Thud! # (UK)

Once, in a gods-forsaken hellhole called Koom Valley, trolls and dwarfs met in bloody combat. Centuries later, each species still views the other with simmering animosity. Lately, the influential dwarf, Grag Hamcrusher, has been fomenting unrest among Ankh-Morpork's more diminutive citizens—a volatile situation made far worse when the pint-size provocateur is discovered bashed to death . . . with a troll club lying conveniently nearby. Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch is aware of the importance of solving the homicide without delay. (Vimes's second most-pressing responsibility, in fact, next to always being home at six p.m. sharp to read Where's My Cow? to Sam, Jr.) But more than one corpse is waiting for Vimes in the eerie, summoning darkness of a labyrinthine mine network being secretly excavated beneath Ankh-Morpork's streets. And the deadly puzzle is pulling him deep into the muck and mire of superstition, hatred, and fear—and perhaps all the way to Koom Valley itself. A seemingly routine day in the life of City Watch commander Sam Vimes is abruptly interrupted by an unsolved murder, an impending war, an unwanted new recruit, and a pesky government inspector. By the author of Going Postal. It's a game of Trolls and Dwarfs where the player must take both sides to win. It's the noise a troll club makes when crushing in a dwarf skull, or when a dwarfish axe cleaves a trollish cranium. It's the unsettling sound of history about to repeat itself. THUD! It's the most extraordinary, outrageous, provocative, insightful, and keenly cutting flight of fancy yet from Discworld's incomparable supreme creator, Terry Pratchett. Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch admits he may not be the sharpest knife in the cutlery drawer. He might not even be a spoon. But he's dogged and honest and he'll be damned if he lets anyone disturb his city's always tentative peace, and that includes a rabble-rousing dwarf from the sticks (or deep beneath them) who's been stirring up big trouble on the eve of the anniversary of one of Discworld's most infamous historical events. Centuries earlier, in a gods-forsaken hellhole called Koom Valley, a horde of trolls met a division of dwarfs in bloody combat. Though nobody's quite sure why they fought or who actually won, hundreds of years on each species still bears the cultural scars, and one views the other with simmering animosity and distrust. Lately, an influential dwarf, Grag Hamcrusher, has been fomenting unrest among Ankh-Morpork's more diminutive citizens with incendiary speeches. And it doesn't help matters when the pint-size provocateur is discovered beaten to death, with a troll club lying conveniently nearby. Vimes knows the well-being of his smoldering city depends on his ability to solve the Hamcrusher homicide without delay. (Vimes's secondmost-pressing responsibility, in fact, next to being home every evening at six sharp to read Where's My Cow? to Young Sam.) Whatever it takes to 'FOR THE ENEMY IS NOT TROLL, NOR IS IT DWARF, BUT IT IS THE BALEFUL, THE MALIGN, THE COWARDLY, THE VESSELS OF HATRED, THOSE WHO DO A BAD THING AND CALL IT GOOD ...' In the city of Ankh-Morpork, tension is rising between dwarf and troll communities. A dwarven fanatic has been stoking the flames of an old hatred born of the Battle of Koom Valley -an ancient war between the races that neither side has quite got over. When the dwarf is murdered, with a troll the only witness, Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch must solve the case before history repeats itself. With his beloved Watch crumbling around him and war drums sounding, Vimes must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin and brave any darkness to find the solution. But darkness is following him ... And at six o'clock every day he must go home to read a bedtime story to his son. There are some things you have to do. 'Consistently funny, consistently clever and consistently surprising in its twists and turns' SFX Thud! is the seventh book in the City Watch series, but you can read the Discworld novels in any order. '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' Koom Valley, The Ancient Battle Where The Trolls Ambushed The Dwarfs, Or The Dwarfs Ambushed The Trolls, Was A Long Time Ago. But If He Doesn't Solve The Murder Of Just One Dwarf, Commander Sam Vimes Of Ankh-morpork City Watch Is Going To See It Fought Again, Right Outside His Office. With His Beloved Watch Crumbling Around Him And War-drums Sounding, He Must Unravel Every Clue, Outwit Every Assassin And Brave Any Darkness To Find The Solution. And Darkness Is Following Him. Oh . . . And At Six O'clock Every Day, Without Fail, With No Excuses, He Must Go Home To Read 'where's My Cow?', With All The Right Farmyard Noises, To His Little Boy. There Are Some Things You Have To Do. Vimes knows the well-being of his smoldering city depends on his ability to solve the Hamcrusher homicide without delay. (Vimes's secondmost-pressing responsibility, in fact, next to being home every evening at six sharp to read Where's My Cow? to Young Sam.) Whatever it takes to unstick this very sticky situation, Vimes will do it, even tolerating having a vampire in the Watch. But there's more than one corpse waiting for him in the eerie, summoning darkness of the vast, labyrinthine mine network the dwarfs have been excavating in secret beneath Ankh-Morpork's streets. A deadly puzzle is pulling Sam Vimes deep into the muck and mire of superstition, hatred, and fear, and perhaps all the way to Koom Valley itself Koom Valley? That was where the trolls ambushed the dwarfs, or the dwarfs ambushed the trolls. It was far away. It was a long time ago. But if he doesn't solve the murder of just one dwarf, Commander Sam Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch is going to see it fought again, right outside his office. With his beloved Watch crumbling around him and war-drums sounding, he must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin and brave any darkness to find the solution. And darkness is following him. Oh . . . and at six o'clock every day, without fail, with no excuses, he must go home to read 'Where's My Cow?', with all the right farmyard noises, to his little boy. There are some things you have to do. With his beloved Watch crumbling around him and war-drums sounding, Commander Sam Vimes must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin and brave any darkness to find the solution. And darkness is following him. At six o'clock every day, without fail, with no excuses, he must go home to read "Where's My Cow?" to his little boy. Koom Valley? That was where the trolls ambushed the dwarfs, or the dwarfs ambushed the trolls. Anyway, it was far away and a long time ago. But if Commander Sam Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch doesn't solve the case of a murdered dwarf, he could see the whole battle again, fought right outside his office