Audio Drama // Snuff (Discworld #39) by Terry Pratchett
I've been heavily into the Horus Heresy audio dramas (expect reviews soon), so I decided to take a break and hit up the Terry Pratchett drama first. Snuff is way ahead of my current reading of Pratchett, and though there are minor spoilers about Vimes, I feel they won't affect my enjoyment of the books. With this in mind, I sat back and listened to the audiobook.
Commercial Fluff: According to the writer of the best-selling crime novel ever published in the city of Ankh-Morpork, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse.
And Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies and an ancient crime more terrible than murder.
He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, occasionally snookered, and out of his mind, but never out of guile. Where there is a crime, there must be a finding, a chase, and a punishment.
They say that in the end, all sins are forgiven.
But not quite all...
Review: Snuff follows Commander Vimes (one of the more infamous disc characters). The story begins with Vimes, his wife and his son heading on a long overdue holiday. It is Vime's first-ever holiday, and he doesn't want to leave Ankh-Morpork. But having a dull holiday won't be a problem for Vimes as soon a murder mystery is forced upon him, as we get introduced to the Goblin Race and some classic Pratchett social commentary. The main theme of this tale seems to be about the fallout of oppressing minorities and how class systems ultimately will fail. But at the same time, this is a Pratchett tale, so we learn a lot of info about animal poop and how goblins collect everything from themselves in bottles (including toenail clippings).
I found Vimes to be a likeable character who, no matter what, wants the disc to be a better place for everyone. I also enjoyed seeing how he brings the Goblins into the large world, and I hope to read more about this race in later books (once I reach them). I found the audio drama hugely entertaining. I was fully absorbed into the story and worried for goblin characters more than Vimes. I knew full well that Vimes would survive. I also laughed out loud and loved how Goblins named themselves and spoke. Once again, Terry Pratchett delivers the goods and brings a smile to my face, and Tony Robinson was an excellent choice for the voice - Just Ice will forever live on in my mind.
