Mark Reads ‘Feet of Clay’: Part 13

In the thirteenth part of Feet of Clay, WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS BOOK. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Discworld. 

Nobbs

I NEVER SAW IT COMING, OH MY GOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE. Like, is there really any doubt left that the Guild heads and the upper crust of Ankh are responsible in some part for Vetinari? IT HAS TO BE THEM. I spent time of my life feeling kind of good about Nobbs because even if these people were being patronizing or sycophants, they made him feel desired and wanted. He got people laughing. They seemed to enjoy him. Yes, the anonymous group spoke poorly of him, and was cruel about his very nature, but he was getting wealth and power out of it, so at least Nobbs would get something positive out of the experience!

AND THEN THIS:

“He should do nicely.”

“Splendid.”

“Dragon did well. I suppose the little tit isn’t really an earl, by any chance?”

“Don’t be silly.”

NO. NO. OH MY GOD. THIS IS TERRIBLE.

Colon

Literally as soon as I finished the video, I was preparing to encode it for YouTube and it hit me: the Dragon King of Arms is the one who says “Ah-ha” all the time. So it’s Dragon who is (partially) behind this! OH MY GOD, IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. And I say this knowing that I still don’t have all the pieces. But there’s confirmation that Dragon has a golem named Meshugah, so… maybe Dragon is behind the golem disaster??? For what end, though? How has Dragon “seen to” Vimes?

BUT THEY’RE NEAR COCKBILL. WEE MAD ARTHUR IS THERE (and is confirmed to be a gnome, which is cool as hell) AND SAVES THE DAY. EVERYTHING IS COMING TOGETHER. But what about the arsenic? Is this how it’s getting into the rats? Maybe not? And how was Dragon able to poison Vetinari? Actually, that’s still a terrible question because we don’t even know if Vetinari was behind his own poisoning. WHAT IS THIS BOOK.

I did get worried, though, that Colon was going to die. I know, he’s one of the major Watch characters, but look what happened when I assumed that last time. Meshugah is just so terrifying, y’all! I can’t help it!

Cheri

CHERI BONDING WITH ANOTHER FEMALE DWARF WHO WANTS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES DIFFERENTLY = ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING PLOTS YET. OH MY GOD, THAT SCENE WAS SO GOOD.

Mob Behavior

It was only a matter of time before the people of Ankh-Morpork turned on golems. In a way, they already had; no one viewed them as people or believed that they deserved autonomy or agency. They were meant for work that no one else would do, they were unpaid, and they were unappreciated. So when the murders happened, the golems changed to people; they’re suddenly beings with agency and will power and they’re murderers. It becomes frighteningly easy to demonize them, even though the common understanding of golems is that they can only do what their chems tell them to.

So Carrot protects Dorfl. (Again exposing that even though Dorfl is different, Carrot still thinks they deserve respect. Why can’t he offer the same respect to Angua and Cheri?) When Sock refuses to take Dorfl back, Carrot offers to buy him. I do love that Angua plays a huge role in this, too, and I’m only now realizing how much they fulfill the buddy cop dynamic. SO MUCH, OH MY GOD.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS AMAZING EXCHANGE, TOO:

The golem took the little scrap of paper between two thick fingers.

“That means you belong to you,” said Carrot encouragingly. “You own yourself.”

Dorfl shrugged.

“What did you expect?” said Angua. “Did you think he was going to wave a flag?”

I LOVE ANGUA SO DEARLY. But she’s right! The golems have never gotten to experience true freedom, so handing them the power isn’t going to transform them instantly. They have no concept of what Carrot gives them, so when he puts a new chem inside Dorfl with the command of freedom, DORFL NEARLY EXPIRES. Yet it’s in this moment that Angua drops an uncomfortable truth of her life. Acceptance is a complicated thing; merely existing does not mean one is accepted. The sight of Dorfl – who is technically an undead in Angua’s eyes – reminds her that she’s not human. Even further, she perceives them as being “accepted” in ways she is not. In a way, that’s true, especially for her and all the terrible things people say about werewolves. At the same time, I don’t know that I’d quantify the golems as being better off than her. In the current climate, that’s certainly not the case. But relative to Angua, there’s a jealous she can’t ignore. She wants things she doesn’t have because she’s a werewolf.

And in a way, I felt like she was trying to communicate with Carrot about how frequently he doesn’t understand her and her struggles. It’s not as direct as she could be, but it’s a start. Life is complicated for the undead, and Carrot still can’t empathize with that, at least not fully.

Diane Duane is still offering a massive discount on the first 9 books in the Young Wizards series just to this community, so please take advantage of this deal while you still can:

http://bit.ly/markreadsYW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_9a6RdsK1U

Mark Links Stuff

– I am now on Patreon! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards.
– I will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!