Snuff (Pratchett novel)
Cover by Paul Kidby
|
|
| Author | Terry Pratchett |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Paul Kidby |
| Language | English |
| Series |
Discworld 39th novel – 8th City Watch story |
| Subject |
|
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
|
Publication date
|
2011 |
| ISBN | |
Snuff is the 39th novel in the Discworld series, written by Terry Pratchett. It was published on 11 October 2011 in the United States, and 13 October 2011 in the United Kingdom. The book is the third fastest selling novel in the United Kingdom since records began, having sold over 55,000 copies in the first three days.
The book is the eighth City Watch story and is based largely around Commander Sir Sam Vimes. Pratchett emphasized that the word 'snuff' has "at least two meanings".
Commander Sam Vimes is forced by his wife, Lady Sybil, to take a holiday with their son, Young Sam, at her family's mansion Crundells. After a short time of enjoying his holiday, he discovers that the rural community has a dark past with the resident goblins, humanoid lifeforms that live in caves nearby. Vimes finds out that the son of Lord Rust has been enslaving goblins to force them to work on his tobacco plantations in Howondaland, allowing him to manufacture cigars cheaply that are then smuggled to Ankh-Morpork. After teaming up with the local constable, a young man called Upshot, Vimes manages to arrest those responsible for the crime. In the end, thanks to his wife's organizational skills and powers of persuasion, goblins are recognized as citizens by all major nations and rulers. Rust's son is disinherited and exiled to Fourecks, where, Vetinari assures an eye will be kept on him.
Commander Vimes is persuaded by his wife and Lord Vetinari to take a family holiday back to Sybil's roots in the countryside; Wilikins, Vimes's thug-turned-butler, accompanies them. As Vimes arrives in the countryside, despite the silence and tranquillity, he senses crime.
At a dinner with all the local 'nobs' organized by Sybil, Vimes discovers the distaste the local people have towards goblins, calling them vermin and a nuisance. At the dinner, he also meets Miss Felicity Beedle, a children's book author, and he feels that she has something she wants to tell him about a possible crime.
The next day he participates in a hand-to-hand fight with the hot-headed local blacksmith, Jethro. After Vimes wins the fight, he arranges to meet with Jethro at Dead Man's Copse on Hangman Hill at midnight, as Jethro has something to tell Vimes about the mistreatment of goblins. Lord Rust then approaches Vimes and tells him that he won't find any crimes in the country, also warning him that he has no jurisdiction outside of Ankh-Morpork.
That night, Vimes and Willikins go up to Hangman Hill to find Jethro, but instead, they find the severed finger of a goblin girl and lots of blood. The next morning, the young local constable, Feeney Upshot, arrives at Ramkin Hall to arrest Vimes for the murder of the blacksmith, who has gone missing. Vimes is considered the most likely suspect because he was in a fight with the blacksmith the night before, and he was overheard making plans to meet Jethro on Hangman Hill. However, Vimes refuses arrest, instead taking on the task of mentoring Upshot and teaching him to be a better copper, and together they start an investigation on the case.
...
Wikipedia