The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner and Other Stories

by Terry Pratchett

Overview

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 delight—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”—and The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner proves to be another miracle taking its place alongside Pratchett’s astounding and cherished body of work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062653116
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/03/2017
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	0820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Sir Terry Pratchett, OBE, was the author of more than 70 books, including the internationally bestselling Discworld series of novels. His books have been adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. In January 2009, Pratchett was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his services to literature. Sir Terry, who lived in England, died in March 2015 at the age of 66.

Hometown:

Salisbury, Wiltshire, England

Date of Birth:

April 28, 1948

Date of Death:

March 12, 2015

Place of Birth:

Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England

Place of Death:

http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/

Education:

Four honorary degrees in literature from the universities of Portsmouth, Bristol, Bath and Warwick

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2017
Gr 3–6—A magical vacuum cleaner, a time-traveling television, airships, feuds, wars, scandals, and gnomes are but a few of the magical conundrums and characters in this collection. Each story is well-developed, engaging, and complex. Laced with the humor only Pratchett can deliver, this volume of tales is a great way to remember the late author's writing style. Some of the characters' names, when read aloud, are even good for a laugh. Quirky footnotes, text that pops off the page, and memorable scenes draw readers deep into Pratchett's world. VERDICT This is a must-read for any fantasy, adventure, or Pratchett fan—and a great way to introduce his writings to a new generation.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City

School Library Journal

2016-10-19
More free-range juvenilia from the much-missed creator of Discworld.Following up on The Dragons at Crumbling Castle, and Other Stories (2015), these 14 tales were likewise originally published in the 1960s and '70s in the Bucks Free Press and reappear here with fresh titles and, as Pratchett puts it in his posthumous introduction, a few added "bits and bobs." Mostly set in either the contemporary town of Blackbury or the "Wild West" (i.e., Welsh) hamlet of Llandanffwnfafegettupagogo, the tales tend toward silly upsets. These range from the mysterious transformation of local residents into Elizabethans to the exploits of Police Constable Bryn Bunyan, "fastest truncheon west of the River Severn," at the O.K. Sheep Dip and elsewhere. In several episodes, adventurers, usually diminutive, intrepidly set out in such odd vehicles as a passing airship, a walnut submarine, or a human-sized lorry (this last forming the kernel of a later novel, Truckers). Aside from "An Ant Called 4179003" who settles in with an errant bee (both males, read into that what you will), the casts are all filled with standard, mundane or magical white, British types. Bravery shows up almost as often as buffoonery in these satiric bits and bobs. (Fantasy/short stories. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews