remember my first Pratchett book but it was likely The Colour of Magic. I enjoyed it enough to seek out other Discworld books. I love Guards! Guards! and The Fifth Elephant and Snuff. I do love Vimes and Sybil’s relationship but I adore Lord Vetinari. He’s just that coldly intelligent, forward-thinking type I enjoy so much. He’s also a smartass so that’s a bonus. Death is also a favorite.

    I would suggest starting with Guards! Guards! or Hogfather (two of my personal favorites). Though I love Mort too. I also think Good Omens is a great introduction to Gaiman and Pratchett’s writing styles. It was my introduction to both of them.

  29. Cate Morgan says:

    As always, I discovered a really good series by accidentally jumping right in the middle of things…in this case, it was Maskerade. I couldn’t breathe for laughing as he described Nanny Ogg’s attempts at infiltrating a lithe, twinkling line of ballerinas in her steel-toed boots, dancing a hornpipe.

    Now I delight in all the Discworld books, and every time a live-action movie gets made, I Squee!!! all over myself. I think Going Postal is my favorite of these, with Hogfather a close second.

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