Nisadas

Who watches the Watchmen? Well, in this case, it’d be Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. I’ve just finished reading Terry Pratchett’s latest book, Thud! – and remain steadfast in admiration of the gentleman’s work.

Ever since I picked up Maskerade at the British Council one fine day so long ago, I’ve been hooked. The wordplay, the satire – everything about the Discworld is so wonderfully presented – playing on so many themes from our very own world (Roundworld as it’s known in the Science of Discworld books – which also proved to be just as interesting as the novels) – that its insightful in a hilarious kinda way. Certainly, it’s testament to my interest in the series that my Angel With A Pitchfork deemed it suitable to present me with a copy of Interesting Times – my favourite of the series (under serious threat from Nightwatch – hint. hint.) – on a very special occasion.

Of course, it pays to know a real life Havelock-Vetinari-in-the-making, who gets his hands on the latest books; it certainly helped me have the satisfaction of having read ALL the books in the Discworld series, albeit always one later than him.

Of all the characters in the books, Patrician Vetinari is the coolest, most savvy; Granny Weatherwax the most commanding and canny; Rincewind the one I used to most identify with . But there’s just something about Sam Vimes. The way he has risen, grown from strength to strength throughout the series appeals to me. His strong sense of Truth and Justice, coupled with his street-smarts make him a character strong enough to arrest the highest authority in the city, yet he is totally outsmarted by his aristocratic wife, Sybil.

I might even emulate the chap – there are so many good qualities about him. But then again, someone who seeks to emulate fictional characters has serious issues, more of that later.

From Quantum Physics to Common Sense, Pratchett’s books have taken a satirical view of the world that we live in, engulfing various fantasy (i.e. Witches, Dwarves, Trolls, Elves, Gnomes, Gnolls etc) characters in his fictional Discworld multiverse in situations that mirror most events and issues in our own world. The witticisms and puns, the inside jokes cover a wide spectrum, colouring a multiverse that has not simply grasped, but pretty much arrested the imaginations of thousands of fellow readers around the world.

In Thud!, the issue of extremism is something that strikes me as being a main theme. How those who maintain traditions use that as a weapon to browbeat the more progressive of their species is a subject that I have been (unfortunately) closely acquainted with in the real world. So it’s a helluva lotta fun seeing how it all ends in Thud!, which is already saying too much – but hopefully not too much to ruin the ending.

Thud! -the book- is certainly made more interesting due to the fact that it’s been preceded by more than three years by Thud! -the game. It’s apparently something like chess, but there’s precious little said about the actual specifics. It’s been a long time since I played chess, or any other board game for that matter, but I hope that when I do so in the future, at least one instance will be when I play Thud!.

’nuff said. Here are some links that you might be interested in:

• Terry Pratchett Books
• Details on the book at Amazon.com
• The L-Space Web, a fantastic resource that includes the The Annotated Pratchett File 9.0 which is a work of art in its own right.
• Info on Terry Pratchett at Wikipedia
• Pratchett’s story behind the game
• A gallery of photos of the game, at BoardGameGeek.com