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Thud! Audiobook
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(4.00) - 24,546 listener ratings
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“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
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"From the mysterious killing of a dwarf leading to tensions on the dwarf and troll communities, to Sam Vimes needing to meticulously having to read "Where's My Cow?" to his infant son every evening at precisely 6 o' clock. ...Oh and Corporal Nobby Nobbs is still trying to learn the ways of romance with the opposite sex. All in all another great Watch story, I thoroughly enjoyed it!"
— Michael (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Ingenious, brilliant, and hilarious.”
— Washington Post -
“Pratchett’s fantastic imagination and satirical wit are on full display.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Outlandishly witty and as irreverent as it is insightful, Pratchett’s Thud! is a knockout.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review -
“As always, Pratchett’s latest Discworld yarn is funny, fast-paced, the kind of satire that explores serious issues while making readers love it.”
— Booklist -
“More amiable mockery from one of our leading lights…Pratchett takes on a target in every novel, something in the modern world that really seems to get his goat. This time it’s a few things: ethnic clannishness and strife, religious fundamentalism, The Da Vinci Code and cell phones (presented here as a small, obnoxious imp in a handheld box called a Gooseberry™)…Bitingly relevant and laugh-out-loud funny.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A 2006 Locus Award Nominee
Thud! Listener Reviews
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flynn bitter, 4/23/2024
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Rebecca Milne, 11/17/2023
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Bruce Jondle, 9/19/2023
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Michael Patrick, 2/1/2023
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greg, 2/13/2021
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Marta Czarnocka-Cieciura, 7/10/2020
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Nick McMillan, 1/20/2020
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jrodman, 11/28/2019
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" Funny, as always Terry Pratchett does an amazing job of subtle irony. Great character development and totally out there. "
— Michele, 9/21/2016 -
" one of the best City Watch novels. Best if read after the earlier novels, though, so that you get the full sense of Vimes' development. "
— Jean, 2/19/2014 -
" Murder mystery meets the Discworld. Trails off in bits though "
— Penny, 2/19/2014 -
" This is in my top 3 favorite Discworld books, which is my favorite series. This makes this book one of my very favorite. "
— Katie, 2/12/2014 -
" A racism parable with dwarfs, trolls, vampires and more. "
— Tim, 2/6/2014 -
" Another Pratchett pleasure. A watch/Vimes novel. As the series progresses, the humour fades and the strenght of the story shines. "
— Andre, 2/2/2014 -
" This was only my 2nd discworld book ever, but I really enjoyed reading about the city watch, so I'll plan to read more in that vein. "
— Aimee, 1/23/2014 -
" This is my favorite of the Watch books. I recommend reading the other Watch books first, although you could probably follow the story in any case. I think being familiar with the characters adds something. "
— Michelle, 12/21/2013 -
" Really brilliant, at turns funny, scary and inspiring, and also very touching, especially near the end. Without doubt one of Pratchett's best. "
— Pedro, 12/9/2013 -
" First DiscWorld novel I've read in a while and it was very good. Terry Pratchett found some of the magic that I enjoyed with the first few books of the series. "
— Tony, 12/6/2013 -
" sir samuel vimes has evolved into a very mature character in this one. and it's wonderful to see how much imagination Terry has put into Thud! and how relevant it is to us "
— Lingesvaran, 8/18/2013 -
" Gut, gegen Ende geht alles sehr schnell...oder hab ich zu schnell gelesen? Nicht der beste Wachen Roman, aber auch um Gottes Willen nicht der schlechteste. "
— Simon, 11/7/2012 -
" Listened to this on audiobook and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences ever. Stephen Briggs makes it feel like a Monty Python radio play. "
— Martin, 6/16/2012 -
" Wonderfully written. Looked at the relationship between Dwarves and Orcs in Ankh Morpork; and how the police force handles an impending bloody feud. "
— Tiffany, 5/31/2012 -
" Vimes' best book, and with Vimes, that is saying something. "
— Monica, 10/21/2010 -
" loved! it's been a while since I read Pratchett and this was a great re-intro. "
— Nadja, 3/11/2009 -
" This is the second time I have read it and I didn't think that some of the Vimes thoughts were in character. Mind you the first time I read it, i never thought anything like that. "
— Jayne, 8/7/2007 -
" I love all the guards books -- Feet of Clay and Night Watch are probably my favorite, but this one was up there, too. "
— Amy, 5/16/2006
About Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English novelist known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series. His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971, and after publishing his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983, he wrote two books a year on average. He was the United Kingdom’s bestselling author of the 1990s and has sold more than 55 million books worldwide. In 2001 he won the Carnegie Medal for his children’s novel The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature in 1998 and was knighted in 2009.
About Stephen Briggs
Stephen Briggs, who also works in film, has adapted and staged fifteen Discworld plays, collaborated with Terry Pratchett on a number of related works, and performed the audio recordings of Pratchett’s books. Briggs has won five AudioFile Earphones Awards. He lives in England.