Review: Thud!
By EricMesa
- 2 minutes read - 220 words
My rating: [4 of 5 stars][https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/160777971]
This is my second time reading this book
Although by this point in my first read-through I was already a fan of Sam Vimes, this second read-through is definitely cementing the idea. Most of these are essentially fantasy police procedurals and, although we have Colon and Nobby for humor, these are the stories I believe that Pratchett took most seriously. The plot are full of less silliness and have aged better on this second time around.
I remember feeling when I first read this book that it seemed as though Pratchett seemed to be making the Dwarf/Troll enmity an analogy for Jewish and Muslim strife. The grags, in particular, read to me like the Hasidic communities in NYC; in the city, but apart from it. It especially seems to fit given the way that Pratchett writes Koom Valley. Something happened there once upon a time and since then there has been nonstop fighting. No one can even remember why. This, of course, is a pretty universal human issue - see the Hatfields and McCoys in the USA. Or any other familial or ethnic groups that have been fighting forever while inhabiting the same city/country/etc.
Overall, it continues to grow Sam’s character and I found it to be an entertaining read.