I am reading 'The Truth' and it refers to Mr. Tulip taking slab, a troll drug. While it does seem to have an averse effect, he still is alive afterwards. Why didn't the slab kill him?

Basically because he is not a troll, I'd say. This is why I think so:

Maybe the dissolving bit refers to the "cutting the stuff with grounded glass", which is mentioned a few lines earlier in reference to another troll drug, maybe -and that's just a theory- drugs for mineral based life forms like troll contain, say, stuff like sulfur. This quote would support the theory:


But obviously, no real effect is to be expected at all, if what the human in question tries is really just slab.

Wow, you're really fast at replying to everything.

But, back to the topic. I'm pretty sure that in 'Thud', a dwarf in the Watch makes an excuse for a dwarf and troll fighting, saying that the dwarf had accidentally reached for the troll's drink, and it would have killed him. This was obviously not what really happened, but Vimes admires his fast thinking, so this is probably what would happen. I just thought that if a troll drink is enough to kill a human (or, at least, a dwarf), then the drugs would be even more lethal. If a two tonne troll gets really high, then what would happen to an 80kg human?

I really don't know, but knowing PTerry's writing, the drugs might be harmless to a human, and a harmless troll drink might kill him, both being from a completely different set of the range of chemical substances... I don't remember from the top of my head wether there has ever been an indepth description of the troll body chemistry that would enable us to really clear that matter.

But seein Mr Tulip of all people snorts lots of slab in "The Truth", it has to be ineffective on the human body.
That was his trademark quirk after all - he was trying to have a drug habit, but failed miserably, snorting other things like flour, baking powder, curry etc.

You're right, there's really not a lot on Troll anatomy in the books, but I was pretty sure they are made entirely of minerals, so their life processes seem to consist of purely minerals reacting with each other. Although they do (or, at least, did) eat humans. I wonder how they digest them? Their normal diet seems to consist of other minerals...

The books say that the trolls are silicon-based lifeforms (ie stone), made of metamorphorical rock. I can't remember which book says it, but they used to try eating humans in the past even though they couldn't digest them. They just did it for fun, I guess. Everything we see a troll consume is mineral-based (hence the joke about Detritus's drink in the Bucket, "one molten sulphur on coke with phosphoric acid ", which is a pun on 'coke' referencing the fact that Coca Cola actually contains phosphoric acid). So troll food, drink and drugs should not be digestible to humans and dwarfs - but there's a chance they could be poisonous.

For the definitive answers to all questions about Discworld, I would suggest getting hold of the New Discworld Comapnion, written by Sir Pterry and Steven Briggs. (Our local library has three copies). This is a valuable addition to anyone's collection and you know you are getting the definitive answers straight from the horse's mouth; so to speak.

Remember the Yeti in 'Thief of Time'? A form of troll. The Ice Giants surrounding the Hub are also considered a form of troll, according to Pterry.

For reference - Just in case anyone needs to ask in future... did you know there are thirty seven varieties of swamp dragon!

Ok, I've noticed this before, and this seems the right time to ask.

Why does everyone call Terry Pratchett "Pterry"?

Have you read Pyramids yet, DoR? I think it was on Usenet that people first started calling him Pterry, in a reference to Pteppic, the hero of Pyramids.

I listened to the audiobook, but I do really want to read the book as well...just there are so many books to choose from...but that's the great thing about the Discworld books, that there are so many of them...