#140. Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Title:	Snuff
Author:	Terry Pratchett
Genre:	Fantasy/Crime/Satire
Synopsis:	Commander Vimes is supposed to be on vacation in the countryside but wherever a policeman goes, they are sure to find crime. There is something strange going on and it involves the Discworld’s most shunned species, goblins.
Verdict:	If this turns out to be the last Sam Vimes book I will be happy with how Terry Pratchett has left him. The dynamics between Sam and Lady Sybil, the expansion on characters and some of the touches at the end made it really lovely. There is less layering than some of the previous City Watch books but the social issues and the explorations of morality remain.
Pages:	378
Read:	April 2012

Re-Read #4. World War Z by Max Brooks

Title:	World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War
Author:	Max Brooks
Genre:	Zombie/Thriller/Interview/Alternate History
Synopsis:	A comprehensive and remarkably in depth overview of the zombie war that nearly wiped humanity from the face of the Earth, provided via a series of interviews with different survivors of the conflict. The stories told come from all over the world, from individual accounts of survival to administrators' tales of the challenges involved in turning things around in time to avoid destruction and give humanity a chance of not just enduring but triumphing and rebuilding.
Verdict:	This book stuns me every time. The breadth of geographical, sociopolitical, psychological, technological and cultural knowledge is astounding. The authentic feel of each of the 'narrators'. This book gives me chills. Not just 'argh, zombies!' chills but humanity chills. Using the zombie apocalypse to explore what makes us human and why that's worth fighting for gives World War Z a poignancy that many wouldn't expect from a book about zombies.
Pages:	342
Read:	April 2012

Re-Read #3. Thud by Terry Pratchett

Title:	Thud
Author:	Terry Pratchett
Genre:	Fantasy/Crime/Satire
Synopsis:	The age old conflict between the trolls and the dwarves is heating up again as the anniversary of a controversial battle approaches. But there are other factors at play which are threatening to push things over the edge and plunge the city into chaos unless Sam Vimes can find out who murdered a high-ranking dwarf, where a priceless painting had gone and what really happened at Koom Valley all those years ago.
Verdict:	Do you even need to ask? Can my verdict just be a bunch of hearts? Terry Pratchett continues to add a depth and complexity to his characters and world that blows me away.
Pages:	373
Read:	April 2012