Feet of Clay (Discworld Novels (Audio))

Rating:
Summary: A Clayfooted Comedy
Review: While Pratchett's Discworld series is surely a powerhouse of creativity and the imagination, this particular installment does little to rise above formula. This edition cannot stand on its own two feet (of clay) because Pratchett fails to add any satirical strength to his bizarre world of werewolves, golems, trolls, dragons, and cross-dressing dwarves. Instead, these strange characters do nothing but add a forced attempt at zaniness to a completely run-of-the-mill mystery story. Does the fanciful Discworld, with its weird creatures and zany goings-on, provide a satirical counterpart to our real world, giving us a way to earn insights into human nature in the way good comedic satire should? Maybe so in the other Discworld novels, but not this one. This volume is little more than textbook comedy that follows the rules of hilarity, but provides few real unexpected laughs. And the comedy is strictly from the Douglas Adams school of slapstick, weirdness for the sake of weirdness, with plot and characterization being neglected in favor of rapid bursts of zaniness. This is still a reasonably enjoyable read, but where's the satirical beef? [~doomsdayer520~]