Snuff: Difference between revisions

| author = Terry Pratchett

| central theme = [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]]

| genre = Fantasy

| franchise = Discworld

* [[Ascended Extra]]: [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] Willikins becomes a full and developed main character in this novel, after largely remaining in the background in the past.

* [[Badass]]: Sam Vimes kicks ass and takes names even more than usual.

** [[Badass Bureaucrat]]: A.E. Pessimal, even though he's only mentioned briefly. He's now the Ankh-Morpork version of the IRS / SEC, keeping an eye on businesses and ''absolutely terrifying'' them just by showing up.

** [[Badass Normal]]: Vimes is still mostly a man. Also, [[Battle Butler|Willikins]]. Dear God, Willikins.

** Sybil's huge and exhaustively maintained list of friendships have been a running joke since ''The Fifth Elephant'', complete with Vimes thinking that she and the network of women like her wield tremendous behind-the-scenes power if they felt like it. We finally see that in action here.

* [[Busman's Holiday]]: As stated in the blurb. {{spoiler|Played with. Vimes is relieved to have a crime to deal with... at least at first.}}

** Also, Zoons are mentioned for the first time since ''[[Equal Rites]]''.

** The line "Sybil will go librarian" is a callback to the phrase "going librarian-poo" from an earlier book, which of course is itself a version of "going apeshit".

** The bridge with the sculptures of artistically naked ladies. [[Urns means it's artistic]].

** Vimes's comment that he's never drunk starboard echoes a conversation from ''[[Jingo]]''.

** Wee Mad Arthur has embraced his identity as a Nac Mac Feegle.

** An elderly Lord Rust puts in an appearance.

** Vimes' botched one-liner reply "Burleigh and Stronginthearm" (to "on whose authority?") in ''[[Night Watch (Discworld)|Night Watch]]'' is repeated more successfully by Willikins.

** Vimes's schoolroom had the same book of fairy tales as the Aching family, and he had the same reaction to the goblin on page seven as Tiffany.

** {{spoiler|This music even inspires Vetinari to have the villain of the book killed off screen.}} "Not all sins are forgiven," indeed.

*** {{spoiler|And this, from a man who'd always preferred ''reading'' music to listening, as he'd never encountered a musician who lived up to his standards of precision or refinement. As Vetinari says, it touched people's souls, and reminded more than a few people that they actually have one.}}

* [[Disney Death]]: {{spoiler|Stinky}}. No explanation is given, but it is slightly implied that {{spoiler|the Summoning Dark}} may have saved him.

** {{spoiler|The reference to Vimes' picture-book suggests he's a manifestation of childhood scary-goblin fears, like the bears and Scissor Man that Susan intimidated in ''Hogfather''. One that's actually taken an interest in the normal goblins it was imagined to resemble.}}

* [[Wham! Line]]: "Inside that pot is {{spoiler|the soul of a goblin child}}, and it's yours! ''[[Sarcasm Mode|Congratulations]]!''"

* [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]]: What sets off the entire plot. No one seems to care that a goblin has been killed. For Vimes, on the other hand, [[Averted Trope|murder is murder]].

** In [[Battle Butler|Willikins']] case, he applies this philosophy to every woman except [[Too Kinky to Torture|Kinky]] [[Brains and Bondage|Elsie]].

* [[You No Take Candle]]: Subverted. The goblins speak like this in their own language, at least as far as {{spoiler|the Summoning Dark}}'s translation is concerned. However, the two goblins we hear speaking Morporkian are both fairly fluent; one talks as though she was taking the words out of a filing cabinet and carefully slotting them in place, and the other sounds like a typical working-class city boy.

 

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