Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Stories

A whimsical collection of Sir Terry's early stories. It made for a nice, casual audiobook, one I didn't mind stepping away from for days at a time. Not the best introduction to Pratchett for the neophyte, but enjoyable if you are already a fan.

This is a collection of some of the late great Sir Terry's earliest work, originally written in the late 1960's and early 1970's that has been repackaged and delightfully illustrated by the artist Mark Beech.

There are some amusing tales in here, and these are some of the first stories of the tiny

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people that became the Carpet People later on. It is a book primarily written for children, but hey, it's Terry Pratchett. The stories are not complicated, but you do get a feeling for the way his mind was working even then, and what it is also very clear are the elements and raw materials that were used in the fabulous Discworld Series.

Now just need to make sure my children read it...

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Dragons at Crumbling Castle is a collection of 14 tales for children by Terry Pratchett but, trust me, you don’t need to be a child to appreciate them – all you need is a sense of humour and whimsy and perhaps a little private space so that people won’t stare at you funny when you read them

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on the bus (trust me, it’s embarrassing).

Although these tales were written early in Pratchett’s career, they are just as funny as his Discworld books. As I read them I kept thinking I wish I had a small child to read them to because these are the kind of stories that make you want to do silly voices and sound effects.

In the title story, King Arthur is informed that dragons have invaded crumbling castle. Ralph ‘a small boy in a suit of mail much too big for him’ is chosen by the king to deal with the problem (mainly because no one else is available) so he sets out with his talking donkey. After many exciting (and hilarious) adventures, they arrive at the castle only to discover that dragons are actually quite nice and peaceful. They only moved to the castle when the original lord dammed the river to build a swimming pool and accidentally flooded their cave.

Among the other stories are two tales about the carpet people who set out on an adventurous journey across the carpet seeking a new home perhaps near the shiny plains of Linoleum, one about an egg-dancing contest, and one about Father Christmas’ attempt to find a job to help make ends meet during the other 364 days of the year when he’s not employed. I liked some stories more than others but they are all hilarious.

Dragons at Crumbling Castle is the perfect antidote for a rainy afternoon or for the reluctant child at bedtime. It is just a whole lot of fun. The marvelously quirkly illustrations by Mark Beech are a perfect complement to the tales. The best thing: this is the kind of book you will probably enjoy just as much if not more than the kids.

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A collection of short stories that Sir Terry Pratchett wrote for a child-friendly audience whilst he was a young journalist on a local newspaper. Collected here, along with some wonderful illustrations by the Dahl-drawer, Quentin Blake, are (I assume) a book of fourteen the best ones.

It's a mixed

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collection (topically) but the general outlook is the same: very Pratchett-esque fantasy stories that use real-world events or situations and plonk them straight in the middle of a fantasy world. There is a commentary after each story about it, which explores the links between it and Terry's later writings, particularly Discworld stories.

Dragon at Crumbling Castle is a lovely collection of stories: some are funnier than others, some are written better than others, but they're all quintessentially Pratchett. I also loved the fact that the stories were not edited in any way, and are in fact directly how they were originally published (apart from the fact that they were serialised in the newspaper; they have been put together fully for the purposes of this book).

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If I were back in fourth grade, I would be bringing this book home from the library. King Arthur is having trouble with dragons and selects a young boy to fix the problem. Hence, the adventures we find here. Sir Terry writes that this is a work of his early years and is surprised that his publisher

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has chosen to release it. We now know of his recent death. All the better to have his works released. It's a fun, humorous read for the young and young-at-heart. My thanks to Goodreads for a complimentary copy.

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Even early Terry Pratchett is better than the usual run-of-the-mill fantasy, and this collection is no exception to that rule. These stories, written for the children's corner of a newspaper the young Pratchett worked for, are quirky and entertaining, and they're perfectly matched by the whimsical

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illustrations; his notes for each one are fun too. I don't feel the need to own this, though I might change my mind if someone ever published an edition that benefitted either Alzheimer's research or one of the other causes Pratchett supported during his lifetime.

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The juvenile works of a popular authors are often read as a curiosity, as a study, as a building block toward the greatest that would later appear. You may approach this book in that way, but I am happy to say that there are many other reasons to do so.

The stories in this collection are intended

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for children, and yet to the adult display all of the wit and invention of the greatest days of Discworld. If they lack depth of characterization, or tackle juvenile themes, what of that? I will happily hold this book on my shelf until I can read them to my own children, as a gateway to an even greater world of adult fantasy fiction.

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I think I must be the only person in the world who doesn't love Terry Pratchett.

First thing to remember: this is genuinely a children's book, aimed at children. It is not an adult book with the swearing taken out.
There are some nice little far-fetched stories that children will enjoy and find very funny, and indeed that adults should enjoy reading to their kids.
That's what

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it's for!

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When Terry Pratchett was a young man, he worked at a newspaper. These short and humorous stories were published in that paper, the 'Bucks Free Press' as part of their 'Children's Circle' page. They're a wonderful glimpse into the early development of a writer - but they're also wholly enjoyable on

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their own merits.

Dragons at Crumbling Castle: The title story is a charming and punny, if not altogether unfamiliar-feeling, tale of a quest to slay some dragons who turn out to be more congenial than expected. (LOL, the Sports Page.)

Hercules the Tortoise: If you ever happen to have a child whose pet turtle goes missing after being let out to crawl around the yard - this is the perfect story for that moment.

The Great Speck: A simple yet very true analogy about cooperation vs. nationalism and one-upmanship. And a story about the two nations resident on a floating dust mote going to visit a passing, neighboring dust mote.

Hunt the Snorry: Basically, an extended joke with a pretty funny punchline, making fun of Great Hunts and glorious quests.

Tales of the Carpet People: Pratchett fans who've read his recently re-published first novel "The Carpet People" will be familiar with the characters here. I actually think the conceit works better in a shorter format.

Dok the Caveman: The Dawn of Civilization, according to Pratchett.

The Big Race: Have you ever wondered why we use gasoline-guzzling cars, rather than steam-powered ones? Here's Pratchett's theory.

Another Tale of the Carpet People: Here, the Carpet People set out on a voyage of exploration (with certain parallels to the storybook conception of Columbus' famous voyage) and 'discover' the Rug.

The Egg-Dancing Championship: A small-town folktale of rivalries surrounding two neighboring villages' (rather silly) traditonal contest.

Edwo the Boring Knight: Edwo may be boring (in fact, he bores a dragon stiff - literally), but this story of a youngest son off to seek his fortune, is not.

The 59A Bus Goes Back in Time: A typical London bus takes a most unusual route...

The Abominable Snowman: A funny spoof of the traditional style of British Scientific Expedition to Foreign Parts (and the British tradition of package holidays).

The Blackbury Monster: The mayor of a sleepy small town comes up with an innovative way to attract tourism: pretend there's a monster in the lake. However, the fallout from his scheme isn't quite what he expected.

Father Christmas Gets A Job: In today's job market, even our much-beloved Santa Claus might find he's not very 'employable.'


Many thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read this collection. As always, my opinions are my own.

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I'm quite fond of Pratchett's writing for younger readers, so even though these stories aren't as well crafted as his more mature writing, they definitely contain the same sort of sensibility and humor as the rest of his work.

Library copy

A set of short stories by Sir Terry Pratchett. I decided to read this because I've never read anything by Pratchett and this would be fast, available as audible through overdrive. These stories are written for children. In fact, the author wrote them when he was a youngster with a few minor touch

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ups to publish them. Great stories. I highly recommend them for young people and they are entertaining for old ones too. The carpet people are great. Loved the story of Dork the Caveman and the last stories actually fit for Fall Flurry Holiday reads with The Abominable Snowman and Father Christmas goes to work.

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Sweet collection.

Terry Pratchett sits fairly high up on my list of must-read authors. His brand of writing, with its wit and whimsy, never fails to delight me. That meant, of course, that I wanted to read his Middle Grade short story compilation the minute I knew it existed. I was thrilled by the fact that these

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were all stories Pratchett wrote as a boy and, awesomely enough, were the launchpad for a lot of his writing now.

First off, I want to praise Mark Beech for his illustrations. They perfectly compliment the stories inside this book! I was actually so enamored with them that I had to go and look his portfolio up online. There's something whimsical about his illustrations which, as I mentioned above, matches the whimsy in Pratchett's stories. I can absolutely see sitting next to a young reader and sharing these stories with them before bed!

As to the stories themselves, I really believe that these will appeal to a lot of readers. I wasn't a huge fan of all of them, I felt like some were a little unfinished, but of course I couldn't help but remember that a young Pratchett's wonderful mind created these. That same fun, romping pace I've come to love winds its way through all the stories, and most of them have their own little lessons built in. Best of all, there are giggle-worthy parts thrown in at the most unexpected moments.

Final verdict? Definitely a fun compilation for both Terry Pratchett fans, and those looking for a set of short stories to share with their kids! I don't like to compare books, but I'll be honest in saying that these reminded me a lot of Roald Dahl. Trust me, that's a huge compliment. Enjoy!

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When a boring prince uses his boring power to make a dragon falls asleep. And a bus trace through time. You know you are not reading a conventional children stories.

I like the conflict resolution in this book. Not a lot of violence but lot of reasoning to why the the characters did.

When a baby

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dragon wondered off, the castle is being invaded by dragons. What else can you do?

the carpet people were pretty cool too. Edge. If the carpet is like. Edge of the world for people who lived in carpet.

Overall, pretty entertaining for children , and some adults who get it.

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this was adorable. and the illustrations are great! I particularly liked the short stories about the carpet people.

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.

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

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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.

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Adorable short stories presented in a way that I can see children liking as much as adult fans.

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