Snuff: A Novel of Discworld (Discworld Novels)

By Author :

Terry Pratchett

Language :

English

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Published by HarperCollins Publishers on October 11, 2011

416 pages

ISBN-10:

0062011847

(

ISBN-13:

9780062011848)

For nearly three decades, Terry Pratchett has enthralled millions of fans worldwide with his irreverent, wonderfully funny satires set in the fabulously imaginative Discworld, a universe remarkably similar to our own. From sports to religion, politics to education, science to capitalism, and everything in between, Pratchett has skewered sacred cows with both laughter and wisdom, and exposed our warts, foibles, and eccentricities in a unique, entertaining, and ultimately serious way. ...

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Snuff: A Novel of Discworld,

Discworld Novels,

Terry Pratchett,

fantasy,

2 Review(s)

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Paro

Jan 21, 2012, 11:47 am

Rated this book

Publicists talk about ‘eagerly-anticipated’ books by fashionable authors all the time, and in recent years, Terry Pratchett’s ‘Snuff’ is surely one of those who.. More details

Publicists talk about ‘eagerly-anticipated’ books by fashionable authors all the time, and in recent years, Terry Pratchett’s ‘Snuff’ is surely one of those whose claim to the public’s anticipation are most authentic. Fans of the Discworld mythology queued up all over the world for their copies, reputed to be one of the last from the ageing author. The book does not disappoint, and those who follow the adventures of the Ankh-Morpork Night-Watch will find this novel to be of especial interest.
The description of the story starts, like Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’, with this line –

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse.”
This must especially be true of the redoubtable Sam Vimes, now, by virtue of his marriage to the Lady Sybil Rankin, a commoner elevated to the role of nob and toff. He has reached a peak in his career simultaneously – the captain is now a Commander, and his name is legend throughout the Discworld. However, behind every workaholic husband stands his lady with a frown, and so it transpires that Vimes finds himself forcibly ejected from his office at the Watch and packed off to the country for some long overdue peace and quiet. He fully expects to be bored, but wonder of wonders, the moment he arrives he smells something piscine and must get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, Young Sam exhibits a keen interest in the classification of animal poo of all descriptions, against a background of adoring Rankin retainers and his bewildered father.
Nothing bewilders Lady Sybil, of course, and when Vimes transgresses the boundaries of his holiday to pursue evil, she encourages him in no uncertain terms. Vimes struggles to reconcile his upbringing in the streets and slums of Ankh-Morpork to his new exalted status, which he does go to some trouble to assert. His butler Willikins, the efficient killing-machine with wonderful ironing skills, is invaluable as a trusty bodyguard and sidekick. This is possibly Pratchett’s most politically-minded book about the Watch, where he discusses the degraded state of goblins with compassion and regrettably, a touch too much righteousness. At its best, however, the book is funny, thrilling, and has its essential Vetinari moments firmly in place. Vimes is divorced from the trusty men (and dwarfs, trolls, werewolves, vampires, golems and assorted other constables) of the Night-Watch for the time being, but he handles the situation with all his customary rough-diamondness. There is biting commentary about the evils present in allowing the ruling classes too much of a free hand – it is up to Vimes to redress the balance; and if he is occasionally confused, he has always been able to know and define the limits and capacity of the Law. The cast of supporting characters, while not inspired, do hold the plot firmly in place. There are little surprises and shocks for the reader, as always – Pratchett, at his worst, could never be called predictably boring. There is a solemn feeling, however, at the end of the book, when it might (or might not) strike the reader that this book may be one of the last that the great man ever writes.
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lakshita

Nov 8, 2011, 9:54 am

Snuff by Terry Pratcher is an entertaining read. It narrates the story of Commander Vimes, who is persuaded by wife Lady Sybil to take a vacation. On his holiday he chanc.. More details

Snuff by Terry Pratcher is an entertaining read. It narrates the story of Commander Vimes, who is persuaded by wife Lady Sybil to take a vacation. On his holiday he chances upon a smuggling ring involving hard drugs and trading in living beings (goblins).
In Snuff goblins take centre stage. In this book they are dim, feeble creatures who smell dirty and reside in messy dark holes, robbing chickens and other things. Vimes takes it up on himself to rescue them from captivity.
I particularly liked the character of Willikins, the Vimes's butler, who was extremely stiff and formal, trying to trim Vimes, who forbade him. In this book he turns out to have the same streetwise background as his employer, with a collection of hidden and unusual weapons. He can deal with the criminal in many ways his employer (Commander Vimes) cannot. The villain in this book is a murderer of goblins called Stratford, a smuggler and slave maker, who like other Prattcherian villains is arrogant and again very stupid (read likeable).
Pratchett is a great storyteller. He is inventive, even with a regular tale. He weaves a beautiful world of goblins and fantasy each time around. He cracks jokes, and has a kind of insidious wisdom about human nature. Hide details

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