A Slip of the Keyboard

Collected Nonfiction

By: Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman - introduction

Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens

A collection of essays and other non fiction from Terry Pratchett, spanning the whole of his writing career from his early years to the present day.
Terry Pratchett has earned a place in the hearts of readers the world over with his bestselling Discworld series -- but in recent years he has become equally well-known and respected as an outspoken campaigner for causes including Alzheimer's research and animal rights. A Slip of the Keyboard brings together for the first time the finest examples of Pratchett's non fiction writing, both serious and surreal: from musings on mushrooms to what it means to be a writer (and why banana daiquiris are so important); from memories of Granny Pratchett to speculation about Gandalf's love life, and passionate defences of the causes dear to him.
With all the humour and humanity that have made his novels so enduringly popular, this collection brings Pratchett out from behind the scenes of the Discworld to speak for himself -- man and boy, bibliophile and computer geek, champion of hats, orangutans and Dignity in Dying.

Snuff was the bestselling adult hardcover novel of 2011. A Blink of the Screen, Terry's short fiction collection, was also one of the bestselling hardcovers of 2012.

Critic reviews

Praise for Terry Pratchett

“One of the world’s most delightful writers.”
—Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

“Some writers simply possess the Gift. No matter what they bring out . . . it’s sure to be compulsively readable. That’s certainly the case with Terry Pratchett.”
—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World

“The great Terry Pratchett, whose wit is metaphysical, who creates an energetic and lively secondary world, who has a multifarious genius for strong parody . . . who deals with death with startling originality. He writes amazing sentences.”
—A. S. Byatt, The New York Times

“Clever . . . insightful. . . . [Pratchett’s] wry wit is as good as gold.”
—Lylah M. Alphonse, The Boston Globe

“One of the most consistently funny writers around; a master of the stealth simile, the time-delay pun, and the deflationary three-part list.”
—Ben Aaronovitch, The Guardian (London)

“What Pratchett does is not just great, but unparalleled. In five hundred years, it won’t be the Nobel laureates who are being studied. It’s going to be this guy.”
—Brandon Sanderson, Tor.com

Enjoyable Read, a little repetitive at the end

Having read all of Pratchett's Discworld books, collaborations and other stuff, like Nation and The Amazing Maurice... I was interested to hear more from this author.

This book isn't as good as Discworld or Good Omens or Nation, but it was still enjoyable and interesting. Pratchett has a type of early onset Alzheimer's which you probably know, but will certainly hear a good deal about in this book. The last few inclusions get a little repetitive, but overall the stories are varied and interesting.

Also, I learned that perhaps I've been saying Maurice (in my head) wrong all along, the narrator says Morris, I've always thought it was more like Maw-reece).

Inspirational words from Terry

This book is a thought provoking and inspirational collection of works from Sir Pratchett. Full of noteworthy quotes and ideas to consider. It reads like a personal message from Terry to his fans.

Enjoyable Listen

The narration captures Sir Pratchett's humor quite well. The information herein provides wonderful information, insight, and story.

like terry Pratchett?

then listen to his own views on life! a little repetitive but i enjoyed hearing his own words about life.

Such a pleasure!

I only knew of Terry Pratchett as the friend of Neil Gaiman with whom he co-authored the amazing “Good Omens “. But his writing is so personable and intelligent that I really enjoyed listening to his views on life (and death) and the stories of his adventures as an author/human. I may even expand my reading scope and check out Disc World, even though fantasy is not typically my favorite genre. So glad I chose to give this a try!