Feet of Clay, by Terry PratchettPublisher's Blurb:
It's murder in Discworld! -- which ordinarily is no big deal. But what bothers Watch Commander Sir Sam Vimes is that the unusual deaths of three elderly Ankh-Morporkians do not bear the clean, efficient marks of the Assassins' Guild. An apparent lack of any motive is also quite troubling. All Vimes has are some tracks of white clay and more of those bothersome "clue" things that only serve to muck up an investigation. The anger of a fearful populace is already being dangerously channeled toward the city's small community of golems -- the mindless, absurdly industrious creatures of baked clay who can occasionally be found toiling in the city's factories. And certain highly placed personages are using the unrest as an excuse to resurrect a monarchy -- which would be bad enough even if the "king" they were grooming wasn't as empty-headed as your typical animated pottery.
My Reaction:
Hey, look! It's my standard Terry Pratchett/Discworld book reaction!
It was good (where "good" equals "fun/funny/entertaining"). Better in some spots than others, of course. Also, I have to admit that I find the religion-themed "fun-poking" somewhat less... fun... than when the joke is at the expense of government, etc. (But maybe that's just me. It's ok at times; at others, it just takes me out of the story. I find myself wondering about the author's personal beliefs rather than focused on his work.) Still, nitpicks aside, there are plenty of laughs-- and since that's what we* want (and expect) from this author, we left satisfied.
*"We", because this was-- of course-- a shared read with Donald. Pratchett and Wodehouse. At this point, it would feel almost wrong to read them silently and alone.
