My review of Snuff by Terry Pratchett (from Goodreads)

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After the epic journey through a huge and very serious fantasy novel (if that isn't an oxymoron), I turned for light relief to the reliable Pratchett, in the knowledge that I would rattle through it in no time. I wasn't disappointed. I don't know what makes the Discworld novels a quick easy read but they are. Despite this, the fact that Pratchett's Discworld is a critical reflection of our own, means that they could and perhaps should be thought provoking. Nevertheless they are, above all, fun.

The novels fall into several categories as they centre on different aspects of the life in the city of Ankh-Morpork and beyond. Some feature DEATH (and his horse Binky), some the wonderful witches Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax, some the wizards from Unseen University including Rincewind (a name pinched from Beachcomber's red-bearded dwarfs) which was where we came in. Several of the books feature the rag-tag rabble of humanity (and vampires, trolls, lycanthropes, dwarfs etc.) that is the Ankh-Morpork City Watch and this is the case here.

It is in fact a crime novel starring the coppers' copper, Sir Samuel Vimes who came up from the street to the peerage courtesy of marriage to the ample, and formidable, Lady Vimes. As one would expect with a famous detective being forced to go on holiday, Vimes copper's intuition swiftly tells him there is something nasty in the rural woodsheds. After keeping us waiting for some time (but never boring us) the inevitable body turns up and Vimes takes the law into the shires. *His* law in fact, while he waits for the other one to arrive.

As always there are all sorts of references to pick up and some wonderful characters and sub-plots. Sam Vimes Junior's obsession with poo could presage a future as an investigator in his own right and Chief Constable Upshot and Stinky the goblin, amongst others are enjoyable additions to the Discworld dramatis personae.

The theme is a serious one underneath all the usual wit and comedy. This is no simple crime story but one exposing bigotry and prejudice on a large scale and which underlines the old adage (sometimes attributed to Burke) that all that is needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing. As with Roundworld, Discworld has very few wholly good characters though and one of the reasons Pratchett is such a satisfying read is that however funny they may be his characters are very human (even the non-human ones). They have their light sides and their dark and all have their human foibles, even Vimes, although his natural sense of justice is one of the burdens he carries with him always.

With the condemnation of those who treat sentient beings, different in some way from themselves, as animals, the streak of morality running through these tales is more visible than ever in Snuff but it never becomes preachy and always retains the sharp cynical wit that we fans love. I hope he's working on the fortieth already.



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