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Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Audiobook10 hours

Thud!

Written by Terry Pratchett

Narrated by Stephen Briggs

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

“Start with Douglas Adams’s comic science fiction (A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and J.R.R. Tolkien’s alternative worlds, mix in James Ellroy’s gritty realism and Jonathan Swift’s unflinching satire and, if you’re lucky, you’ll get something like Terry Pratchett’s Thud!” —Wall Street Journal

City Watch Commander Sam Vimes must solve the murder of a prominent dwarf or watch as Discworld is plunged into a bloody civil war in Terry Pratchett’s delightful Discworld satire, a brilliant tale of prejudice, ancient feuds, and tender fatherhood

Long, long ago, in a gods-forsaken hellhole called Koom Valley, trolls and dwarfs met in bloody combat. Centuries later, each side still views the other with simmering animosity that has been heightened of late because of one Grag Hamcrusher. The influential dwarf has been fomenting unrest among a section of Ankh-Morpork’s citizenry—a volatile situation made far worse when the petite provocateur is discovered bashed to death . . . with a troll club lying conveniently nearby.

If he doesn’t solve the murder of just one dwarf, Commander Sam Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch is going to see it fought again, right outside his office. But more than one corpse is waiting for Vimes in the eerie, summoning darkness of a labyrinthine mine network being secretly excavated beneath Ankh-Morpork’s streets. With war-drums beating ever louder, Vimes must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin, and brave any darkness to find the solution. And the darkness is following him, pulling him deep into the muck and mire of superstition, hatred, and fear—and perhaps all the way to Koom Valley itself.

Until six o’clock every day, when without fail, the Commander goes home to read Where’s My Cow?, with accompanying farmyard noises, to his little boy. Because there are some things you must do.

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Thud! is the 7th book in the City Watch collection and the 34th Discworld book.

The City Watch collection in order:

  • Guards! Guards!
  • Men at Arms
  • Feet of Clay
  • Jingo
  • The Fifth Elephant
  • Night Watch
  • Thud!
  • Snuff
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateSep 13, 2005
ISBN9780060888541
Thud!
Author

Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

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Reviews for Thud!

Rating: 4.623529411764705 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

255 ratings81 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Koom Valley, where the dwarves and trolls first went to war. After generations, it's not so much a place anymore (although it's one h#ll of a place!) as a state of mind. And in Ankh-Morpork, Koom Valley is stirring. It's up to Sam Vimes to make sure the proverbial match doesn't hit the tinder and send the whole city sky high - but when the top dwarf is murdered and all signs point to a troll, will even Sam be able to keep the lid on and still make it home by 6 pm for Where's my Cow?One of my favorites!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Listened to this on a road trip to MN, I think the other cars thought I was strange as I was snickering and laughing in my car the entire trip. Excellent story! Loved it! Hilarious and suspenseful enough to keep me reading and throwing each CD in even after the trip was done.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favorite Terry Pratchett books! Some of his earlier Discworld books are cute, and certainly readable (PTerry is pretty much always readable), but more a "borrow and read" type to me - this is not one of them. This was a very happy "buy and keep" entry to the series for me! This book is as witty as any Discworld novel (wit being what Pratchett does best), but it also has a tightly woven and dare I say actually somewhat epic plot (and I don't just mean epic in the shallow slangy sense - I mean, an actual epic! As mentioned by other reviewers, an impending war looms over the Disc! Can the Watch stop it in time?). The plot also addresses a longstanding, complex, and highly antagonistic relationship in the series mythology between Trolls and Dwarves. Plus, it stars Sam Vimes, one of the most entertaining and likable (not to mention slightly badass) characters in the Discworld novels. You can't go wrong with Sam Vimes as a protagonist. It is testament to how great a writer PTerry really is, that he can manage to make a children's book called "Where's My Cow?" not only a quite funny running gag, but a weirdly ominous plot point at the same time. Like, literally at the same time! Read through the climax and you'll see what I mean. It's chilling and funny all at once. This book, being a more recent Discworld novel, is Pratchett at his best - a master humorist and surprisingly good suspense writer all in one. Earlier volumes sometimes seemed to be entertaining more because of the ideas and some of the dialogue than anything else (see for example, Carpe Jugulum, an amusing deconstruction of vampire myths) - funny, yes, but nothing particularly special, other than their imagination. As Pratchett's career has gone on though, he's honed his skills, and in later books like this one, it really shows.This novel takes place fairly late in the continuity of the Discworld novels, but if you're new to them, don't worry; any given Discworld book can be read out of order or even by itself, just fine. Yes, there's a certain enjoyment you get from seeing characters go from their beginnings if you read in order (for optimal enjoyment, read the other "Watch" books in order first - that is, books like "Guards! Guards!" that center on Ankh-Morpork's City Watch), but Pratchett always makes them accessible enough that you can jump right in with no problem. I'd recommend this book to any fantasy fan who'd like a good literary romp that's equal parts exciting and fun, especially if they'd like a good introduction to Pratchett's work.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Pratchett at his best handling drama, comedy and cultural differences.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This one was very mixed, good troll and dwarf stuff, but the whole "Vimes has to be home by 6 to tell the story" bit was overplayed and boring. And so was the Angua and Sally cattiness.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Always enjoy a good Sam Vines mystery
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Whenever long bloody feud between dwarfs and trolls heats up the cry, “Koom Valley”, springs up just before both sides decide to fight the next one but now it looks like it’s in Ankh-Morpork but not on Sam Vimes watch. Thud! is the 34th installment of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and seventh in the “Watch” subseries focusing Sam Vimes pursuing culprits across the Ankh-Morpork and beyond to bring them to justice, no matter the species.A dwarf demagogue is killed and a troll is the only witness, all of this as the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley is approaching with tensions in Ankh-Morpork between dwarfs and trolls reaching a boiling point. After Sam Vimes learns that the murder was supposed to be hidden from him, he leaps to action to solve the murder as well as not sending both species into war. Unfortunately Vimes has to contend with a new vampire member of the Watch, an auditor, and always making it home by 6 to read to Young Sam. And then the case begins to involve mystical elements, really annoying Vimes especially as they travel to Koom Valley in pursuit of justice.Although the overall plot was well thought out, especially concerning Vimes there were problems. The various secondary arc, the humor, and quality of writing were noticeably not up to Pratchett’s earlier standards and ranged from bad to passable.Although Thud! isn’t the best of Pratchett’s work nor the best in the Watch series, it is still a good read for any fan.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love Thud!. It’s one of my favorite Discworld novels, right up there with Night Watch. However, it is the seventh Discworld novel following Vimes, so you’d be better off starting with Guards! Guards! if you haven’t read the rest of his arc. Or if you’re more generally wanting an introduction to the Discworld, you could try a stand alone novel such as Going Postal, Monstrous Regiment, or Small Gods. Koom Valley is a historic battle between the trolls and the dwarfs, and it is the key point of the conflict between them. As the anniversary draws near, it looks like Koom Valley might break out all over again, this time in Ankh-Morpork due to the murder of a rabble rousing dwarf. It’s up to Vimes to solve the crime before the city collapses into conflict.At it’s heart, Thud! is a novel about not giving into hatred and the darkness inside yourself. It’s one of the darker Discworld novels, which makes me love it all the more.“You can’t call yourself a good guy and then do bad guy things.”Sam Vimes continues to be my favorite protagonist. He’s filled with anger, but he knows better than to let it out. He’s always watching himself, guarding against the darkness inside him.The cast of secondary characters is also wonderful. I particularly adore Angua, the werewolf watchwomen. A subplot of Thud! is the addition of a vampire to the watch, and Angua dealing with her instinctual dislike of vampires and coming to grudgingly have some respect for Sally.“I’ve never been on a girls’ night out before,” said Cheery as they walked, a little uncertainly through the nighttime city. “Was that last bit supposed to happen?”“What bit was that?” said Sally.“The bit where the bar was set on fire.”Additionally, Thud! contains a few hilarious scenes regarding art and artists. If you know anything about me, you can guess how much I love these. In particular, Pratchett touches on the tricky question of how to define art.“He knew in his heart that spinning upside down around a pole wearing a costume you could floss with definitely was not Art, and that being painted lying on a bed wearing nothing but a smile and a small bunch of grapes was good solid Art, but putting your finger on why this was the case was a bit tricky.”As typical with later Discworld novels, Thud! is more plot focused and tightly woven while retaining the warmth and hilarity I associate with Discworld. I don’t know how much else I can rave about this book and this series. I highly recommend them.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first book I have read written solely by Terry Pratchett. It was clever and enjoyable, but not hilariously funny. Pratchett is very good at characterization; the trolls, dwarves, vampires and other species all came to life. The storyline was fairly simple. Dwarves and trolls don’t get along because of a bloody battle in Koom Valley. A dwarf who had been stirring up hatred of the trolls is found dead with a troll club lying next to him. Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork Watch must solve the murder case with his motley crew of Watchmen before another Koom Valley battle breaks out. I was expecting more laughs from this book. Instead it was just an entertaining read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the review quotes on the back of this book says something like, "Terry Pratchett's books are almost always better than they need to be." I think this is a pretty good assessment. If Pratchett's books were nothing more than humorous fluff, I would probably still read and enjoy them, but the added depth of character that he brings to his novels is what keeps me reading them over and over again.In this enstallment, we find Sam Vimes trying to once again bring a semblance of peace to the chaos that is Anhk-Morpork. The anniversary of Koom Valley, an historic battle between the trolls and the dwarfs, is coming up, and Vimes is doing everything he can to prevent the battle from being re-enacted in the city streets. This isn't easy, especially since a respected dwarf leader has turned up dead, and it looks like a troll may be the culprit. Equally important, Vimes needs to be sure he's home every night to read to Young Sam from The Book, aka Where is My Cow?.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Interesting book. A guards story where you learn more about Vimes' family than most other things. Historically the Trolls and the Dwarves have faught particularly on the anniversary of a historical battle, this looks at what happens when they try to take it onto the streets of Ankh-Morkpork. A number of characters seem to be there to set up more stories in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fairly funny - if not his funniest. Humane as ever. The Discworld is always interesting and funny.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Hmm Terry Pratchett I suspect that on form he could have written something edgy enough to make me reach for the prozac.as it is this was another safe read. not as many jokes as there used to be but the social commentary that has made up for it lately. Time I think for Terry to take a few risks.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Terry Pratchett is a god who walks among men. The entire Discworld series is a joy and only a strange mad creature cursed by gods and man would refuse to read and love these books!Vimes gets caught up in the biggest crime of all - politics! as the Dwarves and Trolls square up to relive the battle of Koom valley...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The penultimate book in my re-read of the City Watch subseries of Pratchett's Discworld novels. The one features growing tensions between dwarfs and trolls, an art theft, and something evil moving deep down in the dark.This isn't my favorite of the City Watch books. The plot never quite gains the feeling of momentum the previous books have, I think. Plus, Sam Vimes has pretty thoroughly completed his character development by this point, and, much as I still love him, that fact makes reading from his POV a bit less compelling. And the themes Pratchett deals with here are perhaps starting to feel a little over-familiar, even if they're good, worthwhile themes. But, still, we're talking about a very high bar, so that "not my favorite" really just means that it's pretty solidly good, rather than flat-out terrific. It's mostly the smaller things I like the most here, though. I like the way Pratchett continues to put a lot of thought into the world-building of the dwarfs and their culture, this time adding a few small glimpses into the trolls' world, as well, including a few really nice little moments with the troll watchman Detritus. Ite also does a great job with lots of interesting minor characters, many of whom come vividly to life in a surprisingly small number of words.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My project for this year is to read as much as possible, review what I own of what I read, and that includes re-reads. Thud is the first of these, and I suppose it says something straight off that I chose to re-read it, but in actual fact I don't remember an awful lot of it from the first read, having been quite ill at the time. All I remembered, in some obscure way, that I had sort of liked it and it had scared me.So... I think I'm glad I re-read it. Pratchett can usually do no wrong in my eyes, and really, this one isn't a break in that pattern. Vimes is his usual glorious self, the Watch are chaotic and marvellous, and the story is full of glorious grace notes - A.E. Pessimal, the government inspector who wasn't named but initialled; Detritus bonding with a juvenile delinquent troll; Wilkins, Vimes's Jeeves-like butler with an improbably violent past; and the crowning touch, and also in other ways the core of the novel, Sam getting to know Young Sam, his baby son who must be read to every day at six o'clock (and if mountains have to be moved and major roads have to be closed in order for this to be achieved, well, so be it). It's its usually delightful self.The one thing I would note with this one, though, is that it seems to be part of a progression. Guards! Guards! is very much a parody of generic-fantasy; then Men At Arms and Feet of Clay are police procedurals in a demented Discworld setting; Jingo and The Fifth Elephant are less about the Watch, and more about politics. Night Watch is a serious novel, with very little jokes. And this one... well, it has jokes in it again, but I get the distinct feeling that Pratchett has actually gone all the way round again, and the fantasy elements are starting to be taken seriously - the gloomy presence in this novel, the dwarfish mine-sign the Summoning Dark, is written to be explicitly creepy. It's done very well, of course. But it's interesting, that the parody of the genre is more or less gone (not that there isn't parody of other things - The Da Vinci Code is deliciously lampooned throughout), but the Watch books seem to have become a genre of their own. And that's... pleasing, I think.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    borrowed from jax, this was a delightful reentry into the disc.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A less humorous book than many other Discworld novels, but so intelligent. There’s a lot of subtexts here covering government, racism, human nature, among others, with all the stupidity that comes along with these failings. An education in erudition with Sam Vimes, the teacher of the decade. And most of all, a book where every reader will root for Sam to get home on time to read ‘Where’s my Cow?’
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't really enjoy Snuff, but I did enjoy Thud. Given that in many ways they are quite similar books (Sam Vimes is Kickass, but Family Man! Bad People Are Stopped!) this was quite interesting. I think the plot in Thud is tighter, neater and cleverer, and the Bad Guys Problem is more interesting. Also, the Summoning Dark is sinester and evil and powerful, which makes the charactature of it in Snuff even more annoying.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There was I, expecting such a late entry in the series to be a disappointment and yet it turns out to be a real cracker. Pun overload has been suppressed to some extent and the story is great with some fabulous moments along the way. As always, the footnotes are a delight, but there are also a couple of dogear passages, and I never mutilate books unnecessarily. There was also a memorable section that I didn't feel the need to create a physical aide memoire for, because it lingers in the mind so easily ... contemplate Pratchett dealing with a near DEATH experience. Do you need a summary of the story? Oh, alright then. Superman Vimes has to prevent a battle between the dwarves and the trolls taking place in Ankh-Morpork. The multi-species Watch plays a big role, and saves the day. Horses, sheep and hippopotamuses have their place but are subservient to a cow ... and a chicken might or might not exist.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Thud! is a fantastic addition to the City Watch books.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When I started reading it, and realised the theme, I thought "On no, this is going to be heavy" and was tempted to put it aside. But I'm glad I kept going. It manages to combine the usual complex plotting, satirical insights and original humour with measured and very human treatment of some of the most serious social issues facing us today: racial intolerance and stereotyping, and religious extremism. The sad thing is that the people who could get most out of this book will never read it ...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The tension between Trolls and Dwarfs is coming to a head as the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley approaches. Commander of the Watch, Sam Vimes doesn't care about the history. He just doesn't want a riot breaking out on his city streets. As ever Pratchett holds a mirror up to life and takes a hard look at what makes us who we think we are and what happens when the truths we hold dear are shaken to the core.I have a lot of empathy for Sam Vimes. He's just a copper who wants to keep the peace and some how manages to become the vessal for an ancient evil. It's enough to drive a man to drink.This novel is all about the shaking up of the familiar and it feels like a turning point in the Discworld has been reached.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Perhaps even 4.5*The City Watch subseries has been one of my favorites since I read "Guards, Guards" and this late (last?) book didn't let me down. I loved the way Vimes interacted with his Gooseberry (the DiscWorld version of a Blackberry) & his way of coping with the government inspector.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Vimes' schtick is getting a bit tiresome. Still, it was an enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While investigating a series of dwarfish religious killings Vimes becomes infected with a murderous thinggy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of his best efforts, definetly back on form again. So many themes are intermingled its very hard to pick a few out for special consideration.In the nominally human city of Ankh Morpock guard commander Vimes is worried. Koom day is approaching, when the dwaves histoically ambushed the trolls, or vice versa. Vimes doesn't want to see this re-enacted in his city, but he can't be seen to pick on one species over the other either. Rumour reaches his ears that a 'holy' dwarf has been brutally murdered, and trolls are the obvious suspects. The deep down dwarfs however think that underMorpok is thier turf and no humans should be involved.....Meanwhile a painting depicting the secret of the true evnts of Koom day has been stolen. The troll King is in the city. The Watch is required to finally accept a vampire. and Sam must read to his son.The various plots unite in Sam visiting the ancient Koom Valley and solving the ancient riddle who did ambush the others first. Does he have the acumen to make sure the right result reaches the right ears? Can he prevent Ankh Morpock from being crushed in aftermath? Does young sam ever find his cow?The predominent theme is perhaps multiculturalism, how to integrate those of other ways of living into your society. You have to change to accept them, but do they also have to change? Pratchett's view is very obiously yes, if you live here you abide by our laws. You can keep your traditions but don't expect me to uphold them. I'm not completely sure this is a view shared by all of the muslim population in our cities, but the parallels are very clear. Nobby's sex life once again becomes a matter of concern for the female watch officers on a ladies night out. Perhaps the underlying theme so common to all of Terry's works. Is think clearly! Don't be swayed by superficial concerns, treat everybody as you would like to be treated yourself and don't let the innocent suffer for the crimes of the instigators.The board game Thud is also well worth playing if you've any interest in complex strategy games
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I that my cow no that's not my cow. V
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Based on cover (so shouldn't be any spoilers except in the last bit):Koom Valley? That was where the trolls ambushed the dwarfs, or the dwarfs ambushed the trolls. It was far away. It was a long time ago. But if he doesn't solve the murder of just one dwarf, Commander Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch is going to see it fought again, right outside his office.With his beloved Watch crumbling around him and war-drums sounding, he must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin and brave any darkness to find the solution. And darkness is following HIM.Oh.. and at six o'clock every day, without fail, with no excuses, he must go home to read "Where's My Cow?", with all the right farmyard noises, to his little boy. There are some things you HAVE to do.Racial intolerance, racism, war, all of this is put to the test and comes up wanting. Pratchett manages to target all these controversial topics and still write a book full of humour. A humourous mirror with a very serious mirrorimage. One of my favourite books, mainly because of the serious theme and the barnyard animals with real noises.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the 3rd Terry Pratchett’s book that I read, the first one being the Color of Magic while the 2nd one is The Bromeliad Trilogy. I always wanted to read more of TP’s books judging from all those interesting buzzes and comments on his magical discworld but never get the chance of doing so (plus I was so caught up with some other authors such as Robert Jordan, George RR Martin and Robin Hobb to name a few).The story revolves around a historical battle between dwarves and trolls some hundred years ago in a place called Koom Valley. With the battle’s anniversary looming around the corner, both sides are getting edgier by the second. The situation worsens with the death of Hamcrusher, dwarf most prominent figure, while a used troll’s club lying conveniently at the murder scene. It may seem like a no-brainer mystery, so it is up to Ankh-Morpok City Watch Commander’s Samuel Vines ( quote: the straightest guy around but not the sharpest knife in the drawer) with his assorted band of police officers (werewolf, dwarves, trolls, humans and vampire) to prevent Ankh-Morpok from becoming the next Koom Valley. I enjoy reading Thud! very much. It is filled with jokes, satire, interesting and colourful characters. Most of the characters are reoccurring characters from TP previous novels but it doesn’t stop new readers from enjoying it. Thus, my third plunge into TP’s world was not for naught. Can’t wait to get my hand on the rest of his novels