Thud! was the first book by Terry Pratchett I read and I really liked it. Humorous and surprisingly timely social commentary for a book populated by dwarfs, trolls, vampires, and the like. I now seem to be working my way backwards through his books. I read Going Postal and it was a pleasure. A compelling story of a confidence man put in charge invigorating the defunct postal service. A few laugh out load moments, but many quiet smiles. I know the writing is good when I find myself reading paragraphs out load to my wife. There is a particularly good dig at the word "synergistically" that should be read by all management consultants. The main character is complaining about the antagonist's use of language...

"It was garbage, but it had been cooked by an expert. Oh, yes. You had to admire the way perfectly innocent words were muged, ravished, stripped of all true meaning and decency, and then sent to walk the gutter for Reacher Gilt, although "synergistically" had probably been a whore from the start."

Both books I would recommend without reservation.