This book is as most Pratchett books are, incredibly funny, however I have noticed an undercurrent of some of his recent works that give over a deeper message.

In his "Witches" series Pratchett brings to light and genrally pokes fun at peoples perception of gender roles and sexism in general.

However in his "Guards" series (that feet of clay is a part of) he looks at racism in a variety of ways. As pratchett says in many of his books that racism is never a problem as black and brown tend to get together and team up on green he uses the species difference to make comparisons to racial tension.

The cleverness of this is that it is all done in a light hearted way, the storyline is fluid and typically funny yet with a dark undertone.

A dwarf has been murdered, the suspect is a Golem, a ceramic creature made from clay and brought to life by a magic scroll written by priests, except that no one makes golems any more and that golems are forbidden to kill by the same sroll that gives them life.

A who dunnit emerges with the City Watch led by Commander Sam vimes who is as ever is sober and hating it seeking the true culprit.

Though Pratchett is foremost a fantasy/comedy writer he weaves a beutiful mystery with scooby doo esque clues that lead the reader from logical leap to frank suprise and give a real sense of mystery.

When the city learns of the implications that a golem may be involved with the death Dwarves, Trolls and humans forget their temporary fueds and go on a vigilante style hunt for any golem in the city.

The brilliance of pratchett is the way he balances the different elements. Even if you do not like fantasy fiction this book is filled with debates on the nature of humanity, sentinance and comments on modern society to keep anyone entertained.

Feet of Clay is a classic and is a book that I have re-read many times and would recommend to anyone.