"They Keep Pulling Me Back In!": Coming Soon

 

A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories, by Terry Pratchett; Foreword by Neil Gaiman (Expected publication October 10, 2023) 240 Pages.

All quotes from the official release and Wikipedia.

“Twenty early short stories by one of the world's best loved authors, each accompanied by exquisite original woodcut illustrations” – though they fail to name the artist. It is being touted as 'a positively final appearance' of Pratchett's personal works.

“None are set in the Discworld, but they hint towards the world he would go on to create, containing his trademark wit, satirical wisdom and fantastic imagination.”

“Sir Terry wrote the stories for a regional newspaper under the pseudonym Patrick Kearns in the 1970s and 80s. They had not previously been attributed to him but have now been collected after a search by "a few dedicated fans", publishers Penguin said.”

“In June 2015, [Rhianna Pratchett] said that her father's 41st Discworld novel The Shepherd’s Crown, to be published posthumously later that year, would mark the end of the series, and that no further novels or books of unfinished work would be authorized for publication.” Since these tales were all previously published and are not Discworld, this book falls under the wording of the act, but what of this next volume?

Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch, Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent (Expected October 26, 2023), YA Fiction, 208 Pages.

Although it is too early to tell, I imagine that this volume will be a 'stitch': a gathering of what Terry Pratchett has written about Discworld witches and witchcraft in other books, a scrapbook companion surrounded by a framing device. Although it is advertised as 'Fiction', I imagine it can be termed as such because it is a guide to an aspect of a fictional world, rather like Nanny Ogg's Cookbook. Furthermore it is illustrated by the great Paul Kidby, adding much to its air of authenticity.

Rhianna Pratchett (Terry's daughter) is renowned for her work in script writing and narrative design for video games, for which she also wrote several book tie-ins. Perhaps that is from where she knows her co-author, Gabrielle Kent. 

"Gabrielle worked as a graphic artist on videogames. Now a full-time author [of YA fiction], her work includes Alfie Bloom – a series about a boy who inherits a castle and a whole load of magical problems, and Knights and Bikes – a series based on the video game of the same name." 

I've never read anything from either series, so I don't know what to expect of her contribution. Needless to say, this autumn should prove very interesting.