Thud, by Terry Pratchett

The plot of this book revolves around a war between the dwarves and trolls that took place in Koom Valley generations ago. But that’s not what the book is about.

Sam Vimes is a great role model with a lot of common sense. He understands himself and shares that with the reader in a way that makes them a better person. He also notes when he is willfully ignoring common sense and makes sure he knows why he is doing it before he leaps.

Pratchett explores the complexities of life for many different creatures, and the way he advocates restraint is impressive to me. One of the characters is a werewolf, and she laments: “Never mind that life was a daily struggle with the inner wolf, never mind that you had to force yourself to walk past every lamppost, never mind that in every petty argument you had to fight back the urge to settle it all with just one bite.” With the exception of the lamppost, I think those feelings come to everyone, and thinking about it from the point of view of one who deals with being a wolf inside all the time makes the things I face look easy.

Sam is incredibly dedicated to his young son. His example may be a bit larger-than-life, but serves as a reminder of what the most important things in our lives should be, and how our priorities shape the rest of our thoughts and actions.

There is a great deal in this novel about darkness and light. The creatures you would think of as ‘the good guys’ are given the dark qualities, while the creatures you would think of as ‘bad’ end up with the pure, light quality. There is a dwarf sign named the Summoning Dark which is discussed at length throughout the book.  It is deep, awful, and claustrophobic to those who have to deal with it. I found it very powerful that (Spoiler alert:) the one force that was able to resist it was another kind of darkness. I have discussed the restraint Sam Vimes has over the natural man (Pratchett calls it the Beast in some of his other books, in this one rage and anger are cited as the weaknesses). The Summoning Dark meets his match in Sam, who has created barriers within himself to these kinds of things. There is a dialogue between the Summoning Dark and Sam’s guardian, who says he might be called the “Guarding Dark.” He is the one who keep the natural man, or the Beast, from taking over Sam's actions. The guardian says to the summoning Dark “I think you misunderstand. I am not here to keep darkness out. I’m here to keep it in . . . Imagine how strong I must be.” The Summoning Dark leaves Sam, saluting Sam on its way out. The fact that Sam had that curse festering inside him, working to dominate him - that actually ended up protecting Sam and making him stronger. It definitely strengthened his Guarding Dark, which could be related to the will within all of us to bind the natural man. We are strengthened through adversity – that’s a big part of what this life is about.

Also, (Spoiler alert:) at the end of the story, you come to find out that the animosity between the dwarves and the trolls was supposed to have ended in Koom Valley, not started there. The Koom Valley battle that cemented their hatred of each other was supposed to have been a treaty signing. Ah, the failures of men! (Metaphorically, anyway.) Their greed and desire for power seems to overwhelm the good intentions of those who seek peace.

So, on the negative side, one of the coppers has a girlfriend who is a pole dancer. Her lack of clothing is described, and she goes out boozing with two female members of the Watch. A lot of the drinks have inappropriate names. This book is not recommended by me. I wouldn’t want my husband to read it any more than I’d want him to eat delicious brownies that had a bit of doggy poop mixed in the batter. It’s really too bad.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford

This is a clean love story about a young Chinese boy living through WWII. There’s a lot of jazz music in it, and plenty of accurate, heart-wrenching history. The family of the main character has difficulty communicating and this is passed on to the next generation, and only semi-resolved by the end. But those kinds of things take time. I didn’t feel the author was a particularly fine writer or that he kept all his facts straight all the time, but his pacing was good and I loved that new, important facts about the main character’s history popped up throughout the novel. I enjoyed the nonlinear narrative.

Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett

I found this to be a beautiful and poignant description of life and what it means to live. Pratchett’s comic, ever-present political and personal analyses will stick with you too, but when I closed this book, I felt uplifted and renewed.

The character of Death is ‘fired,’ and finds himself with time, something that has not existed for him before. He knows just what to do – spend it. As death learns about life and time, so does the reader. And if, at the end, you do not find yourself with a desire to stand in a wheat field and listen to the wind, I’ll eat my scythe.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

This one is not Pratchett's best, but the fact that it's by Terry Pratchett still means that is it wonderfully hilarious and thought-provoking. Sam Vimes is, as always, a brave and clever hero. My favorite quote:

“The fresh rain glistened on the towers and rooftops, all unaware of the teeming, rancorous world it was dropping into. Luckier rain fell on upland sheep, or whispered gently over forests, or pattered somewhat incestuously into the sea. Rain that fell on Ankh-Morpork, though, was rain that was in trouble.”