Feet of Clay (Discworld, #19)

Jul 07, 2010 Joan Opyr rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Joan by: Melynda Huskey

What interests me most about Terry Pratchett is that he explores (with great subtlety and wit) issues that other fantasy and speculative writers only pay lip service to -- racism, sexism, identity politics. Pratchett's hero, Sam Vimes, dislikes everyone: Dwarves, trolls, werewolves, gnomes, and, most especially, vampires. He is an equal opportunity curmudgeon, but his dislikes (with the exception of vampires) are not based on the identity of "the other" as much as they are on the identity of Sam...more

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Aug 29, 2007 Silvercharmer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Discworld fans

Shelves: terry-pratchett, scifi-fantasy, bring-on-the-funny

There's not a whole lot you can say about Discworld other than it's hard to go wrong. Of Pratchett's usual suspects, this book focuses on the Watch and San Vimes, with a brief cameo from Death and none from the infamous Rincewind.

I always feel that the Watch books operate differently than the others, because Sam Vimes comes across as a more well-rounded character who doesn't follow the same mold as someone like Rincewind. He's easier to take seriously, and therefore the Watch books (and there a...more

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Nov 14, 2009 Kurtbg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What did I learn in this 19th book in the discworld series by Terry Pratchett? I'm not so sure. Maybe some political stuff - but the main reason is to be entertained by the absurd characters and their absurb problems. There's the Dwarf-troll historical enmity, a vampire with a passion for heraldry, a straight-arrow heir to the throne hidden within the citywatch with a lycan girlfriend, the ruler of Ankh-morpork is being poisioned, and there's a problem with golems committing suicide.

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Nov 09, 2007 Sarah Sammis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pc

I started reading through the Night Watch series of Discworld books for the Beach Blanket Bonanza challenge I ran. I enjoyed the books I read then enough to keep reading more of the series. I recently finished Feet of Clay and am now starting Jingo.

Feet of Clay is another straight up mystery. There have been a handful of murders and someone is trying to kill the Patrician again. Vimes, Carrot and the rest of the Watch must figure out who is behind the murders, the assassination attempts and why...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Trent rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

CSI: Ankh-Morpork, that is to say the Watch storyline of the Discworld series, continues in Feet of clay and once again there’s more socio-political philosophy than you can shake a stick at. Marxism, feminism, you name it, Pratchett’s got it, though fortunately they are presented in a much more palatable and enjoyable manner than my professors could ever impart such information, but I’ll get into that more later.

To start off, I found this iteration of the Watch’s story to adhere much more stri...more CSI: Ankh-Morpork, that is to say the Watch storyline of the Discworld series, continues in Feet of clay and once again there’s more socio-political philosophy than you can shake a stick at. Marxism, feminism, you name it, Pratchett’s got it, though fortunately they are presented in a much more palatable and enjoyable manner than my professors could ever impart such information, but I’ll get into that more later.

To start off, I found this iteration of the Watch’s story to adhere much more strictly to the format of a traditional crime novel, which in my opinion is a very good move. Not only is it the next logical stage of the Watch’s development as an effective branch of government, but it also provides a much needed sense of freshness to the fantasy police setting. It’s so refreshing to see the Watch employ so many different kinds of people, dwarves, trolls, werewolves, gargoyles, ect and seeing them used for their individual strengths towards a common goal.

Not only that, but the more traditional format presents the overarching plot more clearly in a manner where it is possible for the reader to pick up on the clues themselves in order to piece together the mystery; it really felt like the characters were on the trail of a criminal rather than flailing about while anyone and everyone seemed to have the authority to tell the Watch to bugger off.

On a similar note, but of great personal importance, Sam Vimes was given the opportunity to shine through this book. Roughly half the book follows his perspective and he has just the right amount of cynicism and heart to present the city simultaneously as a dark and gritty place and a fertile ground worth protecting. Sam comes across in this book not as the dour bachelor soon to be wed in the previous book. Now he’s a lovably stubborn man with the determination to see things through and get the job done.

I’ve briefly mention the traces of Marxism and feminism in this book, and I believe that they are both handled quite well. In the wake of the push for integration and diversity presented in Men at Arms, the new character of Cheery helps to explore the subtle difference between “being one of the boys” and being yourself, in this case expressing her suppressed femininity (in dwarvish society there is little to no distinction between being a man and a woman in terms of not only gender roles but also appearance). It’s enjoyable to see her form a friendship with Angua and slowly “come out of the closet” so to speak and present herself as a woman without presenting herself as weak of character.

The golems, man-made creatures of clay created as a sort of slave race, serve triply to provide Marxist social commentary. At one level as a slave race, they represent the down-trodden lower class, and their very existence is treated as material property and serves to further suppress the non-slave lower classes by undercutting wages lower and lower while driving unemployment ever higher. I can’t say much more about them without spoiling the plot, but ultimately they become an example of the fact that you can’t rely on people to save you. In the end, we have to look out for one another and work for a better tomorrow under our own determination, resolve, and strength.

Nevertheless, there is one glaring weakness still nestled away in the pages of this book. I am, of course, talking about Carrot. He hasn’t changed, not since the last book or in the course of this one; I’m not even convinced that he’s capable of change. He’s just so static as a character that it frustrates me to see him thrust into the role of main character, which is also why I was so very glad to see Vimes take the helm as one of the main protagonists in this book. I wish there were a better way to describe him, but Carrot is such a Garry Stu. He’s so moral and always right, never daring to intentionally hurt or threaten anyone unless it was for a justifiably greater goal. Many times his girlfriend, Angua, bemoans this very fact and I echo her concerns in saying that I just wish he had some fault of character, something to make him believably and relatably human.

On top of this, Angua questions why she even likes Carrot –Surprise, there’s no answer. It genuinely bothers her that Carrot seems to like the city as a whole more than any one individual or even her, and it bothers her that it bother Carrot what other people think of her. These are serious questions that strike at the heart of their relationship which go unresolved. It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for werewolves, so it’s no great shock that I like the character of Angua. So, to a major aspect of her character, this relationship, fall so flat while still remaining in the relationship is just a slap in the face to me. It’s fine if Carrot only hurts himself as a character, but to ruin another character is rather disappointing.

All aside, though, I very much enjoyed this book. Great characters (sans Carrot), great story, and an always interesting setting. Can’t wait to read the next one.(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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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.

Amazon.com Review

In Feet of Clay, Terry Pratchett continues the fantasy adventures on Discworld--where anything goes. Anything but murder, that is. Commander Vimes of the Watch must investigate a puzzling series of deaths, with help from various trolls and dwarfs. Pratchett's humor and excellent writing skills draw the reader effortlessly into his zany world. Feet of Clay is 19th in the series. --Blaise Selby

From Publishers Weekly

A flat platter of a planet spinning atop the backs of four giant elephants perched on the shell of an immense turtle: it's no surprise that life on Discworld is far from mundane. Pratchett's 17th Discworld novel picks up where his last, Men at Arms, left off, following Ankh-Morpork City Watch Commander Samuel Vimes and his fellow cops as they strive to maintain a semblance of order in a city as infamous for its intrigues as for its ethnic diversity. An elderly priest is killed, then the harmless old curator of the Dwarf Bread Museum is found beaten to death with one of his own exhibits. Investigation reveals a link to the city's golems?silent, tireless workers built of clay and brought to life with magic. There's a rash of golem suicides, and Vimes uncovers a plot that could topple the government. Pratchett's latest is full of sly puns and the lively, outrageous characters his readers expect. Those new to Discworld?which first appeared in Pratchett's The Colour of Magic, 1983?will have no trouble keeping up with the action. This is fantasy served with a twist of Monty Python, parody that works by never taking itself too seriously. Author tour; U.K. and translation rights: Ralph Vicinanza.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Dec 13, 2012 Barbara78e rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prendete il vostro frullatore. Osservatelo. E' solo uno strumento. Fa quello per cui è programmato. Niente di più. Niente di meno. Ora immaginate che abbia una forma vagamente umana. Immaginatelo fatto di argilla. Ecco a voi un Golem.
Un Golem non è nient’altro che un attrezzo. Eppure Pratchett sconvolge Ankh-Morpork, facendolo diventare protagonista di questo romanzo giallo fantasy-filosofico. Ci sono delitti, c'è un'indagine, c'è una soluzione. Quindi si potrebbe annoverare fra i gialli. I prot...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Doris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, humor

Commander Vimes knows there's been a crime, because there is always crime. The question is, what crime was it, and should it be punished. Vimes wants answers, almost as much as Lord Vetinari does, and when those two want answers, the questions better present themselves!

Pratchett's sense of humor and his ability to poke fun at all segments of the population without any but the most unyielding actually taking offense. In this book, he has a werewolf trying to avert the pre-lunar tension, a dwarf...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Eustacia Tan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm baaack~ And yes, this one is in Ankh Morpork (I love that country!). It's an interesting book, because it has a mystery (but no one dies. I don't think anyone can actually kill Lord Vetinari).

But um yeah, I just told you the plot. But besides the mystery, there's also speciesim, a bit of romance, nobility and Vimes. The more books I read that star Sir Vimes, the more I like him as a character. He's the grumpy-guy with a soft heart deep deep deep down.

There is a lot I can say about this book,...more I'm baaack~ And yes, this one is in Ankh Morpork (I love that country!). It's an interesting book, because it has a mystery (but no one dies. I don't think anyone can actually kill Lord Vetinari).

But um yeah, I just told you the plot. But besides the mystery, there's also speciesim, a bit of romance, nobility and Vimes. The more books I read that star Sir Vimes, the more I like him as a character. He's the grumpy-guy with a soft heart deep deep deep down.

There is a lot I can say about this book, but for now, I'll just talk about Gender Equality and Nobility.

About the Gender Equality thing, well you see, Dwarfs don't officially acknowledge the female gender. It exists, but it's kept secret. Instead, the girls look exactly like guys and do the same work like guys. I suppose it was how Terry Pratchett decided to portray a society/class/group of people without any gender differences. Yet Cheery/Cheri Littlebottom, and many female dwarfs like her, want to be more girly. I'm still trying to figure out what this means, but I think it's going to be significant.

The second thing is about mankind's inexplicable fasicnation with nobbility. Vime's ancestor is unpopular because he lopped of the head of a King who was a tyrant. In fact, people will want to dress up as the king, but no one wants to be a good guy. And when Nobby, who has to prove he's human, is 'found' to be an Earl, he's suddenly loved by the upper crust of society. We're talking about Nobby. (And I saw the note that proved he was human).

It really just shows that people can get blinded by a title, and use that to judge. I'm really not sure whether I'm very susceptible to this, but it's something for everyone to think about. Why do we think people who have the words "Lord", "Lady", "Datuk", "Datina" or the same sort of titles to be somehow superior to normal people?

Interestingly, in feudal Japan, the people with the least money (not including the nobility), were the highest class Samurai. The lowest class Merchants were, ironically, the richest.

Read. This. Book.

First posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile (less)

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Jun 20, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not my favorite of the Discworld novels it's got a bit too much politics for most of the story (and not the fun kind), but the end is great which bumps it up to 4 stars.

It also has one of my favorite discworld quotes.

"People look down on stuff like geography and meteorology, and not only because they're standing on one and being soaked by the other. They don't quite look like real science.* But geography is only physics slowed down and with a few trees stuck on it, and meteorology is full of ex...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Remo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007, novela, humor

De nuevo Terry Pratchett [TP], con una historia del Mundodisco. Esta vez es una novela de la Guardia. Alguien está matando a sacerdotes ancianos e inofensivos y Lord Vetinari, el patricio de Ankh-Morpork, está siendo envenenado. Poquito a poco, eso sí, para que esté malito pero no se muera. La Guardia incorpora a un CSI e intentará resolver este embrollo.

Esta novela me ha encantado. Mucho. Me enganché a las novelas de TP con ¡Guardias!, ¿Guardias?, y desde entonces las novelas de la Guardia son

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De nuevo Terry Pratchett [TP], con una historia del Mundodisco. Esta vez es una novela de la Guardia. Alguien está matando a sacerdotes ancianos e inofensivos y Lord Vetinari, el patricio de Ankh-Morpork, está siendo envenenado. Poquito a poco, eso sí, para que esté malito pero no se muera. La Guardia incorpora a un CSI e intentará resolver este embrollo.

Esta novela me ha encantado. Mucho. Me enganché a las novelas de TP con ¡Guardias!, ¿Guardias?, y desde entonces las novelas de la Guardia son de mis favoritas (aunque la Muerte y Rinzewind me encantan tabién. Y qué decir de Tata Ogg y Yaya Ceravieja. ¡Cielos! ¡Me gustan todas!). Tras comentar siete u ocho novelas de TP en CPI, hay pocas cosas más que puedan decirse sobre su estilo. Escribe como quiere. Te hace reir. Te mantiene pegado a la historia, que nunca decae y siempre está interesante. Sé que pulula otro libro más en castellano de TP, Mascarada, que caerá en cuanto me lo encuentre en una de mis incursiones aleatorias por tiendas de libros u otros lugares de mala reputación.

Nota personal sobre la traducción de la serie: Es cierto que leyéndolos en español se pierden muchos juegos de palabras. He leído algunos libros de TP que aún no están en castellano y más de una vez (y más de cien) me decía esto es imposible de traducir. El traductor va a pasarlas canutas. Supongo que con las últimas novelas no podrá arañar tanto, porque en mi humilde opinión están mejor hechas (la práctica lleva a la perfección).

Sin embargo, como digo, y sobre todo desde que se incorporó Manu Viciano al equipo de traducción, los chistes intraducibles y los juegos de palabras son readaptados de modo que queden graciosos igualmente. Si van muy bien de inglés, estimados lectores, no les puedo recomendar más que leerlos en versión original. Cuesta, pero merece la pena. Pero si su inglés es así así, tardarán mucho en ir avanzando a través de la prosa erizada de palabros y retruécanos de TP. Y eso, aunque nos permita apreciar los chistes en su estado original, puede a veces quitarnos un rato de disfrute al avanzar tan despacio. Mi inglés es aceptable, dicen, y cuando leí Thief of time, aún no traducido, las pasé canutas en ocasiones. Supongo que cuando alcance a los traductores (creo que me quedan Jingo, Papá Cerdo y Mascarada, alguno de ellos en proceso de traducción) empezaré con los que quedan en inglés, aunque si puedo disfrutarlos en español casi lo prefiero. Todo es ponerse, en cualquier caso.

Mi nota: Divertidísima y Muy recomendable.

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Nov 16, 2011 Ian Hrabe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not really too much different than the two Watch books that come before it, but man if this one didn't feel like a bit more of a slog. Granted, all of Pratchett's books feel a bit sloggish to me, which makes it sound like I should just quit reading his books but I DO LIKE THEM! I think they are very funny and incisive where they need to be it's just his writing style is a bit EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE NON STOP BECAUSE THERE ARE NO CHAPTERS. Once I finally finished it (reading off and on for god, wh...more

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Mar 24, 2010 Maria705 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In many books, there are conflicts with sexism. In this book, Cheery Littlebottom is a dwarf, and female dwarves aren't allowed to show their gender. Meaning, most dwarves find it unacceptable for female dwarves to wear feminine clothing or makeup in public. Since all dwarves, regardless of gender, grow beards, this gives the outsider the impression that all dwarves are male. Humans recognize gender by clothing and facial features, so if a human saw a dwarf with a beard wearing the chain mail th...more In many books, there are conflicts with sexism. In this book, Cheery Littlebottom is a dwarf, and female dwarves aren't allowed to show their gender. Meaning, most dwarves find it unacceptable for female dwarves to wear feminine clothing or makeup in public. Since all dwarves, regardless of gender, grow beards, this gives the outsider the impression that all dwarves are male. Humans recognize gender by clothing and facial features, so if a human saw a dwarf with a beard wearing the chain mail that all dwarves wear, they would automatically recognize that dwarf as male. On the other hand, if the dwarf was wearing some sort of makeup, or some article of clothing that suggested femininity, the human would recognize her as a female.

This evidence shows that dwarves don't want humans, or any other race, to recognize females. This makes me think of the real world, how, in some religions, women have to hide their faces and bodies. That type of behavior deprives women of their basic rights, such as wearing or looking like whatever they want. With dwarves, they are basically saying that it is unacceptable to be female. They're saying that, while being a male is alright, females don't deserve the same rights. When Cheery Littlebottom starts wearing lipstick, her fellow Watchmen are surprised to see that she is a woman. Also, those of her fellow Watchmen who are dwarves are disgusted by this behavior. Both of these reactions go to prove my earlier point.

In conclusion, the author, Terry Pratchett, is showing the reader how ridiculous sexism is by exaggerating the real world problem. Pratchett probably took note of the issues that show sexism, like the cultures in which women must dress in a certain way to disguise their femininity. Since this is fantasy, he then symbolized this issue by showing the reader that, in this fantasy world, female dwarves aren't allowed to dress differently than male dwarves. While this issue isn't as pressing in fantasy, it is very important in real life.
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Feb 15, 2013 Sarah Burns rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I LOVE this book so far-- if it doesn't have a really awful ending then it's one of my top five favorites for sure! It's as creative as Dr. Who, as funny as Monty Python, and even comparable to the Sherlock t.v. series when it comes to the area of mystery-solving awesomeness. In fact, the majority of the story line consists of a search for an elusive and very dangerous murderer! And as far as its wittiness and originality, this excellent work can speak for itself:

Mr. Hopkinson's hand went throu...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Noli Watson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The usual potpourri of things that shouldn't work together but do: CSI Ankh-Morpork, class, gender, and...communism? And Sam Vimes, whom I adore.

While not quite as well-crafted a mystery as the previous book (

), the whodunit still has one very satisfying reveal. I found myself noticing the writing here more than usual, catching and laughing at phrases like "a dopplering voice" because of how perfect they are. It's always a strength of Pratchett's but he's in rare form this time.

There's also a r...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Bookguide rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just picked up another Terry Pratchett from the revolving globe outside the Berkeley Library at Trinity College, during the treasure hunt / release walk during the BookCrossing convention in Dublin. This made it the fifth Discworld book on Mount TBR, so I decided I'd better move at least one along, which was the reason for reading this one now. So far I haven't been disappointed by any of Terry Pratchett's books, and this is no exception. I've only read three so far, and not consecutive books...more I just picked up another Terry Pratchett from the revolving globe outside the Berkeley Library at Trinity College, during the treasure hunt / release walk during the BookCrossing convention in Dublin. This made it the fifth Discworld book on Mount TBR, so I decided I'd better move at least one along, which was the reason for reading this one now. So far I haven't been disappointed by any of Terry Pratchett's books, and this is no exception. I've only read three so far, and not consecutive books in the series, but this is not a problem; they can all be read independently, although there is the odd reference back to previous books which die-hard fans might have understood better than I did.

I loved the zany characters in this (and all the other) books, and the Commander Vimes / Captain Colon dialogues reminded me of Morse and Lewis. In many ways this was a reworking of a detective novel in a fantasy world, with the craziness of Discworld incorporated into a standard story, with an action-packed finale. As such, the form is very recognisable, while the imagery is completely different from all those TV detectives we're used to, and it's packed with humour. One thing remains the same though; I couldn't put the book down because I really wanted to know "whodunnit". I read the book in two days flat, and it was rather fitting that I spent the whole afternoon reading today (April 23rd), as it's Shakespeare's birthday and World Book Night. The book would make a great film, and I found the way it was described very visual. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Terry Pratchett hadn't based the action sequences at the end on existing films.

I'll end with a quotation which particularly amused me:
"Death, who was by nature an obsessive personality himself, realized that he was in the presence of a master........ Death was nonplussed. Most people were, after the initial confusion, somewhat relieved when they died. A subconscious weight had been removed. The other cosmic shoe had dropped. The worst had happened and they could, metaphorically, get on with their lives. Few people treated it as a simple annoyance that might go away if you complained enough....... I FIND THE BEST APPROACH IS TO TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES." (Death taking life, get it?)

BookCrossing book: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/4...(less)

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May 19, 2011 Sally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

After reading Men at Arms, I didn't think stories of the Night Watch of Discworld's Ank-Morpork could get any better, but it does in this one. There is a great mystery to unravel involving unexplained murders and the poisoning of Lord Vetenari. It rather continues the idea of a possible king ( Corporal Carrot of the Night Watch MIGHT be from a long-lost royal line), but focuses on two factors. One is the ideas of class, politics and how society works, and the other is about the freedom and respo...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Stuart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wouldn't say I'm a huge Terry Pratchett fan, and I've never read any other Discworld books, but this was a pretty delightful read and I would recommend it to someone looking for a smarter than average but still relatively lightweight entertainment. The characters are fun and well drawn, the situations they find themselves in funny and poignant at the same time, particularly in regards to their relationships and the self-discoveries of the golem at the center of the story. Left me wanting more...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Hoani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Why did i decide to read this book?
I read this book because I listened to an interview he did on the radio about a month ago and decided to read one of his books. This was the only book of his available at the library written by him at that time.

which category on the bingo board this completes?
I would put this book under the category of 'a book written before I was born.'

what did i like about this book and why?
I like the way that this book has been written, it has many very good gags and has an...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The city watch series is my favorite in Terry Pratchett's disc world, and this entry holds up nicely to its companions. The watch series always contains the most acute political and social satire in the Pratchett universe, since it follows the work of policemen in a corrupt and festering city.

The reason the watch books work so well is that Pratchett manages to make every person likable -- from the scheming Lord Vetinari to the petty, unhygienic Nobby Nobbs. That keeps both the books and the rea...more

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May 31, 2009 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed Pratchett's Death series, but the Night Watch series is even better. These are real police procedurals which follow all the conventions of the genre, except that some of the characters are human, some dwarf, some troll, some werewolf, some vampire, and each and every one is a fully realized and believable character. There's danger, happiness, sadness, intrigue, and throughout all, Pratchett's own brand of humor. Witness this passage: "He shook his head sadly. 'The trouble is, yo...more

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Sep 27, 2009 Ali rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, favorites

Plot description: Someone is killing old men while someone else is poisoning the Patrician, Lord Vetinari.

I keep returning to the Discworld books over and over – this has to be the fifth or sixth time I’ve read Feet of Clay, at least. Sometimes I take it off the self to read the story of Vimes against the vampire Dragon King of Arms of the Ankh-Morpork Royal College of Heralds. I always seem to forget that the Dragon is in this one because he’s really not the point.

Other times, I search this bo...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Miyyu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Feet of Clay is a Discworld novel, and a Watch one at that, my favorite kind. Reading these all out of order has been interesting, though not difficult to follow. In this one we get the origin of both Corporal Littlebottom and the golem Watch officer, Dorfl. A strange white golem is on the loose and murdered two people, while Lord Vetinari is slowly being poisoned. Since it's a Watch book, it is of course a whodunnit, and these two crimes are inevitably connected. Along the way, Nobby Nobs gets...more

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Sep 05, 2009 Ruka rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people weary of Tolkien disciples, Monty Python and Inspector Morse devotees, Orthodox Jews

Shelves: scifi-fantasy-horror

Not quite on the level of the mind-bending and genre-twisting shenanigans of The Colo(u)r Of Magic, but then again, there's very little you can possibly screw up with sword-and-sorcery satire. Also, since this is technically the nineteenth of the Discworld books, it's almost expected that an author like Pratchett would want to branch out into other subgenres instead of sticking to the same hack-and-slash formula. To wit, Feet Of Clay is a capable murder mystery that stays within the confines of...more

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May 02, 2012 P. Aaron Potter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

When a series reaches the length and weight of Pratchett's Discworld series, it begins to beg the question: where's the beef? Which of the titles in the series are the best, which ones can be safely passed over, and which ones stand out from the crowd, for good or ill?

It's a tough fight, with many worthy contenders, but I'm going to say this is the book that convinced me that Pratchett was no longer writing fantasy, nor humor, bbut Literature, with a capital "L."

I don't know if it's his very b...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Rachel Hartman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I keep telling myself I'm going to write a better review of this thing, and I keep not doing it. Why? The book deserves a more thorough review. My difficulty seems to be that my reaction is just so damn personal.

We all know I consider Terry Pratchett my long-lost, time-travelling twin, right? So maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise when his books make me feel like he has been rattling around in MY skull, turning over stones and digging for buried metaphors. Leave me a few, old man!

What I admire...more I keep telling myself I'm going to write a better review of this thing, and I keep not doing it. Why? The book deserves a more thorough review. My difficulty seems to be that my reaction is just so damn personal.

We all know I consider Terry Pratchett my long-lost, time-travelling twin, right? So maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise when his books make me feel like he has been rattling around in MY skull, turning over stones and digging for buried metaphors. Leave me a few, old man!

What I admire most about Terry Pratchett, and there's much to admire (is that vain, given the previous paragraph? Probably), is the way he digs into questions of belief. All kinds of belief - and all kinds of questions. Prejudice, for example, stems from beliefs as surely as religion does. This book explores both, turning them inside-out and looking at them from behind. He makes such good use of the genre; he can talk about dwarves hating werewolves hating golems without stepping on the toes of any group that actually exists. He can pit Omnians vs. devotees of the crocodile god Offler, and nobody's going to be offended.

He can let a golem - who isn't even technically alive - have a universe-spanning, mind-blowing mystical experience that results in atheism... with total plausible deniability. If anyone says, "Wait, how can that happen? How can he have this deep, moving, mystical experience, something generally considered the realm of holy sages, and still somehow conclude there is no god?"

The answer could plausibly be: "Well, ha ha, it's just a golem in a fantasy novel! A real person wouldn't conclude that! A real person would feel like they'd had a holy revelation -- from god!"

Except (I say, in my tiniest voice) a real person might, in fact, have a mystical experience and conclude there's no god. I suspect Pratchett has, given his description. It is an experience so intensely personal, and downright weird, that giving it to a golem is pretty much the only way you're going to be able to get away with it. I am in awe. And, as one who has seen the bigness in the smallness, and taken comfort in the emptiness, I am profoundly grateful to know that I am not alone in my weirdness.(less)

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May 29, 2012 Jage rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bought, discworld, fantasy, funny, great-world-building, male-pov, series, humourous

I'm not sure if it was the time I started reading it or the actual beginning of this story but for the second time ever, I started reading a Terry Pratchett book put it down and didn't pick it back up for a few days. Even Unseen Academicals was only put down for a few hours due to school and that's one of my least favourite discworld novels.

I wasn't sick, I wasn't swamped with work but I just wasn't interested and that's rare. For some reason I wasn't finding anything funny and it was all just a...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Sho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sho by: Mum

Shelves: discworld, fantasy, humour

The watch again - yaay - this time with the addition of dwarves, female, as well as the usual crowd.

Feet of Clay is the usual mixture of chaos and lovely writing, phrases that can really make you stop. This bit, for instance when Sergeant Colon is running away from... something

The street was full of animals, milling around uncertiainly. When animals are in a state of uncertainty they get nervous, and the street was already, as it were, paved with anxiety.

So, what is Feet of Clay about? As usual...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can I just tell you how much I am enjoying the The Watch series of Discworld books by Terry Pratchett? I am reading them as I find them, which is out-of-sequence, but that is in no way diminishing my enjoyment of this awesomeness. I haven't read any of his other Discworld novels, but eventually, I may work my way over to them. He had a short story in the Legends Anthology that is now a legend in its own right, and I read that shortly after the anthology came out, and that was a story involving t...more

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Mar 02, 2009 John rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This has everything you've come to expect from a Terry Pratchett Discworld book: great plot and character development, humor and world play. This story centers around murder mystery, a plot to kill Lord Vetinari and golems, whether they are just mindless machines or sentient beings. Sir Sam Vimes, Commander of the Watch, is in charge of the investigation. Like all of the Discworld books, this one is enjoyable on so many levels and you can read it as simply a humorous murder mystery or a deep pol...more

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Feet of Clay (Discworld #19)

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