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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Please note that this 'review' kind of rambles a little bit.
Oh where to begin with Snuff... again I have been provided with a new favourite book, and this one doesn't even take place in the city. No, instead his Grace, his Excellency the Duke Of Ankh, Blackboard Monitor, Commander Samuel Vimes has been forced to go on vacation in the countryside to see the Ramkin family home. Young Sam is grown up enough to be running around having opinions on things (and boy is he currently enamored with the many different types of feces the world has to offer), and his father is suffering because no crimes present themselves in the country. Except he starts getting the faintest whiff of one, and some of the other noble families are just ever so slightly off about the presence of a copper.
It's a fairly small scene but in the regular course of pleasantries Sam visits a noble family with Sybil and oh my word. Sam educating the lady's daughters about the world is fantastic. When they're talking about gentlemen he asks them to describe what a gentleman is, and when they basically say he's someone who doesn't dirty their hands with work he replies with "Ah you mean a layabout." I rewound the scene to listen to it three times in total because it was so good.
Where things start going downhill and delighting Sam Vimes because he knows what to do again, is when he goes to meet the village blacksmith, after a brief 'fight', on a hill and discovers instead a lot of blood and a goblin finger. Everyone in the area hates goblins, and when the local young copper comes to arrest Vimes for the apparent murder of the blacksmith (also a great scene because he uses it to teach him) he takes Vimes to the lockup and a goblin comes and starts shrieking about wanting justice. And Vimes discovers that the goblins have been victims of terrible crimes in the area for a good number of years. Back in the city... well. Fred Colon is given a cigar that cries and they find a little 'pot' in it that's supposed to hold the soul of a dead goblin child, which Fred immediately snatches up because if it's valuable he wants it. And Cheery Littlebottom directs an amazing little speech at him that I also adored, especially since she called Fred out on being terrible. So the crime in the countryside becomes twined with Fred kind of starting to go nuts because he's dreaming goblin dreams thanks to the little pot he can't let go of, and which no one else can get out of his hand.
Also, the Summoning Dark shows up again with a line that struck me; "There is no creature so wretched that there is not someone that cares about it." I'm probably paraphrasing but wow. I won't detail all of how Vimes fixes things, but oh man. It's fantastic. As per usual with Discworld titles, I definitely recommend it. One of the reasons I love the Discworld books so much, and in this case the City Watch books, is because Vimes always seeks justice for people, and he makes sure they get it. He also has a brief little conversation with Vetinari where he feels the law should be reaching back retroactively to punish the nobles who allowed and assisted these crimes, and while Vetinari does make a good point about the victories Sam has achieved... I am on Sam's side of the argument. A lot of goblins died because of them. And it was cruel, and you know they'd have done it to humans if it was a lucrative enough deal and they could be persuaded by their good old friend, Lord Rust's son who's so charming and has so many ideas.
Oh where to begin with Snuff... again I have been provided with a new favourite book, and this one doesn't even take place in the city. No, instead his Grace, his Excellency the Duke Of Ankh, Blackboard Monitor, Commander Samuel Vimes has been forced to go on vacation in the countryside to see the Ramkin family home. Young Sam is grown up enough to be running around having opinions on things (and boy is he currently enamored with the many different types of feces the world has to offer), and his father is suffering because no crimes present themselves in the country. Except he starts getting the faintest whiff of one, and some of the other noble families are just ever so slightly off about the presence of a copper.
It's a fairly small scene but in the regular course of pleasantries Sam visits a noble family with Sybil and oh my word. Sam educating the lady's daughters about the world is fantastic. When they're talking about gentlemen he asks them to describe what a gentleman is, and when they basically say he's someone who doesn't dirty their hands with work he replies with "Ah you mean a layabout." I rewound the scene to listen to it three times in total because it was so good.
Where things start going downhill and delighting Sam Vimes because he knows what to do again, is when he goes to meet the village blacksmith, after a brief 'fight', on a hill and discovers instead a lot of blood and a goblin finger. Everyone in the area hates goblins, and when the local young copper comes to arrest Vimes for the apparent murder of the blacksmith (also a great scene because he uses it to teach him) he takes Vimes to the lockup and a goblin comes and starts shrieking about wanting justice. And Vimes discovers that the goblins have been victims of terrible crimes in the area for a good number of years. Back in the city... well. Fred Colon is given a cigar that cries and they find a little 'pot' in it that's supposed to hold the soul of a dead goblin child, which Fred immediately snatches up because if it's valuable he wants it. And Cheery Littlebottom directs an amazing little speech at him that I also adored, especially since she called Fred out on being terrible. So the crime in the countryside becomes twined with Fred kind of starting to go nuts because he's dreaming goblin dreams thanks to the little pot he can't let go of, and which no one else can get out of his hand.
Also, the Summoning Dark shows up again with a line that struck me; "There is no creature so wretched that there is not someone that cares about it." I'm probably paraphrasing but wow. I won't detail all of how Vimes fixes things, but oh man. It's fantastic. As per usual with Discworld titles, I definitely recommend it. One of the reasons I love the Discworld books so much, and in this case the City Watch books, is because Vimes always seeks justice for people, and he makes sure they get it. He also has a brief little conversation with Vetinari where he feels the law should be reaching back retroactively to punish the nobles who allowed and assisted these crimes, and while Vetinari does make a good point about the victories Sam has achieved... I am on Sam's side of the argument. A lot of goblins died because of them. And it was cruel, and you know they'd have done it to humans if it was a lucrative enough deal and they could be persuaded by their good old friend, Lord Rust's son who's so charming and has so many ideas.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a Pratchett book in that the man wrote it, but it lacks pretty much everything that made me enjoy the rest of his work. There's no amusement at the foibles of humanity; this isn't black humour, it's just bleakness. I enjoyed Jingo, at the time his angriest novel, because he had things to say. The commentary on the arrogance of Ankh-Morpork's warmongering and the nonsensicality of racism was smart, and it managed to be funny. This is just... I mean the stance he's taking here is that enslavement & transportation is A Bad Thing, which, what a fuckin' courageous moral position. And so hamhandedly, which is the unforgivable part: racism is bad, racists are jerks. A real eye for nuance and a revelatory contribution to postcolonial thought.
So, no humor, no social commentary worth mentioning. It's just Vimes stumbling around and grunting and doing violence to uninteresting bad guys and a performing a tiresome goodcop badcop routine with Willikins seriously at least three times. Discworld as done by a shanghaied Tom Clancy ghostwriter, or a hasty adaptation of a rejected 24 episode. Part of Sam's charm in previous incarnations was that he was a fundamentally good guy, wary of and averse to more violence than necessary--a self-doubting everyman who nonetheless got the job done. But here he is Batman TDK, seeing in the dark, swinging through windows & beating up armed foes with contemptuous ease.
It's a fantasy novel in that there are goblins, but there's no feeling of wonder, no sense that this is fantastic. Writing a lazy novel about the slave trade and then swapping out minorities for fantasy creatures doesn't make it better, it just insulates you against charges of inaccuracy. There's also the gross irony of his dogwhistle Asian character knowing Fantasy Kung Fu and having ha-ha funny names for food items in a book about the evils of racism.
It's a crime novel in the sense that one has been committed, but it's not really a journey to see what was done or who did it; there's no narrative tension. The villain you actually see most of the time doesn't pose a credible threat, ever: he gets his ass kicked in single combat, doesn't have cronies, and doesn't appear to be very bright. The criminal mastermind behind everything is some rich guy whose name I can't remember because he shows up 'on screen' literally once.
I thought it was a slog, unfortunately, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. (As odd as I feel writing that about something by Pratchett.)
So, no humor, no social commentary worth mentioning. It's just Vimes stumbling around and grunting and doing violence to uninteresting bad guys and a performing a tiresome goodcop badcop routine with Willikins seriously at least three times. Discworld as done by a shanghaied Tom Clancy ghostwriter, or a hasty adaptation of a rejected 24 episode. Part of Sam's charm in previous incarnations was that he was a fundamentally good guy, wary of and averse to more violence than necessary--a self-doubting everyman who nonetheless got the job done. But here he is Batman TDK, seeing in the dark, swinging through windows & beating up armed foes with contemptuous ease.
It's a fantasy novel in that there are goblins, but there's no feeling of wonder, no sense that this is fantastic. Writing a lazy novel about the slave trade and then swapping out minorities for fantasy creatures doesn't make it better, it just insulates you against charges of inaccuracy. There's also the gross irony of his dogwhistle Asian character knowing Fantasy Kung Fu and having ha-ha funny names for food items in a book about the evils of racism.
It's a crime novel in the sense that one has been committed, but it's not really a journey to see what was done or who did it; there's no narrative tension. The villain you actually see most of the time doesn't pose a credible threat, ever: he gets his ass kicked in single combat, doesn't have cronies, and doesn't appear to be very bright. The criminal mastermind behind everything is some rich guy whose name I can't remember because he shows up 'on screen' literally once.
I thought it was a slog, unfortunately, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. (As odd as I feel writing that about something by Pratchett.)
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enjoyable book, but I do see what people mean when they mention what feels lacking in it. Vimes feels old, I suppose. Like he's the past generation, no longer caring about following the rules if it means doing good, which is kinda what his job isn't about. And this isn't new for him, but I wouldn't have been surprised to see Vetinari forcing him into a quiet retirement after this book, which is an idea that makes me want to scream and cry at the unfairness of the world. And therein you see the problem.
I liked the Goblins. I think a book spent discovering them in Ankh-Morpork would be well deserved, such as with the Golems in Feet of Clay, or the initial introduction of Dwarves and Trolls in the city watch. Ankh-Morpork gives a background that is easy for a lot of us to recognise. All who interact with it are changed, made persons in a way we are familiar with. I don't think this is achievable all that well by the end of the book, and of course, there is no way to know what comes next.
I think I'll go back to the start after this. Reading out of order is an excellent way to fall in love with Pratchett. But now I have a desire to learn him
I liked the Goblins. I think a book spent discovering them in Ankh-Morpork would be well deserved, such as with the Golems in Feet of Clay, or the initial introduction of Dwarves and Trolls in the city watch. Ankh-Morpork gives a background that is easy for a lot of us to recognise. All who interact with it are changed, made persons in a way we are familiar with. I don't think this is achievable all that well by the end of the book, and of course, there is no way to know what comes next.
I think I'll go back to the start after this. Reading out of order is an excellent way to fall in love with Pratchett. But now I have a desire to learn him
me: needs more sybil
my friend: you've said that about every night watch book you've read
me: AND YOU'LL HEAR IT AGAIN
my friend: you've said that about every night watch book you've read
me: AND YOU'LL HEAR IT AGAIN
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
Against his better judgement, Vimes has been persuaded, no told, that he is go on holiday. He has even been asked to surrender his badge temporarily so he doesn’t think about work. The copper in him ran too deep, not even a brace of oxen would be able to pull that way of life from him. The envelope containing his bade is delivered to Lord Vetinari, but they all know that the badge isn’t in there…
Vimes had never been to the house, Crundells, but it was better known as Ramkin Hall. It was a pretty large estate, large enough to have a pub and a trout stream in the grounds. There would be staff too, lots of staff. This was something that Vimes was not used to given his background and pretty much every time he would make a fopa with his etiquette. He had managed to get it down to two weeks from a month away from work; his son was going to be there too and it was going to be interesting with his fascination with all things scatological…
It wasn’t long before he uncovers some foul goings-on and not long after that a murder. No one seems to be that bothered though as the poor victim is a goblin. However, Vimes senses that there is much more going on than just this one crime and poke about in the shadier parts of the countryside. The locals and especially the landed gentry are not particularly happy about this for a raft of reasons, so Vimes knows that he is obviously rattling the right cages.
Murder is one thing, but what he begins to uncover is an ancient crime far more terrible than murder.
The worst thing you can do is nothing.
I loved this. Pratchett has taken a good long hard look at our history and found a way of making it into a story that packs a strong moral punch. There is still the humour, I laughed out loud many times at the antics of the characters and never fail to be amazed at the way he can subtly include all manner of references to our history. Vimes is the star of this book though, in amongst all the titles and peerages is still that copper who can feel the street through his cardboard boots and has a sixth sense for truth.
Vimes had never been to the house, Crundells, but it was better known as Ramkin Hall. It was a pretty large estate, large enough to have a pub and a trout stream in the grounds. There would be staff too, lots of staff. This was something that Vimes was not used to given his background and pretty much every time he would make a fopa with his etiquette. He had managed to get it down to two weeks from a month away from work; his son was going to be there too and it was going to be interesting with his fascination with all things scatological…
It wasn’t long before he uncovers some foul goings-on and not long after that a murder. No one seems to be that bothered though as the poor victim is a goblin. However, Vimes senses that there is much more going on than just this one crime and poke about in the shadier parts of the countryside. The locals and especially the landed gentry are not particularly happy about this for a raft of reasons, so Vimes knows that he is obviously rattling the right cages.
Murder is one thing, but what he begins to uncover is an ancient crime far more terrible than murder.
The worst thing you can do is nothing.
I loved this. Pratchett has taken a good long hard look at our history and found a way of making it into a story that packs a strong moral punch. There is still the humour, I laughed out loud many times at the antics of the characters and never fail to be amazed at the way he can subtly include all manner of references to our history. Vimes is the star of this book though, in amongst all the titles and peerages is still that copper who can feel the street through his cardboard boots and has a sixth sense for truth.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just love the author so much. Uncertain about some of the metaphor he was going for here, but the dialogue saves it.