Status
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Description
Fantasy. Short Stories. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: Do you believe in magic? Can you imagine a war between wizards? An exciting journey in an airship or down in a submarine? Would you like to meet the fastest truncheon in the Wild West? The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner is the second fabulously funny short-story collection from the late acclaimed storyteller Terry Pratchett. A follow-up to Dragons at Crumbling Castle, this second batch of storytelling gems features stories written when Sir Terry was just seventeen years old and working as a junior reporter. In these pages, new Pratchett fans will find wonder, mayhem, sorcery, and delightâ??and loyal readers will recognize the seeds of ideas that went on to influence his most beloved tales later in life. As Neil Gaiman says, "a Terry Pratchett book is a small miracle"â??and The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner proves to be another miracle taking its place alongside Pratchett's astounding and cherished body of work… (more)
User reviews
Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
I found the stories charming in a Roald Dahl way, except I suspect Pratchett of imagination, whereas I sort of suspect Dahl of LSD abuse. They were funny, witty and there are hidden references to LOTR, C.S. Lewis' work, and hilarious homages to the Wild West, including Maverick. As I read, I kept thinking my nieces would find these fun, if I could get them to just try a story or two (they're reaching that age when the tastes of all adults tank and can't be trusted), and I must bring the collection to the attention of my sister-in-law who insists that teaching small children is fun.
The commentary was meh and in my opinion, skippable. Bridson is, I'm assuming, aiming it at the stories' audiences, and it's obviously meant to steer them towards the full novels. The comparisons she points out are the obvious ones, and she ignores almost all of the careful nuances and subtle wordplay that I appreciated most.
My edition is the slipcased one shown and it's beautiful. Inside I found it included a full colour illustration from Mark Beech, on postcard sized stock, slipped between the pages, a pleasant bonus.