Snuff: Discworld Novel 39 - Sir Terry Pratchett

Thus spake Sir Terry. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday will barely have time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. His Grace, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, Duke of Ankh and head of the City Watch is going to have a holiday. No appeal is allowed. Not even the Patrician will intervene on his behalf. Lady Sybil has spoken! Not even a holiday at the seaside where a man might easily expect to find shipwrecks and smugglers but into the quiet countryside at an estate they apparently own. Two weeks in the fresh air of the country, eating healthy ... more

"It is a fact universally acknowledged…" …that Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are highly derivative (it's a parallel universe, what do you expect?! the same things have to happen there as here, just differently); …that one should never read the blurb on the cover or dust-jacket before reading the novel; …and that a policeman… …ah but if I quote that piece of the blurb, as true as it is, it undermines the assertion that you should not read it before reading the book, for do so totally undermines the first few pages of Snuff. Commander Vimes is leaving. He's not happy about it. The boys have ... more

The truth be told, I am a big Pratchett fan, and have been since I read “The Colour of Magic” those many years ago. He writes with enthusiasm and genuine humour. I have lost count on the number of times that I have laughed out loud whilst reading (not a good idea on a train or a plane as you just get one of “those” looks from your fellow passengers). Snuff is the 39th work in the series, and this one concerns Commander Vimes going on holiday. Whilst this is not a recording of his memoirs, it is quite a dark turn for the series. To give you some of the back story, Vimes was a “regular” street ... more