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Once More *With Footnotes

Terry Pratchett: The Man, The Myth, The Legend, The Beverage An introduction by Esther Friesner. Not sure who she is, maybe someone to do with NESFA? Apology An introduction by Terry Pratchett, describing the difficulty of finding some of the stories and articles in the book. Hollywood Chickens A short story about group of chickens who are stranded by the side of an American highway and attempt to cross the road. Written in the style of a scientific report into their efforts. Doctor Who? A speech given by Terry on receiving an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Portsmouth University. The Hades Business A real bit of history, this one: the first story Terry wrote that was actually published. He labels it 'juvenile' - but perhaps that's not surprising, as he wrote it when he was thirteen. The Big Store A bit of description written for (probably) the programme of a theatrical production of Truckers, describing his inspiration for writing the book. Twenty Pence with Envelope and Seasonal Greeting This is a rather strange short story about characters from a Christmas card who find their way out onto the mantlepiece and into the pictures adorning other cards. Paperback Writer Want to know the answer to the question: how do you write your books? Here is a bit of description on how Terry finishes one book and gets started on the next. Incubust A drabble - that is, a story only 100 words long. Describing the plot at all would give too much away, but I will mention that he manages to fit in a footnote. Final Reward Probably my personal favourite. A short story about a fantasy novelist who kills off the barbarian hero from his popular series of books, only to find said hero turning up on his doorstep and demanding the traditional hero's afterlife of feasting in the hall of his maker. Surprisingly dark. And Mind the Monoliths A local newspaper feature written in the 80s from the point of view of someone living on one of many 'historical living' projects set up by television stations to recreate the past. Probably more amusing if you can remember the time in question. FTB As in, 'it has to work with the FTB enabled'. Using many of the same ideas as Hex's encounter with Death in Hogfather, this tells the story of a computer who sends a letter to Father Christmas. Theatre of Cruelty This one is around on various websites if you want to read it (try here, for instance). It's a short story featuring Colon, Nobby, Vimes and Corporal Carrot - his rank places it around the time of Men At Arms. Carrot sets out to solve his first murder. Introduction: The Unseen University Challenge An introduction printed in the first Discworld quiz book. 2001: The Vision and the Reality An article from the Sunday Times about people's perceptions of what the future would be like compared to the reality. High Tech, Why Tech? Terry describes his love affair with computers and word-processing. Roots of Fantasy An article about how fantasy and superstition feature in our lives. Terry describes his take on traditional fantasy writing and also mentions the story that built itself up around a 'pixy' in the nuclear power station where he worked as press officer. Introduction: The Wyrdest Link Introductory passage written for the second Discworld quiz book. Thought Process Slightly Bridget-Jones-esque description of the first day of writing Small Gods. The Sea and Little Fishes Granny Weatherwax becomes... nice, just in time for the annual Lancre Witch Trials. How unsettling. Introduction: The Leaky Establishment Terry waxes lyrical over a book set in a power station, written by David Langford. Let There Be Dragons A speech Terry gave at the Booksellers Association Conference. He talks about the first books he read for pleasure, the people who read his books, and the critics' perception of fantasy writing. # ifdefDEBUG + "world/enough" + "time" Very strange title for a short sci-fi story, told from the point of view of an artificial reality unit repairman called in when a man dies while using one of the machines. Foreword: Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable As the title says: a foreword written to a compendium of myth, legend and history which Terry regularly uses for research. Thud - A Historical Perspective A little intro written for the Discworld board game, Thud. It tells us how the game was invented on the Discworld and gives some information about the infamous battle(s) between dwarfs and trolls in Koom Valley. Death and What Comes Next A short story involving Death and a philosopher, who tries to outwit the Grim Reaper. Apparently it incorporates a hidden phrase and is/was used in the online game TimeHunt. Neil Gaiman: Amazing Master Conjurer Terry sings the praises of Neil Gaiman, his co-author on Good Omens. Introduction: The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Fantasy Little passage on how humans became the story-telling ape. Elves Were Bastards An article having a bit of a rant against unimaginative fantasy books. Medical Notes A funny collection of Discworld illnesses, such as Attention Surplus Syndrome and Paranoia Inversa (the belief you are out to get everyone). Originally in the 2002 convention programme. Sheer Delight A tribute to sci-fi author Bob Shaw. The Orangutans Are Dying How the Librarian set off a passion for conserving orangutans. The Ankh-Morpork National Anthem The great city of Ankh-Morpork has an entire national anthem - something I never knew. This article is a description of how it came to be played on Radio 4, plus the full words. Alien Christmas An after-dinner speech on the subject of why children get so many scary robot toys at Christmas. Turntables of the Night Two men who run a mobile disco get a strange visitor at one of their events. Cult Classic Terry's thoughts on Lord of the Rings, written for a book celebrating J R R Tolkien. He once again has a go at the critics who dismissed it, as well as describing how he first came to read it. The Choice Word Terry picks his favourite word as part of a national poll. Whose Fantasy Are You? A piece on reading and writing fantasy books - and just which books deserve to be called fantasy. No Worries A day-by-day account of a signing tour in Australia, complete with Vegemite, banana daiquiri and black jelly beans, of which it is impossible to eat just one. Troll Bridge Cohen the Barbarian sets out to slay a troll in classic hero style - but doesn't count on times having changed since the good old days of battles and heroic deeds. Faces of Fantasy/On Writing A very short bit on how and why Terry writes fantasy books. Imaginary Worlds, Real Stories Start asking people for magpie rhymes and who knows where you'll end up? In Terry's case, he ended up giving a speech on his use of folklore to the National Folklore Society. And then someone put it in this book. The Secret Book of the Dead A short poem about the tendency of childhood pets to die. It comes across a bit like odd teenage poetry - which is the idea, according to the introduction. Magic Kingdoms An article on the British drive to write fantasy books, written in the wake of the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter books. Once and Future Fun short story about a stranded time traveller who sets out to recreate the Arthurian legend. A Word About Hats Terry and his hat are seldom seen apart. He gives his thoughts on the subject. The Titles That Got Away Priscilla Olson, the book's editor, gives a rundown of the titles that were almost given to Once More *With Footnotes.

Once More *With Footnotes

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