Thud!

[Joel007]

I am just re-reading Thud! again, and I still don't get the scene at young Sam's bedroom.
When Vimes runs up the stairs as a dwarf enters the bedroom, and then the dwarf comes flying backwards out of the room just as Vimes reaches the top of the stairs. What happened?
I'm assuming that the dwarf was somehow killed by the Summoning Dark, but how? Usually it acts through Vimes.
Someone else told me that Vimes was the one who hit the dwarf, but it states clearly in the book that Vimes was watching this scene from outside the bedroom.

[The Ace]

Some of young Sam's toys were lying on the nursery floor in such a way that they looked like the symbol for the summoning dark, the dwarf reacted in shock.

[Joel007]

Must be some shock if it sent him flying backwards through a banister!

Anyway, it says that the summoning dark leaves its signature on events, so I thought the symbol was an after-statement rather than the cause.

[The Ace]

Yes, but to a dwarf, coming over it like that......


Remember, although dwarfs claim not to be religious, being a dwarf is practically a religion. Seeing the sign in a completely unexpected place, and already troubled by his conscience, primeval fear of retribution woud've taken over. It's only a miracle he didn't die of a heart-attack.

[paranoid marvin]

Isn't the assumption 'like father , like son'? That it is Vime's son who the summoning dark acts through?

[Bibliophile]

No, it was only acting through Vimes. His son wouldn't of been able to cast it out the way Sam could. But remember how angry Vimes was as he was flying up the stairs? That was (also) the Summoning Dark coming through. It's presence probably created the sign from the fallen toys.