“There were no public health laws in Ankh-Morpork. It would be like installing smoke detectors in Hell.”
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett is a third incredible installment in the City Watch series! Jon Culshaw continues to hit it out of the park with his audio narration of Pratchett’s brilliant writing, and I’m enjoying the ride into a new favorite author. I can’t recommend experiencing this series through the audiobooks highly enough.
Pratchett’s writing is a masterclass in combining characterization, humor, and theme into one fantastic combination. His tongue-in-cheek British wit provides the perfect backdrop to our cast of hilarious misfits, leaving plenty of space for the occasional moment of theme to come in and sink its teeth into your heart.
Led by the trusty Commander Vimes, our hapless heroes must solve yet another mystery and dip into the rusty cauldron of their courage to discover why the Patrician is being poisoned, and why there are more dead bodies appearing with signs pointing to the city’s indentured golems. Dead bodies that aren’t the usual fare, I should clarify. Feet of Clay certainly isn’t the first time the City Watch have had to deal with a murder mystery.
Carrot continues to be a favorite character for me, but the Patrician is putting some pressure on his pedestal! Detritus, Vimes, Nobby, Sergeant Colon, Angua, Cheery, Constable Visit… the whole crew is just every sort of delightful. Pratchett’s characterization is phenomenal. Men At Arms (City Watch #2) is still my favorite of the three thus far, but Feet of Clay was a close second.
I’ve always loved stand up comedians that are able to take the mundane and make it relatable and hilarious. Pratchett is a master of this skill, and that’s what makes his world so engaging and immersive. He weaves just enough depth through the humor, and I find it a perfect balance. As I’ve said before, these are stories written by someone who loves fantasy deeply and knows how to break its rules and breathe fresh life into the tropes that litter the genre.
Jon Culshaw’s narration is exceptional, and I recommend that anyone looking to experience this series does so through the audiobooks. I say this as someone who rarely engages well with books in their audio format.
I can already tell that this series is one that I will reread many times in the future. I don’t think I’ve smiled and chuckled through any series this much in my life. The City Watch has been, at least from my experience, an excellent gateway into the wondrous and wacky Discworld, and I would highly recommend it for new readers to Pratchett’s work.
