Feet of Clay: A Novel of Discworld

It is interesting to see how golems evolve from Pratchett's Discworld novel, "Feet of Clay" (1996), where they are speechless slaves of clay, to "Going Postal" (2004) where a well-educated but humorless golem serves as body guard and lecturer-in-morals to the new Post Master. This is where it all begins...

Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, of Ankh-Morpork's Night Watch pays a visit to the Dragon King of Arms at the urging of his new wife, who thinks Sam needs his own coat-of-arms now that he's been knighted. Unfortunately, one of Sam's ancestors was a regicide so his descendent is denied an armorial bearing by the College of Heralds. He does learn that one of his watchmen is actually the Earl of Ankh: the inimitable Corporal Nobbs, who is forced to carry around a piece of paper signed by Ankh-Morpork's Patrician certifying that he's really human.

Well, this is a bit of a come-down for Sir Sam, but he's got more important matters on his mind, including the murders of two harmless old men. One of them was beaten to death by a loaf of Dwarf bread. His body was discovered by Captain Carrot and Corporal Angua, the only werewolf in the Night Watch, when they visited the Dwarf Bread Museum on their day off.

The only link between the two corpses is a trace of white clay at both murder scenes.

Subplots zigzag every which-way through "Feet of Clay." Corporal 'Earl of Ankh' Nobbs is being courted by a group of well, nobs who haven't given up on the notion that Ankh-Morpork should be ruled by a king. Captain Carrot, hereditary king of Ankh-Morpork who wisely refused the crown in "Men at Arms," is busy tracking murderers and emancipating golems. Sargeant Colon is about to retire if he lives through a trip through the sewers with Wee Mad Arthur. Corporal Angua helps a new dwarf recruit come to terms with her yen to wear lipstick.

Death, who has at least a walk-on role in all the Discworld fantasies is still working on his sense of humor: "I AM DEATH, NOT TAXES. I TURN UP ONLY ONCE."

If this sounds confusing, it isn't. It's brilliant. All of the story lines tie together according to character. I don't know how Pratchett digs through the sewers and stockyards of Ankh-Morpork, and rubs together a monarchist plot with a bit of animated clay to create such a gem.

I think he must use magic.

When the clues to a series of murders point toward the golems of Ankh-Morpork, city watch commander Vimes has to try to figure out if something could have gone wrong with the magical constructs that are normally incapable of doing harm.

With the usual political intrigue afoot, and a possible poisoning attempt on the city's Patrician, Vimes and his department are in a race to solve the cases before the tensions in the city boil over.

This was a really amusing fantasy detective story with fun interactions between the cast and some interesting questions raised about the nature of sentience, and about the interactions between the various fantasy species that inhabit the city of Ankh-Morpork.

Terry Pratchett's City Watch novels have been steadily improving as the series goes along, and this third book continues that happy trend. Whereas the introduction of nonhuman characters into the Watch in the previous volume felt largely like an unfunny joke about affirmative action, their inclusion here seems more like a celebration of diversity, which is a much better fit for a melting-pot setting like Ankh-Morpork as well as the overall comic tone of the larger Discworld series. The golems at the heart of this story also allow Pratchett to explore some weighty issues of slavery and dehumanization with a light touch, much as J.K. Rowling would later do with house elves in her Harry Potter books. The subplot about Nobby Nobbs as a possible heir to the throne isn't nearly as effective as the rest of the story, but overall this is a great deepening of this particular section of the Discworld.

Once again events in Ankh-Morpork necessitate that the City Watch buckle down to save the day, so how will the city survive after “Feet of Clay”? Terry Pratchett’s third book of the Guards sequence, sees the very integrated (sans vampires) tackle a rampaging golem and the sickening of the Patrician in yet another monarchist coup attempt but is just slightly lower in quality than the previous two books.

As stated above, the plot revolves around monarchists wanting to return to the “good ol’ days” before Sam Vimes ancestor decapitated the last King of Ankh-Morpork. However, unlike previous times the main instigator has gone for a slow approach so make others accept the candidate he proposes. However, everything is undone by an insane golem roaming the streets that forces the Watch to not only find him while figuring out who is slowly poisoning the Patrician. It turns out that both situations are interconnected, but on the way Vimes, Carrot, Angua, Fred Colon, and Nobby all have to deal with serious issues amongst themselves as well as some new watch members of the integrated force. All told it’s an interesting few days in Ankh-Morpork for everyone involved.

While Pratchett mixes situational humor and wordplay with a very good story, this particular “Guards” book did not feel as up to the previous two. My main problem was that one little subplot felt forced, and that was the citizen impulse to smash golems when they were offing themselves. I guess one could mark it down as public hysteria, but still it felt forced as a way to make the Watch’s common sense approach stop the proposed violence.

However, even though I have one little problem with the book doesn’t mean I don’t recommend it to everyone else that is a fan of the Discworld books. But if you’re a new reader to the series, read either “Guards! Guards!” or “Men at Arms” before this one as both are slightly superior.

It is interesting to see how golems evolve from Pratchett's Discworld novel, "Feet of Clay" (1996), where they are speechless slaves of clay, to "Going Postal" (2004) where a well-educated but humorless golem serves as body guard and lecturer-in-morals to the new Post Master. This is where it all begins...

Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, of Ankh-Morpork's Night Watch pays a visit to the Dragon King of Arms at the urging of his new wife, who thinks Sam needs his own coat-of-arms now that he's been knighted. Unfortunately, one of Sam's ancestors was a regicide so his descendent is denied an armorial bearing by the College of Heralds. He does learn that one of his watchmen is actually the Earl of Ankh: the inimitable Corporal Nobbs, who is forced to carry around a piece of paper signed by Ankh-Morpork's Patrician certifying that he's really human.

Well, this is a bit of a come-down for Sir Sam, but he's got more important matters on his mind, including the murders of two harmless old men. One of them was beaten to death by a loaf of Dwarf bread. His body was discovered by Captain Carrot and Corporal Angua, the only werewolf in the Night Watch, when they visited the Dwarf Bread Museum on their day off.

The only link between the two corpses is a trace of white clay at both murder scenes.

Subplots zigzag every which-way through "Feet of Clay." Corporal 'Earl of Ankh' Nobbs is being courted by a group of well, nobs who haven't given up on the notion that Ankh-Morpork should be ruled by a king. Captain Carrot, hereditary king of Ankh-Morpork who wisely refused the crown in "Men at Arms," is busy tracking murderers and emancipating golems. Sargeant Colon is about to retire if he lives through a trip through the sewers with Wee Mad Arthur. Corporal Angua helps a new dwarf recruit come to terms with her yen to wear lipstick.

Death, who has at least a walk-on role in all the Discworld fantasies is still working on his sense of humor: "I AM DEATH, NOT TAXES. I TURN UP ONLY ONCE."

If this sounds confusing, it isn't. It's brilliant. All of the story lines tie together according to character. I don't know how Pratchett digs through the sewers and stockyards of Ankh-Morpork, and rubs together a monarchist plot with a bit of animated clay to create such a gem.

I think he must use magic.

The golems were an interesting bunch, certainly when it comes to Dolhf, and I love the transformation Cheery went through over the course of the story.
Of course, with murders come clues and they were ... well, to be fair, some were a little odd at first. Vague enough to actually have me wondering how they got to where they got to from such information (yes, I peeked at the end and was puzzled until I reached where they'd solved it all).
Though I enjoyed it, I've two niggles about this one. Firstly there's the descriptions of the heralds themselves. I got all muddled in having three (or was it four?) being described one after the other. Maybe it was due to the late night I read that particular piece. Even so, thank goodness there's a page in the front with the pictures.
Secondly it's Angua. More precisely her insistence that something must eventually go wrong with her relationship and she'll have to leave. So she always seemed all geared up to go. I never feel settled enough in the character to fully enjoy reading some her scenes. She just rubs me the wrong way.

Probably I should have tried to read the Discworld novels in proper chronological order, instead of however they happened to come to hand, but my slightly more chaotic approach is perhaps more in keeping with Pratchett's style. Especially the "Watch" subseries should be read in order, because there's an evolutionary progression in its organization and the lives of its characters. FEET OF CLAY immediately follows MEN AT ARMS, in which Capt. Sam Vimes of the Watch became Commander Sir Samuel, and the Watch itself began to expand from three or four coppers to a couple dozen watchmen of all sorts and species. That process continues here, with the incorporation of a number of trolls and dwarfs, as Vimes tries to figure out who's attempting to poison Lord Vetinari, the Patrician. As always, there are various parallel secondary plots, including the budding romance between Capt. Carrot, who is also the hypothetical king of Ankh-Morpork (but who knows better than to try to enforce his inheritance) and Angua, a werewolf of uncertain desires who is the best tracker the Watch has got. The introduction of golems lets the author explore the question of how we define human-ness, and the conspiracy against Vetinari brings up the problem of legitimacy in government and whether kings are of any use whatever. (Pratchett may not be a card-carrying republican, but he doesn't seem to have much use for royals generally.) Also as always, his turn of phrase and ironic observations are both pertinent and very, very funny.

If you're like me, and voraciously read the great British authour Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels as soon as you see them on the shelves of the local bookstore, then there is a genuine cosmic force that will compell you to get this one and nothing I can say will make any difference.

But lately, over the last few entries into the series, that certain colour of magic has been missing from them, which made the early works so great to read. But not to worry...Pratchett is definately in top form with this one, which marks the always hilarious return of the Anhk-Morepork City Watch, headed by 'Sir' Samuel Vimes.

Along with the already well fleshed-out main cast of Watchmen including Corp. Carrot, Angua, Nobbs, Detritus and Fred Colon, we have some new characters, all who jump off the page with Pratchett's expert handling. Even though this is a comic view of fantasy, sort of a Douglas Adams by way of Tolkien, there might be no better weaver of plot and character than Mr. Pratchett.

As usual, the much put-upon metropolis of Ankh-Morepork is in grave peril, this time by a rampaging Golem, out of control and looking for blood. Things are complicated by another crisis as the slow poisoning of the Patrician has Vimes retracing the path of his childhood.

So, as we've come to expect from our previous travels across the Discworld, Pratchett throws in everything but the kitchen sink, somehow managing to stray off in many directions but always keeping a complicated plot, engaging characters, vivid location and a continuing sense of wonder with this world all in the air at the same time.

Trust me. Buy this book. It's worth any price. And that's cuttin' me own throat!

Commander Vimes, Head of Ankh-Morpork City Watch, is used to hunting down illegal crime in the most crowded city of the Discworld. But this time the clues are numerous, as are the answers. If Vimes only knew what the questions were. Two murders: first a dead priest is found with a slip of paper in his mouth, and then a curator of the Dwarf Bread Museum is killed using a loaf of bread. When it turns out that someone even tries to assassinate Lord Vetinari, Vimes finds himself faced with the most puzzling case in Discworld history.
The amazing thing about the Discworld saga is that it keeps getting better. Where the earlier episodes did lack a good storyline, Terry Pratchett now clearly has no problems spinning a complex mystery out on paper. The complexity of the case does easily compare to an Agatha Christie novel and the denouement is as hilarious as it is surprising. I really loved the way Terry constantly makes references to great detective stories and in doing so feeds the reader a plate of really nice red herrings (false clues).
Of course, when the City Watch appears in a Discworld novel it can only mean one thing: absurd humor at its best! I have to admit that the jokes are a slight bit less pungent than in Guards! Guards!, but that is certainly not enough reason to complain. The new character Cherry Littlebottom is a neat addition to the Watch. When Cherry goes on patrol with Angua, not knowing that she truly is a werewolf, you get that kind of chemistry that will blow your socks off.

If pressed to choose a favourite Pratchett, it would likely be this book. Nearly every element is here, delivered with Pratchett's finest prose and wit. This a bit of a wonder, as it's a murder mystery, a genre I rarely delve into. Still, it's a Pratchett and goes from being worth a look to something to be cherished, its chief character a man to be admired.
Sam Vimes, who we first encountered in a sodden gutter, soddin' drunk, has risen to a knight's rank and is now Commander of the City Watch. He maintains a careful balance between being the Patrician's favourite and his nemesis. Vetanari knows he cannot truly control Vimes, yet for all Sam's resistance to the Patrician's deviousness, knows too that he cannot dispense with The Stoneface Policeman. Especially this time when its Vetanari himself who is the victim of a murder plot. An unsuccessful one, as it happens.
Sam's entered the realm of matrimony, a step which elevates him almost more than the
promotions the Patrician has granted. Lady Sybil, however, remains at the periphery of Sam's focus. He's still a copper and one of the biggest cases of all confronts him in this book. First, foremost and throughout this book, Sam Vimes is tasked with guarding his own back. Vimes is "a jumped-up copper to the nobs, and a nob to the rest", which gorges the ranks of his enemies. His thwarting of an Assassin is pure Pratchett; pure Vimes, for that matter. One can't help but wonder why Vetanari doesn't assign Vimes some bodyguards. Instead he gets a sedan chair - which he "drives" himself.
There are murders in this book, unusual in Pratchett. Two deaths arouse the City's ire against new Pratchett figures, the golems. Golems reach far into the depths of European history - mindless, man-like creatures from the soil who can be put to any task. Created only to obey, they are the perfect slave - rebellion isn't in their make-up. Except for their size, they are nearly defenseless. The perfect suspect, ultimately vulnerable, who can be destroyed without qualms of conscience. The situation is so clear-cut that Sam knows they can't be guilty. But who is?
In his quest for justice, Sam is supported both in the plot and in the characters of his Watch team. In this book, Angua reaches new levels of prominence, which brings Carrot forth in new ways, as well. Describing their situation as a "relationship" gives the term a whole new meaning. The Watch now has a forensic expert in the figure of a dwarf - Cheery Littlebottom. It's not possible to dwell further here on this unique Watch specialist. You must read this book to become acquainted with one of Pratchett's most engaging characters. Read further to discover one of his most devious creations.
As with most of Pratchett's recent books, there's a sub-theme running beneath all the hilarity and convoluted thinking. In this case, the issue is "freedom". This word has been bandied about by so many writers in so many circumstances, it's hard to believe that Pratchett could bring anything fresh to the discussion. As always, Pratchett is able to surprise and excel. His discussion freedom's worth and what it takes to be achieved adds lustre to an already superb story. Pratchett's ability to bring philosophical issues into what is still described as "humorous fantasy" is a unique talent. We must keep buying and touting this finest of purveyors of wisdom and values.

This starts out as a simple murder mystery. Almost simple - there is no victim, at least not yet. Someone is slowly poisoning Lord Vetinari, the local tyrant. Then, the murder occurs, but the wrong one. Rather, the wrong ones. First priest and a baker (of sorts), then two more. There are clues OK, but all the wrong ones. It's important to keep Vetinari alive. That's not because anyone actually likes the man, but because all the alternatives are worse.

Pratchett keeps the story moving, beginning to end, and manages to wrap a number of the familiar police watchmen into the story. There's Angua - when she has her monthlies, she'll bite your head off, vegetarian or not. There's Cheri, introducing the idea of women's lib to people who've barely got the idea of women. There are alots of other disparate sorts, too, under commander Vimes. The city is peopled by trolls, gnomes, dwarves, vampires, and seemingly endless other species, at each others' throats half the time (remember the Vampires?), and it's Vimes' job to maintain peace between them. The only solution he's found so far is to racially integrate at a level that surprises everyone, especially the people involved.

Although Pratchett uses lots of characters from earlier Discworld volumes, the new reader should feel right at home. It's a great break from a busy schedule, and a great intro to Discworld. Enjoy!

//wiredweird

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is a mirror of our world, but it's a funhouse mirror, with our world reflected back in a distorted way. The distortions are both amusing - sometimes hysterically funny - and thought-provoking. Sometimes the reflection is barely recognizable, and sometimes it is so close to ours that it cuts like a knife. His logic is rigorous, but skewed, and the twists reveal a great deal about the assumptions we make every day.
This is a quintessential police procedural novel, as reflected by Pratchett's mirror, combined with a Frankenstein theme. Instead of detectives and police, we have the Night Watch. Commander Sam Vimes is a classic recovering drunk and Sergeant Colon is fat and lazy - recognizable as stock characters; but another cop is a female werewolf with pre-lunar tension, the captain is a six foot, six inch human who thinks he is a dwarf, a third is a troll and the forensics expert is an out of the closet dwarf trying to get in touch with her feminine side.
Someone has killed two old men, and someone is trying to poison the Patrician, the closest thing the city of Ankh-Morpork has to a ruler. The suspects appear to be golems, the artificial men of Hebrew mythology, but golems can't kill. Golems are the perfect slave, only able to do the things they are told, the "words in their head." And how is it that Corporal Nobby Nobbs, a constable who carries a certificate establishing he is probably human, can be the long-lost Earl of Ankh and the heir apparent to the throne?
All these plot threads and more come together in the finest Pratchett tradition, in one of his best and most satisfying conclusions. Women have their biggest roles yet in a Night Watch novel, and the complex relationship between the Patrician and Sam Vimes continues to evolve. It's only later, when you think about what happened to the golems, that you recognize the reflection of our world and the important messages Pratchett is conveying.
The humor and satire are present in abundance. The scene in which three thieves try to hold up the Night Watch's favorite bar and, worse still, try to use Constable Angua as a hostage, is simply delightful. Pratchett's skills with dialog and characterization are in fine form. But it's the messages that occur to you afterwards that make the novel truly memorable, and make this book, in Captain Carrot's phrase, "seriously prod buttock."
Great fun; highly recommended.

Of late, I've really started enjoying the Pratchett books more and more. I think the City Watch stories are the best, combining Pratchett's wit with a wonderful ensemble of characters. This was a moderate page-turner and definitely got a few laughs out of me.

Pratchett tries something different here by presenting his usual mode of storytelling, but with a twist! This story is a bit of a whodunnit... more so than any other of Pratchett's works. However, I think I liked the core group of City Watchers best and I'm not sure what brought this a few pegs down from the rest. I would recommend this book to any Pratchett fan, those who like City Watch stories (big fan of Carrot myself) and readers of clever wit and humor.

Someone is poisoning the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, and Vimes must solve the mystery. This is the basic plot of _Feet of Clay_, and it is a serviceable plot; it gives this Discworld book more structure than many of them, ensuring that there is enough of a story to support all the digressions and subplots. These digressions, along with Pratchett's good use of the minor City Watch characters, are the tidbits that make this Discworld book so much fun. I enjoyed especially the College of Heraldry and the bad jokes and Latin puns found on the heraldic devices. This is the kind of comic detail that is hard work, but really fleshes out Pratchett's world. We meet Cheery Littlebottom, a dwarf who joins the city watch and is apprenticed to Angua and whose experience in alchemy makes her a natural as a kind of forensic crime-scene investigator, and we experience some of the details of life in the Patrician's castle. We also meet the golems of Discworld, and face the interesting moral dilemmas inherent in a labor uprising and civil rights movement among beings that are essentially animated pottery.

The early Discworld novels, to me, were lightweight, amusing stories with no staying power because there was nobody in them to like or admire. With the guards novels, he has provided several. Commander Vimes, commander of the Watch and reformed drunk (alcoholics have money). Lady Sybil, his loving and deceptively intelligent wife. Carrot, the 6-foot tall adopted dwarf,together with Angua, the vegetarian werewolf, and their growing love. How will it end? Will they have children or puppies? Will we ever know? On and on the list of good secondary characters continues to grow.
I rated this book at 4 stars upon my first reading, and increased it to 5 after my second. It is a thoroughly funny book, considering that it is, at least in its outlines, a murder mystery. The solution is obvious to some readers, not so to others, but that's irrelevant. It's the path to the solution that's so funny. This may be the most character-driven of his novels, and it ranks with the best of the Discworld series.
It's only after the laughter fades that you realize that Mr. Pratchett has slipped you a fast one. He has raised excellent questions about what it means to be alive and a moral free agent, and then leaves you to sort it out. Funny and thought-provoking at the same time - a rare achievement, indeed.

I've always had a particular affinity for the Discworld books featuring Sam Vimes and his Watch. Whether it's Vimes, with his dogged determination to see justice served or Carrot, a true believer in the good in all (Sometimes they just need some help finding it and Carrot is always there with a helping hand and a werewolf girlfriend.), these characters seem to bring out the best in Pratchett. This one introduces a dwarf named Littlebottom who has been asked to leave the Guild of Alchemists and who is now brought in by Vimes to discover what's behind the white substance at the scene of a few murders and what's killing Lord Vetinari. With Littlebottom hiding a secret as well, this proves to be a great mix of an interesting mystery, a discussion on the nature of religion and free will and...golems. Have fun.

Once again Terry Pratchett has written a master work. This story is a dual story. First: The antics of the city watch which consists of zany characters. Think of abbot and Costello meets Frankenstien. Two: the story of what happens when man tries to play god. The city watch must find a killer that is not part of the assasin's guild. This is not good for business allowing non-union members to freelance. Pratchett does a remarkeable job of exploring the Frankenstien myth with a bunch of loose screws. This is a very serious subject that is cut with biting humor. How bad things happen with the best of intentions. Commander Vimes has become one of my favorite characters in the discworld series. Any book he is the main character is on the more serious side in nature, but there is still plenty of humor. Well worth the read.

Once again Terry Pratchett has written a master work. This story is a dual story. First: The antics of the city watch which consists of zany characters. Think of abbot and Costello meets Frankenstien. Two: the story of what happens when man tries to play god. The city watch must find a killer that is not part of the assasin's guild. This is not good for business allowing non-union members to freelance. Pratchett does a remarkeable job of exploring the Frankenstien myth with a bunch of loose screws. This is a very serious subject that is cut with biting humor. How bad things happen with the best of intentions. Commander Vimes has become one of my favorite characters in the discworld series. Any book he is the main character is on the more serious side in nature, but there is still plenty of humor. Well worth the read.

This book is a typical discworld in plot - insane, bizarre, silly, the works. But what I really like is how Pratchett is filling out his world and the characters. They are no longer quite is slick and one dimensional as in the earliest novels. You get a good understanding of how life is lived in Ankh-Morpork, how Carrot affects everyone around him, the subtlies of Vimes - all of it.
But don't worry, the fun is still there. Can you actually imagine a female dwarf daring to be female (make-up, clothes, et al)? Or the obtusely literal-minded citizens of Ankh-Morpork (crests must be designed from life)?

Enjoy this book, but be cautious. If you don't particularly like reflecting on the serious as well as the silliness, you won't enjoy this book as much as some of the other Discworld novels.

This wild, weird and whacky novel (17th in the Discworld series)features a collection of whimiscal (another "w" word) characters, including a dwarf, a werewolf, and a vampire dragon, along with several golems and humans. It begins as a murder investigation in a strange place called Ankh-Morpork. I would recommend starting with the Colo[u]r of Magic, instead of "jumping in" down the line, like I did. It might have helped me understand the characters better (thus, resulting in a fifth star). However, I look forward to reading The Light Fantastic and Guards! Guards! If one likes the late, great, Douglas Adams, or any of the other authors of this type, one might like Terry Pratchett.

[For context's sake, I have been reading the Discworld books in publication order. Feet of Clay is #19.]

Very intriguing, with great development of some core recurring characters. The interplay between characters led to some really interesting insights into subjects like racism, wealth and entitlement, the nature of life, morality, and projected morality. While it wasn't a book that had me sitting on the edge of my seat, it kept my mind engaged and pondering, and the characters and dialogue were brilliant, as always.

This is the 17th in Pratchett's Discworld series. Alternatively, it's the 3rd book in the Watch subseries ("Guards! Guards," "Men at Arms," "Feet of Clay," "Jingo," "The Fifth Elephant," "Night Watch," and "Thud!"). In this book, Pratchett uses the continuing development of the Watch to produce more of a Mystery novel than usual (and poke fun at the genre at the same time). In the process, he introduces a new race of creatures, gives Carrot girl problems, increases the visibility of Nobby, and starts a bit of an upheaval in Dwarf circles with Corporal Littlebottom. An excellent book: 5 stars out of 5.

If you discovered the Discworld like I did (reading <Guards, Guards>) you will have this stuff as you read this, anyway.

If you are torn between Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Robert Sheckley, J. R. R. Tolkien and Robert Asprin, WHAT KEPT YOU SO LONG. This is definitely a MUST HAVE. What are you waiting for?

If you have been reading Discworlds novels before, don't waste your time with my opinion, just go get it!

This is definitely one of the best books P. ever did. It's shrewed, witty, ranges from slapstick to drama and back (often through misterious ways), in a nutshell, it's a Pratchett. I can't wait to see the movie (just kiddin', Terry;-))

Has anyone else noticed this? Thomas Pynchon and Terry Pratchett are the same guy! Their concerns are the same, their love of humanity, their understanding of the need for hope and compassion; their delicious word-play is the same. It's the same guy!
Pynchon took 11 years to write his masterpiece, "Against the Day." Why? Because he was ALSO writing a Discworld novel every year. Pynchon is notoriously reclusive, and now we know why! He's really Terry Pratchett.
This is a great novel: touching, hopeful, kind, funny, wise. One of Pratchett's very best, and that means one of the best novels of our time. But why would we expect any less of Pynchon?
I once wondered which of these two authors would win a Nobel prize first. And now I know: both of them, at the same time.

While Pratchett's Discworld series is surely a powerhouse of creativity and the imagination, this particular installment does little to rise above formula. This edition cannot stand on its own two feet (of clay) because Pratchett fails to add any satirical strength to his bizarre world of werewolves, golems, trolls, dragons, and cross-dressing dwarves. Instead, these strange characters do nothing but add a forced attempt at zaniness to a completely run-of-the-mill mystery story. Does the fanciful Discworld, with its weird creatures and zany goings-on, provide a satirical counterpart to our real world, giving us a way to earn insights into human nature in the way good comedic satire should? Maybe so in the other Discworld novels, but not this one. This volume is little more than textbook comedy that follows the rules of hilarity, but provides few real unexpected laughs. And the comedy is strictly from the Douglas Adams school of slapstick, weirdness for the sake of weirdness, with plot and characterization being neglected in favor of rapid bursts of zaniness. This is still a reasonably enjoyable read, but where's the satirical beef? [~doomsdayer520~]

I love Terry Pratchett's humor and his character development. He is an English author of fantasy novels. I find that people either love or hate his stories.
Commander Vimes is my favorite character in the Discworld series. This story took place during the time the Watch began hiring non-humans. I am a Terry Prachett fan, but in this story some of his writing rambled on; I found myself having to reread some parts more than once to understand it. Other than that, the book was great.
Commander Vimes first appears in the book Guards! Guards! followed by Men at Arms. Feet of Clay was the third book involving Commander Vimes. I believe there are 8 books involving Commander Vimes.
Want to know more, google Feet of Clay Terry Pratchett.

Everyone's favorite Discworld cop returns in Feet of Clay, the third Watch novel. Pratchett mixes his typical insane humour with some quite pertinent satire: policing, government, racism... (well alright, clayism) . And the best bit is, there's more to the book than the main story, with all kinds of subplots... Nobby's climbing of the social calendar... the vampire that keeps on dying (Kenny is a descendant of this one!)... it goes on and on.
READ IT, GODSDAMN YOU!

Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork is poisoned! New Watch recruit Cheery Littlebottom has to find out how. Meanwhile, the golems of Ankh-Morpork is beginning to meet in secter chambers to plot and commit suicide. And why is Nobby Nobbs hob-nobbing with nobs? At last, what is the true meanng behind the Heralds? This is the third book about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch and one of the best Pratchett has ever written.

Terry Pratchett remains high lord of all fantasy humor with Feet of Clay. The golems are fresh and interesting characters and the city watch has always been my favorite storyline, but some meanderings into repetitive political discussions and continuity flaws tend to leave the reader high and dry at several areas in this otherwise brilliant novel. Could anyone please tell me what happened to Detritus' cooling helmet?

Many others have gone on about how funny Pratchett's work is. Certainly, this is true, his work is some of the best comedy in existence, and this book is no exception. But his humour should not overshadow the other aspect of pratchett's writing; his brilliance. This book isn't just great comedy, if you look close you'll also notice that he has created an excellent detective novel, in fact I'd put this on a level with any agatha christie or sherlock holmes book any day, if not higher, i think Pratchett does better work in areas like character developement and action.
The man is more that just a funny writer, he has range and depth. I believe that while he certainly has single, distinctive style, he is capable of excelling in any genre he should choose to write in, God help us all if he ever decides to write a strictly "serious" novel, although if you strip away the jokes from this or many of his other books, you'll see that he already has.

I really like all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld (fantasy) books, including this one. You will best enjoy reading them in the order published, but they're good on their own. They have a unique, fey humor: I expect you will like all or none, so if they're new to you, get just one to begin with.

The Watch set of characters never disappoints, and this story is no different. Creative and engaging, among Pratchett's best, as all the Watch books are. Though Pratchett can't seem to help himself from being preachy about his atheism, at least this time it's a mere minor distraction. The themes and humor stand out well, and get tied together artfully in the end.

Mr. Pratchett beats his own records with every new Watch book.
This one is no exception. It starts interesting and just gets better with every paragraph.
The book is almost too funny - with the scene of employing a dwarf applicant or another one when Carrot is stopping unlicensed thieves.
Pratchett achieved an impossible goal - he wrote a touching book about simple people's persistent lack of luck, about the idiocy of the so called higher classes, about death, nature of humanity, duty, watchmen solidarity - and he did make it screamingly funny.
Read it. You'll laugh your head off.

I have always liked the character of Vimes and the Guard stories and this is simply amazing it will make you laugh it will make you think but most of all it will leave you wanting more.I read it while visting London for a few days and completed very quickly it was so addictive!Just read it and you'll see.

Of all the multitude of Discworld Novels the ones about the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork are the funniest. The third book about our intrepid group of coppers filled with Pratchett's usual side splitting witticisms, hillarious footnotes, and deep satire and sarcasam. If you liked Douglas Adams but got confused by "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" Try Discworld novels and enjoy!

sam vimes.
carrot.
anagua.
nobby nobs.
colon.
gaspod.
detritos.
and more new guards to join the fun. some of the most bizzare and funny moments in the series.the fantasy version of a robot revolution.
when i finishd this book, my face hurt from a constant loughter.
terry is a god.