# Feet of Clay Terry Pratchett (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830 "2013-08-09T20:00:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/21 "2013-08-11T22:44:37Z")
> [@Neverending\_Elbow](#): > > And Nobby being groomed for the role of a puppet king and really not getting it. [Mr Vimes’d go spare!](http://books.google.com/books?id=Y0F6cLMbcB8C&pg=PA279&dq=feet+of+clay+%22mr.+vimes'd+go+spare%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TBMIUo-4MsG4yQGB_oEo&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=feet%20of%20clay%20%22mr.%20vimes'd%20go%20spare%22&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/22 "2013-08-12T07:10:32Z")
Just to say that I started off with _CoM_ and _LF_ back before it was cool, and I read 'em in publishing order and liked it that way! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/23 "2013-08-12T07:48:26Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Just to say that I started off with _CoM_ and _LF_ back before it was cool, and I read 'em in publishing order and liked it that way! 😛 You and me both Mal. A minority of two, apparently. I even liked _Eric!_ ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/24 "2013-08-12T08:01:40Z")
I’m not really sure what going spare actually means. I suspect I don’t want it demonstrated, though. I started at the beginning, too. I read a review in Analog, and bought the book, and laughed my way through. _Eric_ was all right, for anyone else, but I felt it was a disappointment from Pratchett. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/25 "2013-08-12T08:03:16Z")
It was recommended that I start the DW series with _Mort_, but they didn’t have it, so I started with _Reaper Man_. Then I pretty much went in publishing order. I humbly submit that it took a couple novels until PTerry, as I tend to think of it, “found his voice” with the Discworld. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/26 "2013-08-12T08:10:23Z")
\*CoM \*and _TLF_ are both definitely books where Pratchett was feeling his way around this new world. Same with _Equal Rites_, Granny Weatherwax was not really the same person that she was in later books. It’s just that I started reading the books as they were first published, so naturally I read them in publishing order! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/27 "2013-08-12T08:12:34Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’m not really sure what going spare actually means. It means to throw a wobbly. I trust that clarifies things for you. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/28 "2013-08-12T08:15:13Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’m not really sure what going spare actually means. I suspect I don’t want it demonstrated, though. Well, one of Vimes’ grandfather’s, [Old Stoneface Vimes](http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/index.php/%22Stoneface%22_Vimes)’ claim to fame was beheading the last king of Ankh Moorpork, [King Lorenzo the Kind.](http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/index.php/Lorenzo_the_Kind). While Corporal Nobbs probably wasn’t the best history student in grade school, he is a survivor and as such was pretty aware of the sorts of things that could result in him wondering where his head had gone rolling away. Like having Commander Vimes find out Nobby was king. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/29 "2013-08-12T08:16:17Z")
I cannot think of Vimes as wobbly. Unless it is the early Vimes who drinks. I expect that he got pretty wobbly in those times. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/30 "2013-08-12T08:19:36Z")
Vimes at the beginning of G!G! tended to get wobbly. He seemed to be a white ribboner by the end of that story. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/31 "2013-08-12T08:43:55Z")
To “go spare,” and to “throw a wobbly,” is to get upset, or lose your temper. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/32 "2013-08-12T09:56:46Z")
I think my favourite bit is the theological debate at the end. “Break Me In Pieces, Crush Me Into Pottery, And You Will Find Not One Atom Of Consciousness.” “That’s right!” “Of Course, To Be A True Test, One Of You Must Undergo The Same Procedure.” “But that’s not fair! All someone would have to do would be to bake your pottery again and you’d be …umm…is it just me, or are we on tricky theological ground here?” Not to mention… _HUGE ENORMOUS CRATER-INDUCING LIGHTNING-BOLT_ “I Don’t Call That Much Of An Argument.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/33 "2013-08-12T14:53:10Z")
Personally, I always read a series in publication order. In cases like Discworld, I ask around to find out how long it took the author to hit his stride, and then give him that long of a chance before I pass judgement. And I though _Eric_ was a bit weak, but the only Pratchett I was actually disappointed with was _Pyramids_. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/34 "2013-08-13T18:04:57Z")
> [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > You and me both Mal. A minority of two, apparently. Naah. Although I started Pratchett with _Carpet People_, I read the DW stuff in publication order. So did all my friends at school and Uni. And we didn’t see the need to disown the earlier books as he got better. As an SCA Herald, I loved the heraldry jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/35 "2013-08-13T18:55:08Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Although The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic were the first two Discworld Novels, I don’t think they’re anywhere near the best. . . ." > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > \*CoM \*and _TLF_ are both definitely books where Pratchett was feeling his way around this new world. Same with _Equal Rites_, . . . Yeah. I sort of think that CoM, LF, and ER are the beta version of Discworld. Not that they’re not enjoyable books, just that things shifted after. The first two are straight parodies of other fantasy series and fantasy tropes. And Rincewind and the luggage get their first good run. If you’re up for that, they’re fine. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/36 "2013-08-13T20:49:09Z")
Sometimes I’ve wondered why COM and LF are 2 separate books. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/37 "2013-08-13T21:09:02Z")
Because he published the one before he was finished writing the other. They could very well be bound together, though: They’re a lot more directly related than any other Discworld books ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/38 "2013-08-13T21:50:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Because he published the one before he was finished writing the other. They could very well be bound together, though: They’re a lot more directly related than any other Discworld books It’s possible to get them [together](http://www.amazon.com/The-First-Discworld-Novels-Fantastic/dp/0861404211/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1376430416&sr=8-3&keywords=the+color+of+magic%2Fthe+light+fantastic). Also, apparently, as a [graphic novel](http://www.amazon.com/The-Discworld-Graphic-Novels-Fantastic/dp/006183310X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376430416&sr=8-1&keywords=the+color+of+magic%2Fthe+light+fantastic). I wonder if that’s any good. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/39 "2013-08-14T07:16:46Z")
I’ve got \*CoM \*in graphic novel form and I liked it. I don’t know if it’s the same edition as the one you linked to. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830/40 "2013-08-14T19:50:31Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > “WORDS IN THE HEART CANNOT BE TAKEN.” This is really one of my favorite Discworld quotes ever. EVER. Of course, one of my others is another Dorfl quote, though for a very different reason: “Undead Or Alive, You’re Coming With Me.” Feet of Clay is actually one of my favorite Pratchett books, comprising a strong example of what I call “Middle Pratchett” - “Early Pratchett” (Up to, roughly, Guards! Guards!) is when the books are straight up fantasy parodies, and, honestly, are a little flat as a result. “Late Pratchett” (Starting with, roughly, Night Watch) is… significantly less parody, where everything is VERY real with a sort of thin coat of Fantasy over the top. The stuff in the middle is the sweet spot for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feet-of-clay-terry-pratchett-open-spoilers/665830.md?page=3)