Better Than A Poke In the Eye

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Better Than a Poke in the Eye is the successor of DWM that ran from 1997 - 2023.

This page will be dedicated to news updates about some of your favourite comic authors.

04/06/2026

[Guards! Guards! Joins the exclusive Olive Editions publication list]

A much-anticipated annual series from Harper Perennial, Olive Editions are exclusive small-format publications of some of their bestselling and celebrated titles, featuring unique, hand-drawn cover illustrations.
The series debuted in 2008 and every fall since (with the exception of 2012, 2013, and 2023), they have published eight new books in the series.

This year Terry Pratchett joins the ranks of those who have been chosen with his best selling Guards! Guards!

The full set of books in the 2026 Olive Editions series include:
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin
Island by Aldous Huxley
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
Highfire by Eoin Colfer
The World Wasn’t Ready for You by Justin Key

ISBN : 9780063567993
Due for release on 1st September 2026
Price: Around £12.99 TBC

You can pre-order all of the 2026 Olive Editions now via our Amazon affiliate links

Amazon UK

Guards ! Guards! By Terry Pratchett : https://amzn.to/4uorrVC
Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin : https://amzn.to/4en3vgc
Island by Aldous Huxley : https://amzn.to/4x3fC9P
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank : https://amzn.to/3PVn4mG
The Princess Bride by William Goldman : https://amzn.to/49A0E0T
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker : https://amzn.to/4o8OO3O
Highfire by Eoin Colfer : https://amzn.to/4fjIYKC
The World Wasn’t Ready for You by Justin Key : https://amzn.to/4vq4i5V

03/06/2026

[New Paperback Release]

Get into the World Cup spirit with the gloriously inventive and funny fantasy novel from bestselling author Terry Pratchett.

A limited edition paperback in partnership with the National Year of Reading 2026.

This new paperback has a beautiful cover by artist Joe Mclaren, a glorious coloured version of the illustration he did for the Discworld Collectors Library Editions.

(psst... wouldn't it be glorious if the publishers did this for all the Discworld books... Joe Mclaren covers for everyone!)

Due out on 4th June 2026,

R.R.P. £9.99
ISBN 9781837320769

Available from our Bookshop https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3941/9781837320769

And our affiliates

Waterstones https://tidd.ly/4uKETnt

Amazon UK https://amzn.to/4dX5xCn

30/05/2026

[New Discworld Games News]

We reported back in Nov 2025 that MODIPHIUS would be producing two Discworld games, one a card game called Kill Sam Vimes and a board game, Readers Digested.

At this weekend's UK Games Expo, Modiphius had both out for demo games so we finally get to see some images of them, both of which are due out later in the year.

Rumour has it they will both be available to pre-order in the next month or so with an estimated release date of September/October.

25/05/2026

How do they rise up ? Rise up? Rise Up?

15/05/2026

Did you know that on this day in 1991, a world first happened ?

The first stage adaptation of any Terry Pratchett book, was performed by the Studio Theatre Club in Oxford, UK.

Stephen Briggs was the person who adapted the book Wyrd Sisters and he continues to adapt Terry's works to this day. The Studio Theatre Club still performs Discworld adaptations in Abingdon, Oxford.

Of course, Discworld stage adaptations have taken place all over the world in the following 35 years and you can find where they are being staged in 2026 on our website.

https://betterthanapokeintheeye.co.uk/events

Image ©Stephen Briggs

13/05/2026

Good Omens 3 premiered today on Prime Video.

Have you watched it yet?

What do you think to the finale of this epic series?

Let us know what you think in the comments !

30/04/2026

Shhhhh...

It's still in Beta mode, and not everything is available yet...

BUT...

The Good Omens official merchandise online store is NOW OPEN !

https://goodomens.com/

19/04/2026

We reviewed Terry Pratchett's Guards Guards stage production by The Crown Players - Gloucester on their closing night.

You can read our thoughts on this production of the stage adaptation by Stephen Briggs over at https://betterthanapokeintheeye.co.uk/rss/review-guards-guards-gloucester-2026

13/03/2026

[Book News] The Discworld Bestiary

Discover the all-new illustrated guide to the wonderful creatures of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.

'There is a phrase "neither flesh nor fowl nor good red herring". This thing was all of them, plus some other bits of beast unknown to science or nightmare or even kebab.'
Terry Pratchett, Unseen Academicals

A spectacular guide to the creatures and critters of Discworld, packed with wisdom from the great minds of the Disc, as well as interjections from some of its more unconventional thinkers.

Discover the best way to care for the Terrible Man-Eating Sloth of Clup, the eating habits of the Ambiguous Puzuma, and marvel at the startling prevalence of ominous ducks in cosmic matters.

Wriggling with insights and crawling with wisdom, The Discworld Bestiary is packed with extra advice from Rincewind, Unseen University’s latest (and reluctant) adjunct professor of Perplexing Beasts and curator of its curiobiological museum.

Fully illustrated with brand-new art from Paul Kidby.

R.R.P. Hardcover £30
R.R.P. EBook £14.99

Format: Hardback
Page count: 160
Size: 19.2 x 25.2 cm
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: 15th October 2026

To pre-order your copy via our affiliate links

Amazon UK
https://amzn.to/47y7Rxl

Waterstones - Signed BookPlate edition
https://tidd.ly/4bp0l9f

Waterstones - Unsigned Edition
https://tidd.ly/4rpruPb

More links to come

12/03/2026

Eleven years! It's been eleven years since that fateful day when we received the news that Terry had taken Death's hand and walked with him over the black sands.

Eleven years since we sat down and helped a grieving fandom come to terms with the loss. We put on our journalist heads and just helped direct the grief in healthy ways. For a short while Terry Pratchett fandom was in total alignment. There were no petty arguments or deep discussions about the minutiae in the books. It was just an outpouring of love. People told stories of the times they met Terry at book signings or at events and it was peaceful and comforting. Like all transient things the bubble soon popped and the normal background arguments returned and that too felt normal.

This weekend just gone, we held our fourth in-person Llamedos Holiday Camp at a small hotel in Llanelli, South West Wales. This time around we all celebrated Hogswatch at the Hogs Ball. Our 166 attendees became families competing to decorate the best Hogswatch tree. Over the course of the weekend they created decorations of various designs and sizes and the sense of pride in themselves and their family was intense.

And for a short while once again there was peace in our small community. For one fleeting moment while standing on stage watching the joy in the faces of our campers I felt Terry's presence again. The belief at that moment permeating from all the attendees was incredible.

When I dressed as the Hogfather started giving out the gifts from our giant Hushed Hogfather true magic happened. I don't know what happened but in the random distribution of the gifts, people got seemingly very appropriate presents. A toy mouse for a rat lover, a librarian plushy for a lover of plushies. My hands were guided and appropriate gifts given to the right recipients. For that little time the true magic that Terry created was channeled through those gifts. Was it Terry guiding me? Would coincidences and randomness still hit as many correct connections? Maybe, but at that moment with the level of belief in that room, Terry lived on through our speaking his name.

“...a man is not dead while his name is still spoken…”

I think of Terry almost everyday. We continue to say his name. Terry lives through our thoughts, actions and our hearts.

It may be eleven years since the core or Terry's existence left us. But he is not truly dead because we continue to speak his name.

Jason

GNU Terry Pratchett

Address

Pontardulais
SA48RG

Website

https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/BetterThan, https://betterthanapokeintheeye.co.uk/

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