Thud!
 

Discworld sword-chucks? Oh, gods preserve us.

I rather liked Thud!, myself, but then, I'm a fan of the Sam Vimes character generally (one of my favorite books, liek, evarz: Night Watch. It's good for your soul, even if you don't believe you have one.) Altho'--I hate to say it, but I can't help but think that some of the bits near the end (like when he goes all ragey and rampagey in Koom Valley) came off as a teeny tiny bit "Vimes-as-Goku". Altho' I guess that could've been the nasty darkness thingy that was inhabiting him at the time, but still...

I also loved Vimes' near-Death experience/Death's near-Vimes experience. Came at just the perfect time, and I still laugh to think of it--reminding you that this is, after all, a comedy, not a thriller.

I like the Vimes books as examples of serious world and character development. They're awesome for that. But for the love of all things holy, that's not what Discworld is for. I personally think Rincewind epitomizes the spirit of Discworld, and there should be more of him.

Rincewind has become less of a central figure in things. All the big things about him are, possibly, exhausted, and now he can live in quiet dread that someday, his fellow wizards will need him for something awful. Until then, gulp a banana and ride that scythe 'till doomsday!

Also, there is no way that Vimes could ever EVER gain super powers. Who watches the watchmen? He does! And who watches the watcher of the watchmen? HE DOES! All things are completely, if in denial, explained away! Nothing mystic here! Nope! And an "Ook, ook!" to you too!

I wasn't really thinking of "super powers" in my explanation so much as I was thinking of his sheer unstoppability factor in the particular bit I was thinking of. It's hard for me to explain why this particular instance of kickassery felt different from all the other beatdowns Vimes has administered, but it just, somehow, well, did.

I feel I ought to point out that this really isn't a very big complaint for me, and if this is the worst blemish to be found on an otherwise wonderful character (as opposed to, say, Granny Weatherwax, who just doesn't impress me overmuch anymore), then I'm quite willing to let it slide. Because--and I don't think this can ever be over-emphasized--Vimes rocks.

There is some shit you just don't say.

...May I beg your forgiveness here, or do I have to take my abject apologies to PMs?

'Cos I am sorry. So very sorry. Please don't beat me up.

edit: or if you do, just...not the face, please.

And as for Vimes in that instance, it was because he had them all shit-scared and confused with loud recitations of "Where's My Cow?" while looking a dirty, stinky, bloody, hate-filled mess. It was the mind-set of the dwarfs too. It's like, "Ye Gods! It's some kind of freak from the Dungeon Dimensions come to swallow our souls!" At least, that's what they thought.

THUD! Was one of Pratchett's best in a while, I felt. I've yet to read a book by Pratchett - well, at least since the series really picking up by the fourth book or so - that I didn't enjoy, but I've had this feeling of the series losing a bit of its flare somewhere around the twenty-sixth book-ish.

THUD! definitely brought back the old lovin' feelin', though. The Watch novels seldom go wrong - possibly because the setting, if used a lot, simply offers a lot to tell - and I loved how Pratchett's dared to go sort of dark in the latest depictions of Vimes' life. The fact that this book built on The Fifth Elephant, my favourite Watch novel, made it even more likeable in my eyes.

Aw, and here I was all kind of looking forward to punching a girl in the face.

Anyway yeah, I really liked Thud. It's like any Pratchett book in that there is some stuff I don't like, but that stuff doesn't seem to keep me re-reading the book a half a dozen times, so clearly I can't dislike it that much. I'm not exactly sure what it was that was so great about this one, I think it just dug into the core of Ankh-Morpork - figuratively and literally I guess - in a way that even the previous Watch books haven't. It really took a lot of the jokey glib characterizations of things, and turned up endless rich veins of story underneath. It was a real series-fan's book in that respect, I guess you could say.