Yes, this has been out for six months in hardback form, but nobody I know ever buys hardbacked books (and now I look forward to an article on why hardbacked books are better in issue 17) and so it's a paperback review.

This is a discworld novel that is centred on that sprawling cess-pit of a city, Ankh Morpork. It revolves around Commander (prevously Captain) Vimes and the rest of the Night Watch, introduces a couple of new Watch members, and spins a yarn of murder, mystery and intrigue.

This is not a good thing in my opinion. I noticed it in Maskerade with Granny Weatherwax and friends, and it's even more apparent in Feet of Clay, the main characters are starting to act like those old detectives you see on TV, Columbo, Miss Marple etc. The writing is far too much od a murder mystery than the previous books, and I hope that this trend doesn't contiune.

I E-Mailed Terry Pratchett about this after reading Maskerade, and oddly enough, I didn't get a reply.

Unfortunately Terry has yet to discover how to write this type of book properly. The more pronounced the murder-mystery aspect of the novel becomes, the less suprising it is. For example, I had realised who the poisoner was, AND how it had been administered, about a third of the way into the book, and the remainder was merely an excercise in passing the time waiting for the next gag.

Ah, er... There are actually only about three gags in the entire book that made me laugh, although they WERE exceptionally funny when I found them. Where has all the humour gone?

It's an okay book though, nicely written with the usual real-world parallels that make the series so funny, aside from my moans here I thought it was enjoyable, certainly I don't regret the six quid I spent on it, but I am starting to wonder if the quotes inside the front cover refer to another book altogether.

Overall: 7/10