Hello, it's Reviewsday Tuesday and it's time for a new episode of Discworld Discourses.
Today I am going to be talking about Thud! which is the 34th book in the Discworld series
By Terry Pratchett, first published in 2005. This is a City Watch book
And in it, tensions between the dwarfs and the trolls of Ankh-Morpork are at an all time high
In the run-up to the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley,
An historic battle between the two races.
The City Watch, led by Sam Vimes, must try to prevent war from breaking out again
After the death of dwarf community leader, Grag Hamcrusher.
This book is really good.
I've said this several times before but the City Watch is my favourite series in the Discworld
And Ankh-Morpork is my favourite setting within the Discworld as well.
It feels like there is so much time to shine in this book
For a lot of Ankh-Morpork and City Watch characters,
From Carrot and Detritus, to Angua and Cheery,
To Vetinari and Sybil and Willikins.
There are also some great new characters
In Sally, the first vampire member of the Watch, in AE Pessimal,
And also I love Mr. Shine and Bashfull Bashfullson.
Both only appear near the end and for a relatively short amount of time,
But they are just amazing characters, they are so vivid.
It's also a good book for Sam Vimes, who is my favourite Discworld character.
There isn't the most character development for Vimes in this book, I would say.
I don't feel that we learned much that is new about him,
But I love that when you take this character across the series as a whole
You can see the changes in him and to him,
And Thud! is, I think, a rewarding book as a fan of Sam Vimes
Because you get to see how far he has come, and how he is treated now.
I think the thing that really stands out about Thud!, though, is how relevant it is.
The racism and the prejudice,
The repeating of history and needing to learn from history.
The question of who watches the Watchmen.
The themes in this book are important.
This book has a message. I think among the Discworld series, it is one of the most serious,
And Pratchett conveys the message through fantastical characters and situations,
Aand through his trademark wit.
So I would definitely recommend reading Thud!. It's rewarding, it's entertaining,
And it's not the funniest Discworld book but it has a good message and it is relevant to today.
Thud! also feels somewhat like a last hurrah for the City Watch
Because although it's not the last City Watch book, there is another City Watch book to come,
And also there are a few other books set in Ankh-Morpork still left in the series,
Thud! is the last book that feels like it's centred around the City Watch
Which makes me feel kind of sad
But also it feels somewhat like they've reached their final form in this book.
When I think of the City Watch, I tend to think of this group of characters.
But yes, I will give Thud! by Terry Pratchett 4.6 out of 5.0.
I would really love to know what you think about this book if you have read it.
If you liked Thud!, what should you read next?
I mean, you should definitely finish off the City Watch series now, I think.
The final book is Snuff.
If you didn't get on so well with Thud! then you could maybe try Wintersmith next,
Which is the next Discworld book and it is a return to Tiffany Aching.
Some facts about Thud!
The board game which gives this book its title, and which is also somewhat relevant to the plot,
Exists and you can buy it.
And I didn't realise this, but the game came first.
It was devised by Trevor Truran and published in 2002,
And the game was then added to the Discworld series, first mentioned in Going Postal.
Speaking of Going Postal, Thud! is quite rare in the Discworld series
In that it is clear when the book is taking place compared to the previous book.
Vimes mentions the Post Office's cabbage-scented stamp being released a month before,
Meaning that Thud! takes place a month after the events of Going Postal, the previous book.
Not only does Thud! exist as a game, but Where's My Cow exists as a book as well.
It was released as an illustrated children's book with art by Melvin Grant.
Thud! was released three weeks earlier in the US than it was in the UK, to coincide with a book tour.
That is it for today, thank you so much for watching!
My next Discworld Discourses will be on 16th June and I will be talking about Wintersmith.
And the full list of Discworld books and when I'm planning on reviewing them
Will be linked in the description below.
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I hope you have a great day, and I will see you soon!