Funny little stories for kids, rather in the mould of Norman Hunter ('Professor Branestawm', 'The Dribblesome Teapots') or the lighter end of Roald Dahl. Obviously not up to the level of his later work, but even so, there were a couple of things that made me laugh. MB 28-xii-2022 ( )

I’ve had the enjoyable experience of reading all the Discworld books as they came out, but hadn’t especially followed the rest of Pratchett’s work. When this collection of his early stories came up in my feed, I was curious enough to pick it up.

The stories, aimed at younger readers, are a charming indicator of how his later writing would develop. Of course there’s a lot of humour and silliness, which even then tends towards the wry rather than full-on slapstick. The illustrations were fun. And there were threads of underlying social commentary that we see later in the Discworld books.

I wouldn’t have bought this book if it were written by anyone else. But I had fun reading it in the context of his wider works.

A cute collection of early stories that still have some depth to them.

Es un libro muy liviano, cada cuento aquí está conectado y sin querer te forma una historia encantadora.
Me he sentido algo mal estos días y sentí la necesidad de leer algo rapidito, que me hiciera reír y Pratchett no decepciona. En verdad fue un abrazo apretado y una historia que te hace olvidar todo y pasar un rato agradable, me sacó más de una risa. ( )

If you obsessively love Terry Pratchett and you want to know what his early work was like, this is the book for you! Quirky, funny stories that fit right in with the carpet people and the other off-beat children's lit.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

Review originally posted at The Children's Book and Media Review

Dragons at Crumbling Castle is a collection of short stories written by Terry Pratchett in his younger years. The stories contain a unique set of heroes, including Hercules the Tortoise, people on a speck bent on traveling to another speck, carpet people exploring new lands, a caveman who enjoys inventing things that will change the world, a champion egg dancer, a boring knight, and an abominable snowman. The book contains fourteen zany stories with plots ranging from going to fight dragons to a bus going back in time.

The stories might have been written at the beginning of his writing career, but they have all the wit and charm that Pratchett fans would expect. The stories are short enough to read in small intervals, but entertaining enough that readers will be laughing out loud and eager to read the next one. The illustrations are funny, amusing, and will likely remind readers of the artwork by Quentin Blake. Readers who enjoy silliness, fantasy, and adventure are likely to enjoy these stories, whether they are already Pratchett fans or not. ( )