Sir Terry Pratchett: Short stories to be published after being found by fans

A postulation of 20 precocious rediscovered abbreviated stories by precocious phantasy writer Sir Terry Pratchett is to beryllium published aboriginal this year.

Sir Terry wrote the stories for a determination paper nether the pseudonym Patrick Kearns successful the 1970s and '80s.

They had not antecedently been attributed to him, but person present been collected aft a hunt by "a fewer dedicated fans", publishers Penguin said.

Sir Terry, known for the best-selling Discworld series, died successful 2015.

The Quest for the Keys, 1 of the longer stories successful the caller collection, had been framed for 40 years connected the partition of Pratchett instrumentality Chris Lawrence.

He got successful interaction with the Pratchett property astir it, resulting successful the others being recovered by chap fans Pat and Jan Harkin aft they raked done decades' worthy of aged newspapers.

Mr Lawrence said: "The Quest for the Keys resonated with maine arsenic a 15-year-old, which is wherefore I made the effort to cod each part.

"I treasured and kept them harmless for implicit 35 years. Having survived galore location moves, small did I cognize of their importance. Following interaction with [Pratchett's publisher] Colin Smythe, I realised conscionable however important they were."

Smythe said: "For each the years I was Terry's steadfast and past cause helium ne'er ever gave maine immoderate assistance successful uncovering his shorter writings - but arsenic helium wrote successful his dedication to maine successful Dragons astatine Crumbling Castle, determination were stories helium had cautiously hidden away.

"Just however existent these words were, I had nary idea."

During his lifetime, Sir Terry wrote 70 books and had income of much than 70 cardinal copies successful 37 languages, implicit 44 years of writing.

Although the rediscovered stories bash not instrumentality spot successful the Discworld setting, they "hint astatine the satellite Sir Terry would spell connected to create", Penguin said.

"Readers tin expect to conscionable characters ranging from cavemen to gnomes, wizards to ghosts, and work astir clip question tourism, the haunting of Council offices, and a visitant from different planet," the steadfast added.

The stories volition beryllium published connected 5 October nether the rubric A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories.

Other unpublished Pratchett works volition not spot the airy of day, however. In 2017, a hard thrust containing up to 10 incomplete novels was crushed by a steamroller, successful accordance with the novelist's wishes.