Discworld and Member Articles
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Written by terrypratchettbooks.org
Friday, 11 November 2005 |
Another Thud! review, this one by MICHAEL CHEANG of Malaysia Star - Malaysia
ANOTHER year, another Terry Pratchett book. Since I got hooked on his books a few years back, no year would be complete for me without a Pratchett book or two to remember it by. So it was that when this book thudded onto my desk one fine day, I was as happy as a cow that is too skinny for burgers and has no milk.
Thud! is a Discworld book that centres on the Ankh-Morpork City Watch (for the uninformed, the Discworld series can be roughly divided into several sub-series that revolve around certain characters, including the Witches of Lancre, the cowardly Rincewind and Death, among others), and it’s a regular whodunit crime novel.
Okay, maybe not so regular after all, since how many crime novels out there have vampires, werewolves, and Colonel Nobby Nobbs (who was disqualified from the human race for shoving)?
Anyway, the plot involves an age-old feud between the trolls and dwarves that happened a long time ago in a far away place called Koom Valley. That’s where the trolls ambushed the dwarfs, or the dwarfs ambushed the trolls. That feud comes to a head when a dwarf leader is murdered, and Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch has to solve the mystery quickly, or see the Koom Valley battle being fought all over again, this time in his city.
Oh and there is also a sub-plot that involves him rushing home every day (without fail, no excuses) at six o’clock to read Where’s My Cow? (with all the right farmyard noises) to his little boy. Don’t ask.
That, in a nutshell, is the story of the book. If you think it’s stupid and doesn’t make much sense, you should read the synopses to his previous Discworld books. In fact, Thud! has possibly one of Pratchett’s simplest plots ever, since it doesn’t involve as much Discworld mumbo-jumbo as his previous ones, in my opinion. Other than that, it’s business as usual for the Pratchett-lover. All the usual characters are back, and the author is in good form here.
Just like his previous books over the past few years, Thud! continues Pratchett’s penchant for mirroring the real world’s current affairs in Discworld. The “serious” issues tackled here include parenthood, racial segregation, terrorism, and religious fanaticism, all given just enough Pratchett-style irony that makes them seem slightly more fantastic than real.
While some of the issues discussed here might be a tad “sensitive”, Pratchett also writes in a way that doesn’t offend anyone. Seriously, you’d need a really minuscule sense of humour to be insulted by whatever is written here.
One memorable element in this book is the inclusion of Where’s My Cow? – the children’s book that Vimes reads to his kid every day – into the plot. Here is a sample quote from the book:
Where’s my cow?
Is that my cow?
It goes Hruuugh!
It’s a hippopotamus!
That’s not my cow!
Okay, fine, it’s not exactly Booker Prize material but, hey, I’ll bet any kid would enjoy it if you read the book to them, especially if you can get the sound of a hippopotamus right. Besides being a pretty good touch for Thud! itself, the inclusion of Where’s My Cow? also happens to be a rather crafty advertising ploy on Pratchett’s part, since he also conveniently released the actual children’s book at the same time as Thud. The sly cow.
While Thud! may not be Pratchett’s best, it’s still a darn good read. Besides developing the character of Vimes further (seriously, Vimes must be the most well-developed character in Discworld by now), it’s also engaging enough to keep a reader from putting it down.
True, the book does tend to slow down a little when he mentions the more serious issues but, as it turns out, that is hardly a problem at all. Every time I thought it was starting to get boring, Pratchett comes up with another gem of a one-liner that breaks the monotony once again. It’s an art Pratchett has mastered to perfection, and that is what makes his books such consistently good reads.
You also know what to expect when you read a Discworld book, but at the same time, one still won’t know what will happen along the way.
All in all, Pratchett’s fans should be happy that their hero has not lost his touch (yet, hopefully), and Thud! should be able to tide them over until his next book next year. As for now, I guess I’ll have to be content with finding out where exactly my cow is?.
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