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Feet of Clay
- Discworld, Book 19
- Narrated by: Nigel Planer
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
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Feet of Clay
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Summary
Who's murdering harmless old men? Who's poisoning the Patrician? As autumn fogs hold Ankh-Morpork in their grip, the City Watch has to track down a murderer who can't be seen.
Maybe the golems know something - but the solemn men of clay, who work all day and night and are never any trouble to anyone, have started to commit suicide....
It's not as if the Watch hasn't got problems of its own. There's a werewolf suffering from Pre-Lunar Tension, Corporal Nobbs is hob-nobbing with the nobs and there's something really strange about the new dwarf recruit, especially his earrings and eye shadow.
Who can you trust when there are mobs on the street and plotters in the night and all the clues point the wrong way? In the gloom of the night, Watch Commander Sir Samuel Vimes finds that the truth may not be out there after all....
Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.
Critic reviews
"Most writers would have trouble producing a full page of the rich zaniness with which Terry Pratchett fills entire novels. His comic fantasies have plots and characters, but they're really about language. They beg to be read aloud." (AudioFile)
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What listeners say about Feet of Clay
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sy
- 27-11-18
Love Discworld but the narrator is bad
The books read by Nigel Planer are a lot less enjoyable. His delivery is distractingly bizarre at times and comes across like he's not put much thought into what accents to use or the meaning of the words he is saying. I mean there are a lot of characters from different places, and made up words etc, but some of the accent and pronunciation choices he makes just don't make sense at all.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nina
- 24-09-17
Go set a Watchman...
This is one of the best Sir Terry Pratchett's novels, which we have enjoyed a lot while driving round The Lakes during our recent holiday.
It always amazes me how easily he is able to tap in to genres and weave in topical references. Here, you're dragged into a thrilling murder investigation by City Watch who will make you laugh and keep you entertained till the last pages. Different social behaviours described in the book are yet so familiar in our day-to-day lives and showing all the colours of the wise satirist that the author was. What a beautiful mind he had!
Nigel Planer's narration is spectacular and I cannot complement him enough every time I write the review. Alongside with such a good story by Sir Terry Pratchett, it's a perfect audiobook and I will be returning to it again and again.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Matthew
- 08-09-12
Bad Narration and editing ruins this book
The narration has really got to a stage here where the more you listen to Planers interpretations the more you realise that its just not right.
However the worse thing about this book is the editing. At one part of the book Planer breaks character and rereads a section as he was not happy with it. This was not picked up on in editing and as a result you get Planer telling the reader he will read that section again.
If like me you love dicworld chances are that you will download this anyway, but please be prepared for a book you will probably think is the worst read in the series, which is a real shame when you consider just how good a book it actually is.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ann Ingham
- 14-06-15
lovely
one of the best disc world stories. funny moving ingenious enthralling. full of interesting questions about life politics and the nature of nobility
6 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Random Public Name 24
- 24-11-10
Oof.
No, no - not quite right. There's a fine line between giving characters, well, character - and hamming it up more than Miss Piggy at the panto. Stephen Briggs gets this right, and I commend those Pratchett novels he has narrated to your attention: distinct enough to be interesting, normal enough not to be annoying. This doesn't.
Whilst the sample of this one was promising, in the end Mr Planer fairly pole-vaults that fine line after about half an hour of listening. Cloying, oily, self-satisfied: inadvertent, no doubt, but that is the sense of the narrator that comes across. I suspect it is because of how good an actor he actually is; but great imitation and variety is not really (when you think about it) what a listener seeks in a narrator. The world's greatest mimic would be a tiresome tale teller. Distinctions between characters in literary art are mostly a matter of rhythm and vocabulary, not accent. I felt the pace and character of Pratchett being wrestled rather artlessly away into a showcase for Planer's ability to gurgle, hiss and ooze about the place.
I could have done without the Ulster Sergeant Colon, too.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sunna
- 07-10-15
A classic Discworld story
Nigel Plainer reads us a story of golems, Vimes, Carrot, Nobby Nobs and royalty. Nigel and Pratchett are a bulletproof combination.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sean Payne
- 08-06-16
A solid detective story in a fantasy setting
Would you listen to Feet of Clay again? Why?
As one of the "middle" City Watch books, Pratchett was really getting into his stride in evolving the characters and the city they inhabit. The story itself is nicely paced and doesn't suffer from any slow moments.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Feet of Clay?
This is the story where golems suddenly pop up as one of the many races inhabiting the Disc, so quite a few good moments circle around characters as they try to understand these strange man-made creatures. The sub-story about the Patrician's poisoning is particularly entertaining too.If I had to pick a winning moment without giving away any spoilers, I'd have to say that the bag of sugar has to be the best moment for me.
Which character – as performed by Nigel Planer – was your favourite?
Vimes is always a treat when performed by Planer, but to be honest most of the characterisations are entertaining.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I have done, several times.
Any additional comments?
It's probably worth checking out Men at Arms or Guards! Guards! first otherwise you might find this whole "Discworld" thing confusing.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 13-08-16
If You Don't Like The King You Have, Make One... Or Not!
Kings are all around. And the right to bear arms is not all that exclusive!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-09-21
It's great!
If you've heard or read the first books about the watch series. You won't be disappointed.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jay Byrd
- 01-09-21
DISCWORLD MUSIC WITH ROCKS IN (rocks)
JUST YES YES YES THE POISON, THE GOLEMS, THE RATS, LORD VETINARY, THE OLD MAN...JUST YES
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Catherine
- 22-09-10
Great, as usual, but with a glitch
This is the fifth Terry Pratchett I've bought, I'm going to work/listen my way through the entire library. Nigel Planer is absolutely brilliant and perfect as a narrator, I may move on to listen to everything he's narrated.
BUT.
There is a "skip" in Part One, Chapter Four, minute 56:20. The narration moves from Foul Ole'Ron and the others shrinking away from a strange figure in the night, and jumps to the suicide of a golem in the butcher's workshop.
I can't get Audible customer support to understand my complaint - there's a problem with the recording! - or respond to it.
I still like the story, and the recording, I just wonder what I'm missing.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Angeline
- 11-08-22
Enjoyable narration and story but…
Instead of re-narrating Terry Pratchett books already in audio format, Penguin needs to publish Discworld audio books that isn’t available like Jingo, Fifth Elephant, and Night Watch. Seriously. Sometimes I’ve seen three audio versions for one book in Discworld series but none for some of the City Watch books. Other than that, I enjoyed this book immensely.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jacobus
- 14-06-12
Prejudice & racism through City Watch eyes!
"Feet of Clay" is one of my all-time Discworld favourites. It is the third Ankh-Morpork City Watch novels. While the story is straight-forward, it is also one of the most complicated. After digging into Jewish folk-tales, Terry Pratchett introduce the race of golems into the Discworld universe. These clay figures are the pinnacle of hard work and goodness, but are generally rubbished as good-for-nothings and always suspected of doing things that they are not supposed to do... until one of them lives up to the prejudice of the Ankh-Morpork community.
Pratchett gives a satirical look on the issues of prejudice, sexism, xenophobia and racism. In "Feet of Clay" he leaves no stone unturned to highlight the dark reality of this phenomenon. However, I cannot help wondering, if a Sherlock Holmes fan without a sense of humour would be more angry about Commander Samuel Vimes so very different approach to detective work, than that of the greatest literature sleuth of all time?
I found a scene near the end of the book gripping. After the golem, Dorfl, is fixed, live returns to him. When questioned on how it is possible, he reacts,"Words written in the heart cannot be taken." (To understand the context, you need to listen to the audio book.)
More than one character is led from oppression to freedom, from slavery to autonomy. In South Africa these themes have been heard so many times, but Pratchett is able to let it resonate with your heart.
Nigel Planer is an excellent narrator and bring the characters successfully to life.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to chuckle while dealing with serious matters.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Janice
- 29-05-12
Great Story and great Reading
The characters in this fantastic Terry Pratchett story are brought to life by the reader, bringing a whole new layer to the great tales that Terry Pratchett writes.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- johnnydc
- 10-03-23
A thought-provoking tale with uneven narration
This is one of the most interesting world-building Discworld books, because it introduces the Golems and discusses their origins and, for lack of a better word, system of belief.
It poses some very good questions about the nature of life, prejudice, and free will, while also being consistently funny and well-paced.
The only drawback is the narration, which is good at some times but absolutely unbearable at others. The voices for the City Watch are fine, but the voice used for the villain is just awful. There's a bit where he has a speech, and I had to jump past it because I couldn't bear it any longer.
If you can get past the bad voices, then you will probably enjoy this book. There is a lot to enjoy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-01-23
maybe even best discworld book...
best book in the vimes series by far, five out of five. I would love a ghibli esk movie done of discworld
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 26-12-22
Fun Story!
This is probably my second favorite Sam Vimes and the Watch book. Funny and a bit philosophical.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zac W
- 25-11-22
classic and timely
It's a great book more people should read the city watch trilogy it's amazing
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Phil F.
- 02-10-22
Excellent
This is a great book. It is a lot better than I expected it to be.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-09-22
Best book so far from terry pratchett
Love the series so far, best book for now. Reading the full series of terry pratchett. Using the Discworld order from Wikipedia