Thud - Discworld, Bk 34 Author:Terry Pratchett "Some people would be asking: whose side are you on? If you're not for us, you're against us. Huh. If you're not an apple, you're a banana." — When it comes to racial hatred and sectarian violence, the phrase "vive la difference" is usually one of the furthest from the tip of the mob's tongue. When a whole ... more »city is poised on the very brink of anarchy, it only requires one thing to pitch it over the edge. Like the murder of one of the key participants, for example.« less
This book is actually about modern day terrorism as translated to the fantasy bo world of Disc World. One of the better books of the five or so I've read in the series.
Ankh-Morpork's City Watch Commander, Sam Vimes, stars in the latest entry in Pratchett's popular Discworld series (Going Postal, etc.). "Thud" is the sound that commences the novel, as a dwarf is bludgeoned to death; it's also the name of a chesslike match that recreates the battle of Koom Valley, a long-ago fight between trolls and dwarfs. As the anniversary of the battle approaches, ancient politics and the present-day murder cause tensions between the trolls and dwarfs to boil. Though Koom Valley was a disaster for both sides, certain community leaders from each side have been spoiling for a rematchâsomething Vimes is duty-bound to prevent. In the midst of this, a push toward affirmative action forces Vimes to hire a vampire named Sally to the Watch. She's sworn off human blood, but that's cold comfort to the assortment of humans, dwarfs, trolls, werewolves and golems that make up the police force. Vimes and his motley crew of coppers are called upon to not only find the murderer and keep the peace but also, in a jab at The Da Vinci Code, solve the riddle of a painting that reputedly holds the secret to what really happened at Koom Valley.