Status
Available
Collection
Genres
Publication
Harper (2011), Edition: Book Club (BCE/BOMC), 416 pages
Description
Lady Sybil, wife of Sam Vimes, convinces him to travel to the countryside for a vacation. Out of his element, Sam soon finds various crimes to investigate. But he is out of his element and must rely on his instincts to bring the culprits to justice.
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2012)
British Book Award (Shortlist — Popular Fiction — 2011)
Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction (Winner — 2012)
Prometheus Award (Nominee — Novel — 2012)
Locus Recommended Reading (2011)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Science Fiction and Fantasy — 2011)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-10
Physical description
416 p.; 9 inches
Media reviews
Pratchett is a master storyteller. He is endlessly inventive, even when telling a routine kind of tale. He gives you more information and more story than you need, just because he can, and this is completely satisfying. He is a master of complex jokes, good bad jokes, good dreadful jokes and a kind
Show More
of insidious wisdom about human nature (and other forms of alien nature). I think his mad footnotes are there because he can't stop his mind whirring, and our whirring minds go with him. I read his books at a gallop and then reread them every time I am ill or exhausted. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member grizzly.anderson
In Snuff His Grace, His Excellency, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, Blackboard Monitor, is convinced by his wife to journey to her ancestral country home for a vacation and so that their six year old son, Young Sam, can experience life outside the city.
And, of course, wherever you
Along the way Vimes meets a lady who writes children's books about poo, raises the consciousness of the local folk, teaches a lackey to be a policeman, heroically pilots a boat not unlike a paddle-wheel down a river not unlike the Mississippi, saves the day, saves the species, catches the killer, corners the aristocrats/slavers, changes the laws of the world and eventually has a real vacation.
There are also a couple of rather odd sub-plots. One involves a series of cutaways to Ankh-Morpork where it turns out Vetinari sent Vimes out to break up tobacco smuggling that is depriving the city of vital taxes, and to keep the rest of the watch somehow in the story. The other involves Willikins, Vimes's butler. He receives far more dialog and background than ever before. In the past Willikins has always been very much the butler stereotype, calm, competent, always one step ahead, bizarre (even violent) hidden talents, and most importantly, in the background. Now he is friend, confidant, and side-kick in a change of role that never really seemed to fit with his previous appearances. Kind of like Jeeves suddenly turning into Kato.
Snuff is full of typical Pratchett hat-tips to other authors, series, and genres, and perhaps more than the usual number and detail of references to past books and events in the discworld. Unfortunately the words, particularly at the beginning didn't flow with Pratchett's usual flair and eloquence. A couple of times Vimes's dialog was jarringly un-Vimes, coming right out with curses of "Hell" and "Sh*t" that I just don't recall from past stories. It was always clear that Vimes was a very salty, down-to-earth sort of man, but with such a rapier wit that he never actually had to BE salty.
Under any other circumstances I would say that this is a good, but not great, book amongst the nearly 40 books in the series. A bit routine in the story, and maybe a little rushed so that it didn't get the usual sort of editing and polish from Terry Pratchett. As it is, you can't help but wonder if his health hasn't contributed indirectly to the rush, or directly to the lack of polish. In any case, a good book for anyone who enjoys the series, but not the best introduction for a new reader.
And, of course, wherever you
Show More
find a watchman, you find a crime. Since this is Sam Vimes we're talking about, the crime involves an affront to decency and morality involving the aristocracy. Since it happens in the country, it is aided and abetted by the willful blindness and servitude of the common folk. In fact the crime is the enslavement and casual murder of Goblins in order to grow tobacco, and incidentally drug smuggling. The Goblins are horrible, smelly, unsanitary, uncouth, gibbering creatures with poetic names and amazing artistic talents. Oh, and the country where they are shipped off to be slaves just happens to look a bit like Africa. As satire and social commentary goes Terry Pratchett has never had much to do with subtlety. This one is about as subtle as a heavy wooden stick with a spike in it.Along the way Vimes meets a lady who writes children's books about poo, raises the consciousness of the local folk, teaches a lackey to be a policeman, heroically pilots a boat not unlike a paddle-wheel down a river not unlike the Mississippi, saves the day, saves the species, catches the killer, corners the aristocrats/slavers, changes the laws of the world and eventually has a real vacation.
There are also a couple of rather odd sub-plots. One involves a series of cutaways to Ankh-Morpork where it turns out Vetinari sent Vimes out to break up tobacco smuggling that is depriving the city of vital taxes, and to keep the rest of the watch somehow in the story. The other involves Willikins, Vimes's butler. He receives far more dialog and background than ever before. In the past Willikins has always been very much the butler stereotype, calm, competent, always one step ahead, bizarre (even violent) hidden talents, and most importantly, in the background. Now he is friend, confidant, and side-kick in a change of role that never really seemed to fit with his previous appearances. Kind of like Jeeves suddenly turning into Kato.
Snuff is full of typical Pratchett hat-tips to other authors, series, and genres, and perhaps more than the usual number and detail of references to past books and events in the discworld. Unfortunately the words, particularly at the beginning didn't flow with Pratchett's usual flair and eloquence. A couple of times Vimes's dialog was jarringly un-Vimes, coming right out with curses of "Hell" and "Sh*t" that I just don't recall from past stories. It was always clear that Vimes was a very salty, down-to-earth sort of man, but with such a rapier wit that he never actually had to BE salty.
Under any other circumstances I would say that this is a good, but not great, book amongst the nearly 40 books in the series. A bit routine in the story, and maybe a little rushed so that it didn't get the usual sort of editing and polish from Terry Pratchett. As it is, you can't help but wonder if his health hasn't contributed indirectly to the rush, or directly to the lack of polish. In any case, a good book for anyone who enjoys the series, but not the best introduction for a new reader.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kellswitch
This has been a hard book for me to review, Terry Pratchett is my favorite author and even his less than successful Discworld novels are still better than most other books out there for me. The last two Discworld books have been different though and I think we are starting to see the end of his
The story itself was enjoyable if a bit forced feeling and while I enjoyed the look at the goblins and their world, it felt odd and a conceptional retread for a Discworld book, especially considering the last one covered Orcs in pretty much the same way.
The story was fun and overall well paced if a bit bloated, the characters were fun and Sam Vimes shall always be my favorite but this is nowhere near Sir Pratchett's best work. A must for fans but I would not give this to Discworld novices or have someone read out of order.
Show More
writing career. Snuff was an enjoyable book, but so much of it felt as though someone else wrote it in the style of Terry Pratchett. Parts of it felt like the Pratchett of old and others felt like someones else voice entirety. There was an unusual degree of exposition and back story being given and a very odd obsession running throughout with a particular type of children's writing and children's fascination that just felt forced and I couldn't understand why it was there.The story itself was enjoyable if a bit forced feeling and while I enjoyed the look at the goblins and their world, it felt odd and a conceptional retread for a Discworld book, especially considering the last one covered Orcs in pretty much the same way.
The story was fun and overall well paced if a bit bloated, the characters were fun and Sam Vimes shall always be my favorite but this is nowhere near Sir Pratchett's best work. A must for fans but I would not give this to Discworld novices or have someone read out of order.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Shimmin
A decent enough book, sprinkled with novel ideas and entertaining moments. I enjoyed some brief glimpses of the still-vague city of Quirm, as well as the characters of Fenney and Jefferson. However, I found it unsatisfying; unfinished somehow. The goblins' culture of unggue is thrown in as an
As well as that, the characters just didn't seem as alive as in earlier books. The new ones felt rather cardboardy; Fenney seemed promising but did virtually nothing. Stapleton is a killer and nothing more, without any of the depth of Carcer, Pin & Tulip, or the insane Teatime. The servants and locals don't really do anything, despite early hints that they'll be important or interesting. I also felt that Wilikins had crossed some kind of line, between "a rich, interesting and unusual character" and "cool badass". Over time, he turned from a snooty name into an odd fish, the poor street kid who'd fought his way up society into a decent job in a rich house, never forgetting the life-lessons of his youth; he felt to me like a real, complicated person. But now, somehow, he's drifted into a sort of stereotype, the polite well-dressed killer. Miss Beedle, when you get right down to it, is just an undeveloped Miss Dearheart, who doesn't even get the satisfaction of goblin emancipation: a couple of nobs (the Vimeses) effortlessly accomplish her lifelong goals with a concert and a bit of gossip. She's basically pointless.
At the same time, Vimes has turned from his usual flawed, angry and self-knowing self, an aging man forced into an unwelcome world he detests, into some kind of badass. Despite his age, he's tougher and better than ever. He takes out opponents with one blow, and repeatedly gets the better of Stapleton through violence, not just cunning (though in fairness, there's plenty of that too). He's gained a full-blown supernatural power in the Summoning Dark, which no longer really feels like an enemy. He doesn't feel as fallible as he used to, nor as vulnerable, and the humanity and flaws of Vimes were what endeared him to me. Despite all that, he allows the dreadful murderer Stapleton a chance to attack him by pretending he doesn't recognise him, which achieves literally nothing and just allows the man better opportunities to hurt him or someone else. Why play with a murderer? Catch him! There's a couple of other people in the story, but they never feel anything more than bit parts to Vimes.
And that's it, really. It's okay, there's jokes and some interesting bits, and Young Sam felt very convincing to me, but... it felt disjointed, and unpolished, and inconclusive somehow, and entirely under the increasingly long and all-engulfing shadow of Sam Vimes.
Show More
apparently significant element early on, but basically dribbles out of the story. The entire tobacco plantation end of the goblin slave trade is over in two pages, through a new kind of magic Pratchett introduces (which feels rather deus exy), so the expected Ankh-Morpork end of the story is extremely sparse. The story of the crooked magistrates boils up early on, as significant as the plotting businessmen in Going Postal, only to melt away with only a note in the epilogue. The Summoning Dark crops up bodingly two or three times, but does nothing except granting Vimes some supernatural knowledge. Stinky the goblin is clearly something strange and supernatural, but you never find out what, how, or what the hinted-at relationships are between Stinky, the Summoning Dark and... something else, maybe, that seems to exist between the lines?As well as that, the characters just didn't seem as alive as in earlier books. The new ones felt rather cardboardy; Fenney seemed promising but did virtually nothing. Stapleton is a killer and nothing more, without any of the depth of Carcer, Pin & Tulip, or the insane Teatime. The servants and locals don't really do anything, despite early hints that they'll be important or interesting. I also felt that Wilikins had crossed some kind of line, between "a rich, interesting and unusual character" and "cool badass". Over time, he turned from a snooty name into an odd fish, the poor street kid who'd fought his way up society into a decent job in a rich house, never forgetting the life-lessons of his youth; he felt to me like a real, complicated person. But now, somehow, he's drifted into a sort of stereotype, the polite well-dressed killer. Miss Beedle, when you get right down to it, is just an undeveloped Miss Dearheart, who doesn't even get the satisfaction of goblin emancipation: a couple of nobs (the Vimeses) effortlessly accomplish her lifelong goals with a concert and a bit of gossip. She's basically pointless.
At the same time, Vimes has turned from his usual flawed, angry and self-knowing self, an aging man forced into an unwelcome world he detests, into some kind of badass. Despite his age, he's tougher and better than ever. He takes out opponents with one blow, and repeatedly gets the better of Stapleton through violence, not just cunning (though in fairness, there's plenty of that too). He's gained a full-blown supernatural power in the Summoning Dark, which no longer really feels like an enemy. He doesn't feel as fallible as he used to, nor as vulnerable, and the humanity and flaws of Vimes were what endeared him to me. Despite all that, he allows the dreadful murderer Stapleton a chance to attack him by pretending he doesn't recognise him, which achieves literally nothing and just allows the man better opportunities to hurt him or someone else. Why play with a murderer? Catch him! There's a couple of other people in the story, but they never feel anything more than bit parts to Vimes.
And that's it, really. It's okay, there's jokes and some interesting bits, and Young Sam felt very convincing to me, but... it felt disjointed, and unpolished, and inconclusive somehow, and entirely under the increasingly long and all-engulfing shadow of Sam Vimes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hroethgar
On the one hand, it's great to see a somewhat de-powered Vimes novel; rather than facing a world-consuming adversary, as in Thud, we see Vimes facing more human opposition, a role where he seems to me to work rather better.
On the other hand, Snuff feels bogged down in overly-verbose exposition
Overall not one of the better Discworld or Vimes novels, but still an enjoyable enough read.
On the other hand, Snuff feels bogged down in overly-verbose exposition
Show More
from the characters; the little asides and mental vignettes that have always illuminated Pratchett's key Ankh-Morepork characters views, and presumably Pratchett's own, on the way things ought to be, seem overlong and cumbersome in Snuff, weighing down the novel; moreover, the long mental soliloquies by Wilikins rather undo him as a character for me; he worked best when observed from the outside rather than in, as it were.Overall not one of the better Discworld or Vimes novels, but still an enjoyable enough read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hjjugovic
Another Sam Vimes and the City Watch novel, poor Sam has to take a vacation in the country, but wherever a policeman goes, crime is sure to follow. Pratchett explores themes of law, human rights, the mind of the killer and the cop who chases him, and privilege. Funny, smart, and moving (as usual)
Show More
this one feels a bit like covering old ground, but I will gladly walk the same cobblestones (or country lanes) with Sam until I know where I am by the feel of the stones through my boots. Show Less
LibraryThing member JanaRose1
Lady Sybil has finally convinced her husband Sam Vimes to take a vacation away from the city of Ankh-Morpork. Completely unnerved by the country, Vimes begins to uncover crime everywhere he turns. The book also tackles the issue of class and social hierarchy as it deals with goblins, a race
Show More
considered less than human. Overall, I thought that this book wasn't as good as the other Guard series. The continual mention of poo and snot seemed to be overkill and took the book into a potty-humor category. I will still pick up the next Guard book, but with less enthusiasm. Show Less
LibraryThing member clfisha
I have been a fan of Pratchett’s irreverent brand of Fantasy for a long time, in fact since [Colour of magic] came out. I particular have a soft spot for the Guards series (of which is this one), not only funny, fast paced, adventures with a hugely engaging cast of characters but managing to get
Snuff sees Sir Commander Vimes moving into the country, so we get amusing digs at Jane Austin like society, country living mixed up with class issues, smuggling and slavery. The characters are of course great, many we have seen before. Some parts are very fun indeed, I especially liked Vimes asking high society ladies what they did for a living and then going off on a bit of a rant.
However I think we are starting to part ways, not only could this book do with a bit of pruning (it takes a while to get moving and tends towards exposition) the generation gap is showing. There is a peculiar sexism I recognise from my parents generation, where husband and wife fall in to allotted roles and men don’t seem to have any common sense or willpower when it comes to not dying overeating fat.
Overall only recommend to die hard fans, but then it’s not that accessible for those who haven't read the previous books. Don’t let this review put you off Pratchett though, I think there is one of his books out there for everyone.
Show More
its teeth into some fundamental important issues. Snuff sees Sir Commander Vimes moving into the country, so we get amusing digs at Jane Austin like society, country living mixed up with class issues, smuggling and slavery. The characters are of course great, many we have seen before. Some parts are very fun indeed, I especially liked Vimes asking high society ladies what they did for a living and then going off on a bit of a rant.
However I think we are starting to part ways, not only could this book do with a bit of pruning (it takes a while to get moving and tends towards exposition) the generation gap is showing. There is a peculiar sexism I recognise from my parents generation, where husband and wife fall in to allotted roles and men don’t seem to have any common sense or willpower when it comes to not dying overeating fat.
Overall only recommend to die hard fans, but then it’s not that accessible for those who haven't read the previous books. Don’t let this review put you off Pratchett though, I think there is one of his books out there for everyone.
Show Less
LibraryThing member atreic
To be fair, I read this in a very desultory way when moving house, so I probably didn't see it at its best. But it felt rambly, I found it very hard to care about new characters, and old characters had become super-human versions of themselves. And I am so glad that someone is writing books about
Show More
tolerance, but 'it is bad to make people slaves' isn't the most subtle and nuanced message ever. Lots of things don't really quite go anywhere... or if they did I missed them. Show Less
LibraryThing member madamepince
I have to admit I got tired of it. The plot suffered from a lack of editing.
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Not one of the best, somehow Vimes is too direct and insufficiently political, although there are outbreaks of genius, it doens't continue through the book.
Vimes has been sent on holiday ni a conivence between his wife and Vetinari. The chosen destination is his Estates out in the Country. A place
The trademark puns were almost completely absent, but there were a few particularly funny moments. These however were conspicuous by their rarity. Featuring Vimes almost exclusively without any of the rest of the watch playing a significant role doesnt' really work, as Vimes has no-one to be clever at. There were a few brief references to works of famous literature, and the previous pTerry work, I shall Wear Midnight. Neither are essential to enjoying the book, although they do lend some extra humour.
Worth reading, but not the best.
Vimes has been sent on holiday ni a conivence between his wife and Vetinari. The chosen destination is his Estates out in the Country. A place
Show More
Vimes has never been. He quickl learns this is a place much like the city was. Before he became the Guard. There are laws for the poor, but the rich an d what they like and the lessers' had better know what was good for them. In this case the lessers become the Goblins. Another race that hasn't previously entered the Discworld books. Perhaps they are simply a metaphor for the real poor in the world. Certainly their slavery and the whole tabacco issues, would invite such comparisons. Vimes proceeds in his usal forthright manner, and soon has a goblin member of the Watch, but is never that hopefully of bringing the order-givers to justice. At least he can have a decent fight with the underlings though. Young Sam gains a proper scientific (rational) understanding of the world, thanks to the efforts of the poo lady.The trademark puns were almost completely absent, but there were a few particularly funny moments. These however were conspicuous by their rarity. Featuring Vimes almost exclusively without any of the rest of the watch playing a significant role doesnt' really work, as Vimes has no-one to be clever at. There were a few brief references to works of famous literature, and the previous pTerry work, I shall Wear Midnight. Neither are essential to enjoying the book, although they do lend some extra humour.
Worth reading, but not the best.
Show Less
LibraryThing member electrascaife
Sam Vimes, on the insistence of his wife, goes on holiday to the country. To relax. And spend time with his family. Only someone's gone and murdered a goblin, so there's police work to be done and justice to be served.
Only Pratchett could spin a worthy lesson about equal rights for all using a
Only Pratchett could spin a worthy lesson about equal rights for all using a
Show More
story about goblins, a hot-headed blacksmith, and a woman who writes children's books about poo. And you just can't help but love him for it, right along with loving Commander Vimes as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member London_StJ
Snuff by Terry Pratchett is a novel of evolution: Vimes evolving, culture evolving, and Pratchett evolving. Featuring an older, more diplomatic Samuel Vimes, Snuff does not attempt to stick to maintain, but rather to accept the changes that time brings. While this is presented most obviously in the
Show More
world's acceptance of goblins as a people, this is also evident in Vimes's own approach to the crimes he sees, the shift in how others perceive Vimes, and the way in which Pratchett himself tells the story. While not the humorous satire that I've come to expect of the series, I still enjoyed Pratchett's masterful storytelling, and his commentary on our own society. Show Less
LibraryThing member dknippling
Not my favorite of the Pratchett books, but still did the job well.
Not enough footnotes, which isn't something I thought I'd ever type, but there you go. In that delicate balance between humor and passion for a cause, this book has tipped over that edge: it wasn't funny enough. Sure, parts of it
Not enough footnotes, which isn't something I thought I'd ever type, but there you go. In that delicate balance between humor and passion for a cause, this book has tipped over that edge: it wasn't funny enough. Sure, parts of it
Show More
were funny - but mostly it wasn't. Part of the charm of Pratchett is that you laugh your way though the horrible situations in the book, the flawed characters, the dishonest motives, the...seriousness of life. I didn't wish the book were about something else, or that it hadn't showed what it did. But I missed the humor. Show Less
LibraryThing member craso
Sam Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, has never been on Holiday. His wife, Lady Sybil, convinces him to take the family to her ancestral home in the country. Sam has never been away from the city and is like a fish out of water. He doesn’t understand the servants, all the towns’
I like the Sam Vines character. He is tough and totally devoted to justice. Sam can’t understand the difference between the classes. To him everyone is equal, which isn’t true in the country where you have the upper class, the serving class, and the poor workers. What he really can’t take is discrimination because of appearance and cultural differences. He has the most diverse City Watch on Disc World. Sam has hired trolls, dwarves, vampires and werewolves, as long as they are good coppers he doesn’t care what they look like or how they act. So when he becomes aware of the plight of the goblins he is ready to fight to improve their situation.
I’m not a fan of the City Watch Disc World books in general. I can’t connect with the characters. This book was different because it was mostly Sam Vines, Lady Sybil and Young Sam and it took place outside of Ankh-Morpork. Of course like all the books in this series the story is funny, but I also felt for the goblins. Terry Pratchett is very good at relating social issues in a humorous manner. I enjoyed reading this installment in the series.
Show More
folk see him as the enemy and the upper class want him out of their jurisdiction. If there is one thing Sam is it’s a good copper and he can tell a crime has been committed in the shire, he just has sniff it out. What is does find are goblins, a species considered to be vermin, but they turn out to be much more. I like the Sam Vines character. He is tough and totally devoted to justice. Sam can’t understand the difference between the classes. To him everyone is equal, which isn’t true in the country where you have the upper class, the serving class, and the poor workers. What he really can’t take is discrimination because of appearance and cultural differences. He has the most diverse City Watch on Disc World. Sam has hired trolls, dwarves, vampires and werewolves, as long as they are good coppers he doesn’t care what they look like or how they act. So when he becomes aware of the plight of the goblins he is ready to fight to improve their situation.
I’m not a fan of the City Watch Disc World books in general. I can’t connect with the characters. This book was different because it was mostly Sam Vines, Lady Sybil and Young Sam and it took place outside of Ankh-Morpork. Of course like all the books in this series the story is funny, but I also felt for the goblins. Terry Pratchett is very good at relating social issues in a humorous manner. I enjoyed reading this installment in the series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
Samuel Vimes is one of Pratchett’s most well-rounded and understood characters; proven here in his ability to carry off a story without the constant aid of the rest of the Watch, and only minimal input from Lady Sybil. Wilikins, his valet and bodyguard-by-default, and Young Sam, provide the known
This is almost a companion novel to Thud, I think, continuing the themes of the despised or over-looked class, race or creed, and routing those injustices that are often overlooked because they seem too large to tackle - but giving humanity (discmanity?) a good deal more of the responsibility than we got away with in Thud. And who else would we look to, to clear up something as big and messy as slavery of a race barely even considered sentient (considered ‘a bloody nuisance’ in point of fact), but Vimes and his unerring instinct for crime, and his determination to upset the snuff-barrel.
The humour still works for me – I laughed out loud less often than during many Pratchett books but I was constantly amused, except during some of the dismaying bits, against which Pratchett has wisely stopped coddling the reader – there’s some real sadness to Snuff. I also have to mention that “Happy as a cat full of sixpences” tickles me to no end as a great line by itself, but also in that it is applied to Sam Vimes whose general demeanour suggests he is only ever content when he can see the next thing that will unsettle that content, coming.
Show More
quantity, while the new surroundings - the countryside, where Vimes has, under protest, taken a holiday with his family - throw up bushels of new characters, new crime… and, eventually, new law.This is almost a companion novel to Thud, I think, continuing the themes of the despised or over-looked class, race or creed, and routing those injustices that are often overlooked because they seem too large to tackle - but giving humanity (discmanity?) a good deal more of the responsibility than we got away with in Thud. And who else would we look to, to clear up something as big and messy as slavery of a race barely even considered sentient (considered ‘a bloody nuisance’ in point of fact), but Vimes and his unerring instinct for crime, and his determination to upset the snuff-barrel.
The humour still works for me – I laughed out loud less often than during many Pratchett books but I was constantly amused, except during some of the dismaying bits, against which Pratchett has wisely stopped coddling the reader – there’s some real sadness to Snuff. I also have to mention that “Happy as a cat full of sixpences” tickles me to no end as a great line by itself, but also in that it is applied to Sam Vimes whose general demeanour suggests he is only ever content when he can see the next thing that will unsettle that content, coming.
Show Less
LibraryThing member princess-starr
Huzzah, this year’s Discworld book is out and I have read it! The Night Watch cycle isn’t in my top favorites in the series (those would be the Witches of Lancre and Death), but starting with Men at Arms, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the set.
What works extremely well is that Vimes is out of his
While I liked the main plot of the triangle trade and getting further into Discworld’s tolerance levels, I had some trouble adjusting to the goblin plotline. I liked their inclusion, I liked learning about their culture and it’s noticeably different from any number of the races that have appeared prior. But the whole subplot with Felicity Beedle instructing the goblins about the aboveground world felt a little too close to Nutt’s backstory from Unseen Academicals. It doesn’t help that goblins and orcs are described as being somewhat similar in physiology, and there’s the same prejudice of “Well, something THAT horrible and nasty can’t possibly be cultured!” If Snuff had come before Unseen Academicals, I think I wouldn’t have had this problem. (I don’t remember if goblins have shown up before—it’s a plot point in here, that there’s no goblin tunnels in Ankh-Morpork, but I don’t remember if they’ve popped up beforehand.) That said though, I did like the triangle trade plot. It was interesting, it kept me guessing on how things were going to turn out in the end. I also liked Colon’s attachment to the goblin jar—Cheery even says in the book that his attitude to non-human species needs a firm readjustment, and I did like his character development.
Wilikins had great development in this. Thud! mentioned his street gang past, and I loved seeing his methods of ‘dealing’ with unscrupulous individuals. On the other hand, I would have liked more characterization and motivation for Stratford, aside from the money. Having murderous psychopaths is all well and fine, but there’s a large amount of them on the Discworld. I would have liked to have seen more of the bartender and his backstory, and I really liked Feeney and Jefferson. Part of me wants a spin-off series. I also loved the down scenes with Young Sam and Vimes—there was a little of this in Thud!, but it’s nice to see Vimes take time out of his day to spend with his son, even if the majority of their activities are poo-related. And, also, Vetinari losing his sh*t over the crossword puzzle compiler is WIN.
Overall, it’s decent entry in the series, definitely a step forward to Vimes, but it’s not quite jumped into my absolute favorite pile.
What works extremely well is that Vimes is out of his
Show More
element and there’s little involvement with the rest of the Ankh-Morpork Watch. Which I liked, not only does it put Vimes into a situation wherein he needs to send a member out to do some investigating, but he gets to go back and do coppering on his own. (Not that the AM Watch doesn’t get involved in the mystery, they’re just not AS involved.) There’s always been a sense of class warfare in the later Night Watch books, so having Vimes deal with those prejudices in the much-slower-to-adapt countryside, particularly with the tenants of his land, was interesting than the usual “Ankh-Morpork aristocrats dealing in dirty business.” (More on that below.) (Also, the Pride and Prejudice parody of Sibyl’s friends was brilliant.)While I liked the main plot of the triangle trade and getting further into Discworld’s tolerance levels, I had some trouble adjusting to the goblin plotline. I liked their inclusion, I liked learning about their culture and it’s noticeably different from any number of the races that have appeared prior. But the whole subplot with Felicity Beedle instructing the goblins about the aboveground world felt a little too close to Nutt’s backstory from Unseen Academicals. It doesn’t help that goblins and orcs are described as being somewhat similar in physiology, and there’s the same prejudice of “Well, something THAT horrible and nasty can’t possibly be cultured!” If Snuff had come before Unseen Academicals, I think I wouldn’t have had this problem. (I don’t remember if goblins have shown up before—it’s a plot point in here, that there’s no goblin tunnels in Ankh-Morpork, but I don’t remember if they’ve popped up beforehand.) That said though, I did like the triangle trade plot. It was interesting, it kept me guessing on how things were going to turn out in the end. I also liked Colon’s attachment to the goblin jar—Cheery even says in the book that his attitude to non-human species needs a firm readjustment, and I did like his character development.
Wilikins had great development in this. Thud! mentioned his street gang past, and I loved seeing his methods of ‘dealing’ with unscrupulous individuals. On the other hand, I would have liked more characterization and motivation for Stratford, aside from the money. Having murderous psychopaths is all well and fine, but there’s a large amount of them on the Discworld. I would have liked to have seen more of the bartender and his backstory, and I really liked Feeney and Jefferson. Part of me wants a spin-off series. I also loved the down scenes with Young Sam and Vimes—there was a little of this in Thud!, but it’s nice to see Vimes take time out of his day to spend with his son, even if the majority of their activities are poo-related. And, also, Vetinari losing his sh*t over the crossword puzzle compiler is WIN.
Overall, it’s decent entry in the series, definitely a step forward to Vimes, but it’s not quite jumped into my absolute favorite pile.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mattries37315
Sam Vimes lives for being a copper, but Lady Sybil demands that he take a vacation and thus city-born and bred Vimes heads out into the countryside away from the action. Snuff is the 39th book of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series as well the eighth and final book of feature the Watch of
Strong-armed to a vacation to his wife’s family estate, Sam Vimes begins walking around the country-side and interacting with the locals who don’t know what to think of Lady Sybil’s husband. Besides the common man, Vimes interacts with some of his “gentlemen” neighbors including Lord Rust who reminds him that his jurisdiction is only in Ankh-Morpork. His suspicions raised, Vimes is then clumsily framed for murder and is detained by the local constable, Feeney Upshot. Taking the young man under his wing, Vimes begins investigating the case especially when he finds out that the blood used was from a butchered goblin girl, a fact that makes Vimes want to find who is responsible. As the case progresses, Vimes and Upshot find evidence of goblin snatching and the smuggling of tobacco and troll narcotics then to the killer of the goblin girl who is guarding a new shipment of goblins. Vimes and Upshot race and catch up with a river boat then battle the lowlife smugglers for control of the boat during a vicious storm. Ending up in Quirm, Vimes leads the local police on a chase to a smuggler ship and find the man he was framed of killing alive and well then later catches the goblin girl’s killer when he tries to kill Young Sam. Vimes returns to Ankh-Morpork to discover the fallout from his investigation and then realize that he actually wants to go on vacation back to the country to relax.
Beginning this book, I didn’t know what to expect especially after the last Watch book, Thud! However, my unease was quickly forgotten as Pratchett kept the narration of the book almost entirely—at least 95%—from Vimes’ point-of-view which help keep the book focused unlike the previously mentioned book. The now six-year old Young Sam was a nice addition to the overall story as it not only added to overall enjoyment of the book, but also added to the solid foundation of Vimes’ fatherhood. The only thing that could be a complaint was that Pratchett sometimes wrote some sections twice as long as they should have been, which while not becoming tedious were after a while making me dart ahead to see when they would be wrapped up.
Snuff is a fun investigative romp around the countryside and down the river. It is a very quality send off for Sam Vimes in the Discworld series and if you’re a fan of this particular series of books by Pratchett and haven’t read it, I encourage you to.
Show More
Ankh-Morpork. Yet even on vacation Sam Vimes cannot help finding crime taking place and then the fun begins.Strong-armed to a vacation to his wife’s family estate, Sam Vimes begins walking around the country-side and interacting with the locals who don’t know what to think of Lady Sybil’s husband. Besides the common man, Vimes interacts with some of his “gentlemen” neighbors including Lord Rust who reminds him that his jurisdiction is only in Ankh-Morpork. His suspicions raised, Vimes is then clumsily framed for murder and is detained by the local constable, Feeney Upshot. Taking the young man under his wing, Vimes begins investigating the case especially when he finds out that the blood used was from a butchered goblin girl, a fact that makes Vimes want to find who is responsible. As the case progresses, Vimes and Upshot find evidence of goblin snatching and the smuggling of tobacco and troll narcotics then to the killer of the goblin girl who is guarding a new shipment of goblins. Vimes and Upshot race and catch up with a river boat then battle the lowlife smugglers for control of the boat during a vicious storm. Ending up in Quirm, Vimes leads the local police on a chase to a smuggler ship and find the man he was framed of killing alive and well then later catches the goblin girl’s killer when he tries to kill Young Sam. Vimes returns to Ankh-Morpork to discover the fallout from his investigation and then realize that he actually wants to go on vacation back to the country to relax.
Beginning this book, I didn’t know what to expect especially after the last Watch book, Thud! However, my unease was quickly forgotten as Pratchett kept the narration of the book almost entirely—at least 95%—from Vimes’ point-of-view which help keep the book focused unlike the previously mentioned book. The now six-year old Young Sam was a nice addition to the overall story as it not only added to overall enjoyment of the book, but also added to the solid foundation of Vimes’ fatherhood. The only thing that could be a complaint was that Pratchett sometimes wrote some sections twice as long as they should have been, which while not becoming tedious were after a while making me dart ahead to see when they would be wrapped up.
Snuff is a fun investigative romp around the countryside and down the river. It is a very quality send off for Sam Vimes in the Discworld series and if you’re a fan of this particular series of books by Pratchett and haven’t read it, I encourage you to.
Show Less
LibraryThing member John5918
Another Discworld novel that has a genuine detective story in it. At the same time it also has a moral, touching on human rights, the position of marginalised minorities and the way what is humanly and socially acceptable evolves. And it does it all with Pratchett's usual dry wit. This is another
Show More
story of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch and contains the usual cast of dodgy characters, led by Sam Vines. It also manages to poke fun at the class system. Not a bad haul, really. Show Less
LibraryThing member XOX
Sam goes on holiday and found a dead body.
And it is not holiday anymore.
I like the different issues that come up in the story. So real, so complex, and so funny. It is about family, discrimination, slavery, judicial justice and abuse of power.
A real fun read. I hope Terry gets better as he is one
Read it. Enjoy it.
And it is not holiday anymore.
I like the different issues that come up in the story. So real, so complex, and so funny. It is about family, discrimination, slavery, judicial justice and abuse of power.
A real fun read. I hope Terry gets better as he is one
Show More
of the best storyteller that I only read and admire, but someone I could imagine of having a beer or two with. You couldn't say that about any writer. Read it. Enjoy it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SunnySD
Vimes on vacation... the mind boggles. But Sybil has spoken, and to the countryside they go. And of course it doesn't take long before the pastoral peace is in pieces. Bigotry, smuggling, riverboat chases, and poo - who could ask for anything more?
LibraryThing member salimbol
Another great read from Pratchett, rolling a murder mystery, plenty of literary and pop culture in-jokes and some serious themes into one satisfying whole - certainly not his best book, but witty and entertaining and occasionally quite meaningful all the same. And I haven't read too many of the
Show More
later Vimes books, where he is settling into his new roles in life, so it was really interesting for me to see the family dynamics (Sybil! The manservant!). Show Less
LibraryThing member Black_samvara
Number 39 in the Discworld series and a Vimes book - I love Vimes! The usual enjoyable mix of social commentary and humour; "it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse". Not subtle in how
I do really enjoy the characteristic footnotes and I'm hoping we eventually get to an ebook standard that can display them well.
Show More
it approaches racism, justice and class barriers but I'm OK with that - I'm also sad that a little girl had to die for this story to have a plot (it seems like they have to do that a lot, little girls that is) I'm less OK with that :(I do really enjoy the characteristic footnotes and I'm hoping we eventually get to an ebook standard that can display them well.
Show Less
LibraryThing member klai
There are voices, nowadays, saying Pratchett is losing it/has lost it, whether due to his illness or not. For the moment, I disagree: Snuff is pure Pratchett through and through. However, and whether this is an observation of a real phenomenon or something I've not noticed in earlier books, I feel
But to return to Snuff. Pratchett is still getting grimmer and less joke-y, but this is no bad thing, and it is a pleasure to see themes and ideas develop over several books. Snuff picks up where UA left off, and while it may not be one of the key novels in the Discworld series, it's a page turner.
Show More
that you can tell that his recent novels have been written by dictation, for occasionally the style of the writing feels closer to spoken than written language. But as all of Pratchett's novels are colloquial in style, this may be a recency fallacy. In any case, I felt this to be more the case with Unseen Academicals.But to return to Snuff. Pratchett is still getting grimmer and less joke-y, but this is no bad thing, and it is a pleasure to see themes and ideas develop over several books. Snuff picks up where UA left off, and while it may not be one of the key novels in the Discworld series, it's a page turner.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ecumenicalcouncil
This year Terry Pratchett decided to focus on both slavery and the English aristocracy. Snuff introduces us to another fantasy race which on the discworld is nothing like they are portrayed in other fantasy novels. Pratchett's goblins appear to be based roughly on native American Indians and their
Show More
treatment is almost as bad as it was in American history. Fortunately good old commander Vimes is there to begin a one man crusade against the country aristocracy on the little guys behalf. Although not as funny as Pratchett's earlier books Snuff still manages to keep a balance between wit and seriousness making well worth a read. This is not however classic Pratchett. Show Less
LibraryThing member Queensowntalia
Much to his displeasure, Commander Sam Vimes of the Watch has been dragged off to holiday in the countryside by his lovely and very determined wife. However shortly after they arrive at their estate, Vimes' copper instincts kick in and he begins to sense something is terribly, terribly wrong in the
What follows is a rollicking tale of adventure and social justice, interwoven with many amusing anecdotes from Vimes' family life, something not much explored in previous Discworld installments. In that delightfully Pratchett way, the book is by turns charmingly funny, grippingly suspenseful and periodically absurd, and, by the end, completely rewarding. We get further insight into the characters of both Vimes and his wife and are introduced to a most entertaining cast of side characters, all the while enjoying a lively adventure and the timeless battle of the Good Guys against the Bad, the Just seeking to right society's wrongs. I enjoyed the book tremendously, and would go so far as to say it might be Pratchett's best work.
Show More
town. Then a terrible crime occurs, and Vimes knows he must find justice. What follows is a rollicking tale of adventure and social justice, interwoven with many amusing anecdotes from Vimes' family life, something not much explored in previous Discworld installments. In that delightfully Pratchett way, the book is by turns charmingly funny, grippingly suspenseful and periodically absurd, and, by the end, completely rewarding. We get further insight into the characters of both Vimes and his wife and are introduced to a most entertaining cast of side characters, all the while enjoying a lively adventure and the timeless battle of the Good Guys against the Bad, the Just seeking to right society's wrongs. I enjoyed the book tremendously, and would go so far as to say it might be Pratchett's best work.
Show Less
Similar in this library
Pages
416