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The Abominable Snowman
Captain the Honorable Sir Herbert Stephen Ernest Boring-Tristam-Boring (known as Bill) is very rich but very bored.
When famed explorer Alfred Tence* shows up at Bill’s door, life gets considerably more exciting. Before long, they’re speeding off in a taxi to the distant mountains of Chilistan in search of the hairiest, most mysterious monster ever known—the Abominable Snowman!
Featuring the signature wit and invention of one of the world’s most beloved writers, this irreverent, illustrated story is from Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales, by Terry Pratchett.
[*Yes, that Alfred Tence—the man who rowed from Brighton to Bombay in a bathtub. It’s true.]
When famed explorer Alfred Tence* shows up at Bill’s door, life gets considerably more exciting. Before long, they’re speeding off in a taxi to the distant mountains of Chilistan in search of the hairiest, most mysterious monster ever known—the Abominable Snowman!
Featuring the signature wit and invention of one of the world’s most beloved writers, this irreverent, illustrated story is from Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales, by Terry Pratchett.
[*Yes, that Alfred Tence—the man who rowed from Brighton to Bombay in a bathtub. It’s true.]
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2014
55 people are currently reading
884 people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
573 books46.1k followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 14, 2020
https://leiturasdelaura.blogspot.com/...
SPOILER FREE
Terry Pratchett é um autor com o qual eu tenho uma relação um tanto quanto estranha. Adoro seus livros, seus textos sobre literatura, e amo de paixão Belas Maldições com Neil Gaiman. Entretanto, não consigo ler muitas coisas dele, porque ele me cansa.
Então, como respiro entre um livro mais pesado e outro resolvi pegar The Abominable Snowman, que é um dos seus poucos livros infantis. Eu estava no clima por causa de Witches do Roald Dahl e me pareceu uma excelente ideia.
E que decepção. The Abominable Snowman definitivamente não é uma boa obra do Terry Pratchett. O livro em si é bem fraquinho, com uma história boba demais, apesar de ter o humor característico do autor. Até as ilustrações do Mark Beech estão meio sem graça. Talvez tenha sido a comparação direta com Roald Dahl, que é muito maravilhoso com seus livros infantis, acho que Pratchett escreve melhor para outro público.
Talvez seja um pouco de exagero também, porque o livro não é ruim, afinal ainda estamos falando do inglês de chapéu que forjou sua própria espada quando se tornou Sir em 2009. O cara não brinca em serviço.
Mas tem muita coisa melhor dele para ler por aí.
SPOILER FREE
Terry Pratchett é um autor com o qual eu tenho uma relação um tanto quanto estranha. Adoro seus livros, seus textos sobre literatura, e amo de paixão Belas Maldições com Neil Gaiman. Entretanto, não consigo ler muitas coisas dele, porque ele me cansa.
Então, como respiro entre um livro mais pesado e outro resolvi pegar The Abominable Snowman, que é um dos seus poucos livros infantis. Eu estava no clima por causa de Witches do Roald Dahl e me pareceu uma excelente ideia.
E que decepção. The Abominable Snowman definitivamente não é uma boa obra do Terry Pratchett. O livro em si é bem fraquinho, com uma história boba demais, apesar de ter o humor característico do autor. Até as ilustrações do Mark Beech estão meio sem graça. Talvez tenha sido a comparação direta com Roald Dahl, que é muito maravilhoso com seus livros infantis, acho que Pratchett escreve melhor para outro público.
Talvez seja um pouco de exagero também, porque o livro não é ruim, afinal ainda estamos falando do inglês de chapéu que forjou sua própria espada quando se tornou Sir em 2009. O cara não brinca em serviço.
Mas tem muita coisa melhor dele para ler por aí.
September 1, 2023
For the kids
So this is what one of his kids books is like. I totally approve of it. I found it very entertaining and it's something I would have been happy for my children to have been reading when they were small. It obviously deals with a fun mythological subject that pretty much all children are drawn to at some point. The way it's handled in this particular book is quite different from anything else I've seen and I loved the direction the book took. If you're a Terry fan then you should take a look at these especially if you have younger readers in the house.
So this is what one of his kids books is like. I totally approve of it. I found it very entertaining and it's something I would have been happy for my children to have been reading when they were small. It obviously deals with a fun mythological subject that pretty much all children are drawn to at some point. The way it's handled in this particular book is quite different from anything else I've seen and I loved the direction the book took. If you're a Terry fan then you should take a look at these especially if you have younger readers in the house.
September 11, 2019
DeLightful for fans of explores Snowmen, and high adventure .
A cast of interesting characters reacting to deferent adventures while traveling in verious way through different countries meeting new people making friends.
A cast of interesting characters reacting to deferent adventures while traveling in verious way through different countries meeting new people making friends.
March 10, 2021
72 - 2021
January 1, 2022
I don't know what I think to books like this which are less than 50 pages as I don't feel like it gives you a lot of detail. I liked that it was a fast pace and lighthearted but there was something that I didn't enjoy.
Bill has been asked by Alfred an explorer to pay for him to go and catch the abominable snowman. Bill agrees and wants to go with Alfred as well but bring along Twist the butler, a Chilistanian guide and Mr and Mrs Glupp.
Chilistanian is so small that there is no airport so they had to release the back door and drop the taxi out the back of the plane.
The thing I found funny was that speaking Chilistanian sounds like a finger on a window.
I liked the part with the baby abominable snowman as the illustrations brought it to life. I like that after the incounter with the baby. Everybody gets to find the adult abominable snowman as Twist is kidnapped because they think the humans kidnapped their baby. But once swapped they were able to get photos with the abominable snowmen and find out abominable snowmen are quite friendly.
Bill has been asked by Alfred an explorer to pay for him to go and catch the abominable snowman. Bill agrees and wants to go with Alfred as well but bring along Twist the butler, a Chilistanian guide and Mr and Mrs Glupp.
Chilistanian is so small that there is no airport so they had to release the back door and drop the taxi out the back of the plane.
The thing I found funny was that speaking Chilistanian sounds like a finger on a window.
I liked the part with the baby abominable snowman as the illustrations brought it to life. I like that after the incounter with the baby. Everybody gets to find the adult abominable snowman as Twist is kidnapped because they think the humans kidnapped their baby. But once swapped they were able to get photos with the abominable snowmen and find out abominable snowmen are quite friendly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2017
I've read the book Dragons at Crumbling Castle and this story by far was my favourite.Terry Pratchett's storys remind me of Roald Dahl and the illustrations reminded me of Quentin Blake's drawings.This book is about a young man called Captain the Honurable Sir Herbert Stephen Ernest Boring-Tristram-Boring who is known to his friends as Bill gets asked by an explorer called Alfred Tence to go with him to find an abobinable snowman.I'd reccommend this for all types of readers.
October 2, 2025
Simplistic, straight forward action except for maybe the end. Not overstuffed with naval gazing or speculation. Maybe 1st grade selection, again except for the end. The scribbled illustrations lent very little to the story.
PS. Have now looked at some of the other reviews. Did no one see the end as I saw it? Hmmm...I've just raised it a star.
PS. Have now looked at some of the other reviews. Did no one see the end as I saw it? Hmmm...I've just raised it a star.
October 22, 2023
my favorite quote:
"The doors opened and a small black taxi shot out at great speed. Then the plane exploded.
'Not a bad landing at all,' said Tence to his guide. 'I reckon we're ahead of the Arbrovians now.'"
"The doors opened and a small black taxi shot out at great speed. Then the plane exploded.
'Not a bad landing at all,' said Tence to his guide. 'I reckon we're ahead of the Arbrovians now.'"
August 3, 2018
A multimillionaire called Bill goes on an adventure with a scientist to find the abominable snowman.
I think this was supposed to be part of a larger story, but as is it wasnt much of a story.
I think this was supposed to be part of a larger story, but as is it wasnt much of a story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2019
Abominable
A very abomination of a story, I must say. It reaks of Raould Dahl. I truly loved it! I should read it daily until I have memorized every word.
A very abomination of a story, I must say. It reaks of Raould Dahl. I truly loved it! I should read it daily until I have memorized every word.
January 21, 2020
Delightfully silly and short but does leave you with a “wait, that’s it? That’s the end?” Feeling at the end.
December 28, 2020
It felt like it was trying to be silly too much, but turns Pratchett wrote this short story when he was 17 lol. So not judging his later work from this sample.
January 7, 2021
Very short; very sweet, just like this review.
January 7, 2021
so silly but I'm sure kids would like it
September 19, 2022
A fun little book.
April 5, 2023
Cute little story
July 15, 2023
The Abominable Snowman
Quick Pratchett read meant as a children’s story but very entertaining for adults too. I highly recommend any and everything Pratchett.
Quick Pratchett read meant as a children’s story but very entertaining for adults too. I highly recommend any and everything Pratchett.
September 8, 2023
Interesting children's tale
Absurd and silly tale of going out searching for the abominable snowman, and what happened when they found one. Added bonus of encountering joke monks.
Absurd and silly tale of going out searching for the abominable snowman, and what happened when they found one. Added bonus of encountering joke monks.
September 12, 2023
another terry delight
Good for young girls and boys, and many of us older folk who love to laugh at nonsense. Delightful. Finding hidden gems in kindle.
Good for young girls and boys, and many of us older folk who love to laugh at nonsense. Delightful. Finding hidden gems in kindle.
January 22, 2024
Not my favorite by Pratchett but it has some very funny lines sprinkled throughout.
March 17, 2024
I thought it would be funnier and wittier, given the usual wit and humor the Discworld books. But it never really comes to life.
June 20, 2024
Somewhere here is Terry Pratchett we all know and love, but since it's a kid's story, it pretty short and somewhat abrupt. Our millionaire Bill is fun and the closing sentences are a bit eerie.
August 4, 2024
A kids book but I'll take every drop of Pratchett I can get.
Can't rate it any higher given the constraints of story length and target audience, but it's a cute little tale.
Can't rate it any higher given the constraints of story length and target audience, but it's a cute little tale.
Read
November 20, 2024Sir Terry always was a one-of-a-kind kind of man.
January 4, 2025
Cute
This manages to be both a cute children's story and an indictment of Western "explorers" which is a truly a feat! Another fun Pratchett romp.
This manages to be both a cute children's story and an indictment of Western "explorers" which is a truly a feat! Another fun Pratchett romp.
December 9, 2025
grandkids loved it
May 1, 2015
Quick bite of Pratchett
This book is like hot chocolate: soothing and wonderful. A charming little story with a Roald Dahl flavor. I love that all of these gems by Pratchett are being republished. Take a half hour out for with whimsy.
This book is like hot chocolate: soothing and wonderful. A charming little story with a Roald Dahl flavor. I love that all of these gems by Pratchett are being republished. Take a half hour out for with whimsy.
August 8, 2015
I really needed a cheer me up fun book and I found it. Quick, made me smile. And sometimes as an adult with no kids nor will i ever have any, its nice to read these books. Books are meant to be a part of escapism from our lives.
January 31, 2015
Brilliant!!!!
April 1, 2015
15 pages long, but a fun little story. It reminded me of Roald Dahl. Maybe that was also because the illustrations were very reminiscent of Quentin Blake.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews