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Summary
Summary
Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch will be damned if he lets anyone disturb his city's always tentative peace -- and that includes a rabble-rousing dwarf from the sticks who's been stirring up trouble on the eve of the anniversary of one of Discworld's most infamous historical events.Centuries earlier, in a hellhole called Koom Valley, trolls met dwarfs in bloody combat. Though nobody's quite sure why they fought or who actually won, each species still bears the cultural scars and views the other with simmering animosity. Lately, an influential dwarf, Grag Hamcrusher, has been fomenting unrest among Ankh-Morpork's more diminutive citizens. And it doesn't help matters when the pint-size provocateur is discovered beaten to death ... with a troll club lying nearby.Vimes knows the well-being of his city depends on his ability to solve the Hamcrusher homicide. But there's more than one corpse waiting for him in the vast mine network the dwarfs have been excavating beneath Ankh-Morpork's streets. A deadly puzzle is pulling Sam Vimes deep into the muck and mire of superstition, hatred, and fear -- and perhaps all the way to Koom Valley itself.Performed by Stephen Briggs
Summary
In the 34th installment of Terry Pratchett's coveted Discworld series, as the anniversary of the great troll-dwarf conflict quickly approaches, feelings of ill-will develop between the two races. Much to the bellyache of City Watch Commande Sam Vimes, many of Koom Valley's citizens seem uninterested in the historical event. However, when a dwarf leader is murdered, Vimes must find the culprit before the city of Ankh-Morpork erupts with violence.
Author Notes
Terry Pratchett was on born April 28, 1948 in Beaconsfield, United Kingdom. He left school at the age of 17 to work on his local paper, the Bucks Free Press. While with the Press, he took the National Council for the Training of Journalists proficiency class. He also worked for the Western Daily Press and the Bath Chronicle. He produced a series of cartoons for the monthly journal, Psychic Researcher, describing the goings-on at the government's fictional paranormal research establishment, Warlock Hall. In 1980, he was appointed publicity officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board with responsibility for three nuclear power stations.
His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. His first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. He became a full-time author in 1987. He wrote more than 70 books during his lifetime including The Dark Side of the Sun, Strata, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Mort, Sourcery, Truckers, Diggers, Wings, Dodger, Raising Steam, Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Tales, and The Shephard's Crown. He was diagnosis with early onset Alzheimer's disease in 2007. He was knighted for services to literature in 2009 and received the World Fantasy award for life achievement in 2010. He died on March 12, 2015 at the age of 66.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The 31st Discworld novel begins with a thud?the sound of a club crushing the skull of influential dwarf leader Grag Hamcrusher. Tensions between dwarves and trolls has been high for centuries, so when a troll club is found lying nearby the murdered Hamcrusher, a villainous troll is the obvious suspect. But the dwarf?s death is not so simple, and Commander Samuel Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch must investigate the murder and discover the truth?lest renewed tensions between the dwarves and trolls tear his city apart. While some of these characters have appeared in previous Discworld volumes, newcomers to the series should have no trouble following and enjoying this audiobook. Like all of Pratchett?s work, Thud! is infused with wit and good fun throughout. Briggs, a 2004 Audie Award winner, enlivens the humor with his exuberant and masterful narration, and his pleasant British brogue is a joy to listen to. A man of many voices, Briggs flawlessly handles the wide variety of characters, which range from slow-witted trolls and gruff dwarves to arrogant lords and non-blood-sucking vampires. Canon reading for fantasy-fanatic audiophiles. Simultaneous release with the HarperCollins hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 22). (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal Review
Thud! is the 30th book in Pratchett's "Disc-world" series and the seventh book in the "Watch" subseries (e.g. Guards! Guards!). In this installment, Commander Sam Vimes-a copper's copper-must deal with dwarfs and trolls as the anniversary of the battle of Koom Valley, a long-ago fight between trolls and dwarfs, draws near. Although the reason for the battle is lost to history, ancient politics and what appears to be the murder of a dwarf official by a troll cause tensions between the two races to escalate. If Sam and crew cannot solve the mystery in time, the battle of Koom Valley could be re-enacted on the streets of Ankh-Morpork. The subplots move the story along, and reader Stephen Briggs, who has adapted 14 of the "Discworld" novels for the stage, gives all of Pratchett's characters crisp and unique voices. Recommended for all libraries.-Tim Daniels, Georgia State Univ. Lib., Atlanta (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.