Another strong helping of Discworld’s City Watch with more crime, wit and humour.
Feet of Clay is the 3rd book in Pratchett’s city watch collection of Discworld books. It may lack some of the excellence that Men at Arms achieves (mainly due to re-treading old territory), but it remains a strong example of Discworld’s watch doing what they do best; bumbling through an investigation until sheer determination leads them to their criminal. If you’ve read any of the other city watch books, you’re in for more of the same; a clever plot, amusing witticisms and some of the most lovable characters on the Disc.
What you need to know about Feet of Clay
| Length | 416 pages |
| Series | Discworld The City Watch Collection |
| Number in series | Discworld: 19/41 The City Watch Collection: 3/8 |
| Author | Sir Terry Pratchett |
| Publisher | Corgi |
| Publication date | 6th June 1996 |
| Target Age | Teen/Young Adult |
| Genre | Comedic Fantasy |
| Themes | Crime, monarchy, robots, slavery, artificial intelligence, gender politics |
| Similar books | Other Discworld books |
| Complexity | As with other Discworld novels, the books are witty and clever, but never hard to read or follow. |
| Spice (out of 5) | 🌶️ – Feet of Clay is a book low on spice. There’s very light romance other than characters simply being part of relationships. One female character must deal with the practicalities of being a werewolf, leading to brief moments where she is naked. This is only described from a practical perspective and is not descriptive of appearance. |
| Potential trigger warnings | This book follows the city watch as they investigate murders and attempted assassinations. This means that death and danger does occur, but it’s always wrapped up in a comedic and light overtone so that situations never feel intense. |
What’s it about?
Feet of Clay follows another investigation by the City Watch. However, they’re no longer the ragtag bunch we’ve been used to in Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms. This is a proper policing unit with a diverse force that are even dabbling in forensics.
However, they’re tested to their limits when Lord Vetinari is nearly assassinated. Something’s going on with the golems in the city, a string of other murders also seems to be related and now people are trying to bring back the monarchy too. Feet of Clay brings together all these strings into a humorous, clever crime novel.
More great crime mystery from Pratchett
While Pratchett is known for his humour, I think people often forget about his excellent capability to pull readers along for a mystery as clues are unravelled, plots tied together and everything leads towards a unified storyline. Feet of Clay is no different and I enjoyed being able to guess along as clues were revealed to piece together exactly what’s going on and how.
It makes me feel closer to Vimes and the rest of the characters as I walk their shoes trying to work out the mystery Pratchett carefully places in your path.
Brilliantly woven social trends, told in a way only Discworld can
While Feet of Clay always remains a fairly light read, Pratchett does his usual thing of drawing on social issues and commentary in a way that only Discworld can. For example, you’ll find a form of feminism that could only really occur on the Disc. Female dwarves are tired of looking just like the men and begin dressing like women. It’s kind of a reversal of what occurred with feminism in the 20th century and Pratchett handles it with both respect and humour like only he can.
You’ll also find themes around AI and robots, handled with similar wit.
Does re-tread some old ground
Unfortunately, while the majority of Feet of Clay is delightfully written, it also feels a tad familiar. This is exemplified most of all when Nobby is part of a scene. He’s a perfectly fine character, but he’s also very one note. It means that many of the jokes Pratchett has told in previous books, are also present here in slightly varied formats. Surely there’s only so many ways you can tell the reader Nobby is barely human and is the most common being to grace the Disc. But kudos to Pratchett, he does find new ways to do this. But these new ways still feel a little old. It’s a minor blemish, and had this been the 2nd book in the series, I might have given it a higher score, but it does hold it back a little from the greatness of other Discworld books.
Conclusion
Feet of Clay brings more of the Disc’s comfort food. it may not tread new ground (as far as Pratchett’s concerned), but there’s only one Terry Pratchett, and I definitely want more helpings of what he serves. With his usual wit, mystery and wonderful characterisation, Feet of Clay is a really enjoyable tale that perhaps lacks just a little bit of uniqueness to garner the top echelons of ratings, but it’s definitely a worthy sequel and a strong example of Pratchett’s storytelling.
8/10