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alongreader's review
4.0
I have weirdly mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it is lovely to learn more about Terry, who was a completely fascinating person. There are some great stories here that I really enjoyed.
On the other hand, it's very technical in spots. I didn't really need to know which book company bought the book company who used to publish Terry's books. The Kidby/Kirby bits were interesting at least. I'd heard a lot of the information here in bits and pieces before, but it's nice to have it collected here in chronological order, and the pictures at the back are really interesting.
Overall it's really good and I really want to start a reread now. The only question is, which one to start with?
On the other hand, it's very technical in spots. I didn't really need to know which book company bought the book company who used to publish Terry's books. The Kidby/Kirby bits were interesting at least. I'd heard a lot of the information here in bits and pieces before, but it's nice to have it collected here in chronological order, and the pictures at the back are really interesting.
Overall it's really good and I really want to start a reread now. The only question is, which one to start with?
yanailedit's review
1.0
Terry Pratchett had an infectious manner in every sense of the phrase. His voice as an author, his worldview as an individual, his sense of humor; you name it and Pratchett probably did it well. And he made it look easy.
Easy enough to make you think you'd be pretty good at it too, actually...
Unfortunately, that's not a hot look for a biography.
The author gets swept up in trying to mimic Pratchett's humor and squeezes in too many jokes without any of the timing, depth, or finesse. I was left with the odd impression that Burrows managed to pin down the rhythm of Pratchett's tone and voice and rushed out to show everyone at the Edinburgh Fringe before he figured how to substantiate it with the incisive emotional depth that makes the original so special.
In fact, Burrows seems a bit fixated on catching every single one of Pratchett's 'gags' and studying its source, not unlike an insect collector who prefers to see a rare butterfly pinned on cork than in flight. This approach to humor is derivative and reductive, seeking to break Pratchett's communication magic of distilling seemingly disparate topics down to a common connection just to see what made them possible in the first place. Once he had put them back together, however, something essential was missing. In fact, quite a few of the mimic-'gags' (I now strongly dislike this word) were significantly more mean-spirited, opportunistic, and at the expense of someone else in comparison to Pratchett's, as though Burrows had figured out Pratchett's rhythm, but not the how, why, and if he should or not.
To quote Gandalf, 'He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.'
That is not to say that Burrows is a bad writer. His writing is enjoyable and his skills as an entertainer are apparent when he isn't trying to fill Pratchett's shoes. The opening chapters about Pratchett's life were genuinely fascinating and he almost manages to get away with the lack of biographical depth.
In the end, however, what starts out as a fascinating (if brief) journey through Pratchett's early years quickly becomes a list of his sales achievements, awards, money, and excerpts from raving and raging reviewers both.
It's understandable to an extent; the Pratchett estate didn't authorise this biography as much as it tolerated it. The interview excerpts featured are mostly shallow words carefully chosen for their positive vagueness and discouragement of further questions. A number of very important figures in Pratchett's life either don't feature at all or get an unrelated or repurposed quote stretched to fit a topic.
The limited availability of material and the threat of frowning estate lawyers could have been balanced with more extensive interviews with dedicated fans, one of the many directors who adapted Pratchett's works for the stage, or scholars who could opine on the magic of Pratchett's writing. A good example for this kind of fleshing out of a difficult, out-of-bounds subject is How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor.
Instead all we get is a somewhat unpleasant over-curiosity about Pratchett's bank account. Considering the title is The Magic of Terry Pratchett, I'm left with the somewhat distasteful impression that this biography is implying Pratchett's magic was in his rise to fame.
Perhaps somewhat naively, I consider Pratchett's magic to be the worldview in which no one is a less-than-human background character. His was (and is) a worldview defined by wonder towards this weird life and the emotional depth in all, no matter how predictably they might act; not the ability to squeeze in 'gags' at the expense of easy targets.
The start of the book invites the reader on a journey of indirectly meeting Pratchett. What I actually met was the author's collection of trivia about his personal hero in the shape of a biography vague enough to avoid any legal implications.
Easy enough to make you think you'd be pretty good at it too, actually...
Unfortunately, that's not a hot look for a biography.
The author gets swept up in trying to mimic Pratchett's humor and squeezes in too many jokes without any of the timing, depth, or finesse. I was left with the odd impression that Burrows managed to pin down the rhythm of Pratchett's tone and voice and rushed out to show everyone at the Edinburgh Fringe before he figured how to substantiate it with the incisive emotional depth that makes the original so special.
In fact, Burrows seems a bit fixated on catching every single one of Pratchett's 'gags' and studying its source, not unlike an insect collector who prefers to see a rare butterfly pinned on cork than in flight. This approach to humor is derivative and reductive, seeking to break Pratchett's communication magic of distilling seemingly disparate topics down to a common connection just to see what made them possible in the first place. Once he had put them back together, however, something essential was missing. In fact, quite a few of the mimic-'gags' (I now strongly dislike this word) were significantly more mean-spirited, opportunistic, and at the expense of someone else in comparison to Pratchett's, as though Burrows had figured out Pratchett's rhythm, but not the how, why, and if he should or not.
To quote Gandalf, 'He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.'
That is not to say that Burrows is a bad writer. His writing is enjoyable and his skills as an entertainer are apparent when he isn't trying to fill Pratchett's shoes. The opening chapters about Pratchett's life were genuinely fascinating and he almost manages to get away with the lack of biographical depth.
In the end, however, what starts out as a fascinating (if brief) journey through Pratchett's early years quickly becomes a list of his sales achievements, awards, money, and excerpts from raving and raging reviewers both.
It's understandable to an extent; the Pratchett estate didn't authorise this biography as much as it tolerated it. The interview excerpts featured are mostly shallow words carefully chosen for their positive vagueness and discouragement of further questions. A number of very important figures in Pratchett's life either don't feature at all or get an unrelated or repurposed quote stretched to fit a topic.
The limited availability of material and the threat of frowning estate lawyers could have been balanced with more extensive interviews with dedicated fans, one of the many directors who adapted Pratchett's works for the stage, or scholars who could opine on the magic of Pratchett's writing. A good example for this kind of fleshing out of a difficult, out-of-bounds subject is How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor.
Instead all we get is a somewhat unpleasant over-curiosity about Pratchett's bank account. Considering the title is The Magic of Terry Pratchett, I'm left with the somewhat distasteful impression that this biography is implying Pratchett's magic was in his rise to fame.
Perhaps somewhat naively, I consider Pratchett's magic to be the worldview in which no one is a less-than-human background character. His was (and is) a worldview defined by wonder towards this weird life and the emotional depth in all, no matter how predictably they might act; not the ability to squeeze in 'gags' at the expense of easy targets.
The start of the book invites the reader on a journey of indirectly meeting Pratchett. What I actually met was the author's collection of trivia about his personal hero in the shape of a biography vague enough to avoid any legal implications.
zarco_j's review
5.0
The Magic Of Terry Pratchett is the result of painstaking archival research alongside interviews with friends and contemporaries who knew the real man under the famous black hat,
Immensely readable and echoing the warmth and humour of his writing, this biography of the esteemed author Terry Pratchett is a must read for fans of his works.
Thanks to Marc Burrows, NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Immensely readable and echoing the warmth and humour of his writing, this biography of the esteemed author Terry Pratchett is a must read for fans of his works.
Thanks to Marc Burrows, NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
sil3nos's review
I have not read many of Terry's books (only Small Gods and the death series) and yet there's a sense of style so evident and wonderful shining through every part of his work. So naturally I wanted to learn more about this man that looks like a fairy-tale grandfather. This book was rather an overview about his life and work (including how he worked with). Scattered in were sometimes funny anecdotes.
A fun read, but I guess a lot more emotional if you read more of Sir Terry's work or even happened to know him. It made me thirsty for more discworld, however.
A fun read, but I guess a lot more emotional if you read more of Sir Terry's work or even happened to know him. It made me thirsty for more discworld, however.
jayfr's review
5.0
The Magic Of Terry Pratchett is the result of painstaking archival research alongside interviews with friends and contemporaries who knew the real man under the famous black hat,
Immensely readable and echoing the warmth and humour of his writing, this biography of the esteemed author Terry Pratchett is a must read for fans of his works.
Thanks to Marc Burrows, NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Immensely readable and echoing the warmth and humour of his writing, this biography of the esteemed author Terry Pratchett is a must read for fans of his works.
Thanks to Marc Burrows, NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
annieb123's review
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Magic of Terry Pratchett is a well written and engaging biography of the inimitable and sadly missed master fantasist, written by Marc Burrows. Tentatively due out 30th July 2020 from Pen & Sword on their White Owl imprint, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
I was unfamiliar with the author's other work (as a comedian, writer, entertainer) (sorry!) and admit to some trepidation going in. I'm a massive fan of Pratchett's work, both the canonical Discworld series, as well as his other series and standalones and was worried that nobody could really do his biography justice. I worried needlessly, as it turned out, because this is a genuinely funny and sensitively written biography. There was quite a lot of information included with which I was previously unfamiliar, especially about Pratchett's early life and writing and career choices.
I liked and appreciated the gently humorous voice of the book, peppered with asides and footnotes of which Sir Terry would likely have approved. Burrows also points out often in the book those places where strictly factual anecdotes and retellings might be in doubt (Pratchett was renowned for self-mythologizing during his lifetime - and the stories have only grown since his passing). There are numerous photographs included and it's apparent just how much he was loved and lauded during his too-short lifetime.
I really enjoyed this biography and recommend it unreservedly to fans of Pratchett, Discworld, and his other works. It's written humorously and well in an entertaining (if not rigorously academic) style.
Five stars. Well worth a read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Magic of Terry Pratchett is a well written and engaging biography of the inimitable and sadly missed master fantasist, written by Marc Burrows. Tentatively due out 30th July 2020 from Pen & Sword on their White Owl imprint, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
I was unfamiliar with the author's other work (as a comedian, writer, entertainer) (sorry!) and admit to some trepidation going in. I'm a massive fan of Pratchett's work, both the canonical Discworld series, as well as his other series and standalones and was worried that nobody could really do his biography justice. I worried needlessly, as it turned out, because this is a genuinely funny and sensitively written biography. There was quite a lot of information included with which I was previously unfamiliar, especially about Pratchett's early life and writing and career choices.
I liked and appreciated the gently humorous voice of the book, peppered with asides and footnotes of which Sir Terry would likely have approved. Burrows also points out often in the book those places where strictly factual anecdotes and retellings might be in doubt (Pratchett was renowned for self-mythologizing during his lifetime - and the stories have only grown since his passing). There are numerous photographs included and it's apparent just how much he was loved and lauded during his too-short lifetime.
I really enjoyed this biography and recommend it unreservedly to fans of Pratchett, Discworld, and his other works. It's written humorously and well in an entertaining (if not rigorously academic) style.
Five stars. Well worth a read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
andreatoole's review
5.0
This is the first full biography of Sir Terry Pratchett ever written, and Pratchett fan Marc Burrows did an excellent job distilling the life of Sir Pratchett. The humble, Sir Pratchett.
It was a quick read, one that had me going back to my library app and Goodreads often to flag books that I need to read. I read a few of Pratchett's work years ago, starting with Good Omens and going into some of the Discworld series, but there are so many that I got overwhelmed and gave up. However, I feel The Magic of Terry Pratchett gave me a list of Pratchett's "greatest hits". I appreciate that.
This book also inspired me creatively.
If you've read Terry Pratchett's books and like his work, give this book a read.
It was a quick read, one that had me going back to my library app and Goodreads often to flag books that I need to read. I read a few of Pratchett's work years ago, starting with Good Omens and going into some of the Discworld series, but there are so many that I got overwhelmed and gave up. However, I feel The Magic of Terry Pratchett gave me a list of Pratchett's "greatest hits". I appreciate that.
This book also inspired me creatively.
If you've read Terry Pratchett's books and like his work, give this book a read.
zoes_human's review
informative
lighthearted
3.0
A suitable and moving tribute to a man who brought so many of us joy. #GNUTerryPratchett