The Hades Business
| The Hades Business | |
|---|---|
| by Terry Pratchett | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Published in | Science Fantasy Magazine The Unfriendly Future Once More* *with Footnotes A Blink of the Screen |
| Publication type | Magazine |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | 1963-08-?? |
“The Hades Business” - originally titled “Business Rivals” — was Terry Pratchett’s first published work. He wrote it for an English assignment at the age of fourteen[1], and it was published in Pratchett’s school magazine, The Technical Cygnet, in December 1962. He submitted it for publication to the editor of three prominent science fiction magazines, John Carnell, and made changes and additions based on Carnell's advice. Carnell accepted the revised and expanded version for publication, and it appeared in the August 1963 edition of Science Fantasy under the final title. The same version without any alterations has been republished several times.
Synopsis
Crucible, an advertising man whose dealings are not always above board, arrives home one day to find his study full of smoke - and the Devil himself. The Devil has an offer for him he can’t refuse: he wants Crucible to sell Hell to the public, as it’s been empty of souls for the past two thousand years...
Podcast episodes
Major appearances
These are episodes primarily devoted to discussing this story.
| Date | Show | Episode | External link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-08 | Pratchat | “How to Get Below in Advertising” | pratchatpodcast.com |
Other appearances
These are episodes which contain significant discussion about this story, but which are primarily about something else.
| Date | Show | Episode | External link |
|---|
External links
- “The Hades Business” at the L-Space Wiki
Footnotes
- ↑ In his intro to the story for A Blink of the Screen, Pratchett says he was thirteen, but Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes says fourteen. The story was first published in the Cygnet in December 1962, when Pratchett was certainly fourteen, so the latter age is more likely correct.