"Shoes, men, coffins; never accept the first one you see." 
 This is my first true experience with Terry Pratchet, and I'm left with the impression that he is (and was) to the fantasy genre what Douglas Adams was to sci-fi. That is to say... expansively clever, decidedly British, and not prone to taking himself too seriously. The man was a brilliant writer and masterful storyteller--of that I'm convinced. The following review will reflect this particular Discworld book only... 
 Samuel Vimes, the no-nonsense Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, has his work cut out for him. With the upcoming anniversary of Koom Valley--a historic battle between trolls and dwarfs--all signs point to escalating hostility between the two species within his otherwise well-integrated city. Someone, or something, is out to restart an old war. When a dwarf is murdered and a troll blamed, it's up to Vimes and his loyal, diverse police force to somehow keep the peace... and perhaps prevent another Koom Valley in their midst. Time for Sam to break out the hard-boiled investigative skills. 
 "Why bother with a cunning plan when a simple one will do?" 
 From early on my brain decided the character of Sam Vimes should be cast by David Tenant--probably because his Broadchurch persona seemed suitably applicable (with a dash of Dr. Who thrown in for my own amusement.) But it wasn't until we meet Sam's toddler son, and learn that Sam has made it an unshakeable paternal priority to read to said son at precisely 6PM every evening, that I truly became attached to the character. And in this reader's opinion, the threading through of the children's book played a large role in the keen and endearing genius of this whole tale. 
 "WHERE'S MY COW? ARE YOU MY COW?" 
 It's safe to conclude that Pratchett isn't just parodying the fantasy genre (although, he's delightfully good at it!), he's parodying--and in his own way, confronting--a complex menagerie of issues. Western society, racial tensions, outmoded traditionalism, historical revisionism, cultural chauvinism, drug use... he takes aim at all of these and gets away with it thanks to an expert layering of guile, tongue-in-cheek humor, and measured poignancy. In this reader's mind, that makes him an intrepid social commentator. 
 (Considering the creatures inhabiting Discworld are from an array of TRULY different races (i.e. species), it roundly highlights the absurdity of this reality's ethnic and cultural divides.) 
 The narrative jumps around a bit, including a range of third person perspectives meant to give readers insight into the larger political and social situation. The characterization is whimsical and precise, the dialogue is pithy, and the world-building is deftly handled. Everything weaves around and back together with a thoroughness that feels like a gift I didn't even realize I wanted until Pratchett handed it to me, all tied up neat and pretty. 
 If I had one complaint, it would be the length. There were times the action was low for extended periods and it felt almost as though the author was rabbit-trailing. (Oh me of little faith, I know.) Of course, some of this could simply be a result of perfectly necessary scenes involving characters that I had less investment in. In any case, my interest sometimes wandered more than I, personally, would have liked. 
 Favorite quote: 
 "His mind worked fast, flying in emergency supplies of common sense, as human minds do, to construct a huge anchor in sanity and prove that what happened hadn't really happened and, if it had happened, hadn't happened much."