With the anniversary of an ancient battle between dwarfs and trolls approaching, Commander Vimes must solve a murder that could set the city alight
An old battle, a new murder
Every year, as the anniversary of the battle of Koom Valley approaches, tensions rise between Ankh-Morpork's dwarfs and trolls. This year, a prominent dwarf agitator is found dead, apparently killed by a troll's club, and the city is ready to explode. Commander Sam Vimes must find the real killer, keep the peace and deal with an inspector sent to audit the Watch, all while making sure he gets home every evening at six o'clock to read his young son a picture book.
Who will enjoy it
City Watch fans, readers who enjoy detective stories with depth, and anyone interested in fantasy that explores prejudice and old grudges.
What you will get
A gripping Discworld detective story in which Commander Vimes races to solve a murder that could ignite an ancient feud between dwarfs and trolls.
Thud! Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Fantasy · Discworld · City Watch · Dwarfs and trolls
Length
398 pages · ≈ 12 h
More about this book
Thud! is one of the darker and more powerful City Watch novels. Pratchett explores how old hatreds are kept alive by stories and leaders who profit from them, and how ordinary people get swept along. The mystery of Koom Valley, and what really happened there, is cleverly woven into the present-day investigation. Angua, Detritus and Carrot all have important roles, and the tensions between dwarf and troll officers within the Watch mirror the wider conflict in the city.
Vimes is at his best, exhausted, furious and stubbornly decent, and his insistence on reading to his son at six o'clock every evening becomes both a running joke and a moving symbol of what he is protecting. New characters, including a vampire officer and the earnest auditor from the city, add fresh energy. The underground scenes are tense and atmospheric.
The plot is dense, with many characters, and readers new to the Watch will miss many references. The tone is more serious than in earlier books, and the humour is quieter. For established fans, it is among the richest and most satisfying of Pratchett's later novels. About 398 pages in the HarperTorch paperback; one listing gives 434.
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