Trego's Mountain Ear

I’ve been rereading Terry Pratchett again. Feet of Clay is part of his series about the city watch. It has some fun recurring characters, but is thematically somewhat different than the book that came before it. It is a book about the nature of humanity disguised as a murder mystery in a fantasy setting. The leader of a city has been poisoned, two seemingly men are dead, and the city watch is on the hunt.

In general, the series (the city watch section of the Discworld novels) focuses on what does it mean to be a person, to be human? Feet of Clay takes that theme and runs with it. It uses golems, literal beings of clay with words written in their heads telling them how to be, as something of an allegory.

Ideas come to life. And eventually, the reader is lead to see that you can put words in people’s heads. That words animate humans, too. And of course, they do. That’s the nature of a good speech, a word of encouragement, a sermon, even a good book.

Pratchett isn’t just funny. He writes social commentary without being preachy, and offers an in depth study of what it is to be human, and to treat people well.

I’m of the opinion that a Terry Pratchett book is pretty much always a good read, but this is a series I’ve especially enjoyed. If you’re interested- it starts with Guards! Guards!