A Slip of the Keyboard - Book Review
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Anyone who met the late
Sir Terry Pratchett came away with the impression of infinite old-fashioned courtesy, a twinkling eye and a slight, but charming, speech impediment.
A closer observer might have looked beyond the twinkle into the deep intelligence behind the eyes and still further behind that to the simmering rage at the stupidities and casual cruelty of humankind.
All his life he fought against stupidity, against ignorance, with the weapon he knew best - the pen. Lining up gentle satire and that most powerful of weapons, humour, as well as his prodigious imagination on his side, he tilted at the windmills of blind religious bigotry, women's rights, abuse of power and prejudice.
But, such was his skill as a writer, you'd have had to look at his books pretty hard to see the workings beneath the glossy exterior.
But it does come through quite strongly in the snippets, essays and short, non-fiction pieces collected as
A Slip of the Keyboard - a companion to
A Blink of the Screen (short fictional pieces).
Ranging far and wide in topic these pieces, some of which go back nearly thirty years, are a previously unknown joy and insight into the mind of one of the great writers of our generation.
Very highly recommended.
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87539 - 2023-06-11 07:39:43