After finishing a Terry Pratchett puzzle this Christmas—thank you, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill—I decided to download a Terry Pratchett audiobook. I chose THUD and loved every second. (This book is the last in the City Watch series but reads as a standalone.)

The genius of Terry Pratchett aside, the narrator is outstanding. I have no idea how he moved seamlessly between so many variations of the British accent. Plus he added a smorgasbord of distinctive tones that brought fantastical creatures to life. The vampires, for example, sound a wee bit smary, and the trolls—sorry, Brick—sound thick. Bill Nighy reading the footnotes is a bonus.

The story opens with the murder of a dwarf and the awakening of an ancient evil. As the city of Ankh-Morpork threatens to explode into war between the trolls and the dwarfs, Commander Sam Vimes must solve escalating crimes and maintain peace. Even if that means dealing with magic and politics, both of which he hates. And agreeing to hire a vampire (as if he has a choice). Sam has his prejudices and self-doubts, but he’s one of life’s good guys. He stands up for his coppers, whatever their species, and is home at six every night to read Where’s My Cow to young Sam. (When some of his unit, including his troll sergeant, helped with the farmyard noises, I laughed myself into a coughing fit.)

There’s a full cast of characters to keep track of, but that’s never a problem because the characterizations are pitch perfect. How can you forget a drop-dead gorgeous pole dancer who can’t get a date or how Willikins the butler dispatches a dwarf assassin?

Despite many threads and hijinks, the super smart plot pulls everything together into a brilliant and satisfying finale.

What a hilarious, heartwarming tale of light in darkness and one city official who never lets anything preempt his duties as a dad.