Snuff (Discworld)

Terry Pratchett is at his best in this book. As a long time Terry Pratchett fan I enjoy the word pictures he creates. His characters are strong and I believe I would enjoy meeting them in this part of the multiverse. This story sees Sam, Sybil and young Sam holidaying in the countryside at the old Ramkin Estate and even Wilikins comes along for the ride. Sam has to deal with honest country folk, goblins and whirling maids then return home in time to save Fred from a mysterious fate.

Snuff is a classic Pratchett novel. It is entertaining, funny and a good yarn to boot. I wouldn't classify it as one of his best, but it is certainly not his worst work either. If you like Pratchett's style, I highly recommend you read this one.

Another fantastic book from Terry Pratchett. Well worth the read. Great sense of humour and makes the ordinary sound so funny. Snuff: A Novel of Discworld (Discworld Novels)

Something was off about this book in the opening scene...the Patrician getting upset to the point of exclamation about a crossword puzzle? I think not. Once past this part, the story is decent enough, funny in places, dark in others, an acceptable Vimes story. But the actual construction of the book itself...this was a terrible job. Poor binding, text not aligned to the page squarely, the sawtooth page edges...does not feel like a book that will last.

My favourites are the Watchmen novels, but this one disappointed me a bit - the narration is somewhat long and tedious, Pratchett goes into details everywhere, the inner monologues felt a bit boring... so I was a bit disappointed. It still has some of the humour and the unusal charm, but is a bit less well-written than the previous novels. Fans will appreciate it still, but don't let this be your entry-novel into the Discworld.

Let's face it, Terry Pratchett is a legend! The discworld novels let you laugh at the world as it is, while creating a completely fictional land. Such a complex world, yet Terry Pratchett makes you feel like you've been there. The characters are funny, and.....well, us!

Just when I was really getting into Agnes along with the grinning Nanny and not-a-busy-body Granny and the other denizens of Lancre, and/or really missing the insane wizards of the Unseen University, or wondering how Moist would handle taxes, along comes "sigh" another Sam Vimes dominated book and unfortunately to me it was more along the lines of "Unseen Academicals" - e.g, a novel that makes some profound social statements, but for the most part isn't something I grin maniacally over. If anything there are social commentaries here that are completely heartbreaking. The author was always like that, but the teaching was slyly done, like a quick mirror flash, in the midst of a hysterical roller-coaster ride. And there are other things that bothered me - the Vimes are so old-coupled they are boring, kids may be fascinated by bathroom functions and later sex but the endless talk of fecal matter got old, and when did a butler with a worrying expertise in cutlery evolve into a sidekick assassin dispensing justice? How come Vimes has lost all those deliciously clumsy moments that made him human? Why is he like Spiderman now with a Venom inside? I associate Pratchett novels with making heartbreak bearable, not wincing at some disturbing images. Still give it 3 stars because the writing for the most part deserves it, but oh, I pray for just a few more books to show me what happens to Rincewind and Agnes and Moist and Granny and Nanny and have me laughing me @ss off and not crying, and hope the author puts Sam on the back burner for a while, I'm tired of him. But I will say, in a serious mood or not, the author has not betrayed the reader - I'm talking to you George Martin!!!

For those who cannot get enough of Sam Vimes. All the usual characters make an appearance, but only briefly. I am going to sorely miss Terry Pratchett's Discworld if he ever fully succumbs to Alzheimers, but for now, he's still sharp, witty, and has a better memory than I have to keep all the details straight in this latest adventure involving goblins, mayhem, and general fald-i-ral and fiddle-dee-dee!

Sir Terry served up a masterwork as usual with "Snuff". The theme; prejudice and it's hydra headed prides of greed and fear. Duke Vimes, Lady Sybil, Young Sam and assorted staff are vacationing in their country estates when a horrendous crime takes place and Sir Sam does what he does best; becomes just Sam of the Night Watch to catch villains no matter landed gentry or back water thug. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Great read! Really enjoyed another Vines story, seeing the characters grow and deepen. Really enjoyed the home stuff , the interaction with Sybil and Young Sam. Also loved the peek at Willikins' psyche. This ranks as one of the author's best, full of laugh out loud humor and sly social commentary, disguised as fantasy.

I have no clue where all the moaning is coming from. There aren't as many laughs as some of the other books, but Pratchett was never just laughs. That's why he's brilliant: under the guise of base comedy, Pratchett weaves stories of sin and greed and adventure and action and character and redemption and strength and grace.

This is one that has all that in spades.

There's a moment in there where even our beloved liberal Vimes has a turn around when he realizes that there is always some crap you inherit from society's past, and it's great.

If you're a fan of the swelling pride, the tearful moments, and the just rewards in Pratchett's books: this one's for you.

Sir Terry Pratchett has done it again with another amazing book about Sam Vimes and his growing family. I am really looking forward to Sir Terry Pratchett's other two books that should be coming out from this month on. Reading Snuff will make more sense of the book A World Of Poo now. I hope it has more about Sam Vimes Junior in it as he is growing into a very interesting character.

I love Discworld, and I was delighted when the store offered this Kindle version for $1.99--although I was also pretty surprised. After I started reading, the explanation became clear. This novel isn't about Discworld at all, although it uses the character names. It seems to take place in the regular-old English countryside. It reads like an Angela Thirkell novel from the 1930s, defending the character and importance of the squire-archy, and their understanding of the proper way to treat servants. I agree with previous the store reviewer who felt Lady Sybil is almost unrecognizable. In earlier books, she was definitely a comic version of a certain type of upper class girl who never advanced beyond her time as head girl at Rodean, completely devoted to animals and unconcerned with her appearance. It's easy to imagine her prototype living in colonial Kenya, wearing men's clothing and hanging out with a weird assortment of expat misfits and locals. In Snuff, she is nothing like that. Suddenly she is the chatelaine of a large estate, very concerned with her role in the community of gentry who surround her. She cares about propriety and appearances. Snuff reads like a book written by an old Tory, not by Terry Pratchett. I'm a little disappointed at those who gave extra stars to this book out of affection and loyalty to Sir Terry. Any new reader of his oeuvre who gets hold of this one is unlikely to help keep his books in print in the years to come.

As one of the the most dedicated Pratchett fans, I was somewhat apprehensive about this book. Sir Terry's mind in the pre-Alzheimer's days inspired my awe and affection in boundless quantities (and I honestly don't feel that way about anybody else writing today). Soooo.... yes, this does seem like someone else's writing; or 90% of it does.It probably is indeed someone else's writing, and they're apparently aiming for the 13- year-old boy audience (I am middle aged female). But that sets off the small good parts even more. Maybe the poignancy adds something, but I was laughing and crying at the same time, several times, amid all the dark and poo.

Another highly enjoyable Pratchett (Discworld) novel. Its not quite as enjoyable as some of his earlier work but I seriously doubt that you will be disappointed. Only reason I didnt give it the full 5 stars was because a few minor plot lines were sort of forgotten during the action sequences and never picked up again.

The Kindle version is fixed. There are a number of 1-star reviews for the formatting, but the formatting problems have been fixed. another great book from Pratchett, full of the humor and insight that we have come to expect from the Discworld books.

Despite the preponderance of scatological humor, there was nothing funny at all in this book. Terry Pratchett is my favorite author because of his intricately woven dry humor. There was none of that in Snuff. And the political commentary would have been timely in the eighties, but it's cliched now. My theory is that the rumored alzheimers set in and someone else wrote this for him.

It is with a heavy hear that I give this 4 stars. I have read every pratchett book ever written, even though I started in the middle with Men-at-Arms. (Remember this one: Colon: Can you kill a man?; Angua: How long will i have?) But the last time I had the just-finished-the-latest-Pratchett feeling was with Going Postal. After Moist's lackluster performance in Making Money, I thought, hang on, this might be one of those things, wait for the next one, then we got Midnight and my misgivings were quieted. But......Snuff.....where to start?

Now I love Vimes, I want to BE Vimes when I grow up. And Thud was his best performance ever. And I searched in vain in the book for the next hidden facet of this cop. I did not find it. What I did find was: a crime, a chase, Sam Vimes, loving-husband-doting-father-but-duty-always-comes-first-don't-harm-my-family, a very evil bad guy with no redeeming qualities, a group of beings that needs understanding and saving..... Did I hear someone say Night Watch? Thud? Or Unseen Academicals? (don't even get me started on that one!) That's right, all of those themes are here in this book. Now, I love the way Pratchett intertwines humor with human faiings and current issues, but I would have liked less of the "my heart bleeds for this downtrodden people" and more of the wit that makes you laugh even as you search inside your own hypocrisy.

The characters: Sam Vimes is a hero on a mission. Fight with the local blacksmith? check. Chase bad guys through a terrifying flood? Check. Give advice to uppity girls on how to land husbands? HUH? A one page speech to aforementioned very evil guy while being tossed about on a barge? Pull the other one, its got bells on! And that mystical relationship with the Summoning Dark, which sounded very spine-tingling in Thud but now really feels like filler. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? who watches the watchman, Mr. Vimes?
Willikins: butler with a warrior's heart (or brass knuckles), fastidious Willikins, now suddenly bosom buddy and sidekick, who can interrupt his master and go on lone-warrior missions. Not that I mind their close relationship but the clear line that he always maintained between his love for the family and knowing his betters made him such a great character, and I don't see that any more.

The reason previous Sam Vimes novels were such deliriously good reads was because of the intricate relationship between Vimes and his team. Without Carrot, Angua, Fred and Nobby, and away from the cobblestones of Ankh-Morpork, Sam Vimes seems lost and incomplete, thus resorting to what he does best: all out, no-holds-barred, bloodhoundogged pursuit of the crime. It gets monotonous after a while, and Flutter and Beedle and Stratford just aren't multi-dimensional enough to hold our attention.

Oh, and Sybil's being relegated to the role of lady of the house holding parties and waiting for her warrior to come home, not cool! Even young Sam saw more action.

And Nobby nobbs might have a future with a goblin, who may or may not have out-of-this-Discworld musical talent, or other mysterious powers.

I know reviewers have wondered whether Pratchett is indeed writing his novels by himself or if there's a shadow author somewhere. I am going to give him the benefit of doubt. I believe Pratchett wrote those books, i can see glimmers of the Sam Vimes who stood up against the dragon king, and made sure his baby boy did not miss story time even when he was trapped in an underground cave, but he seems a little lost. Maybe the Ducal tights are reducing blood flow to the brain. Hope you are all better next time, and I sincerely hope there will be a next time for all the Watchmen.

I love Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels so much, I reread them every year--with the exception of "Making Money" (2008), "Unseen Academicals" (2010), and "I Shall Wear Midnight" (2010). In these last three novels, some of my favorite characters seemed to have developed logorrhea, i.e. they can't stop talking. Even Ankh-Morpork's Patrician, Lord Vetinari, once a tyrant of few words ("Thank you for coming to see me. Don't hesitate to leave.") is waxing verbose. And Sam Vimes, the epitome of a man of action is now chatting up criminals like some effusive talk-show hostess--he seems to be turning into the Nancy Grace of Discworld.

C'mon Sam, go back to bopping the bad guys instead of lecturing them on their sins!

The plot of "Snuff" is fairly lean. Lord Vetinari and Sam's wife, the redoubtable Lady Sybil conspire to get Sam, who is now Lord Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, to take a well-deserved holiday on Lady Sybil's ancestral country estate. Sam is a city boy and to him the countryside is full of strange noises and even stranger smells. Luckily, the boonies ain't precisely free of crime, and Commander Vimes is soon in full-throated pursuit, especially after the local constable tries to arrest him for murder.

One of the ongoing themes threading the Discworld City Watch novels is the growth of Sam's character from a red-neck speciesist, who only allowed humans (well, with the exception of Nobby Nobbs) to serve in his City Watch, to a multi-cultural commander who was even talked into enlisting a vampire (although reluctantly), and a certified public accountant. "Snuff" develops his relationship with the most maligned, ugliest, smelliest creatures on Discworld: the gnomes.

Terry Pratchett has been compared to Charles Dickens (Pratchett is better), Chaucer, "J.R.R. Tolkien with a sharper, more satiric edge," and P.G. Wodehouse. I think any author who garners comparisons with such wildly disparate writers must be in a category by himself. Heck, Pratchett IS a category by himself and the City Watch novels (with the exception of "Snuff") are among his best works.

If you'd like to read the Sam Vimes/City Watch books in order of publication, they are: "Guards! Guards!" (1989); "Men at Arms" (1993); "Feet of Clay" (1996); "Jingo" (1997); "The Fifth Elephant" (2000); "Night Watch" (2002); "Thud!" (2005); and "Snuff" (2011).

Another fantastic Sam Vimes installment in the Discworld series!
All the twists and turns and dark humor we have come to know and love.
The only problem I had was with the book it's self, it arrive in perfect condition, well packed and not a mark on it but it looks like the final cut was never made on the edges of the pages.
Top and bottom the pages are cut neat and square but the fore edge of each signature comes to a point as though it never made it to the guillotine for that final chop.

So 5/5 for the story and 2/5 for the book.

It is with a heavy hear that I give this 4 stars. I have read every pratchett book ever written, even though I started in the middle with Men-at-Arms. (Remember this one: Colon: Can you kill a man?; Angua: How long will i have?) But the last time I had the just-finished-the-latest-Pratchett feeling was with Going Postal. After Moist's lackluster performance in Making Money, I thought, hang on, this might be one of those things, wait for the next one, then we got Midnight and my misgivings were quieted. But......Snuff.....where to start?

Now I love Vimes, I want to BE Vimes when I grow up. And Thud was his best performance ever. And I searched in vain in the book for the next hidden facet of this cop. I did not find it. What I did find was: a crime, a chase, Sam Vimes, loving-husband-doting-father-but-duty-always-comes-first-don't-harm-my-family, a very evil bad guy with no redeeming qualities, a group of beings that needs understanding and saving..... Did I hear someone say Night Watch? Thud? Or Unseen Academicals? (don't even get me started on that one!) That's right, all of those themes are here in this book. Now, I love the way Pratchett intertwines humor with human faiings and current issues, but I would have liked less of the "my heart bleeds for this downtrodden people" and more of the wit that makes you laugh even as you search inside your own hypocrisy.

The characters: Sam Vimes is a hero on a mission. Fight with the local blacksmith? check. Chase bad guys through a terrifying flood? Check. Give advice to uppity girls on how to land husbands? HUH? A one page speech to aforementioned very evil guy while being tossed about on a barge? Pull the other one, its got bells on! And that mystical relationship with the Summoning Dark, which sounded very spine-tingling in Thud but now really feels like filler. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? who watches the watchman, Mr. Vimes?
Willikins: butler with a warrior's heart (or brass knuckles), fastidious Willikins, now suddenly bosom buddy and sidekick, who can interrupt his master and go on lone-warrior missions. Not that I mind their close relationship but the clear line that he always maintained between his love for the family and knowing his betters made him such a great character, and I don't see that any more.

The reason previous Sam Vimes novels were such deliriously good reads was because of the intricate relationship between Vimes and his team. Without Carrot, Angua, Fred and Nobby, and away from the cobblestones of Ankh-Morpork, Sam Vimes seems lost and incomplete, thus resorting to what he does best: all out, no-holds-barred, bloodhoundogged pursuit of the crime. It gets monotonous after a while, and Flutter and Beedle and Stratford just aren't multi-dimensional enough to hold our attention.

Oh, and Sybil's being relegated to the role of lady of the house holding parties and waiting for her warrior to come home, not cool! Even young Sam saw more action.

And Nobby nobbs might have a future with a goblin, who may or may not have out-of-this-Discworld musical talent, or other mysterious powers.

I know reviewers have wondered whether Pratchett is indeed writing his novels by himself or if there's a shadow author somewhere. I am going to give him the benefit of doubt. I believe Pratchett wrote those books, i can see glimmers of the Sam Vimes who stood up against the dragon king, and made sure his baby boy did not miss story time even when he was trapped in an underground cave, but he seems a little lost. Maybe the Ducal tights are reducing blood flow to the brain. Hope you are all better next time, and I sincerely hope there will be a next time for all the Watchmen.

I love Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels so much, I reread them every year--with the exception of "Making Money" (2008), "Unseen Academicals" (2010), and "I Shall Wear Midnight" (2010). In these last three novels, some of my favorite characters seemed to have developed logorrhea, i.e. they can't stop talking. Even Ankh-Morpork's Patrician, Lord Vetinari, once a tyrant of few words ("Thank you for coming to see me. Don't hesitate to leave.") is waxing verbose. And Sam Vimes, the epitome of a man of action is now chatting up criminals like some effusive talk-show hostess--he seems to be turning into the Nancy Grace of Discworld.

C'mon Sam, go back to bopping the bad guys instead of lecturing them on their sins!

The plot of "Snuff" is fairly lean. Lord Vetinari and Sam's wife, the redoubtable Lady Sybil conspire to get Sam, who is now Lord Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, to take a well-deserved holiday on Lady Sybil's ancestral country estate. Sam is a city boy and to him the countryside is full of strange noises and even stranger smells. Luckily, the boonies ain't precisely free of crime, and Commander Vimes is soon in full-throated pursuit, especially after the local constable tries to arrest him for murder.

One of the ongoing themes threading the Discworld City Watch novels is the growth of Sam's character from a red-neck speciesist, who only allowed humans (well, with the exception of Nobby Nobbs) to serve in his City Watch, to a multi-cultural commander who was even talked into enlisting a vampire (although reluctantly), and a certified public accountant. "Snuff" develops his relationship with the most maligned, ugliest, smelliest creatures on Discworld: the gnomes.

Terry Pratchett has been compared to Charles Dickens (Pratchett is better), Chaucer, "J.R.R. Tolkien with a sharper, more satiric edge," and P.G. Wodehouse. I think any author who garners comparisons with such wildly disparate writers must be in a category by himself. Heck, Pratchett IS a category by himself and the City Watch novels (with the exception of "Snuff") are among his best works.

If you'd like to read the Sam Vimes/City Watch books in order of publication, they are: "Guards! Guards!" (1989); "Men at Arms" (1993); "Feet of Clay" (1996); "Jingo" (1997); "The Fifth Elephant" (2000); "Night Watch" (2002); "Thud!" (2005); and "Snuff" (2011).

Another fantastic Sam Vimes installment in the Discworld series!
All the twists and turns and dark humor we have come to know and love.
The only problem I had was with the book it's self, it arrive in perfect condition, well packed and not a mark on it but it looks like the final cut was never made on the edges of the pages.
Top and bottom the pages are cut neat and square but the fore edge of each signature comes to a point as though it never made it to the guillotine for that final chop.

So 5/5 for the story and 2/5 for the book.

Most of the poor reviews are specific to the Kindle version. The story itself is brilliant as usual. Pratchett is a genius at bringing characters to life. No author compares to Pratchett and that's a fact.

I too am an enthusiastic Discworld fan, and particularly like Sam Vimes. I anxiously awaited the release of this book, as I had read all the others (some of them twice)and was very disappointed. There is way more "social criticism" and way less humor in this book. I have been having a hard time picking it back up, and have yet to finish it (I downloaded it the day it came out). Previous Discworld books have been just the opposite - hard to put down, and too soon finished.
I have been sad to see this happen to other favorite authors, from Michael Connelly to Tony Hillerman.

Plenty of people have written about what Snuff is about, so I see no need to cover it, other than to say that the title refers to plot decoration more than to the focus of the book in both senses of the word snuff. In fact, for quite a bit of the book it seemed like the title should have been "Poo".

What I think is most important is the fact that I think this book is the funniest he has ever written, and I hope that he can continue to keep them coming. Snuff is about 400 pages long, and somewhat more meaty of a book than normal. I had planned to finish it yesterday, but it took longer than I expected. This is another book about Commander Vimes, and another book that adds a new and colorful watchmen to the list of notable characters.

I hear the kindle version is terrible. That's what you get for not reading a real book!

This book is all about His Grace, Sir Samuel Vimes, Duke of Ankh. No, really. They very rarely talk about old Sam Vimes, cop on the beat. They made him take vacation, which, was a bad idea, and he made a case for another human race. Noblesse Oblige, you know. Pooh! Pooh! Pooh!

It is sad to say that this hardly seems like a "Terry Pratchett" novel. I realize that Sir Terry is struggling under a great difficulty, and so perhaps to give faint praise, it's hard to imagine very many writers being able to turn out a novel THIS GOOD in the throes of Alzheimers. However. As has been said in other reviews, it's not that this is a very "dark" story (and it is) that is the problem. It is that it seems to be a dark story set in the Discworld universe and using Discworld characters - but written by someone ELSE. Pratchett's trademark humor (by which I mean not simply "jokes" but his way of LOOKING at the world and turning it sideways) just doesn't appear here. Sam Vimes could have been "any policeman." Actually, I'd say Young Sam rather stole the show here.

For those who have followed the series, and love the endless footnotes, well, in this case "jokes" seemed to have been created simply to write a footnote that, unfortunately, was rarely particularly funny.

It's also unfortunate to see, as I had noted in "Unseen Academicals," an increasing reliance on "toilet" humor; in Snuff, the obsession with various "bodily secretions" threatens to take over the plot.

Of all the "races" that Pratchett has developed, the goblins, sadly, have the least to offer; rather than giving us a lively mix of positive traits and flaws, Pratchett simply gives us a race of victims -- they must be good because they're oppressed!

I can remember when one had to wait for a new Pratchett to be released in the US -- and the joy of discovering that one could, at the cost of international shipping, buy a new Pratchett from the store.co.uk. I have no doubt that I'll go on buying the latest Pratchetts to the bitter end. But if you're new to the series, DO start at the beginning, and save this (and "Academicals") until you've come to know the world and simply want to know how things turn out.

And don't expect to laugh.

I've been re-reading a lot of Pratchett recently (Going Postal,Making Money (Discworld Novels),Monstrous Regiment,Thud!,Guards! Guards!) and thought it'd be lovely to get the new book, Snuff: A Novel of Discworld (Discworld Novels). My significant other ended up reading it before I did and let me know it was weird before I started reading. Maybe this is why I was so particularly sensitive to the style and story, but I think his initial assessment was correct.

Every few chapters I was able to note something else that just didn't seem like Sir Terry's writing. Much of the beginning of the book feels as if someone else has taken Discworld and jotted down a fanfic... as if making a Vimes stew in which there's a little of Sybil, a little of Willikins, and of course Vetinari to begin with, along with some token cameo appearances... except, they're just sort of the outward things we know about them, instead of the personalities that were shown to us before. One thing that seemed odd was Vimes' swearing. When before swear words were used for emphasis, it seemed like they were thrown around rather violently and with less thought of whether they were really needed. I swear like a sailor, so it's not shocking to me except that the characters were acting so uncharacteristically.

The story near the middle/end "feels" more like Pratchett stylistically, but the story seems disjointed. We readers are sent back and forth a few times without that much reason. I've never had so many moral issues with Sam Vimes' behavior, either. For me, he acted like a terrible bully for most of the book. A moral, righteous bully... but still a bully. In other books, it felt more like he used force in a more passive way, whereas here it just seemed like he was overtly forcing his way into every situation. The story just isn't tightened up and the characters don't feel like themselves any longer.

If this were fanfic, I think it'd be a great fanfic. With the Pratchett name on it, it just doesn't seem right. Buy it if you feel like reading some Discworld, but don't expect the laugh out loud funnies in previous books or a smooth ride.

If i've ever faced a challenge with Discworld books in the past, it was to put them down, not to pick them up. Whether it was the humor-focused books in the middle of the series or the more dramatic and plot-driven (but still funny) books that've come out in the past several years, there'd never been a Discworld book that i'd willingly set aside at just about any provocation.

Until this one.

If Pratchett's name weren't on the cover, i wouldn't have gotten past page 5. The writing is sloppy. The characters are unrecognizable. The plot, well, i'm sure it's in there somewhere. In short, this book just isn't good.

I'm sorry, Sir Terry, but i might have to start seeing other authors.

I have read everything Discworld-related that Sir Terry Pratchett has written, many of them multiple times. This book was incomprehensible to me. The quality of the writing was so far below his last two novels that I ended up skimming... SKIMMING for the sake of Seven-Handed Sek! Unheard of!

The things that Pratchett does so excellently, such as using clear differences in linguistic style for different characters, using as few words as possible in dialogue, having consistent personalities, and a fresh take in each story are ALL missing here.

Warning, may contain minor spoilers.

First the characters. Vimes has become verbose, which is unheard of, and uses phrases he would not be caught dead using in any other book. In some ways, he seems to have picked up some of Carrot's personality as well.

Willikins is unrecognizable. Read him in Jingo and compare to this. And he calls Vimes by at least a dozen different titles.

Sybil likewise becomes less recognizable as the "Sybil we know".

Then the problems with writing style. I swear, there were Americanisms in there where they have not existed in prior novels. Who wrote this? Or was it just a very poor editing job?

And now plot points. As an example, Vimes meets former copper Jiminy at three different points in the book and each time Vimes seems to have reset the relationship completely resorting back to "I'm a copper, you're a copper, work with me here!"

And the bad guy is a wimpy Carcer clone with almost a repeat of many plot elements there. In addition to that, the man behind all the mayhem never even appears in the story except by reference.

And seriously??? Now Vimes has special superpowers?!? Honestly? Oh but he won't use them, don't worry, because it just wouldn't be fair. Can't trust 'em. Geez guys, what happened to Vimes' internal watchman that Pratchett so eloquently described in Thud?

Add to this the horrible formatting errors in the Kindle version (the worst I have EVER seen) and if I didn't know better I would say someone wrote a fraudulent version of a Pratchett novel and slipped it to the store when they weren't looking. How did Harper let this out the door???

All that said, the story itself has some great elements, and was very entertaining at times. But I can't see how this was a Pratchett-written book, especially comparing the quality and writing style to his last three novels.

Strange to say the least. I have been reading Terry for most of my life and this one was even stranger that the others. Whatever he was on at the time he wrote this one----NO--do not share. I only read a few chapters- BRB - was gonna look at it again but I DELETED IT FROM MY KINDLE. Strange, very very strange.

I like the book. enjoyable read, and fun from beginning to the end. The only thing that irritates me is that the book is full of formatting errors, there are no markers to see where the next chapter starts, and there's even some misspelt words. I feel like the publisher used OCR technology to do this digital version of the book, and people who bought it are stuck with an inferior digital copy of a great man's literary work. I hope that the publisher will fix these errors, and updates the book accordingly.

My pleasure at this new story from Terry Pratchett was unfortunately matched by my irritation with the huge numbers of typographical errors in the Kkindle version. Particularly frequent was the removal of the space between any word followed by "people", leading to such words as "anypeople" and "wherepeople". Frustrating, and a proof reader of the digital version should have spotted it instantly.

I have never before been disappointed in a book by Terry Pratchett, but this book is a disaster. In fact, I don't believe that Pratchett wrote it. The style changes at least three times during the progress of the story and the "voices" of the most settled and familiar characters are entirely different than they were in many previous novels. I'm referring in particular to Lady Sybil and Willikins whose persona in both cases has undergone a complete change. Lady S is now and suddenly an arch and unpleasant scold, rather than a supportive and never socially ambitious wife. Willikins instead of a very formal and proper man's man in this book is a street tough at all times rather than only in times of war or conflict. To say this is disconcerting is a vast understatement. The English rhythms of speech; the colloquial usage of words and the over wordiness of the descriptions are alien and clang unpleasantly on the ear. I don't know who composed this book, but they should never do so again.

I purchased the Kindle version, and deeply regretted it. The footnotes are set in a clunky hyperlinked format. Some of the hyperlink formatting (deep brown underlines in my version) carries through to subsequent paragraphs so that full paragraphs are underlined and hyperlinked. The footnotes can only be escaped by using the "browser-style" back button. There were typographic errors on almost every page. Very disruptive. I finally quite reading the Kindle version, and purchased a hardcover from a brick-and-mortar competitor. Love the story. The Kindle version not only is not ready for prime time, but actively detracts from the reading experience. Actively avoid.

I've purchased lower-priced Kindle e-books that were seamless reads. This, on the other hand, was processed very poorly, and sold at an inflated price. Sir Terry's work deserves better. The story was wonderful, marvelous, and takes one at the tide. The Kindle version? Unforgettably awful.

I have been a fan of the Discworld novels ever since finding Equal Rites at my local library back in the very early 90's. Since that time I have collected and on some occasions replaced every book in the series as well as Strata, Johnny and Dead, Diggers, and one of my all time favorites Good Omens. That is why it almost breaks my heart to write this review.
This novel, much as the last one in the series (Unseen Acidemicals), just does not have the same subtle humor. The characters are all here, yet they are almost unrecognizable. Poor Wilikins suffering the worst.
From the beginning the reader is constantly reminding of specific details over and over again. The jokes are base, and frequently not only allude to adult themes, but spell them out. Typically I have no issue with this, but as a long time follower of all things Discworld I know for a fact that Sir Pratchett has never needed to use it. He has always been able to weave more meaning into one phrase, description of a scene, or characters thought then most authors achieved in a chapter. Half the fun of reading the novels is in what he leaves out.
Reading Snuff reminds me of watching the new Star Wars movies for the first time, I kept thinking it will get better, it will get better. And then it ended. I know McMillian will keep publishing these until Terry Pratchett stops writing them, but I think it is time for his editors and fans to tell him that maybe now is a good time to call it a day. Maybe not on the high note he hoped for, but before it becomes any worse.
A lot of you may not like this review, I know. I don't want to go into too much detail because many people will buy this book, but go back and read Jingo, Small Gods, and come back and read this.

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 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.

Lively and funny, and best of all, a Sam Vimes book! Terry Pratchett hasn't lost his touch. My low star review isn't for Sir Pratchett's work, but for the Kindle edition.

Unfortunately, the Kindle version (I'm on the newest version of Kindle but one, using the default font) appears to have been produced at speed and without proofing on the electronic format; as a result, a third of the way through the book I'm still struggling to get engaged with the story, since the formatting problems continue to jog me out of reading enjoyment. Almost every page has merged words; the beginnings of each subsection has a larger capital letter, which breaks up the first word into two separate lines.

If you're the kind of person who can ignore that and enjoy anyway, go for it. If not, get the paper version instead. Hopefully, the publisher is less challenged with that format.

UPDATE 10/14: By some reports, it appears that a less error-riddled version of the Kindle edition has been released. I haven't been able to get it onto my Kindle yet, so I don't know the extent of the improvement, but it sounds as though the worst of the problems are addressed.

UPDATE 10/19: I received an email from the store informing me that a corrected version of the book had been issued, and would be uploaded onto my Kindle. I am in the process of rereading it, but thus far it looks like the egregious errors in the first version have been resolved. While I haven't made it all the way through to verify it's a consistent change, I applaud the customer service of notification and automatic download.

Only Terry Pratchett could combine a murder mystery, a complex discourse on civil rights and a young boy's endless fascination with poop into one fantastic story. But this is the Discworld, and million-to-one chances always come through.

Snuff is Pratchett's 39th entry in the Discworld series. It is also at least the 8th book in the Ankh-Morpork City Watch subseries, depending on how you define the other books set in the city. The City Watch usually manages to turn up when the book is set in the city. Funny how that works.

The Discworld books are just plain funny. Sometimes it's gallows humor. Sometimes there's an actual gallows. Death is one of my (and a lot of people's) favorite characters in the Discworld.

Back to Snuff. There is some literal snuff involved. The tobacco kind. Although I think the stretched pun applies. Sam Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, while supposedly on vacation sees certain things going on and decides "that's enough". Like I said, "snuff".

Sam Vimes is a cop at heart. Marrying Lady Sybil Ramkin didn't change anything about his essentially suspicious street cop nature, it just gave him introduction into a whole lot more places to be suspicious in. And it also provided him with two people he loves more than he can possibly admit and will protect with his life and his soul, no matter the cost.

Snuff takes Sam and his family on vacation to the country, to Lady Sybil's country estate. Their son, Young Sam, will inherit the estate someday, so he needs to get to know the place and its people. And Sam needs a vacation: his wife said so. The fact that Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, thinks there's something that needs looking into near Ramkin Hall is a fact that Vetinari is keeping very close to his vest. But then, Havelock Vetinari keeps things so close to his vest that they've sewn themselves into its embroidery for safety's sake.

Sam starts out hoping to find something, anything to distract him from the supposed joys of quiet country living. Sam hates the quiet; he wants a good murder to liven things up. But what he finds is much more than he had planned on. Sam starts with a murder, and ends by expanding the definition of "people", all in a quest to do the right thing. A Guard's job is to catch the criminals and let the lawyers sort out the details afterwards.

Escape Rating A+: There is a tremendous amount going on in Snuff, and all the various plots keep simmering marvelously until the very end. Sam Vimes is one of my favorite point-of-view characters in the Discworld, and he's one who has changed the most over the course of the series. He started out as the commander of a very disgraced City Watch, and also a man who had seen too much, done too much, and was trying to forget way too much of it at the bottom of a bottle. Starting with the events in Guards, Guards, the City Watch, and Sam Vimes life, start to turn around, almost as if there is a symbiotic effect. By the time of Snuff, Sam is as happy as he's ever going to be, but he's never forgotten who he was or where he came from. He still carries that darkness inside him, literally as well as figuratively. It's his greatest strength as well as his biggest weakness.

Snuff is about solving a murder. But Sam can't resist commenting on the world as he finds it. He's still a street rat from Ankh-Morpork. So when he starts to stir things up, he stirs everything up. That's Sam. If a bunch of poor little rich girls are complaining that they can't find husbands because they have no dowries, he'll tell them to get off their butts and go to work. Women with jobs find their own husbands, and in the meantime, they're self-supporting and don't have to worry about dowries. And if one of them turns out to be the Discworld's Jane Austen, so much the better.

Murder is murder, and if the person murdered isn't legally a person, well that's just plain wrong. The law needs to be changed, because murder is wrong.

This review is being posted on November 24, the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. I chose Snuff for two reasons. I'm always grateful to see another Discworld book. They make me laugh and they make me think, and that's a difficult combination.

The second reason is that each new Discworld book now is a gift. I hope there will be lots more, but the odds are against it. It's time for another one of those million-to-one shots to come in.

Goblins. Regarded as vermin, the cave dwellers are fair game in The Shires. Butcher them, stuff them, snare them, enslave them -- whatever you like. But Commander Vimes has a problem with that, "Because once the goblins are vermin, then the poor are vermin, and the dwarfs are vermin, and the trolls are vermin. She wasn't vermin, and she pleaded not to die!"

3.5 stars. I liked this one. An enjoyable murder mystery with my favorite chief of police, but it occasionally struck a discordant note, based on the prequels: At times, it felt too pat. Vimes is too powerful, too famous, and just too glorious. It wasn't enough to be Duke of Ankh? And despite his sporting portrayal in "Thud!" (the prequel), Willikins is too dangerous, especially compared to his cherubic characterization in "Men at Arms" and "Jingo." The ending is too happy, wrapped up in a bow. Vimes and Sybil get naked a few times (never happened before, not even when begetting an heir) and the "Pride and Prejudice" scenes felt totally out of place, like a peg from a round-world hole. But quibbles aside, still a good read! However, this book was darker and less witty than the City Watch/ Discworld prequels. It's more of a straightforward murder mystery, within a theme of social equity (strong pen-strokes, a little too preachy, and not clever or funny). Normally, in acceptable amounts, I love Pratchett's way with parody, punnery, and satire (in some books, he goes overboard on the punnery. In this book, he went overboard on the pedantic preaching).

—— Setting & General Plot (no spoilers):
As the book opens, the commander of the City Watch is practically forced to take a vacation. Thus, the Duke and Duchess of Ankh (Sam and Sybil) take 6-yr-old Sam to Crundells, otherwise known as Ramkin Hall, the seldom-visited country estate of the Ramkin family, complete with farms, tavern, smithy, trout stream, gallows hill, goblin caves, etc. This is The Shires, located north of Quirm, in the Sto Plains countryside, on the banks of the River Quire ("Old Treachery"). While this bucolic location is appealing to Sybil, it's appalling to Sam. But a nice long break could be good — Sam might finally learn the difference between a robin and a warbler. Certainly, he comes to enjoy spending time navigating along Old Treachery aboard The Wonderful Fanny (or that other paddleboat).

Hoping for something interesting to do in the sleepy Shires, Vimes soon gets his wish. He uncovers a brooding evil (bad bad stuff) and is confronted by a raw police recruit named Constable Feenie Upshot, who takes orders from the local magistrates. Vimes immediately sets out to solve the case (several intertwined crimes, actually) with help from the amazing Willikins and a very young Constable Feenie. He shows Feenie what it really means to be a copper, what the law is, and the nature of human — and nonhuman — rights. The young constable may be wet behind the ears, but he manages to impress and surprise old Vimes. There's plenty of action in the country, to Sam's surprise. He may be getting on in years, but this street fighter doesn't know that!

Meanwhile, events in Ankh-Morpork move on a roughly parallel course, eventually intersecting with events in the Shires and in Howondaland, a foreign country to the south of Klatch.

Throughout the book, Sam Vimes ponders his intimacy with "The Summoning Dark" (an entity we first met in "Thud"). Meanwhile, young Sam ponders the nature of poo. He's six, what else would he do?

_______________________

Series: Here are the Discworld books about the City Watch and its commander Sam Vimes, in order of publication:

Guards! Guards! (1989)
Men at Arms (1993)
Feet of Clay (1996)
Jingo (1997)
The Fifth Elephant (1999)
Night Watch (2002)
Thud (2005)
Snuff (2011)

Vimes and/or a few members of the City Watch also make token appearances in several other books: The Truth, Moving Pictures, Going Postal, Making Money, Raising Steam, Monstrous Regiment

I love Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels so much, I reread them every year—with the exception of "Making Money" (2008), "Unseen Academicals" (2010), and "I Shall Wear Midnight" (2010). In these last three novels, some of my favorite characters seemed to have developed logorrhea, i.e. they can't stop talking. Even Ankh-Morpork’s Patrician, Lord Vetinari, once a tyrant of few words (“Thank you for coming to see me. Don’t hesitate to leave.”) is waxing verbose. And Sam Vimes, the epitome of a man of action is now chatting up criminals like some effusive talk-show hostess—he seems to be turning into the Nancy Grace of Discworld.

C'mon Sam, go back to bopping the bad guys instead of lecturing them on their sins!

The plot of "Snuff" is fairly lean. Lord Vetinari and Sam's wife, the redoubtable Lady Sybil conspire to get Sam, who is now Lord Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, to take a well-deserved holiday on Lady Sybil's ancestral country estate. Sam is a city boy and to him the countryside is full of strange noises and even stranger smells. Luckily, the boonies aren't precisely free of crime, and Commander Vimes is soon in full pursuit, especially after the local constable tries to arrest him for murder.

One of the ongoing themes threading the Discworld City Watch novels is the growth of Sam's character from a red-neck speciesist, who only allowed humans (well, with the exception of Nobby Nobbs) to serve in his City Watch, to a multi-cultural commander who was even talked into enlisting a vampire (although reluctantly), and a certified public accountant. "Snuff" develops his relationship with the most maligned, ugliest, smelliest creatures on Discworld: the gnomes.

Terry Pratchett has been compared to Charles Dickens (Pratchett is better), Chaucer, "J.R.R. Tolkien with a sharper, more satiric edge," and P.G. Wodehouse. I think any author who garners comparisons with such wildly disparate writers must be in a category by himself. Heck, Pratchett IS a category by himself and the City Watch novels (with the exception of "Snuff") are among his best works.

If you'd like to read the Sam Vimes/City Watch books in order of publication, they are: "Guards! Guards!" (1989); "Men at Arms" (1993); "Feet of Clay" (1996); "Jingo" (1997); "The Fifth Elephant" (2000); "Night Watch" (2002); "Thud!" (2005); and "Snuff" (2011).

Sam Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, and (by marriage) Duke of Ankh, is not the type of person who relishes the chance to escape his everyday life. In fact, he appears to consider the very idea of a vacation to be a subtle form of torture. But his wife insists that the family visit her ancestral home and that Sam take some away from the job of protecting the city, so Sam goes. However, almost as soon as he arrives at their country estate, be begins to sense that something is going on, something of questionable legality, something that merits investigation. And before he knows it, he is drawn into an adventure that makes him a hero and changes the status of an entire race of creatures.

Pratchett has returned to Discworld and dishes up an exciting mystery story filled with some of our favorite characters (although, sadly, Death does not make an appearance in this one). While the underlying story is a moderately straight forward mystery, it has some twists that could only happen in Discworld, and the story is embellished with Pratchett’s usual satirical commentary on contemporary issues. In this case, we explore the dehumanizing effects of stereotyping a class of individuals, and the impacts it can have in extreme cases. There is also a great deal of reflection on the role of law in maintaining peace and order, and about the role of law enforcement and the proper loyalties of officers of the law.

I didn’t find this book to be quite as “laugh out loud” funny as some other Discworld books, but nonetheless it was thoroughly entertaining, and leaves me looking forward to my next visit to Pratchett’s imaginative world.

If you are going to buy this book (And please do, Pratchett gets better with every one he writes) do NOT buy it on the Kindle. This is the absolute worse Kindle edition of a book I have ever seen. The table of contents is messed up, the story starts out with broken code at the top, and chapter headings are broken with a hard carriage between the first letter, and where the actual text starts.

The most unforgivable part is the loss of a TON of white space, which jams words together at the rate of three or four instances per page. It makes for a very distracting read, and it really kills the enjoyment of the book for me. I'll be getting this one in hard copy.

This book is a huge release, so I can't fathom how this happened, but I wish all the best for Sir Terry Pratchett. I'll be leaving a review of the actual book on the hardcopy version once I've purchased and read it.

Sam Vimes is off to the countryside for a much-resisted family holiday. Needless to say, his unerring nose for a crime ensures that he can crack a few heads, right a few wrongs, lean on a few upper class nobs and generally mix business with pleasure...

This is Terry's 39th Discworld outing and they do just keep getting better. I have strong recollections of his earliest works and I think, if you lay Snuff alongside something like The Colour of Magic you really can see how his style has matured over the intervening 30 years (THIRTY YEARS! Gods!).

Now, I know that there are plenty of fans who bemoan this progression and who yearn for the early days, but I used the word "matured" fairly carefully. So, Snuff is, like most of his more recent works, serious, dark, ironic and relevant, in comparison to the parodical, humorous and, yes, rather childish early novels. That's to be expected - he is really a far better author now than he was then; but let's be very clear, even the early Pratchett was a far better author than any of the current crop of popular fantasy authors (ahem - and authoresses, I shall name no names).

In any case, despite now being a "grown-up" author, Pratchett easily manages to retain enough of his trademark humour that reading Snuff is still fun for readers of any age, despite the serious messages he is trying to convey. As evidence, I submit Sam's introduction to the game of Crockett...

..."Vimes died. The sun dropped out of the sky, giant lizards took over the world, and the stars exploded and went out and all hope vanished and gurgled into the sinktrap of oblivion... And there, magically reincarnated, was Vimes, a little dizzy, standing on the village green looking into the smiling countenance of an enthusiast"

However, it seems to me that Snuff is about the protection and emancipation of the downtrodden (by no means a new theme for Sir Terry) and who better to take the mantle of emancipator than Sam Vimes? liberator of golems, employer of zombies and trolls, protector of dragons and honorary blackboard monitor. Ironic really because, as head of the City Watch, Vimes is really Ankh Morpork's most powerful oppressor* and perhaps Terry has another message for us here. Who can say?

All in all, this is typical, archetypal Pratchett. Beautifully written, intelligent and thoughtful but, most importantly, it is entertainment of the first order.

And watch out for the homage to Pride and Prejudice.

* You might suggest that Lord Vetinari holds that title. I'm sure he would be most eager to discuss the allegation with you. At length.

Of course, it's because of his failing mental health that eventually claimed his life in the very end.

But as usual, Terry Pratchett produced a brilliant fantasy adventure story with its usual whodunit mystery, a playful "medieval" parody of our modern society, and a rather earnest social message that would make you really think, though he did falter a bit here and there. Here are a few examples: Sam Vimes - a VERY hard-boiled cop - holding out a dead goblin girl's ring with "pleading look", WAY too much humor about poop and naked women, and the story dragging on and on LONG after Vimes has already saved the day.

Whatever. It is about cynical, cigar-chomping but heroic Sam Vimes being dedicated enough as a longtime law enforcer to save a despised race from ethnic cleansing when he was pressured into going to the country with his wife and son. Pretty good page turner with some great character development and suspense, though I'm sure Mr. Pratchett's work was far more sharp-eyed in the past.

I should probably preface this by saying that I am a fan of the Discworld series and own all of the books therein. I bought this book almost the moment it came out, and was never sorry I did so. It's not the best of the series, but it certainly has a lot to offer.

Sir Samuel Vimes is strong-armed by his wife and Vetinari into taking a family vacation. He, Young Sam, and Sybil head to Sybil's childhood home/mansion out in the country. The house is situated near a town that is very unlike Ankh-Morpork. It's one of those tiny places that has one of anything: one policeman, one pub, etc. It also has all the usual characters you can expect to find in that sort of place . . . and a nearby nest of goblins.

Goblins are one of the few remaining intelligent species on the Disc that every other species not only despises, but things of as animals. Goblins can be slaughtered, sold into slavery, etc., without any sort of repercussions. Except that Samuel Vimes (and the Summoning Dark residing in his head) are not about to let it go when a goblin girl is murdered.

Snuff takes a while to really get going, unfortunately. I had a hard time getting into the first couple of chapters. But once the book got going, it really got going. I was completely absorbed and unable to put it down. The villains were suitably villainous and a real threat to our protagonists. The climax was intense, had surprising moments, and was worth waiting for. Pratchett's usual social messages were present but didn't feel like they bashed you over the head. His characterizations were good -- including, I'm glad to say, his characterizations of women, which are usually one of his weak points.

I'd probably overall gives this book 4.5 stars if that was an option, because of the slow beginning, but I am by no means ashamed of giving it the full five.

Now the City Watch books and along the same lines those that involve Samuel Vimes tend to explore the various races of the Discworld in line with cultural bias in the city and general themes related to discrimination versus tolerance. And this book followed that pattern, the race in question now being goblins, who are largely treated as vermin within the confines of the Disc.

As is the nature of Discworld novels these days, this one was firmly rooted in the overall continuity of the larger universe. While it is not absolutely required for one to have read all the prior novels to understand what happens here, the experience is made all the richer if you have. In this case, we have a lot of strong connections to the events that were depicted in Thud! and the side bonus of connecting to any stories involving Vimes' son (including Where's My Cow?)

The book is, well, a masterpiece in itself. Once again Pratchett demonstrates just how skilled a wordsmith he is as the story operates on several levels in the same way that the title has multiple meanings. There are the direct events actually depicted on the page and yet there are also the messages and lessons to be learned that Pratchett sneaks into things. You don't immediately catch what he's hinting at but once you do it's too late - you've learned something new about our own crazy little world.

From a character perspective, it's hard to go wrong with Vimes. But it was also nice to see a lot more of Sybil as she was clearly in her element back in her home province (or whatever). And I also appreciated how Wilikins has become far more than just the butler in the background. His peculiar background and unique talents came in particularly helpful use over the course of the book.

Snuff is yet another witty, intelligent and brilliant book from Terry Pratchett. It has a lot for long-term Vimes fans and still even more for relatively newcomers to the overall series.

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' 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.

What can I say about Terry Pratchett's books? Brilliant, insanely funny, thought provoking, and always entertaining. It's not a surprise that he is compared to Kurt Vonnegut, and Mark Twain, because of the biting satire, originality and wit.

Snuff, like many of his books often addresses serious matters. In this book, the underlying topic is the subtle and not so subtle way that Racism belittles and dehumanizes it's targets, and how often beneath much of it's practice there is an all important economic factor, in addition to jingoism, plain stupidity, and tribal ethnocentrism. In a similar way it also illuminates class differences and how that leaves an almost indelible stamp on one's outlook on life.

Of course you can simply enjoy the book without much attention to how it reflects our world culture and society because it works very well on many levels.

I very much recommend the audio book version of Snuff which is read by the incredibly talented Stephen Briggs who brings all of the characters of this Terry Pratchett novel to life. Briggs uses his amazing vocal talent, including his vast library of voices, accents, mannerisms and interpretive genius to make this story even more vibrant for the reader than simply reading the printed page on one's own.

As much recognition as Terry Pratchett has already received, he deserves far more, especially from the dull witted, unimaginative, self satisfied mainstream literary establishment.

Highly recommended.

Words are tricky, complicated things -- even the seemingly simple ones. Take the tile of Terry Pratchett's newest Discworld novel: SNUFF. Snuff could be a noun (a form of tobacco), a verb (to eliminate a flame, or a person), an adjective (a kind of unsavory entertainment incorporating such eliminations), or even more. Given Pratchett's surface British gentility, one might presume that this SNUFF is probably not adjectival, but presuming any more than that could be dangerous.

This particular SNUFF is the eighth "Night Watch" novel, which more and more are concentrating on the aging, crotchety Samuel Vimes (now Commander of a force greatly expanded from the one he captained back in 1989's Guards! Guards!), much as the Lancre books focused down on the even more aged and crotchety Granny Weatherwax and even the Unseen University books came to feature the aged Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully and the crotchety Librarian. This time out, Vimes is officially on vacation, having been almost forcibly removed by his wife, Lady Sybil, to her family's ancient rural demesne, the Hall [1] to spend time away from work with her, their son Young Sam, and the great outdoors.

Of course it doesn't happen that way -- even Pratchett would be hard-pressed to spin a four-hundred page book out of a quiet, relaxing vacation -- as the countryside turns out to be as full of mischief and malice as Vimes's beloved Ankh-Morpork. (Pratchett's narration bangs a bit too hard on this theme, particularly for someone who has already written a dozen novels in this very series about nasty things happening in quiet rural places like Lancre, but it is his theme this time out, so he's entitled to bang on it as hard as he wants.) Continuing one of the larger themes of the later Discworld series -- that all sapient creatures are brothers, and should be treated with respect and dignity -- SNUFF also adds another superficially unsavory race, the goblins, to the ranks of the blessed, following dwarves, trolls, zombies, Igors, Nac Mac Feegle, gnomes, vampires, golems, and whatever Nobby Nobbs is.

The goblins have been badly mistreated by the usual forces of repression in Pratchett -- petty bullies, the hereditary aristocracy, and the general unthinking prejudice of people who have not been yet exposed to Discworld protagonists -- and do not seem to have any legal rights whatsoever as the novel begins. They're also servile, cringing, little creatures that live in dirty holes in the ground and obsessively collect their own bodily secretions, so it's fairly easy to see how they came to be so repressed -- but, as SNUFF goes along, we meet the necessary heroic gnome, Stinky, and also learn of the hidden depths (mostly artistic, this time out, though there's also the usual Pratchett "this race slots in amazingly well to a particular job in the growing detailed division of labor" moment) which gnomes, surprisingly to everyone, possess.

There's only a little business with the rest of the Watch along the way -- Carrot and Angua are almost completely absent, and Nobby and Fred Colon appear primarily as a bad example and a plot element, respectively. The crazed maniacal wild-man this time out is Wee Mad Arthur, the guardsman who recently learned that he's a Feegle, and the cold, collected purveyor of violence is Vimes's gentleman's gentleman, Willikins. Oh, and Young Sam is obsessed with what he calls "poo," and may grow up to be a world-renowned expert in the stuff, if Pratchett follows up.

SNUFF does not entirely run to formula -- the Discworld books don't have a formula, exactly, but they do have a medium-sized Chinese menu of flavors and themes that nearly always appear -- but it rattles down well-worn ruts that are very familiar from the prior Discworld books, and goes to the places that Pratchett's regular readers will expect. It does so well, and is thoroughly professional end entertaining along the way, but there's nothing particularly surprising here: Pratchett is telling the same kind of story he's been telling for about twenty-five years, with the same kind of jokes (somewhat fewer this time out, and much less poke-you-in-the-ribs, check-out-this-joke nudging), the same lessons, the same kind of characters (even the ones who aren't series regulars), and the same joys. Considering the vast audience for the Discworld stories -- and I'm definitely among them; Pratchett is as dependably wonderful in his sphere as P.G. Wodehouse and Donald Westlake were in theirs -- that's probably a positive thing, all in all.

[1] It may have a more official name -- as may the requisite small hamlet that it's picturesquely near -- but that name is so rarely used in Snuff that I could neither remember nor find it.

"Snuff" is the thiry-ninth novel in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series, was first published in 2005 and sees Sam Vimes, Commander of Ankh-Morpork's City Watch, in the lead role. "Snuff" was nominated for the 2012 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel as well as the Prometheus Award.

Sam is the Commander of the City Guard, and - having married Lady Ramkin - has risen from the gutters to become a member of the nobility and a devoted father. He has no intention of taking it easy, though : Sam is every bit as cynical as he ever was, and his life as a copper is something he can't just step away from. He does detest the paperwork, admittedly, and will only sign it when he's been backed into a corner. However, what he really dreads are the holidays....and he's now being forced to spend a fortnight at Crundells, the Ramkin family's Country Estate. Devastated doesn't even begin to cover it; he'd rather have been going to the seaside, where there'd have been a chance of the odd drowning or even some smuggling to investigate. Mingling with nobby people in the countryside, though ? That's bound to be tedious. (Vetinari, on the other hand, knows a little better : he's expecting Vimes to be up to his armpits in trouble, investigating all the nobby people who have - hurrah ! - gotten themselves involved in a spot of smuggling. However, their smuggling masks a much bigger crime, and the victims are the Discworld's goblins : "an entire race," remarks Vetinari, "reduced to vermin.")

Another cracking book from Pratchett - as usual there's plenty of humour, with a great storyline 'underneath' it all...and a few serious points to be made as well. With Sam out of his usual environment, and without the City Watch to help him out, Willikins - his valet - provided a great deal of help. (I hesitate to use the phrase "gentleman's gentleman", as Willikins is even less of a gentleman than Vimes. He's a useful sort to have on your side in a tight spot : unlike Vimes, he doesn't have to worry about legal and getting on his wrong side can be terminal). Excellent stuff, highly recommended.

SNUFF finds Commander Samuel Vimes in the Middle Shires of England, completely out of his natural habitat of the dark and dank capital city of Ankh-Morpork on the planet called Discworld. His beloved wife, Lady Sybil, who not only raises their young son, Sam Jr., but also breeds dragons as a hobby, has declared that Sam, Jr. needs to get in touch with his landed gentry roots. She also insists that her husband take a vacation.

So Sam reluctantly turns over his badge and sword and all other weapons (except for those that can be secreted on his person without suspicious bulges) and sets off with his family and his gentlemen's gentleman, Willikins, to the vast Ramkin family estate. They are met by a retinue of footmen, household servants, a butler and housekeeper, game keepers, gardeners, and even a hermit. Vimes settles in for a month of fresh air, birdsong, grazing cows, moonlight and constellations. He takes leisurely walks beside flowing streams with his son, identifying wildlife of a sort far different from that encountered in the city.

Discworld is a planet of diverse population. Along with the usual assortment of humans and domestic livestock found on Earth, it is not out of the ordinary to hobnob with Golems and witches, vampires, werewolves, dwarves or zombies, some of whom wear the uniform of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch under Vimes's command. Goblins, however, are not found in Ankh-Morpork. Perhaps it is because they prefer to live in caves that, if there ever were caves in the ancient city, would all be flooded. In Ankh-Morpork, the waters of the River Ankh don't flow, they ooze.

Birds, should they accidentally venture above the city, would probably cough and plunge to earth, and no one has seen stars, let alone constellations unless they've been hit on the head with a truncheon. On Discworld, goblins are generally thought of as vermin and treated as such --- loathsome, smelly creatures useful for scaring children into behaving by chanting "Be good or the goblins will get you." The idea that they may be sentient beings capable of speaking and creating music and artifacts has gone unnoticed so far.

Sam soon senses, as he walks the streets of the village, that something is amiss in the idyllic atmosphere of sunshine and verdant pastures. His cop antenna fairly sizzles at an undercurrent of malice. A horrific crime has been committed on his land, and the entire village seems to be covering it up. The cop inside the vacationing lord of the manor cannot lay aside his sword and shield until he sniffs out the terrible deed.

A sojourn in the countryside turns into an adventure on the high seas, roiling rivers and, gods forbid, even racing through a raging storm in the dark of night on horseback. The only thing in all of Discworld that Sam is afraid of is horses, but he must rely on one to bring a mass murderer to justice.

Of his announcing that he has Alzheimer's and the recent bestowal of Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth, Terry Pratchett tells his friend and fellow author, Neil Gaiman, "Ever since I stood up and talked about my Alzheimer's I have been a public figure; I visited Downing Street twice, wrote angry letters to the Times, got into debates in the House of Commons, and generally became a geezer to the extent that I sit here sometimes bewildered and think to myself, 'Actually, your job is to sit here writing another book. Changing the world is for other people...' and then I come back to myself with, 'No it isn't!' And so, bearing in mind that these days, people call a kid from the council houses "Sir" better allows me to create a mindset for (Commander) Vimes." And so here is #37 in the Discworld series. Meet Sir Samuel Vimes.

Reviewed by Roz Shea

Sam Vines is a city-born-and-bred copper (also Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, Sir Samuel the Duke of Ankh, and Blackboard Monitor Vimes) and he gets a bit panicky when Lady Sybil, his adored wife, insists he has to get out into the country for a holiday. And their son, Young Sam, is six now and needs to make the acquaintance of the large estate which he will one day inherit. Even Lord Vetinari the Patrician agrees, which leaves Vimes feeling a bit betrayed, but off they go. He's supposed to leave his job firmly behind, but that's not something he's quite capable of. And, as he knows well, any copper can find a crime anywhere if he looks hard enough.

The Disc is a world of many sentient species and it's a mark of increasing civilization, I think, how many of those have now been incorporated into the everyday doings of society (and the City Watch itself). But it seems there's always a new group to be considered. And indeed, there is a hill on the Commander's country property that stands above a cave system inhabited by a colony of goblins -- who stink, steal chickens, have peculiar beliefs, and are nasty in a fight. Which is to say, they're pretty much like everyone else. However, goblins have historically been dismissed by all the Right People (and by those who kow-tow to them and believe they really are better than other people) as vermin, and so they've been hunted and killed out of hand. But Vimes is making discoveries about goblins that require adjustments in thinking. And so his poking about leads him to uncover a tobacco-smuggling operation -- but, as he himself says, little crimes lead to big crimes, and the smuggling leads to murder, and to slavery, and to what in our world would be called genocide. Pratchett is a small-R republican and doesn't have much use for the upper classes, which he makes very clear. (And three-quarters of the way into the story, it may finally dawn on you that the title of the book carries meaning on several levels.) But Pratchett also recognizes _real politik_. Commander Vimes, on the other hand, is very, very big on the Law, before whom no one is different from anyone else. Law is order and order is law and without order, he says, one second cannot follow another. And a policeman represents only the Law, not the people who appoint him and pay him.

The characters, even the spear-carriers, are painted in at least six or seven dimensions, especially that of Sam Vimes, whom we've come to know well over the years, but also including young Chief Constable Feeney Upshot (who holds his rank by virtue of being the only copper in the valley, but who shows promise) and Willikins, Vimes's very lethal and very loyal gentleman's gentleman. Even Young Sam, a developing connoisseur of poo, is fast becoming a complete character. All in all, reading this book will make you, as it did me, as happy as Sam Vimes piloting a riverboat, which is to say, as happy as a cat full of sixpences.

His fans know that Sir Terry is suffering from a form of early-onset Alzheimer's and there's a good deal of concern about how this might affect his writing. While we don't know, of course, what the future may hold, this latest book -- by my count, his 49th (or perhaps 50th) work of fiction -- is proof that the man still has it, in abundance.

I wish this book had shown that years of experience have honed and shaped Pratchett's skills into a masterpiece. I wish I could like this book and recommend it to new readers. But instead I'd encourage anyone new to go read the other novels where Pratchett has done it before, and done it better.

Every element of this story has been done in past novels and by now, these elements are getting tired. Just like in the Fifth Elephant our old pal Samuel Vimes goes on vacation but like every other Vimes novel he can't give up being a copper so he inevitably uncovers a crime against, well not humanity but goblinity, and just like in Unseen Academicals and various novels involving dwarves and trolls our protagonist proves to the world that every race has wonderful attributes and is worthwhile. We've got another overpowered ally to help him in this story. Past OP allies have included Carot, Angua, golems, the nac mac feegle, the luggage, and this novel turns the character of Willikins from a butler with some interesting side talents into a utterly deadly fighter capable of killing anyone and anything. The villian isn't as overpowered as most of them largely because he only plays a minor role. And as he has done several times before Vimes takes a young copper under his wing and teaches him how to be a good copper. And there's 7 or 8 scenes where Vimes grabs someone and hauls them in close and gives them a threatening monologue about how things are going to go. It gets old really fast. The plot goes about how you would expect and ends with a scene that would be enjoyable and tense if it wasn't for the fact that we know Vimes is never in any actual danger of dying, the entire scene has no real logic behind it (I'll avoid spoilers and just ask why would anyone put themselves into suicidal danger just to transport a cargo quickly when there's no real benefit to doing so). Our hero triumphs of course and the Discworld gets another point in its Tolerance rating. There's a very small side plot with Colon but the entire side story could be removed from the book without any noticeable effect. And finally I wish I was being sarcastic when I state that Vimes magically gains some superpowers, but sadly it's not a joke. No longer needing his natural abilities to solve problems Sir Samuel now has magical powers to help him. *sigh*

Now, of course, if this was another author this might be a decent book, perhaps even a good one. It's still a Terry Pratchett novel and has some clever jokes and lines. But overall it's just depressing to see such a poor offering from an author that used to regularly produce wonderful books. It's just a simple fact that when it comes to his old characters of Vimes, Weatherwax, Death, and Rincewind, it's all been done before and there doesn't appear to be anything further to be said. My only hope is that in the next novel he introduces a new character like he did in The Truth, Going Postal, Monstrous Regiment, and several of his better novels. So this book get's a sad 2 out of 5 and leaves me with the urge to go read one of the older books.

Snuff is a Terry Pratchett Discworld novel, with the fantasy that comes with that, but this book is heavy on the darker themes and lighter on the humor than most Discworld books. Perhaps as he fights Alzheimer's, Mr. Pratchett has less to laugh at, and this book suffers from a dearth of humor.

The plot is straightforward: Sam Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork city watch, goes on holiday to the countryside and finds himself tangled up in a slavery ring. There are powerful people up to no good, and it's up to Sam to uncover what happened and to bring it to an end and to see that the guilty are punished. He meets a number of interesting people along the way, some of whom have bearing on his investigation and some of whom are merely local color.

I don't much like Sam Vimes as a character. He runs rough-shod over the law and attempts to dominate everyone he meets in a way that I find annoying. But his adventures are interesting, and I've read several of the Watch books to follow the character on his rounds. This book has darker themes than much of Pratchett's fiction, which I liked just fine, but in the end it ties up nicely, and the guilty are punished (after a fashion; after all, the law works differently for the well-heeled). Just be ready for a more serious outing this time around.

Plot summary: Sam Vimes is going on vacation. To the countryside. And Sybil and Young Sam are, of course, coming along. But things here aren't all quiet nights and milking cows. Something is afoot: something that smells (and it isn't just Young Sam's new favorite hobby). Before Sam can shake a walking stick, he's pulled into a mystery wrapped up in a country-bred blanket.

The good and the bad: Let me first say that Sam Vimes is perhaps my favorite character - ever - and by any author outside my own storytelling. I love Sam, adore him, identify with him, and fervently wish I knew him. But there are parts of this book where I don't even recognize him. Or Sybil, his wife, for that matter. For instance, at one point toward the beginning, Sybil makes some remarks about how Sam "matters" now, and how maids do not, and I had to take a step back. I nearly put the book away then.

One of the things I love about these characters, this writer, and this world is Pratchett's razor-sharp insight that pierces "things" - beliefs, usually - most of us never even realize is there, much less examine. Often that means peeling back the skin of some pretty fundamental ideas, like religion, and class. And one thing Pratchett is not is an apologist for the peerage, and that's one of the things I like most about him.

However, I read Pratchett not for insight, but for comfort. His characters are, at heart, profoundly good, and there is an underlying sweetness and redemption to all he writes. When things in the real world push me down, I hide in an alley behind a cardboard box and devour Sam Vimes.

Despite its shortcomings, the story redeems itself, and I felt touched before the final pages, but, and while I'll keep the book, this is not a story I'll read again for a while.

I went home this week twice. Back to Grosse Pte., and back to Discworld. I have an Ankh Morpork passport and a couple of coins and one of these days I'll be going there permanently, but until then I have Snuff to read. Commander Sir Samuel Vimes / His Grace, the Duke of Ankh / Blackboard Monitor Vimes is made to go on holiday to the country with Lady Sybil and Young Sam. It's too quiet, Young Sam takes a forensic interest in country poo, and then there's a lot of blood in the dark on Hangman's Hill. We get all the womping great storytelling Pratchett is master of, in a whodunit with dastardly deeds, musical heroines, most of the Watch, a wild chase scene on a river aptly named Old Treachery and an intriguing new look at Willikins, Vimes' gentleman's gentleman. I love Pratchett's sharp knife of social commentary sheathed in a soft scabbard of high good humor. The laughing here has pointier teeth and more tenderness together, and I like that. There are some of the finest phrases Pratchett has ever written... "as cold as charity" is one that took my breath away. Now I want to read the whole Discworld series over again just once more.

In this 39th Discworld novel, Samuel Vimes is coerced by his wife Lady Sybil into taking a holiday in Crundells, their estate in the Quirmian countryside.

Whereas his 6-year-old son Young Sam is delighted to discover a whole new world of animal poo, far from the hustle and bustle of Ankh-Morpork, the Commander of the City Watch is feeling totally at odds and out of his depth.

However, Vimes's copper instincts tell him something unlawful is going on. And soon he discovers that a young goblin girl has been violently murdered and that Jefferson, the village smith, is missing. With the help of Feeney Upshot, the local pig farmer-cum-constable, he starts to investigate. An adventure that will take them underground and above water, even as far as Howondaland.

This is a very enjoyable story, reminiscent of crime fiction. Vimes's arrival in Crundells reminded me of Downton Abbey, and I also loved exploring the Goblin cave and learning about its people. But the part I enjoyed the most is the middle of the book, when the thrilling murder investigation is in full swing.

If you look at the books he's written since being diagnosed with alzheimer's, it may occur to you that we're witnessing a trend. Storylines are being closed, and it looks in general as though the Discworld series is coming to an end. The impression I get is of an author trying to leave no loose ends. This could definitely explain some of the darker tones, especially in I Shall Wear Midnight as well as in Snuff. Also remember the brief update we got on Rincewind in Unseen Academicals, this could easily be another level of closure for us.

If you read this book and simply compare it to other discworld novels, you may not be entirely satisfied. If you decide to read it as an insight as to what's happening when a great mind sees the end of his ability to write approaching, and wants to ensure that his fans aren't left hanging, you will likely take away a completely different opinion of the book.

I myself enjoyed the story, and the evolution of the characters makes sense to me, when you consider this book takes place 6 years after Thud!.

The bottom line is that I would recommend this book, while communicating the above take on it to any Pratchett fan. To anyone new to the series, I would recommend they start with an earlier novel.

I am a long time reader of Pratchett and I really enjoyed this book. It was not a great one like "Hat full of sky", "Guards Guards", or the "Hogfather", but it was enjoyable and worth reading.

This is an fun book about Commander Vimes and his "Busman's Honeymoon." The Commander and family go off to relax and spend some time on the family's country estate and instead they find prejudice, oppression and murder. Though not as bright and snappy as some of his early books I like this turn towards topical humanitarian subjects. In this book unlike early works instead of making fun of fantasy, science and popculture he takes a stab at racial and ethnic prejudice. He exposes the the ridiculousness, pettiness, and ignorance behind discworlders prejudice against goblins and the darker side of that prejudice, cruelty, and dehumanization. In this sense dehumanization meaning severe cruelty towards thinking creatures. Despite this he does a super job talking about, justice, police work and learning about other peoples. It may not have the bubbly satire of fantasy and science fiction it has instead taken a turn towards politics, and intercultural racial and ethic understanding. Still just as clever and tongue in cheek as ever.

But, as usual, brings his work with him.

His Grace, Sir Samuel Vimes, Commander of the City Watch of Ankh Morpork, and Blackboard Monitor has given himself over to the will of a higher power, his wife, Lady Sybil Vimes, née Ramkin. She has determined that their son should see their country residence and where food comes from (hint: meat does not spontaneously appear in the butcher shop), so Sam finds himself in a new and unnerving place; the rolling hills outside his beloved (and often beloathed, but it is HIS city regardless) Ankh Morpork. But Sybil has arranged this sabbatical with Lord Vetinari (the tyrant of Ankh Morpork, and the most subtle and nuanced absolute ruler ever portrayed), so it shouldn't surprise anyone that the quiet countryside is full of surprises for Sam Vimes.

In this, the latest chronicle of Discworld, we learn more of the intricacies of marriage (and if you are not yet married, "Jesters do oft prove prophets"), the belief system of goblins is expounded upon, the qualifications of a gentleman's gentleman are illustrated, the difficulties of life for the nobility, the diverse and fascinating world of poo, the influence of Dwarf substition (substition: a thing that is true, but not generally believed), the intimidation and menace wielded by an accountant, and the budding romance of Nobby Nobbs (Corporal, Ankh Morpork City Watch, and alleged human). Police procedural, Victorian scientific inquiry, race relations, novelists, river boats, the expectations of the landed gentry, privilege, and smuggling are at the top of the list of things parodied, poked at, and presented in "Snuff".

It was brilliant. New characters were introduced, old characters brought back and developed, and several names were unexpectedly revived, including some from the earliest volumes of the Discworld series. Several story lines were deftly woven together, spanning the Disc and its cultures. I got the impression more characters were incorporated into this story than previous, but all contributed to the story and shaped the conclusion.
The width and breadth of this story made it a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. The range of settings, characters, and themes made reading this one a powerful experience, while retaining Pratchett's trademark humor and on-going cultural literacy test. The closest thing to criticism is that it felt as if Pratchett was trying to put too much into a single book, but this is a manifestation of the rich world that he has created.

"Snuff" is a brilliant success by Terry Pratchett, and well worth the wait.

Hang.

E.M. Van Court

This is a rollicking, hilarious, action-packed wonderful story. Terry Pratchett has created a fantastical world with sly humor sandwiched in the oddest places. A fast fun read but one that elicits a strong desire to find out what can possibly happen next pulling one on! Alongside these traits, which make the book eminently readable, is portrayed relationships in a class system in the midst of change for the better. It is also a story with depth. You just might meet yourself coming around the corner unexpectedly via an insightful comment.

...but when "the same" is as good as Pratchett's Vimes novels tend to be, that's forgivable. The title's a bit misleading, though; I felt that the whole tobacco-smuggling subplot rather quickly got absorbed by the larger philosophical/civil rights issue at the core of this book (which struck me as slightly unfortunate, as the issue itself is relatively facile, to the extent that even the protagonists largely find themselves preaching to an open-minded choir of only reluctantly bigoted "opponents"). Vimes himself long since crossed over into wish-fulfillment territory; even more than Granny Weatherwax, he's become essentially flawless (even while being riddled with flaws, including a perniciously literal demon of darkness which infected him back in an earlier adventure and here exists mainly to turn his internal monologues into dialogues). He's Pratchett's equivalent of Jack Ryan -- but that may not have escaped the author's notice, as this book in many places feels like a bit of a victory lap (and thus a send-off).

I find it interesting that so many people are saying this isn't a usual Discworld novel, because it's the first one I've read (or, in this case, listened to the audiobook). It definitely made me want to read more, and I've since been going back through the previous City Watch novels from the beginning. I did find it very humorous, at several points having to pause my iPod to really enjoy the moment. I was listening to it at work, and at one point, I was laughing long enough and in such a way that one of my co-workers came over to check on me because she thought I was crying.

So, in short, I would say this was a very enjoyable book. And if you, like I was, are hesitant to jump in so very far into the Discworld series, don't let that put you off. You might have to pay attention a bit more and just go with some things, but it's not all that hard to pick up.

Terry Pratchett is one of the most consistently 'value for money' author writing at the moment. And with 'Snuff' he has done it again.

Commander Vimes takes his family to the countryside for a holiday, I'm sure that it was his idea and nothing to do with Lady Sybil's little chat with Lord Vetinarii at all.

However as we all know, the countryside can be a very dangerous place and it isn't long before Vimes finds the first dead body.
But is it murder or not? goblins are vermin not people, so it is more like pest control than murder, isn't it?
Between a bolshie blacksmith who wants to kill Vimes for being 'a nob'' and the local gentry who despise him for being 'common' Vimes finds the time to educate the local policeman in his duties, encourage his son's pursuit of an education in the wonderful world of poo, and bring a murderer to justice.
Add in side stories involving the rest of the City Watch and you have a very funny book indeed. And even Nobby Nobbs finds true love !!

I love Terry Pratchett and I'm not kidding when I say that my collection of Discworld books look like they've been through a small regional war from multiple readings. I also know about, and am deeply saddened by, Terry's medical condition. But I have to be honest. Snuff is not representative of the Discworld books I've known and loved. Not even remotely. Neither was Unseen Academicals, and I do feel as though I should have stopped reading Pratchett's books then. It's just too depressing.

The most discouraging part Snuff for me was main character, Sam Vimes. Arguably, Sam is my favorite character in the history of characters. Over the course of the series, we've seen him transform from an ultra-depressed alcoholic to a man of extreme importance and tremendous influence in Ankh-Morpork. But throughout that transition, Sam has been cynical and...well, a bit of a plodder. He's stubborn, street-smart, suspicious, paranoid-with-cause, ferocious in a fight, but he has never been a brilliant or quick thinker. He's no intellectual, which is one of his greatest charms. In fact, he has always been leery about "clues" and of people who jump to conclusion because of them.

Except in Snuff. Sam has become the Ankh-Morpork version of Sherlock Holmes, knowing the answers almost before the questions are asked, and dredging into the minds and motivations of practically everyone with confidence and absolutely exhausting exposition. Uhm, that's not the Sam Vimes I remember. That's not the Sam Vimes I love. It's not him anymore.

The other thing I've noticed, is that the voice of the novels just isn't there any more. It's not just a matter of the humor going missing. The entire voice is that of a different author. Whether that's because of Terry's condition, or because someone else is writing for him, or because there's a new editor in town, Snuff and Unseen Academicals are all but unrecognizable as Pratchett's work.

Having said that, there is a plot there and it's not really a bad plot as far as they go. It's not a book I would choose to re-read, but I did finish it. So, I'm giving it three stars as the serviceable story it is. I just wish I could give it more, and I feel very guilty that I can't.

It is true, as at least one other reviewer has mentioned, that this is not strictly a "Watch Book." Thud was also largely about Sam Vimes and this one more so. I was touched at times, to the point of tears, as was my non-rabid Pratchett fan spouse (serious issues are major topics in the book), and at times we laughed out loud. It is a deep and thoughtful book that is also an enormous amount of fun for the Pratchett fan. My entry drug for Pratchett was Feet of Clay, and I have used it to hook others into the Discworld. For a newcomer to to the Discworld I recommend that one rather that this one. But once well and truly hooked, this is a great book.

Pratchett is delightful as always. This is another of the Sam Vimes as saviour of all things sapien books. In this instance he is introducing the world and the reader to the goblins of Discworld. There is an ample amount of typical Pratchett humor and the occasional play on word. Unfortunately this book is not Pratchett's best. His writing isn't as fluid as it once was. Some readers will love seeing all the old favorite characters again but I enjoy when he introduces a new cast.While Pratchett is always worth a read, if you're new to his work I would not start here.

As Pratchett himself suggests any copper going on holiday will almost immediately be tripping over corpses. For city boy Sam Vimes, a holiday in the country is an unspeakably awful thing to have to endure. There are strange and unfathomable traditions that he must try to uphold upon pain of well Lady Sybil. When Vimes is framed by persons unknown his bloodhound nose kicks into action and hell hath no fury like a Commander messed with.

Pratchett does his usual effortless job of bringing to life his characters and weaving a wonderful plot full of humour and humanity. Vimes tackles serious issues like bigotry and injustice. Pratchett's fantasy tale resonates with the troubles we face in the real world around us and amongst the chuckles he never lets us forget it for a moment.

A beautifully told tale full of compassion, realism and the brutality of those that believe themselves above the law. Quite simply Terry Pratchett at his very best.

I heard Terry Pratchett say in an interview that he is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease. Well, in spite of that, his latest sojourns into the congenial and comical discworld spinning through the cosmos just seems to keep getting better and better. His style has changed ever so slightly, but with hilarious results.

This latest entry revolves around the long suffering commander of the Ankh Morepork city watch, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, who is forced into taking a vacation with his beloved wife and son. When the commander reaches the ancestral home of his wife, Lady Sybil, it doesn't take him long to realize that something is not right.

After the town "Magistrates" tried to frame him for the murder of a goblin girl Sam Vimes does what any reasonable Ankh Moreporkian copper would do. He grabs the law with both hands, stretches and bends it to a more likable shape, then wears it like a suit of goldish armor. He then subverts the local constable to his way of thinking, grabs Willikens, and all threeof them go after the bad guys in true disc world fashion. whether he is on water or on land, or even below ground, he pursues his quarry wherever they take him. On the way he picks up enemies and friends alike, the attention of Havelock Vetinari, and the occasional bacon sandwich.

Not as funny as some of Pratchett's earlier works, but truly satisfying, like the aforementioned bacon sandwich.

If you are a fan of the disc World Series, then I recommend this book wholeheartedly. If you are one of the seven people on the planet who has not run across disc World Series in the past I suggest you start from the beginning and work your way through the myriad of books this man has written about this flat world swimming through space on a giant turtle. Carry on Mr. Pratchett,you are truly one-of-a-kind!

Nothing against the story, which is fully up to Pratchett's usual brilliant standard. But HarperCollins seems to have printed the book on acid stock, and after only four years the pages in our hardcover copy are turning brown. As a *book*, it simply isn't worth the money. Buy the paperback, enjoy the story, and spend the savings elsewhere.

I certainly enjoyed Snuff. It seems as though the Discworld series has gone from being a series of jokes to an exploration of characters and consequences; I find the characters engaging and the situations interesting, so I enjoyed it. Snuff seems to have less tension and lower stakes than some of the other books; my all-time favorite is Feet of Clay, of course, and I'm also thinking of The Fifth Elephant and Thud!. Those are books with really tightly-wound stories, and Snuff isn't so much in that vein, but it's engaging.

Despite the changes in writing style, he is dictating his work to his assistant, I thought this book was still excellent. I especially liked how again this book like so many before highlights refermeces to our own world. This one being slavery, genocide and racism or in this case specieism.

I know that the discworld series will be concluding shortly especially as Terry's last two books the long earth and dodger are not discworld books.
Lets just enjoy the discworld while we can.

I'm a HUGE Discworld fan. I've read them multiple times, and own every one of them. All of them, that is, except for Snuff. Now, I was really looking forward to this book. The copper books are my favorites, and Sam Vimes is by far my favorite character. But there was something wrong about this book. Other reviewers have mentioned it. It didn't have the same tone, nor the same humor. In fact, there was very little humor at all. It rather felt like Pratchett had a different editor. It also felt poorly translated. Some people might say English is English, but there are many language and cultural differences between England and the US, and there were lots of things I didn't "get", and it seemed like it was because it was a cultural reference I wasn't familiar with. This book also had fouler language than any of the others; language he only rarely if ever used was suddenly generously applied.

But this isn't the first lackluster Discworld book he's written. I've noticed this trend for awhile now. It started with Monstrous Regiment. But then Going Postal came out, which I loved, followed by Thud! which I LOVED. Making Money went back to just being ok, and Unseen Academicals was blah. But Snuff is the worst of all. Others have mentioned that it's time for Pratchett to hang up his hat. I regret that I must concur. Whether it's due to Alzheimer's or that he's just lost his touch, I think it's time he laid down his pen. I may end up giving Making Money and Unseen Academicals away, and end my collection on a high note.

Pratchett again takes up the issues of law and order that are so relevant in this age of inequality, and manages to remind us of the dangers of mistaking people for things. Not his finest, but excellent.

Yet another excellent addition to the "Vimes/guards" strand of the discworld series. This one sees Mr and Mrs Vimes head out to the country house they own, for a supposed holiday. As you would expect, with Sam Vimes around not everything goes to plan. Plenty of sleuthing and action, goblin rights issues and a touch of "Midsummer Murders" make this one of TP's best offerings yet in my opinion.

This was not a great book in terms of plot and the worst part of it was, throughout the entire thing I realized I was reading what felt like a largely personalized account of the authors own struggles. There were numerous references throughout of the summoning dark that afflicted Vimes in the last book and Vimes worrying that he didn't know how much of his thoughts/actions were his own or the result of the demon that plagued him. This unfortunately just rang too sadly for me of the author and his own current struggles with the "demon" in his mind, his diagnosis with Alzheimers. Too sad to be a discworld novel.

Commander Sam Vimes is forced on holiday by his wife & boss, but finds that crime doesn't ever take a day off. In the countryside, murder has happened and a population is being forced into slavery. Vimes takes on the situation with his unique coppering skills. As a fan of Discworld and especially the City Watch novels, I found myself glad to be back in Vimes' head. Good supporting characters, (some new, some familiar) and while there is not a ton of overt humor, there is still plenty of humor (and satire) to enjoy. Also, the goblins have great names!

This is a wonderful book; I was happy to see many of my old Discworld friends in it. Some have criticized the amount of "poo" and the general yuck of the goblin idea of "unggue", but I did not find the references excessive. Pratchett IS right about the fascination "poo" and "wee" and such have for young kids - especially if their parents are shy about discussing it! I was pleased with Young Sam's progress. The character of Lady Sybil unfolds more in every book, and she is a lady well worth knowing. I thoroughly enjoyed this excursion to the country with its Jane Austen subtext.
One new thing I noticed - I have never seen Pratchett write with such sensitivity about music. Even Lord Vetinari, who formerly only read music, now seems quite moved.

In Ankh Morpork, Sam Vimes is the law....on vacation, he's just Sam Vimes...or is he justice? Good questions...but you must read to find the answers. Commander of the Watch, Grand Duke, Copper, and father...Sam is all of these, and much more! I enjoyed this visit to the Discworld tremendously!

SNUFF feels like Pratchett is attempting to write a Significant Novel rather than an entertaining story. As with most such efforts, it feels flat and forced (leaden, even), thus succeeding at neither. I'm not sure what happened in the making of this book, but it goes very, very wrong after the first quarter or so and feels little like a typical Discworld novel. Fortunately, I read this from the library rather than spending money it. I'd advise the reader to do the same; go read his earlier Vimes novels if you haven't already.

This is a marvelous book. The story is timely with questions of who is "worthy" of human rights while still having the outrageous Pratchett wit. How often do you read a book where you laugh out loud regularly and want to read bits to anyone nearby?
Working from the inner dialogue of Sam Vines offers a large palette of story colors with which to paint.
I listened to THUMP as an audiobook this summer while traveling and this was a perfect follow up.
He is a genius and I love his style.
This is a disjointed review, but, so what?

SOme people hav expressed their lack of enthusiasm for Snuff, but I don't agree with them at all. It shows Sam Vimes in a close-up that is consistant with earlier Vimesology, and blends humor with humanitarianism. Good on Sir Terry. I enjoyed it completely. And I've been reading T.P. since that young man first appeared on this side of the pond.

Now Terry Pratchett has taken his walk with DEATH, we have to wonder whether he had any manuscripts left with his publishers, or whether this may well prove to be his last Discworld novel.

If it is his last, it may well be considered he has kept the worst for last, but even if this is true, the worst of Terry Pratchett is still better than the best of many other authors. I am on record somewhere describing Terry Pratchett as "Douglas Adams with depth", but Snuff is a novel short on wit, narrative genius, sci-fi, and the usual endlessly-inventive array of novel characters (most of them sculpted so skilfully you barely see the serious method in Pratchett's madness).

It is a novel long on depth, almost preachy in that PC way that is the death of so much modern writing, with the goblins standing in for those many objects of modern Western xenophobia. Pratchett has always banged the drum for a laundry list of causes dear to the modern Left, but he has done it through such exquisite humour and general genius that his didactic purposes have almost added drive to his hugely-enjoyable style. Here they just spoil the treat, at least for me, but if you are an uncritical lover of everything that comes out of Sarah Hanson-Young's mouth this may not bother you.

Yet another excellent addition to the "Vimes/guards" strand of the discworld series. This one sees Mr and Mrs Vimes head out to the country house they own, for a supposed holiday. As you would expect, with Sam Vimes around not everything goes to plan. Plenty of sleuthing and action, goblin rights issues and a touch of "Midsummer Murders" make this one of TP's best offerings yet in my opinion.

This was not a great book in terms of plot and the worst part of it was, throughout the entire thing I realized I was reading what felt like a largely personalized account of the authors own struggles. There were numerous references throughout of the summoning dark that afflicted Vimes in the last book and Vimes worrying that he didn't know how much of his thoughts/actions were his own or the result of the demon that plagued him. This unfortunately just rang too sadly for me of the author and his own current struggles with the "demon" in his mind, his diagnosis with Alzheimers. Too sad to be a discworld novel.

Commander Sam Vimes is forced on holiday by his wife & boss, but finds that crime doesn't ever take a day off. In the countryside, murder has happened and a population is being forced into slavery. Vimes takes on the situation with his unique coppering skills. As a fan of Discworld and especially the City Watch novels, I found myself glad to be back in Vimes' head. Good supporting characters, (some new, some familiar) and while there is not a ton of overt humor, there is still plenty of humor (and satire) to enjoy. Also, the goblins have great names!

This is a wonderful book; I was happy to see many of my old Discworld friends in it. Some have criticized the amount of "poo" and the general yuck of the goblin idea of "unggue", but I did not find the references excessive. Pratchett IS right about the fascination "poo" and "wee" and such have for young kids - especially if their parents are shy about discussing it! I was pleased with Young Sam's progress. The character of Lady Sybil unfolds more in every book, and she is a lady well worth knowing. I thoroughly enjoyed this excursion to the country with its Jane Austen subtext.
One new thing I noticed - I have never seen Pratchett write with such sensitivity about music. Even Lord Vetinari, who formerly only read music, now seems quite moved.

In Ankh Morpork, Sam Vimes is the law....on vacation, he's just Sam Vimes...or is he justice? Good questions...but you must read to find the answers. Commander of the Watch, Grand Duke, Copper, and father...Sam is all of these, and much more! I enjoyed this visit to the Discworld tremendously!

SNUFF feels like Pratchett is attempting to write a Significant Novel rather than an entertaining story. As with most such efforts, it feels flat and forced (leaden, even), thus succeeding at neither. I'm not sure what happened in the making of this book, but it goes very, very wrong after the first quarter or so and feels little like a typical Discworld novel. Fortunately, I read this from the library rather than spending money it. I'd advise the reader to do the same; go read his earlier Vimes novels if you haven't already.

This is a marvelous book. The story is timely with questions of who is "worthy" of human rights while still having the outrageous Pratchett wit. How often do you read a book where you laugh out loud regularly and want to read bits to anyone nearby?
Working from the inner dialogue of Sam Vines offers a large palette of story colors with which to paint.
I listened to THUMP as an audiobook this summer while traveling and this was a perfect follow up.
He is a genius and I love his style.
This is a disjointed review, but, so what?

SOme people hav expressed their lack of enthusiasm for Snuff, but I don't agree with them at all. It shows Sam Vimes in a close-up that is consistant with earlier Vimesology, and blends humor with humanitarianism. Good on Sir Terry. I enjoyed it completely. And I've been reading T.P. since that young man first appeared on this side of the pond.

Now Terry Pratchett has taken his walk with DEATH, we have to wonder whether he had any manuscripts left with his publishers, or whether this may well prove to be his last Discworld novel.

If it is his last, it may well be considered he has kept the worst for last, but even if this is true, the worst of Terry Pratchett is still better than the best of many other authors. I am on record somewhere describing Terry Pratchett as "Douglas Adams with depth", but Snuff is a novel short on wit, narrative genius, sci-fi, and the usual endlessly-inventive array of novel characters (most of them sculpted so skilfully you barely see the serious method in Pratchett's madness).

It is a novel long on depth, almost preachy in that PC way that is the death of so much modern writing, with the goblins standing in for those many objects of modern Western xenophobia. Pratchett has always banged the drum for a laundry list of causes dear to the modern Left, but he has done it through such exquisite humour and general genius that his didactic purposes have almost added drive to his hugely-enjoyable style. Here they just spoil the treat, at least for me, but if you are an uncritical lover of everything that comes out of Sarah Hanson-Young's mouth this may not bother you.

It dose seem that T.P. is closing up shop. That breaks my heart, I love these books. I have read every one of them. Each one taking me on a happy journey. Some better than others but each one worth the trip all the same. This book is no different, true it feels off a little. Is this his Alzheimer's finally taking his wonderful stories from us? That's hard to say. Is he getting some help with a few ghost writers? I don't know but it's still a great read, besides even being off a little this book is still Discworld fun. I will gladly surrender my time to take another journey with Sir Samuel Vimes.

I haven't read the book yet, so this 1-star is for the Kindle version. Note to Terry and the publisher: come down hard on the store. They're making you look bad.

The Table of Contents lists "Begin Reading" as a section. No chapters are listed, just "Begin Reading". It's genuinely confusing. Did they seriously just put that to instruct us to begin reading there? On that page it says "10", "Begin Reading", and then "T" all alone on a line followed by "he goblin experience...." What's the "10" for? I understand books like to start chapters sometimes with a big letter, but you can't just float it off on another line.

Read the other reviews. There are lots of white-space typos.

I strongly suggest people return the Kindle version on principle. There's no excuse for this.

The best City Watch book is still Night Watch, but Snuff was still good. Standard Pratchett style, took a little longer to get off the ground, but lots of memorable characters and highly entertaining exchanges.

"You can't abduct goblins,' said Captain Murderer. 'Goblins is cargo!' Vimes let this one pass for the moment. Captain Murderer would be orientated to the world as seen by Commander Vimes at Commander Vimes's leisure." (p.314)

Unfortunately the reader of 'Snuff' is not shown the mercy that Captain Murderer received from Commander Vimes, and for a leisurely 378 pages we are orientated to the world as seen by Commander Vimes/Terry Pratchett to the exclusion of any particularly interesting story, characterisation, wit or humour. This is in what is labelled on the cover as 'A Discworld Novel', but which bears little resemblance to that series. A quote on the dust-jacket of my copy reminds us that Terry Pratchett is the premier author of comic fantasy, but I honestly can find little of either comedy or fantasy in 'Snuff'. If you changed the goblins to an oppressed ethnic minority it could easily just be a rather mediocre crime novel. The earlier Discworld books often started with a reference to Great A'Tuin the turtle swimming lazily through space with the Discworld on his back. And when we narrowed our focus it would be on a man finding a mystical guitar in a transdimensional music store, or the monks of time discovering that history was about to fall apart, or the eighth son of an eighth son about to flood the world with raw magic. Not a middle-aged policeman disrupting a smuggling ring in a sleepy country town. Something has gone awry somewhere along the line.

Of course Terry Pratchett is free to take his fictional world in any direction he wants, but I'm baffled as to what is the point of it. Do many Discworld fans need to hear heavy-handed sermons on the immorality of slavery and the need for universal rights? Surely that is an important issue, but the Pratchett of old would have pulled it off with a bit of class and subtlety. His humanism always peeked out from underneath the mad fantasy world he created, it did not sit on top of it in a lump of leaden moralising and squeeze its life out.

And what happened to his legendary wit? In some Discworld novels you can't turn the page without encountering a clever 'pune, or play on words'. 'Snuff' has about three jokes in the whole thing, and pretty limp ones. Yes, six-year-olds find poo jokes consistently hilarious, but very few people who read 'Snuff' will be six-year-olds. And the bit about the [mildly amusing boat name] is repeated endlessly. Yeah, I get it. And Sam Vimes has officially become the most obnoxious character in fiction. He spends the whole story barely restraining himself from murdering various criminals, congratulating himself on his toughness and cunning, bending the law to suit his purposes, reminding everyone how rich and powerful he is, and spreading 'enlightenment' to all the benighted savages that he meets.

I have read some of my Discworld novels up to ten times. I barely managed to finish this one once. Great A'Tuin can swim on without me from now on, I think.

Sam vines at it again!
The further adventures of commander Sam Vines deciphering the law and overcoming racism. Adventure, puns and heart.
The only suggestion I have is that reading in paperback may be easier due to footnotes. I found it a bit of a pain trying to "click" back and forth on my iPad.

Pratchett does here what he is good at - satirize a form/class/belief system in the framework of a compellingly told story while making glancing references to pop culture and history, and doing it all in a humorous vein. This may not be his best work, but it's still quite good.

Overall the book seems to be somewhat of key with other "City Watch" novels and feels even darker and less humorous then "Night Watch". Nevertheless it has very captivating story, full of classic Pratchett's witticisms and ends on a very satisfying note.
Even as I was putting "Snuff" down I new that I will re-read it more then once in the future.
So as a continuation of Discworld and City Watch novels it's 4/5, but as a book on it own it's a definite 5/5 and is a very well recommend read.

I have read Mr. Pritchett's work for many years & I have every one of his Disk World books, and this one does not disappoint! Not to mention that he once again writes about my favorite character, Sam Vimes! As I've said before & I'll say again, Pritchett's work is the best, like Monty Python meets the Lord of the Rings.

I do like Terry Pratchett and this book is okay, but felt something was lacking in the comedy department. The characters and storyline are good (although maybe a little too long) and up to his normal standards. But at best, Snuff managed to get a few sniggers out of me, whereas some of his previous books had me roaring with laughter.

I have a feeling that Mr Pratchett maybe getting left behind by some of the up and coming cutting-edge comedy fiction writers, debut books like Tony Royden's The Dealer had me wetting myself with laughter.

I still think Snuff was an entertaining read, but if like me you are expecting to sit down to a really good laugh, then I fear you may be disappointed.

For me the last good Discworld novel was Thud! (not counting the childrens books). From there on something changed. I really suspect the books are ghost written to a large degree. Just too much has changed. The characters have evolved into something unrecognizable and are becoming cliche's. Vimes was a great character but he's become, well, annoying and self-righteous to a degree i cannot handle. Vetinari (one of my favorites) has become one of those cold on the outside but with a heart of gold type people and its driving me insane. But still i could live through it, if it wasn't for one thing... The world, as in Discworld, doesn't matter anymore. It's hard for me to articulate what i mean, but here goes. From the first novel on Discworld was a crazy place where you had trolls, dwarves, wizards, witches, talking swords, parallel dimensions with Elves, Hero's etc. Just insane stuff. And more recent the books get, the more this is pushed into the background. If you look at Unseen Academicals (the worst book of the DW series IMO), its basically a book about the invention of football and it doesn't matter where it takes place. It could have happened in Narnia or Middle-Earth or wherever. There are some old names thrown in with completely changed personalities, but in the end its not Discworld anymore. The best example of this would be the lack of Death. In older books the baddy died and even if it was all serious there was Death with a comment or something similar.

Now this one isn't so bad as UA, its a decent read, but i struggled with it. It's a mystery story with acceptance crap thrown in where Discworld as a fantasy realm is pushed into the background. It could have all happened in rural England with a few tiny changes. Also the plot has kinda been done before. Not to go into details but its about accepting other beings etc. which has all been done a couple of times in the Watch series (not to mention the goddamn UA). Its what the Watch series is basically about, the whole accepting Trolls, Dwarves etc into the Watch. So yeah, nothing new there. It has just become...bland. If you compare this with Twoflower in the first book (which isn't my favorite), him being the first Turist it's just miles away. There are less and less laugh out loud moments and its all a bit dark (Night Watch was also but there it worked). Also if i read another Vimes "what it means to be a copper" monologue im going to scream....

Snuff (2011) is the thirty-fifth Fantasy novel in the Discworld series, following Unseen Academicals. The initial work in this series is The Color of Magic.

In the previous volume, Glenda met Pepe backstage in the Shatta. Hex made a ball suitable for the game of football. Juliet got her picture on the front page of The Times.

The Librarian rose out of nowhere and stopped the ball dead in mid air. Juliet made a couple of dozen pies. Three bird women accosted Nutt and Glenda screamed.

In this novel, Sam Vines is the Duke of Ankh-Morpork, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, and Blackboard Monitor. He is also the husband of Sybil. Sam was the hero of Koom Valley, where he brought Trolls and Dwarves to the peace table.

Sybil Ramkin is Sam's wife. She has definite opinions about his diet She also wants him to take a vacation.

Havelock Vetinari is the Tyrant of Ankh-Morpork. He always has a plan and probably knows more about you than you do. He agrees with Sybil about a vacation for Sam.

Carrot is a Captain in the City Watch. He is also a dwarf by adoption.

Fred Colon is a Sargeant in the City Watch. He and Nobby have been in the Watch longer than Commander Vimes.

Nobby Nobbs is a Constable in the City Watch. He and Fred are crooked, lazy and lucky. None know the species of Nobby, including his mother.

Felicity Beedle is a young lady dwelling in the village, She is the author of several books that have greatly influenced Young Sam.

In this story, Sam has been forced to take a vacation, leaving Captain Carrot in charge of the Watch. Sybil, Young Sam and himself travel by coach to Ramkin Hall, AKA Crubdells. Although it is technically a one day journey, they stop at an inn and arrive on the following day.

Sam shakes hands with the gardener and then greets the butler and chief housekeeper. Sybil points out his errors. Afterward, they enter the house and eventually go to bed. The bed is so large that he has to search for Sybil.

Sam has never been exposed to so much quiet. But the nighttime has its own, unknown sounds. Sam finally gets to sleep, but two maids bring breakfast at dawn.

Sam wanders down to the Goblin Head -- the local pub -- and gets a nonalcoholic drink. The publican is a retired cop from the Pseudopolis City Watch. Sam also buys alcoholic drinks for some of the clientele.

Sam runs into Lord Rust in the village. The general has retired in the area and has a few words to say to the Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. Fortunately Sam has to return to the Hall and listen to Young Sam read a book about poo.

Meanwhile, in Ankh-Morpork, Sargeant Colon and Constable Nobbs drop by Fred's favorite snuff shop to replenish his supply. The owner throws in a cigar with the snuff. When Colon squeezes it next to his ear, the stogy screams at him. The cigar has a tiny goblin pot in the tobacco leaves.

This tale involves Sam in the death of a goblin. Since goblins are officially vermin, he is stretching the case to consider the killing as murder. Since the Watch includes a variety of sapients, Sam considers any being that can carry on a conversation with him as a person.

In the pursuit of this case, Sam meets an angry blacksmith, the local constable, his son's favorite author and many goblins. Sybil is initially upset with Sam for finding police work in the countryside, but she understands that crime is everywhere.

Young Sam displays many traits that might make him an excellent natural philosopher. The next installment in this series has not yet been announced on the store.

Highly recommended for Pratchett fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of small villages, various magics, and tangled romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

I have been a fan of Sir Terry Pratchett for quite awhile now and have at least one copy of every book he has written - sixty so far!

Snuff is without a doubt up to the task of continuing the Discworld mythology. Regular readers will find this book a joy to read, and if this is your first DW book, I can only say how happy I am that you will soon be on your way to discovering the rest of Pratchett's universe.

The Turtle Moves!

The City Watch stories are my favorite (along with Carpe Jugulum). I didn't care for this one because I felt the story had specific plot points linked together by pompous lecturing, tedious introspection and repetition. I've never thought of Sam Vimes as pompous but he really came across as holier than thou in this book. In the end, his confrontation with Vetinari seemed out of character considering that he knows how the Patrician works and shouldn't have been surprised by the outcome. I loved Sybil. Her character seemed more like Sam should have been in some parts of the story. I thought young Sam's obsession was overdone. He only seemed to be of use to make the plot move along. I liked the basic plot and some of the subplots--although they weren't tied together as expertly as I expected. I would have loved a shorter story which would have given the novel a faster pace and maybe.

I agree with the critics who state that the characters of Lady Sybil (too confident and sexy) and Wilikens (less butler, more martial arts man of all work) are off, although she naturally may have become more confident in the course of maturation, and he always was a general nutter. It does seem that the brilliancy has gone from the diamond, but I think it is still valuable, non the less, simply because there are no other jewels as fine or rare.

Pratchett had the marvelous ability to write essays on the underpinnings of a civil society and the hard road to create them, mixed with personal journeys for characters confronting their demons and their responsibilities .... While making you laugh, even when reading for the fifth or sixth time.

I love Sam Vimes in the city This one really felt out of place. The way too many references to poo and snot was definately a no-no....Why? Discworld has always been fun without focusing on potty humor. I still love Discworld and always will.

I love Discworld, and Sam Vimes. I have a hard time knowing how much I'm reading into it, knowing about Pterry's condition. But it felt a little like an elegy. Lovely, though. Not the book to start with, for sure. Elegy = a mournful or plaintive poem.

I went into this book with considerable concerns after reading some of the early reviews claiming that Sir Terry had forgotten how to write his own characters. I wish I could say the book put all of my concerns to rest, but while still enjoyable by any standard, there is something critical missing from this entry in the Watch series and its absence is almost palpable.

Though none of them rise to the level of being fully and completely out-of-character, several characters in the book did come across as feeling slightly alien. What feels like an entirely redesigned Willikins is an obvious example, but Vetinari in particular feels like a completely different personality in all but one of the scenes he appears in. Other characters have this problem to lesser degrees, but it isn't quite as glaring as some of the more negative reviews make it sound.

The bigger problem is simply the narrative, or lack thereof, which meanders between Vimes uncharacteristically using magic as a crutch in order to solve a relatively simple crime and a distantly related mishap with the other officers back in Ankh-Morpork. While we've had excellent Watch stories in the past which barely featured most of the crew, they've never felt as poorly used as they do in Snuff. The few officers who do show up are resigned to what's essentially a B-plot that only peripherally connects to the main narrative and never really feels vitally important to the mystery. They come across as padding for a main story that simply didn't have enough material ready to stand on its own.

Which brings us to the biggest issue in the book: with care to avoid any outright spoilers, the 'mystery' isn't much of one by the standards of previous Watch novels. The crime and its perpetrators are set up early in an uncharacteristically obvious and heavy-handed manner and there are no real twists or surprises from then on. The rest of the book is merely ploddingly carrying out the investigation of what the readers already had spelled out for them, and even then require frequent intrusions by magical deus ex machina to hold Vimes' hand and help him solve the case. As a police procedural, it feels more like watching a psychic detective than the Vimes I know and love.

There are moments of real, honest-to-goodness Discworld brilliance in this novel where everything I love about this series shines through (the ending in particular is perfectly spot-on) - but there's a lot of pieces that clearly needed more editting and rewriting before they were ready for print. It's understandable with his circumstances why Mr. Pratchett was unable to meet that deadline with his usual wit and quality, but for that reason, I hope he doesn't push himself to write faster than he should.

The weakest Discworld novel is still one of the stronger points of the year in fantasy, but I wish this didn't feel markedly below the rest.

Terry Pratchett's Snuff is a solid entry in the Discworld series, but not his funniest. I loved that the book paralleled the issues of slavery and the treatment of goblins. And of course, who doesn't enjoy a good Commander Vimes solved murder, but I felt that the last four chapters could have been cut without the plot suffering. However, I enjoyed learning more about goblin culture and all the fascinating poo references were very entertaining. If you love Discworld, then you will like this book, but don't make it your first introduction into the series. It will be disappointing, otherwise.

Snuff, the latest Discworld novel, returns focus to Sam Vimes, commander of the Night Watch and one of Pratchett's longest running protagonists. In Snuff, Vimes finally takes a vacation, going to the countryside with his family. Out of his element and without his customary support, his policing instincts lead him to smuggling, river piracy, murder, and even some crimes against goblins that aren't even against the law -yet-. Still, Vimes ensures that justice is done.

Terry Pratchett is rightly famous, and his fans will definitely want to read this book. There are some interesting developments. While still full of humor and wit, Snuff felt somewhat more mature or serious. A new race of goblins is added, and a goblin recruited into the Watch. In a shock that no Discworld fan will want to miss, Nobbs-of-the-dubious-race gets a girlfriend (well, sorta). An incredibly fun read, easily up to Pratchett's usual standard but with enough development and difference to appeal to the most jaded Discworld reader, Snuff should make a killing.

It was a decent novel to start out with but it really lost steam around the second half.

Samuel Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch and a half dozen other miscellaneous titles, finds himself on a forced vacation, and despite assurances to his wife that he would leave his work at home, finds himself dragged into yet another adventure.

Any time previous this would be the makings of a great Discworld novel, but I found it to be severely lacking in comparison. Many of the characters are of subtly but noticeably differing character than before.

Sir Vimes, who is on record as thoroughly despising his royal credentials, is very quick to start throwing around the fact that he knows all kinds of important people. Then there is the matter of the liberal use of a certain magical entity that Vimes employed throughout the novel, incongruously and inexpertly transplanted from a previous novel where it served as an antagonist.

Vimes' faithful manservant Willikins provides the most distinct departure from his previous characterization. Where previously he was the very picture of a gentleman's gentleman who happened to have a past that lends itself well to expertise in various sharp instruments, here by mannerisms and speech, his shady past as street scum is on full display and for all the worlds appears to have just been randomly assigned the position of butler.

Finally, the crime du jour was probably the biggest problem. Where previously Pratchett was more subtle about his approach to the crime, here he beats the reader over the head with it at every turn, stopping just short of having the characters just shout SLAVERY IS WRONG over and over again.

If you're a die-hard Discworld fan who thinks Pratchett can do no wrong pick this up, otherwise avoid it like the plague and find shelter in the far superior previous works.

And Sir Terry Pratchett never fails to deliver with the adventures of His Grace and Blackboard Monitorship, the Duke of Ankh-Morpork. This is another Discworld tale you'll want to read again and again.

Just read the long awaited Snuff and then followed it up with a re-read of Soul Music. Who told TP to ditch the jokes in favor of the story? In Soul Music he does both. In Snuff, its there, but pale.
As one who will read anything by TP (except Nation)Stuff is fine; but I long for another "I Shall Wear Midnight"
Keep the dumb jokes Terry, and don't try so hard.
Let Tiffany free!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

As a qualifier to what is a generally negative review, let me state that it is absolutely phenomenal that Mr. Pratchett has, for the most part, been able to keep up the quality and originality of the Discworld series through nearly 40 books. By this time in their careers, most series writers simply reuse the same riffs and vary the plot lines slightly. Pratchett always has something new to say in each book, even the most recent books that, alas, demonstrate the decline in his writing ability. And this review is only comparing Snuff against Pterry's wider body of work. Compared to most lousy fiction on bookshelves today, Snuff is a worthier read.

Unfortunately, Snuff follows the same sorry trend that became readily apparent in Unseen Academicals. Characters behaving totally out of character. The replacement of short, concise dialogue with long-winded monologues with tortured phrasing. Overemphasis of unimportant narrative details. And--the worst thing a comic writer can do--forced humor.

In Snuff, Mr. Pratchett commits so many literary gaffes and resorts to so many ill-advised shortcuts that one wonders whether an editor even looked at the manuscript before publishing it. An example: On the second pages, the Patrician, Lord Vetinari, is standing looking out of the window while talking to his clerk. A paragraph later, he is described as looking up from papers on his desk. Only seconds of time have between these two events, so either Vetinari moves faster than light or there is a sloppy continuity error. I'll lean toward the latter.

Or, here's an example of Mr. Pratchett's obsession with unimportant details: He spends nearly two pages in an unfunny dialogue between Sam Vimes and his buter, Willikens, over the whereabouts of an illegal crossbow.

One could go on and on about these small flaws, but they could be forgiven if they weren't eclipsed by larger problems. Such as the replacement of Pterry's usual sharp, quick dialogues with long-winded speeches that all too often seem completely out of character. Or the evolution of Sam Vimes from a tough copper who is haunted by fear of losing both his moral compass, his sanity, and his family to a supercop who is aided by a supernatural force he supposedly triumphed over--both physically and spiritually--in Thud! This 'force' is a cludgy narrative shortcut that allows Vimes to speak in foreign languages, and learn about criminal events that have no other witnesses. It's a terrible convention, and one that cheapens Vimes' historically sterling character.

The Vimes of Snuff is unrecognizable from earlier books. He has fully embraced his status of a member of the aristocracy, and has no problem pushing his power around. He is completely comfortable with himself; no more of the haunting doubts that made him such a compelling characters in past books. He is nearly invincible, so there's no tension at all--never do we fear that either he or his family are in danger or that he is not in total control of every situation. The whole 'crime' plot of Snuff is just a game--a diversion from an unwanted country vacation.

Unfortunately, I also believe that Mr. Pratchett's struggle with Alzheimer's has rapidly degraded his writing skills. Snuff reads like a book that has been dictated (in fact, Mr. Pratchett does dictate, since he can no longer type) rather than written. A dictated book requires an extremely strong and aggressive editor to down the excesses that can occur, and it seems that no one served in this role for Snuff, in the same way that no one seemed to served in a similar role for Unseen Academicals.

Is it fair to suggest an association between a writer's declining skills and a physical condition? Unfortunately, it has to be. Mr. Pratchett has chosen to continue publishing and, as such, everything he writes is an open book for criticism and speculation. Perhaps his writing skills would have declined even if he wasn't suffering from Alzheimer's--as said before, very few writers can keep their literary quality over the length of their career (as the latter works of Faulkner and Twain, among many others, clearly demonstrate).

Should Mr. Pratchett stop writing books? That's a question only he and his publishers can answer. It will be a sad day when we can no longer look forward to the next Discworld book. Paired with a very strong and assertive editor, he may be able to produce a few more Discworld books that avoid--or at least minimize--the problems that have occurred in his more recent work.

Then again, Mr. Pratchett's huge body of work, most of it highly original and exquisitely written, will withstand any sub-par works he continues to produce.

As always, Terry Pratchett's excellent grasp of husbandry is well represented in this novel. So much so that I will be sending my dear, if somewhat clueless future husband, the entire Watch collection for his reference. (p.s. if you can have a future porks warehouse, I should be allowed a future husband).

"Snuff" is a Discworld novel and Pratchett is suffering from Alzheimer's so it's anyone's guess how much longer he'll be able to write so I desperately wanted to love this book. I have found his books have been growing more subtle and refined with time so my hopes are not ill-founded. However I found Snuff a bit of a chore to finish. I like Vimes and the story was generally fun but it felt unfinished. The ending in particular really dragged. After all of the action was done, after everything had been revealed, after pretty much everything important had been concluded, there was still 25% left to go. Some little things get resolved in a whimper and a dribble - we knew they would but since the climax is long past, these little revelations take far, far too much time.

I also found that the main theme of the book - what is "human" or valuable in life - was almost too trite. It's an important question and I like that the characters are so ugly as to be all but unlovable but instead of dealing with this, we get a character who plays "ethereal" music which moves everyone to tears and voila, debate and discussion over. Too convenient, too trite.

In the end it was predictable and forgettable. I feel I should give it at least three stars since it is a Pratchett and some of it was very good (especially the young Sam) but I do wonder if this had appeared under any other byline I would have given it a two.

I'd say "Snuff" is for fans only, otherwise pick one of the many, many other good books in the series.

"The Watch" series have always been my favorite of Pratchett's Diskworld novels and Snuff continues that opinion. Somewhat weaker than more recent offerings, it's still a wonderful read. Highly recommended!

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 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.

I haven't read a Discworld world for a while, picked this up in an airport. This is just not a good read. Way longer than it needs to be, neither characters nor settings are interesting. City Watch Commander Vimes is on vacation grousing over a dearth of bacon sandwiches. Crimes, but no hi jinks ensue. Yes, we find that goblins have a culture and artistic sensitivity. But so much time is wasted by the time we arrive at the climactic river scene I was just thumbing forward to the end. I expect even completists would be disappointed by this one.

Fans of Commander Vimes will not be let down by Snuff! He is in full form, along with the rest of our friend in DiscWorld. I love that you can never skim a Terry Pratchett. If you do, you'll be sure to miss something good.

If you enjoy the Watch stories from the Discworld, this book is for you. If you haven't read any of them, do not start here. Check out Pratchett's lspace for the ordering.

While definitely not my favorite Discworld book, I always enjoy the journey through Pratchett's world.

I really love Sir Pratchett's work in general and discworld in particular. Sam Vimes is one of my fictional heros, so I expected to love this novel. Unfortunately, it reads like a good imitation of a discworld novel. I'm likely not spend time to reading the next in the series unless someone I know and trust passes on it first.

were the trade reviews so bad that none could be used for frontpiece blurb?

from the moment vimes stepped out of his carriage to greet his THREE HUNDRED waiting servants my willing suspension of disbelief was gone and my disc world shattered.

the unthinkable has happened. i have skipread a pratchett book.

crivens and waily waily.

I always love Terry Pratchetts books and this one is no exception. Sam Vimes is a wonderful character and the underlying theme of prejudice is an interesting one. Again full.of wonderfully written characters and great humour.

I love Pratchett. However, the quality of the finishing of the hardcover book was awful. The paper is cheap and so thin you can see through it. The long edges of the pages aren't finished correctly and have a sawtooth pattern to them. Just horrible.

I'm sure the story will be great, but the quality of the physical product is unacceptable.

Like many others, I'm a huge fan, having read practically everything Pratchett has written. The downward slope for me started with Unseen Academicals, which was so clunky and awkwardly written, that it took me a long time to read (normally, I can get through a good Discworld novel in a matter of hours).
Fine.
Snuff is unreadable. It is rambling, abruptly starting and ending scenes, characters are flat and unlikable and it is the first Terry Pratchett book I have been unable to finish reading. I started when it was first published and three months down the line and 120-odd torturous pages later I gave up.
Go, re-read his great old stuff, buy a copy of Guard, Guards for a friend, but leave this one alone.

I have just finished reading Snuff.Iam a long time fan of Terrys books and if this was a first time novel it would be a great read,but,when you compare it to his previous writtings it is just a bit stale.I know it was not a Discworld book so mabey I cant compare like for like.

As always, Terry Pratchett has written a fantastic story -- a great and fun read. However, his craftsmanship has been let down by a terrible binding job by the folks at HarperCollins USA. The pages were all over the place. HarperCollins obviously does not take the work of this author seriously. I would STRONGLY recommend sourcing this book from another publisher (perhaps via the store UK).

I've got the entire Discworld collection, and have loved every page. Pratchett's character development has kept me hooked all the way through, and his handling of Sam Vines has been great. From a drunken beat cop to the city's foremost legal authority, he's come a long way, and the author has taken us along wonderfully.

So, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it didn't really live up to them.
The character voicing and dialogue just isn't as snappy and clean as in previous books. All of the characters seemed to lean towards monologuing, rather than the usual Pratchett snappy patter. They didn't seem to have their distinct personalities, either.
The storyline was good but cliche; very similar to things he's done before in this series. It was also a bit awkward in its flow. Previous Discworld books have had a rich, complicated tapestry of things going on, that weaves itself into solid, satisfying conclusions. This book had threads, but not too many, and they didn't seem to tie up as well.

I have to rate this book highly, simply because of the impressive and entertaining body of work that Terry Pratchett has given us in the Discworld series. Snuff definitely needs to be on the shelf with the rest. But new readers, start with something earlier (like The Color of Magic), so you can really appreciate the genius of his work.

Snuff is a good read. It lacks some of the humor of his other stuff but I feel it is a little lost. There are some true Pratchett moments like a children's writer who writes books about Poo. Some have said that this book is darker than the rest, but I am not so sure that darker means lacking in jokes. What I think was missing through was the hero. Grimes was always the cynical police sergeant who ended up doing the right thing. Here he seemed less focused.

Terry Pratchett fans should NOT buy the Kindle edition as the footnotes are at the end of the book and NOT inline with the rest of the story! Obviously the maker of the Kindle edition was clueless about the nature of the footnotes.

I have the print edition also. I'll let you know how the story is from that source.

It may seem a ridiculous suggestion, and one makes it only after much reluctant consideration, but I have to question whether Terry Pratchett actually wrote this book at all. The style is so different to earlier novels, and the sentence construction so amateurish, that it's possible to imagine that the work was done by someone far less talented. If you examine an early novel (I picked Small Gods off the shelf, an absolute favourite) you find a variety of sentence length. Some sentences are very short indeed, while even the long ones are straightforward and elegantly constructed. When conversations occur, they are in naturalistic small bursts, the conversation moving quickly from one character to another. The net result is prose that can be read almost without effort, that slips into your brain as naturally as your own thought.

In Snuff, however, sentence length is generally over-long. Within each sentence there are frequently several subjects and several verbs: for example "And if said citizen was found dead then said policeman, who had been seen to have a scrap with him earlier, might just be considered to be a tiny bit guilty when all was said and done, and while all was being said and done, someone really intent on getting Vimes into difficulties would have left the corpse of the blacksmith there, wouldn't they?" We've moved with appalling rapidity from the citizen to the policeman to "all" to "someone", each with appropriate verbs and surrounding verbiage. Hard to read, clunky in operation and not what we expect from someone who has always been a superbly professional, highly competent wordsmith.

Terry Pratchett has brought untold delight to generations of readers. I still remember 25 years ago, while driving a neighbour's children to school, the hysterical giggling that came from the back seat as a 13 year old boy first encountered Discworld and the Unseen University. Despite being a whole generation older, the driver knew exactly what he was laughing about. It hurts to see a hero brought low. Perhaps, Terry, you should quit while you're ahead?

Snuff is a good read. It lacks some of the humor of his other stuff but I feel it is a little lost. There are some true Pratchett moments like a children's writer who writes books about Poo. Some have said that this book is darker than the rest, but I am not so sure that darker means lacking in jokes. What I think was missing through was the hero. Grimes was always the cynical police sergeant who ended up doing the right thing. Here he seemed less focused.

Terry Pratchett fans should NOT buy the Kindle edition as the footnotes are at the end of the book and NOT inline with the rest of the story! Obviously the maker of the Kindle edition was clueless about the nature of the footnotes.

I have the print edition also. I'll let you know how the story is from that source.

It may seem a ridiculous suggestion, and one makes it only after much reluctant consideration, but I have to question whether Terry Pratchett actually wrote this book at all. The style is so different to earlier novels, and the sentence construction so amateurish, that it's possible to imagine that the work was done by someone far less talented. If you examine an early novel (I picked Small Gods off the shelf, an absolute favourite) you find a variety of sentence length. Some sentences are very short indeed, while even the long ones are straightforward and elegantly constructed. When conversations occur, they are in naturalistic small bursts, the conversation moving quickly from one character to another. The net result is prose that can be read almost without effort, that slips into your brain as naturally as your own thought.

In Snuff, however, sentence length is generally over-long. Within each sentence there are frequently several subjects and several verbs: for example "And if said citizen was found dead then said policeman, who had been seen to have a scrap with him earlier, might just be considered to be a tiny bit guilty when all was said and done, and while all was being said and done, someone really intent on getting Vimes into difficulties would have left the corpse of the blacksmith there, wouldn't they?" We've moved with appalling rapidity from the citizen to the policeman to "all" to "someone", each with appropriate verbs and surrounding verbiage. Hard to read, clunky in operation and not what we expect from someone who has always been a superbly professional, highly competent wordsmith.

Terry Pratchett has brought untold delight to generations of readers. I still remember 25 years ago, while driving a neighbour's children to school, the hysterical giggling that came from the back seat as a 13 year old boy first encountered Discworld and the Unseen University. Despite being a whole generation older, the driver knew exactly what he was laughing about. It hurts to see a hero brought low. Perhaps, Terry, you should quit while you're ahead?

Like many other readers and long-time fans of Sir Terry, I really wanted to like, even love, this book. Unfortunately, I don't.

Snuff just doesn't feel like a Discworld novel. I found myself unable to recognise Sam Vimes and Sybil as the characters I'd grown to love over many books - Vimes especially felt very out-of-character (inasmuch as you can say that about an author writing his own characters). The novel suffers from cumbersome narrative and dialogue: at times it feels as though characters exchange ponderous speeches rather than converse naturally. This is something I also noticed in "I Shall Wear Midnight". The humour of previous books is simply not present.

Some people have suggested that the novel will be polarizing because of its dark subject matter. I am not averse to "darker" themes at all - Terry Pratchett has often tackled some of the darkest aspects of humanity with exceptional skill. However, in my opinion, the problem with this novel is not that it is "too dark" but that it is simply not very well-written.

Given the circumstances and the author's health, I feel guilty writing this, but it is my honest opinion. I've been a fan of Discworld for over 15 years, and Terry Pratchett remains my all-time favourite author. I don't think I can imagine myself *not* buying a Discworld book, for as long as Sir Terry chooses to continue writing them. But I cannot say that reading Snuff was in any way an enjoyable experience. In truth: it feels like somebody else trying to imitate Terry's style, and not being able to pull it off. And I'm genuinely sorry to have to say that.

One knows Terry Pratchett has Alzheimers' and the was noticeable in his writings as early as "Making Money". His plots have become simpler and rely on Deus ex Machina for plot resolution. Really his editor should do something about it. As it is, in honor of his 30 other Discworld books this is worth a read, just beware this is a book written by a man who is not at the top of his powers.
If you pay close attention you'll find continuity problems, as well as other problems of plot (such as there are TWO characters whose fathers died after a single event). There's some real amateurish writing too. For example, several times Sam Vimes holds discussions sotto voce with another character for purposes of filling in back story. The old Terry Pratchett might have done this once in a book, but not repeatedly. In fact the book is very clumsy overall in providing exposition. Oh, and everyone has a happy ending with the possible exception of Gaspode (unless I missed that in the audio edition)
Sigh, I feel bad writing this about an author whose books I love, but it's sadly evident. Fortunately, these authorial weaknesses aren't as problematic in the Tiffany Aching YA books, so enjoy those.

This book shouldn't have been published - it's not the Discworld Pratchett's fans have grown to love. The characters are mean and crude is the best way I can describe the problem and the story jerks along. I'm very sorry Terry Pratchett's suffering from Alzheimers - I've seen that first-hand and it's devastating. Pratchett's fans are lucky in one respect and that is there are many Discworld books to re-read anytime we need a break from now. I wish Terry and his family the best.

Geez this was painful. I've read all the other Discworld books etc etc but this was easily one of the hardest ones to finish for me. I even managed to read 'I Shall Wear Midnight' and 'Montsrous Regiment' in a couple of days, but this took me nearly a week. To clarify how crappy this reading performance is, I normally can read one of Pratchett's (good) books in less than a day. It's hard to describe entirely what's wrong with it, but mostly it's... Weird. The characters are unpleasant, when I enjoyed reading about them before, and I never once laughed. Great. Well at least I can say I read it.

I am a Terry Pratchett fan, but my first attempt at reading a Discworld novel on Kindle is a disaster. The formatting of the footnotes does not appear as in the print version and there are many editing problems. I will stick with the tried-and-true hard-cover version for this book! I hope that the store will sort out these types of problems in the future.

Yes, I too am a Terry Pratchett fan. I think I am the number 1 fan, as many others might think. I have not only read I Shall Wear Midnight, I liked it, although it was a bit dark.

Terry, please please please stop writing about Vimes. We dont like him. This is the worst of your books I have read (or tried to). The other was Monstrous Regiment, which I could not finish.

I now think that Terry did not write this book. Or he did not write it alone. Or something. Its true what others say, it was not funny AT ALL. Half way in I was not sure what was actually going on. The goblins are horrible and you struggle to support their plight. I just could not connect with anyone in this book. It has the feel throughout of a nightmare. Please make it stop.

I compulsively read Thief of Time (my hardcover is falling appart), and Going Postal and Making Money, probably my top three favorates. Then Jingo too.

What happened to Susan and her chocolate habbit? And Lobsang? Where is Moist, I thought he was going to become Mr Tax? I even miss Death and the Rat and Raven. And what of the bumbling wizzard, Rincewind, where be he?

If I was your advisor, I would tell you to find yourself, or forget yourself, just find your sense of humour. I will read anything, even Vimes (shudder) if its funny.

Write something about the end of the world, that should be a laugh. 2012 and all that.

If it keeps going like this I am going to be forced to write my own stories. Do authors find their own work funny?

I would also like to have read a book about Igor, the one working for Jeremy in Thief of Time. He was fun, I liked him. Where is he now?

So many places to go, no need to Vimes it anymore.

Please.

Whoever is helping you now, fire them. Today.

You know, I even read the unadulterated cat. I dont like cats, I am allergic to them. But you wrote it, so I read it.

What about Masklin? Its been so long, did you write him? How about the adventures of the Swan?

If you need ideas, call me.

:-)

Insert here the usual preamble about being a big Discworld fan (I've read all of the books, even the abominable I Shall Wear Midnight).

Snuff is bad. Very bad, in fact. It's distinctive lack of quality is made all the more striking by how it contrasts Terry Pratchett's earlier work. How could this rambling, incoherent mess have been written by the same man who brought us Small Gods, The Hogfather, and Men At Arms?

The characters are unrecognizable. Willikins becomes a thug. Sybil is suddenly concerned with propriety. Most of the Watchmen/Watchwomen barely make an appearance. Worst of all, Sam Vimes, a parody of traditional noir-style detectives, turns into a soliloquizing moralist, delivering one sermonizing speech after another. At one point, I began to fervently hope that somebody would knock him out or kill him, anything just to get him to shut up.

The style is unrecognizable. Unwieldy sentences used to explain things that could have been said in a few words. Bulky, circumlocutory dialog, like the characters are talking just to fill the silence. Gigantic portions of text that serve no purpose whatsoever (there are scenes that contribute nothing to either plot or character development apparently there, again, just to fill the empty space). All of this would be very sad by itself, but there is worse. Pratchett's humor was always been dry and understated, but now his jokes are blatant, simplistic, and often explained at great length. It is telling that a running gag throughout the book is Young Sam's fascination with poop, which goes beyond the "boys will be boys" territory and far into the realm of creepy. I did not laugh once while reading. I didn't even smile.

Disappointing though it may be to admit, Terry Pratchett is finished. Snuff together with I Shall Wear Midnight prove that he is incapable of writing at even a tenth of his previous ability. Do yourself a favor and reread The Colour of Magic or maybe Guards! Guards! (if you like Vimes). Just say "no" to Snuff.

Having previously praised the first book in this series '"Guards Guards" as one of the finest works of Literature produced in the 20th century - I am deeply saddened to see it deteriorate in to a Politically Correct pseudo leftist morality tale - better suited to an Affirmative Action Lecture by Fem-nzi Harpies than Discworld.

Perhaps the tragic loss of Basic Freedoms in England, including the prohibition on Free Speech that fails to pander; and the Constant Threat of the Kommisars of the Political Thought Police to Punish anyone who dares display "Ism-Obia" (politically un-good views, regardless of how factually correct) has Intimidated Pratchett and his publishers...

- Enough to water down the Piquant Swiftian Satire of a classic like 'Guards Guards' - to the mealy groveling to political correctness that has punctuated his last two puff pieces: 'Sniff' and 'Academical Homosexalists'.

Perhaps it is best they left out the 'wedding' scene with Nobby - formerly one of the finest characters ever to emerge from England - who is now reduced to a just another Knob.

After all, how much humor can you milk out of a wedding ceremony that consists of sharing a Cupcake (no candle / frosting, too dangerous), then carefully composting the paper cup, and then listening ever so attentively to a rousing lecture on the duty to prevent sexual harassment by the Hated Pigs of the Patriarchy? Or Patricians for that matter?

OR Maybeeee He Just Plain Ran Out of Gas... All Samey Same Really - in the Sad Soggy Remains of Preacher Pratchett's Tears of Snot World.