A Slip of the Keyboard
Terry Pratchett is easily my most-read author. A lot of that comes down to him being so prolific, though that would hardly matter if he weren't also entertaining. If he didn't make me confront the hard questions and look at them from another perspective.
A Slip of the Keyboard is the first book I've read by Sir Terry that was not set on the Discworld. (He's written 40 of those, and I've read 39.) It's not even a work of fiction. It's a collection of essays spanning his entire career. The first section is about the process of writing and being an author. The second section is more autobiographical, about Terry's childhood. The final section, titled "Days of Rage" is mostly about his Alzheimer's diagnosis and his work advocating for assisted death in Britain.
The book got a bit repetitive at times. The writing spans several decades, but it's clear that there are some concepts that have stuck with him forever. The idea of fantasy as just being another way of looking at the mundane. Of allowing people, especially children, to read whatever they want to. Some of his anecdotes get repeated several times. The final section is like this, too, though it seems more purposeful there. Pratchett's arguments become more cohesive and powerful as he becomes better researched and more sure of his convictions.
The last section was actually a little hard to read. I love Pratchett's writing, and the idea that there are always more Discworld books waiting for me. To see him talk so frankly about the end of his career and his life was a little jarring. Though I also think it's good that he talks about it so much.
This book is good for people who are already fans of Pratchett. Who want to get a glimpse behind the curtain and see what inspires him and makes him tick. It's less essential for people who aren't fans. They'd probably get too bored by the repetition, though there are a few good essays I may force on people anyway,
A Slip of the Keyboard is the first book I've read by Sir Terry that was not set on the Discworld. (He's written 40 of those, and I've read 39.) It's not even a work of fiction. It's a collection of essays spanning his entire career. The first section is about the process of writing and being an author. The second section is more autobiographical, about Terry's childhood. The final section, titled "Days of Rage" is mostly about his Alzheimer's diagnosis and his work advocating for assisted death in Britain.
The book got a bit repetitive at times. The writing spans several decades, but it's clear that there are some concepts that have stuck with him forever. The idea of fantasy as just being another way of looking at the mundane. Of allowing people, especially children, to read whatever they want to. Some of his anecdotes get repeated several times. The final section is like this, too, though it seems more purposeful there. Pratchett's arguments become more cohesive and powerful as he becomes better researched and more sure of his convictions.
The last section was actually a little hard to read. I love Pratchett's writing, and the idea that there are always more Discworld books waiting for me. To see him talk so frankly about the end of his career and his life was a little jarring. Though I also think it's good that he talks about it so much.
This book is good for people who are already fans of Pratchett. Who want to get a glimpse behind the curtain and see what inspires him and makes him tick. It's less essential for people who aren't fans. They'd probably get too bored by the repetition, though there are a few good essays I may force on people anyway,
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