Terry Pratchett's most recent novel to take readers to Discworld (that flat planet, carried on the backs of four gigantic elephants, who in turn stand upon the shell of solar-system-sized turtle with huge flippers, who slowly swims through space, dragging the hapless Discworldites along for the ride) is "Thud!" (That is the sound a troll war club makes when it comes in contact with...well, just about anything). This is another in the 'City Watch' series, in which Sam Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, once again pits his wits (although he admits that he is not the sharpest knife in the cutlery drawer--he might not even be a spoon) against ghastly murder, suspenseful intrigue, and narrow-minded bigotry.

When a politically high level dwarf is murdered, the only suspect is a troll (the two races have been traditional enemies for thousands of years), but is it a frame up; poorly staged to instigate a renewed war between dwarf and troll, as the anniversary of a deadly and bloody battle between the two races draws near? It is up to Sam Vimes and his...well, colorful watch members to discover the answer, before more blood is shed.

Now this may sound like a 'run of the mill' type fantasy story, but Pratchett takes it *Much* further than that. Not only does Vimes have both dwarf and troll constables on the force (who tend to sometimes want to bash each other over the head, when no one is looking too closely), there is also a zombie, a werewolf, and a new member of the force--a vampire. But she isn't of the blood sucking variety; she's a 'Black Ribboner.' This is a vampire who has sworn off drinking blood--well, human blood at any rate--so it's all right to be around them at night. Well, maybe. The werewolf and vampire team up on this investigation, but it turns out the species hate each other (see the movie, "Underworld"). Well, perhaps not to that extent, but they certainly would rather not be stuck underground in a dark, dwarf mine with each other, which is exactly where they end up, searching for clues to a killer.

Aside from being another laugh-out-loud funny romp through the many twists and turns one always finds on Discworld, this is a quality fantasy story (as are all of his books), which may be enjoyed as being a fine mystery novel, as well.