Customer Reviews

Thud! (Discworld Novels)

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Watch and its ever growing cast of characters have been at the heart of many of the best of the Discworld novels. This one is no exception.

In Thud!, the simmering tensions between dwarfs and trolls begins to spill over and Vimes is charged with preventing an all out war. In a bizarre twist, at least to longterm readers, the romantic thread of the novel is not between Carrot and Angua but instead involves the least likely candidate, Nobby Nobbs . Vimes is once again at the center of the action and continues to be one of the most interesting and complex characters in the series.

As with most of the recent Discworld novels, Terry Pratchett takes a few satirical jabs at elements of our society. In this case, fundamentalism is one of the prime targets. Pratchett's depiction of the deep down dwarfs and their treatment by surface dwarfs is very cleverly put together.

Overall, one of the novel's strongest points is the exploration of the dwarf and troll societies and the struggle between them. Separately, Angua must also struggle when she is teamed up by the first vampire member of the watch and her prejudices and inferiority complex get the better of her. Of course, comedy is a major part of all the Discworld books and once again Mr. Pratchett does not disappoint.

On an interesting note, Thud!, which refers to a board game played with dwarfs against trolls, was converted into a real game which can be bought and which has received good reviews so far. Also, the children's book which Vimes reads to his son thoughout the novel will be released next month.

Finally, for those who have not read any other Discworld novels before, this is not the book to start with. There are numerous in-jokes and the large cast can be overwhelming. Start with some of the earlier Watch novels that provide more background.

On June 28, 1389 a combined army of Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians and Romanians waged a fierce battle against an Ottoman army on the Plains of Kosovo. Although details of the battle are obscure and lost in the mists of time the animosity between the parties has lingered. It was no surprise therefore that on the 600th anniversary of the battle President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia launched his `ethnic cleansing' campaign in Kosovo. Sometimes the oldest animosities burn the brightest.

That is just about the scenario found in "THUD", Terry Pratchett's latest roller coaster ride through Discworld. The origin and outcome of the ancient Battle of Koom Valley between the Trolls and Dwarves has been obscured and the subject of much debate; but, the lingering and long-lasting hatred between them means they are always one spark away from renewed battle.

Grag Hamcrusher is what you might call a Dwarf extremist. Emerging from the depths he rails against those dwarves who have risen close to the surface. He intimates Dwarf residents of Ankh-Morpork who have made accommodations to a life lived above ground. Hamcrusher is a zealot who would like nothing better than to renew a holy war against the hated Trolls. As Thud opens Hamcrusher has just been murdered, thud "being the sound the heavy club made as it connected with the head". The initial evidence, a troll club found near the apparent murder scene, seems destined to bring their historic enmity to a boil. It is up to Commander Vimes and the Watch to find out who killed Hamcrusher and try to avoid a war that could destroy Ankh-Morpork.

The Patrician, not surprisingly, has complicated matters for Vimes. Bowing to pressure to increase the diversity of the Watch, Vimes is obligated to hire his first vampire, a very young, very attractive lady named Sally. This serves to increase the tension in the Watch most notably with Angua, the Watch's werewolf. Sparks fly and the claws are drawn as Angua senses that Sally is more than a bit interested in Captain Carrot. The Patrician has also seen fit to bring in a pencil pushing bureaucrat to audit the Watch's operations. This all serves to make Commander Vimes' own emotional fuse as short as the one keyed to the Trolls and Dwarves.

It is never a good idea to reveal too much of the plot in a review. This is particularly the case for the Discworld books where Pratchett has twists and turns on every page. Needless to say, events race from pillar to post. The furtive nature of the Dwarves, whose emotions are as submerged as the Dwarves themselves and the rather stoic nature of the Trolls (with the exception of Shine who appears to be one droll troll) has Vimes feeling as if he is trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle without any visual image of the puzzle he is trying to solve.

Two elements of Thud put Thud for me in the highest rank of Discworld books. First, we are given very full, textured look at Commander Vimes. The reader is exposed to the growing disconnect between the controlled, outward demeanor and his emotionally charged interior that seem to grow increasingly more uncontrolled as the plot develops. It is both compelling and more than a bit scary. It brought Vimes to life in a very realistic way. Second, I thought the ending to Thud was one of Pratchett's best conclusions. Although I am never happy to see a Discworld book end, this ending was so well done (in my opinion only) that it almost makes up for the fact that it will be another twelve months or so before the next Discworld is published.

Thud is a great addition to the Discworld series.

History tends to repeat itself, even on the Discworld. And the anniversary of Koom Valley is approaching-the ancient battle between Trolls and Dwarves that has been repeated and remembered ever since, creating enmity between the two races. Tensions are high, especially in the city of Ankh-Morpork, where both races live in increasing numbers. As if this wasn't enough for the Commander of the City Watch to deal with, he's got a dwarf murder to solve, a new recruit who is also a vampire and a city Inspector to deal with-and, in true Pratchett fashion, nothing is quite what it seems on the surface.

The Discworld has always included dwarves and trolls as part of its inhabitants, yet in some of the earlier Discworld books, one would hardly recognize those races as they appear in the most recent city watch books. The City Watch books, particularly, MEN AT ARMS, FEET OF CLAY and THE FIFTH ELEPHANT have led readers away from the simple stereotypes Pratchett set down in the earliest books. These Discworld stories have added depth, understanding and complexity to these two races. THUD! takes that exploration and understanding even further by looking at the history of Koom Valley with new eyes, and a new Discworld novel. Of course, Pratchett never just tells a story, as any veteran readers will know. Pratchett is as much a writer of satire, an observer of the human condition around him. And the stories he writes have many echoes in the world around us. THUD! creates echoes many readers will recognize: ancient enmities, racial intolerance, old battles revisited, and the desire of a father to spend time with his son.

I haven't met a Discworld book that I don't like. Pratchett is one of the rare authors I've come across who is consistently a good read. I can't give this book less than 5 stars. That being said, this book was not Pratchett's absolute best. There was some sense that the opening chapters were a bit less streamlined, too much going on. But my biggest issue was with the character of Sally, the vampire. Pratchett spends less time on her than he usually does on setting up a new character. The kind of care he spent introducing previous Watch characters, such as Angua and Cheery just isn't as evident here. While the vampire girl is a part of the plot, her own story doesn't become realized here, and the conflict between Angua and Sally seems to be only touched on, rather than really explored. This is also not the best book for a new reader to cut their Discworld teeth on. Many of the established characters are only given a cameo appearance before we move on to the real story.

That said, the "real story" is very good indeed. The payoff is worth it. And like any Discworld novel, I can't really go into the inner workings of the story itself without revealing too much. You're just going to have to read it for yourselves. If you're new to Terry Pratchett, or the Discworld series, I suggest you backtrack before reading this one and begin with GUARDS! GUARDS! the first book that features the city Watch. While these books are not a full-fledged series and can be read independently of one another, it's still helpful to have a sense of how the characters and settings were built up in earlier stories. If you are a devoted Pratchett fan, you already know the Discworld series, but you might want to check out WHERE'S MY COW? the picture book that Commander Vimes reads to his son in THUD!. I've ordered my own copy and can't wait for it to arrive. The only other downside of THUD! I know of is that it ended, and now I'm stuck waiting for Pratchett to hurry up and write something else.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

Of all the series within the Discworld series, the one centering around Sam Vimes and his City Watch is my favorite. They're witty, fun, and always carry a deeper message. Thud! starts with a small poke of fun at Da Vinci Code mania and then unwraps a very important (but no less entertaining for that) message about racism and stereotyping.

And as an added treat, readers see another fine cameo performance by Death.

Thud! is the best kind of reading- interesting, laugh-out-loud funny, and meaningful. Pratchett is a master of satire, and he conveys his message with a light touch- laugh at the fact that the situation is so ridiculous, and then set about fixing it. Pratchett fans will enjoy this latest offering, as will any fan of political satire. Think The Daily Show meets Douglas Adams, and you have Terry Pratchett.

Assorted thoughts upon finishing Discworld #30:

TYPOS. Crikey, Harper Collins, Word puts all those little red and green lines under the mistakes so that you can FIX THEM.

This is the first Discworld book where there has been any sort of real focus on trolls and troll culture. As Detritus's biggest fangirl, I was much with the glee. I loved the "Two Brothers" and "Diamond" passages on the first few pages--they're the kinds of things that keep Discworld from turning into something like Xanth.

I can't wait to read WHERE'S MY COW? I want to know what comes after the Hippopotomus.

Sybil is awesome. Not that she hasn't always been awesome. She's just especially awesome here.

I am beginning to get the impression that the Vimes-Ramkin family butler, Willikins, is on of Pratchett's new favorites. He is one of the major peripheral characters in this book, building on the role he's taken in JINGO and NIGHT WATCH.

Yes, Vimes does hire a vampire. A vampire named Sally. I didn't really like Sally; shes like one of those characters that appears during the middle of your favorite TV shows and steals the spotlight. Like Seven-Of-Nine. Quite a lot like Seven, actually.

Vimes's new Dis-Organizer is a Gooseberry(tm) with an iHUM feature that lets him play 1,000 of his favorite songs. Pratchett kills me.

Was glad to see Death here. His absence over the last few books has been worrying.

Last thought: a big part of this story involves the mystery of a secret hidden in a painting, all revolving around a book called The Koom Valley Codex. There are codes and mysteries and shadowy orders dedicated to keeping the secret from seeing daylight. This is all so, so much more gripping than THE DAVINCI CODE.

"Thud!" -- the sound a club makes when hitting a head -- is a Sam Vimes novel, following very much in the path laid down by "The Fifth Elephant" and "Nightwatch", a darker novel than "Going Postal" (the last Discworld novel), but very satisfying. His Grace, Sir Samuel Vimes, the Duke of Ankh-Morpork (but still plain old Sam Vimes, copper, in his own mind) is Terry Pratchett's primary spokesman when it comes to matters of justice and tolerance. Vimes may feel disquiet when dealing with werewolves and the undead and he absolutely loathes vampires, but that does not stop him from believing that everyone -- every thing -- in Ankh-Morpork has the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of all the happiness you can pry from the greedy grasp of fate.

The principal cast of "Thud!" are the men, women, and creatures of the City Watch, along with Vimes's won family (his wife Sybil and Young Sam), and the story centers upon a good mystery -- who killed the chief grag of the deep-dweller dwarfs of Ankh-Morpork? The dwarfs, naturally, suspect a troll. And we get to learn a good deal about the religion and cultural lives of dwarfs and trolls along the way to solving the crime. We catch glimpses from time to time of various familiar characters as Lord Vetinari, the Librarian, Mustrum Ridcully, and Death.

I couldn't recommend "Thud!" as any reader's first introduction to Discworld, but it is a first-rate continuation of the series.

Terry Pratchett is a true gem of fantasy and the best comic writer I am aware of working in any field. My favorites in his loose series tend to be the City Watch books, because I think Pratchett uses them to present his humanistic views on religion, racism, parenthood, and civilization in the Century of the Fruitbat. "Thud!" is the latest in the City Watch series. I suspect that the understory here is the explosion of British racism, because Pratchett has laced his book with dwarves and trolls in an escalating storm of racist violence. Memories of an ancient battle fuel the fires, but perhaps someone is playing fast and loose with history to keep things hot.

As with all the City Watch books, Commander Vimes is the heart of this story. He faces a ridiculous excess of clues, a vampire recruit who drives his werewolf detective mad, a mysterious troll leader named Mr. Shine, and a coven of insane religious dwarves, while struggling to meet his vow to make it home every night in time to read "Where's My Cow" to Young Sam at six o'clock sharp. "Where's My Cow" figures largely in one of the wildest battles in fantasy, and frames the great and vulnerable love Sam has for his son. A moving passage in the book describes his discovery that he has become hostage to fortune by having a child: "And then, one day, his son had turned and looked directly at Vimes, with eyes that for his father outshone the lamps of the world, and fear had poured into Sam Vimes' life in a terrible wave. All this good fortune, all this fierce joy ... it was wrong. Surely the universe could not allow this amount of happiness in one man, not without presenting a bill." The bill is presented, but Vimes is not a hostage fortune will find easy to take.

Vimes is one of my favorite characters in fantasy: a decent, tough man with a wry sense of humor and a love of the hard streets. He is kin to some of Phillip K. Dick's hard-beaten men, and perhaps most closely to Jonathan Carroll's police chief in "The Wooden Sea." These are men who persevere and remain honest and decent by their own lights, without falling to religious certainty or self-righteousness. They sigh and go to work, becoming some kind of giants in the process.

I have emphasized the serious aspects of this book, but it is also extremely funny. My favorite new character must be the Mark Five Gooseberry Disorganizer. There are always strange joys and sudden laughs in a Pratchett book, and this is one of his best.

Thud! (2005) is the thirty-second Fantasy novel in the Discworld Series, following Going Postal. This work is the sequel to Night Watch in the Ankh-Morpork City Watch subseries. A Dwarf has been killed and the killer is presumed to be a Troll. The Dwarves are keeping this information to themselves. No others need be informed, especially not the City Watch.

In this novel, Sam Vines, Duke and Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, is running short of sleep. All the Watch is working overtime, especially Sam Vimes. Koom Valley Day is coming and the usual animosity between the Dwarves and the Trolls is being spurred by the fiery speeches of Grag Hamcrusher, a Deep-down Dwarf.

Koom Valley was the site of a famous battle between the Dwarves and the Trolls about a thousand years ago and has been the incentive for subsequent battles ever since. Previously such battles have not directly effected Ankh-Morpork, but now tension is building within the city.

The City Watch is being overworked, responding to individual fights and small battles, and the Day itself has yet to come. The tension is also taking a toll on Watch personnel, for Dwarf and Troll constables are facing accusations of taking the enemy side in the upcoming fracas. Only a few have resigned from the force so far, but the trend is becoming worrisome.

Now the word is spreading about a Troll killing a Dwarf and not just any Dwarf, but Hamcrusher himself. Captain Carrot brings the news to Sam Vines and the Watch Commander immediately sets out to discover the truth. He takes an escort of four constables to pay a visit on Hamcrusher, whether alive or dead.

He eventually talks his way into the building, faces the leader of these Dwarves, and gets him to admit that Hamcrusher is dead. Sam insists on the Watch investigating the murder, for the only law in Ankh-Morpork is city law. Ardent takes him to meet the grags deep down in the tunnels and they agree to let Captain Carrot be the smelter (to refine the truth from the falsehoods).

Captain Carrot takes Sargeant Angua and Lance Constable Sally -- the new vampire constable -- with him to view the murder scene. They find some evidence of a Troll at the site, but the Watch investigators suspect that these items have been planted. But when they find a skull -- such as are being worn by macho Trolls -- and Angua smells a faint Troll scent, the accompanying Dwarves suddenly become anxious and very excited; the Troll Alert is quickly passed to every Dwarf in the tunnels. Maybe they hadn't really expected to find signs of a Troll at the murder scene?

This story has the usual cast of characters, from Havelock Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, to Nobby Nobbs, certified human Corporal of the Watch, but it also includes some new Watch members. Salacia Deloresista Aminta Trigestatra Zwldana Malifee . . . von Humpeding -- "call me Sally" -- is a vampire who has come to Ankh-Morpork to enlist in the Watch; Sam Vimes reluctantly accepts her, although he really doesn't want a vampire in the Watch. Vetinari, however, has his own agenda and Sam is out of excuses. Sally turns out to be a good Watch officer, but she also engages in some suspicious activities.

On the other hand, A. E. Pessimal is a government inspector who just wants to check out the paperwork and write his report, but he keeps sending Sam questions about the Watch practices and methods. Sam finally volunteers him as a Special Constable for riot duty and takes him out to the barricades to introduce him to his fellow Specials. When a Troll attacks Sam, Pessimal attaches himself to the Troll's leg with both hands and feet and tries to bite the Troll (not recommended since Trolls are not very soft). Afterward, Pessimal finds himself strangely interested in becoming a regular Watch officer and Sam enlists him as a Lance Constable, assigned as adjutant to the commander. Of course, he still has to complete the report for Vetinari, but he can rearrange the files at the same time.

Sam Vimes has also taken on a special assignment of great importance: every day at six PM, Sam reads Where's My Cow? to his infant son, Young Sam. Nothing can interfere with this duty, for any good excuse soon lets in bad excuses and then Sam Senior may not be there when Young Sam needs him. Young Sam soon learns to expect Sam Senior at exactly six o'clock -- he has a very precise internal clock -- and Sam Senior is afraid of what might happen if someday he is late or not there at all.

BTW, Where's My Cow is available if you have a Young Sam. It is 32 pages long and leads a merry chase looking for the cow. Of course, you will learn most of the text in this novel, but the separate edition also has pictures!

In this story, the question of who watches the watchers is evident throughout the story. Sam Vimes watches the Watch, but who watches Sam? To some extent, all the people around him serve to remind him of his duties, but something deep within Sam keeps him from abusing his office.

Recommended for Pratchett fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of police work, social commentary and assorted zaniness. If you haven't yet read this series, please start with The Color of Magic for the full effect.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Like so many fantasy fans, I'd heard how Terry Pratchett was such a humorous writer with wild stories and I should really read his work. And also like so many fantasy fans, when I finally picked up my first Discworld novel sometime near six months ago, I found out that they wasn't "humorous" or "little funny books" at all. It was brilliant satire, thought-provoking, highly thematic, and topical. And again, like so many fantasy fans, it wasn't a week later until I was zipping from novel to novel, enjoying both the wild jokes and the hidden structure underneath.

In doing so, something amazing happened along the way, Pratchett never really disappointed me. Out of thirty-plus Discworld novels I can count on one hand the number of them that were average, and the last twenty or so have all been one glorious experience after another. That's completely unheard of in the fantasy genre (really any genre). In fact, Pratchett is the only single author that I can pick up his newest novel and know without any doubt, that I'm getting my money's worth out of and probably a whole lot of extra too. That just doesn't happen, and it's the highest praise I can give. Martin? His last novel was lacking in content, got me a little worried. Hobb? New series is kinda iffy. Goodkind? Jordan? Well...let's not go there. As for some of the shared world stuff (Dragonlance, FR, Star Wars) you may as well be playing Wheel of Fortune with those novels.

But not Pratchett, he also delivers a good book, often a great one, and "Thud!" is no different. Plenty have explained the plot. Bad stuff going on between dwarves and trolls with the City Watch caught in the middle once again. But the real meat is in the themes. Not only do race relations take center stage but also fundamentalism in the form of dwarvish Grags covering themselves to not feel the light, chess, drugs, modern art, even I-pods and Cell Phones (bleepity-bleep!). And that's just the first hundred pages.

Final Thought: A really great addition to Discworld, Vimes and the Watch do it again.

I really enjoy Terry Pratchett's writing. I have enjoyed it since I was 10. At 23, I still find his books exciting and they are among the few that I am interested in rereading consistently. His writing is accessible to people of all ages.

That being said, I was a little disappointed with Thud!. I thought it was a bit shaky, the characters were not fleshed out as well, and there was maybe too much plot going on, so that, as others have observed, elements got dropped for pages. Overall, there was just an underdone feeling with this story. Like all of the Discworld books, the idea behind the story is interesting but reading the book, I got the sense that it was written quickly and without the attention to detail that I am used to.

Still, for those who've already gotten a few Discworld novels under their belts, it is a decent book. I will reread it again (as I almost always find new things during the second, third, fourth, reading that I'd missed before) and hopefully it will be better the second time around.