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?
If yes, then these stories are for you. There are all of the above, as well as a witch flying about on a vacuum cleaner, some walking talking statues, and a rebel ant! One of these stories was even the birth of the idea which led later to my longer book Truckers.
The stories were written way back when I was a lad working as a junior reporter, and they were published weekly in my local newspaper. The young readers then weren’t like you in lots of ways—they had no computer tablets or games consoles, and fish and chips was the only takeaway in town. But they were exactly the same in that they wanted to read about other worlds, about strange creatures and characters, about extraordinary journeys and magic battles.
I’ve tinkered here and there with a few details, added a few lines or notes, just because I can—and because as I’ve got older my imagination has got even bigger so I can’t stop myself from adding bits and bobs. But the stories in this collection are all mostly as they were first printed.
And enjoyed.
By anyone with an imagination . . .
Terry Pratchett, Wiltshire 2015
