Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Hachette UK (2014)
Description
Welcome to Guards! Guards!, the eighth book in Terry Pratchett's legendary Discworld series. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ('noble dragon' for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all...). How did it get there? How is the Unique and Supreme Lodge of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night involved? Can the Ankh-Morpork City Watch restore order - and the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork to power? Magic, mayhem, and a marauding dragon...who could ask for anything more?
User reviews
LibraryThing member ErlendSkjelten
It is hard for me to review any Discworld book as a single work, and this book in particular will be difficult. I've pretty much read the Watch series of Discworld books backwards, which is no way to do things, I know. Rather than following Vimes from the gutters to the top, I started reading where
Guards! Guards! follows the sorry remains of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, specifically the Night Watch, as the city is attacked by a dragon. The City Watch has dwindled into insignificance since the formation and legitimisation of the Thieves' Guild, and at the beginning of the book, the Night Watch consists of just three members, led by the alcoholic Captain Samuel Vimes. For the first time in recent memory, a volunteer has joined the Watch, a young dwarf from the mountains called Carrot, who disrupts the life of the city by going around arresting people and enforcing laws. To make life even more interesting, a secret cult is summoning dragons as part of a plot to overthrow the Patrician and install a king.
Like I said, it is hard for me to review this as a work unto itself, I can't help but filter my impressions through all the other Discworld novels I've read. Would it be as enjoyable without the love for the series and the world already established? I'm inclined to think: yes.
Pratchett is a master with the language. Watching a wordsmith like this play is pure entertainment. In addition to his firm grasp on the language, he is also a master satirist and humourist. I have yet to read a book by him that isn't hilarious, and this one caused me to break down in laughter at several points. Some of his earlier books are heavy on the laughs and lighter on the plot, but this isn't one of them, and remains suspenseful as well as funny.
As for the characters, I'm slightly at a loss. Having read backwards, I know how many of them turn out, and am not entirely able to tell whether I would have cared much about them if I read this cold. I suspect I would, Vimes at least is interesting whatever he does, though maybe somewhat less so here than in later books. Other characters are definitely well painted, such as the awesome Lady Ramkin.
Ultimately, it is hard to recommend any one Discworld book, they are all so intertwined and building upon each other (and yet, somehow, also completely able to stand alone). Having read the others makes this more enjoyable, but having read them in order would have made the others more enjoyable still. I cannot do anything but recommend it to everyone, though I would also recommend starting the series from the beginning if you haven't read Discworld before.
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he already was on top, and have now, finally, read of his beginning in the gutters.Guards! Guards! follows the sorry remains of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, specifically the Night Watch, as the city is attacked by a dragon. The City Watch has dwindled into insignificance since the formation and legitimisation of the Thieves' Guild, and at the beginning of the book, the Night Watch consists of just three members, led by the alcoholic Captain Samuel Vimes. For the first time in recent memory, a volunteer has joined the Watch, a young dwarf from the mountains called Carrot, who disrupts the life of the city by going around arresting people and enforcing laws. To make life even more interesting, a secret cult is summoning dragons as part of a plot to overthrow the Patrician and install a king.
Like I said, it is hard for me to review this as a work unto itself, I can't help but filter my impressions through all the other Discworld novels I've read. Would it be as enjoyable without the love for the series and the world already established? I'm inclined to think: yes.
Pratchett is a master with the language. Watching a wordsmith like this play is pure entertainment. In addition to his firm grasp on the language, he is also a master satirist and humourist. I have yet to read a book by him that isn't hilarious, and this one caused me to break down in laughter at several points. Some of his earlier books are heavy on the laughs and lighter on the plot, but this isn't one of them, and remains suspenseful as well as funny.
As for the characters, I'm slightly at a loss. Having read backwards, I know how many of them turn out, and am not entirely able to tell whether I would have cared much about them if I read this cold. I suspect I would, Vimes at least is interesting whatever he does, though maybe somewhat less so here than in later books. Other characters are definitely well painted, such as the awesome Lady Ramkin.
Ultimately, it is hard to recommend any one Discworld book, they are all so intertwined and building upon each other (and yet, somehow, also completely able to stand alone). Having read the others makes this more enjoyable, but having read them in order would have made the others more enjoyable still. I cannot do anything but recommend it to everyone, though I would also recommend starting the series from the beginning if you haven't read Discworld before.
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LibraryThing member pwaites
I highly recommend Guards! Guards! a fantasy novel that follows a cast of unusual heroes: the city watch. This hilarious novel works great as a stand alone or as an introduction to the Discworld, the sprawling forty book series created by Sir Terry Pratchett.
All the previous Discworld books touched
“Vimes felt a sudden surge of civic pride. There had to be something right about a citizenry which, when faced with catastrophe, thought about selling sausages to the participants.”
However, Guards! Guards! is the first book to be set totally within the city. The result is a novel with a simpler yet stronger plot line where everything ties together really well.
In Guards! Guards!, a group of dissatisfied citizens work together to summon a dragon. It’s a simple plan: summon a dragon, then have a malleable “true heir to the throne” show up to defeat it. But things do not go as planned, and it is up to the night watch, lead by Samuel Vimes, to save the day.
Vimes is my favorite character. Not just in this book, or in Discworld, or in literature, but my favorite fictional character of all time. Why do I love him so much? Well, for a start he has an amazing character arc. At the beginning of the book you see him literally in the gutter, “brung low” by the city itself. Over the course of Guards! Guards! you realize that beneath the grungy exterior is a man who really cares about injustice.
“If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn’t as cynical as real life.”
Yet Vimes lives in a world where there is so much injustice, where it feels hopeless to try and do the right thing. But when the dragon comes and things go down the drain, Vimes is willing to stand up and do what he believes is right even when no one else will. He serves the law, not the Patrician or any other person, the law.
What’s great about Guards! Guards! is how the secondary characters shine as well. The three other members of the night watch are all utterly memorable and continue to grow over the course of the books. Lady Sybil Ramkins, while pretty much the only female character, is absolutely wonderful and an expert on all things dragons.
Discworld books are funny, no doubt about that, but the jokes often overlay a serious core. In Guards! Guards! this is seen by how easily people accept the presence of the dragon, so long as they aren’t the ones being eaten. There’s a conversation at the end between Vimes and Vetinari, the ruling Patrician, on the nature of humanity and how Vimes need to believe that people are not fundamentally good or fundamentally bad but just people. This is an overarching idea for many of Pratchett’s books.
“One of the things forgotten about the human spirit is that while it is, in the right conditions, noble and brave and wonderful, it is also, when you get right down to it, only human.”
While people familiar with the fantasy genera may get particular enjoyment from how Guards! Guards! plays with the tropes, I would ultimately recommend this book to everyone. It’s just an excellent book, no doubt about it.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page
All the previous Discworld books touched
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on the city of Ankh-Morpork, a bustling city that slowly transforms over the course of the series and becomes so vivid that it might as well be a character itself.“Vimes felt a sudden surge of civic pride. There had to be something right about a citizenry which, when faced with catastrophe, thought about selling sausages to the participants.”
However, Guards! Guards! is the first book to be set totally within the city. The result is a novel with a simpler yet stronger plot line where everything ties together really well.
In Guards! Guards!, a group of dissatisfied citizens work together to summon a dragon. It’s a simple plan: summon a dragon, then have a malleable “true heir to the throne” show up to defeat it. But things do not go as planned, and it is up to the night watch, lead by Samuel Vimes, to save the day.
Vimes is my favorite character. Not just in this book, or in Discworld, or in literature, but my favorite fictional character of all time. Why do I love him so much? Well, for a start he has an amazing character arc. At the beginning of the book you see him literally in the gutter, “brung low” by the city itself. Over the course of Guards! Guards! you realize that beneath the grungy exterior is a man who really cares about injustice.
“If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn’t as cynical as real life.”
Yet Vimes lives in a world where there is so much injustice, where it feels hopeless to try and do the right thing. But when the dragon comes and things go down the drain, Vimes is willing to stand up and do what he believes is right even when no one else will. He serves the law, not the Patrician or any other person, the law.
What’s great about Guards! Guards! is how the secondary characters shine as well. The three other members of the night watch are all utterly memorable and continue to grow over the course of the books. Lady Sybil Ramkins, while pretty much the only female character, is absolutely wonderful and an expert on all things dragons.
Discworld books are funny, no doubt about that, but the jokes often overlay a serious core. In Guards! Guards! this is seen by how easily people accept the presence of the dragon, so long as they aren’t the ones being eaten. There’s a conversation at the end between Vimes and Vetinari, the ruling Patrician, on the nature of humanity and how Vimes need to believe that people are not fundamentally good or fundamentally bad but just people. This is an overarching idea for many of Pratchett’s books.
“One of the things forgotten about the human spirit is that while it is, in the right conditions, noble and brave and wonderful, it is also, when you get right down to it, only human.”
While people familiar with the fantasy genera may get particular enjoyment from how Guards! Guards! plays with the tropes, I would ultimately recommend this book to everyone. It’s just an excellent book, no doubt about it.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page
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LibraryThing member isabelx
Whinny if you love dragons.
The first book in the City Watch series, in which Carrot joins the Watch, Vimes meets his future wife, the true nature of libraries is revealed, and a dragon summoned from another dimension devastates Ankh-Morpork.
I love the Watch books. I'm reading them totally out of
The first book in the City Watch series, in which Carrot joins the Watch, Vimes meets his future wife, the true nature of libraries is revealed, and a dragon summoned from another dimension devastates Ankh-Morpork.
I love the Watch books. I'm reading them totally out of
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sequence but it hasn't spoilt them at all. Show Less
LibraryThing member fiverivers
It is a constant amazement that Terry Pratchett possesses a seemingly inexhaustible wit and imagination, and in this eighth installment in his Discworld series, that wit and imagination is in full flight (you will forgive the pun.)
Filled with archetypes that shatter the definitions, the story clips
If you're needing complete, unabashed escapism, you must venture out with Carrot, Captain Vimes and the swamp dragons.
Filled with archetypes that shatter the definitions, the story clips
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along at an incendiary pace, exploding with humour, twisting with unexpected turns, and generally just takes you on a rollicking great read.If you're needing complete, unabashed escapism, you must venture out with Carrot, Captain Vimes and the swamp dragons.
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LibraryThing member anirban_82
Treachery, deceit and murder was never this much fun. When a secret society of bumblers wants to bring the age of kings back to Ankh Morpork, they do what any man with half a brain might. They summon a dragon. What follows is for you to discover, but let's just say shiny swords are really not very
Guards Guards introduces arguably Terry Pratchett's most conflicted and INTERESTING character till date, the city night watch commander Samuel Vimes. Also throwing their collective dented helmets in the ring are the hapless Sgt. Colon, Nobby nobbs, the man who nature forgot, and the six foot three dwarf Carrot Ironfounderrson. It's a roller coaster ride through a vivid world of characters who seem to jump off the page to accost you and beg for change(This IS Ankh Morpork after all). A biting satire in the style of ye olde fantasy stories and hard boiled detective stories and everything in between, Pratchett once again takes the fantasy genre and turns it on its head
(I realise after reading this how much it seems like a blurb, but I refuse to change it. There's a reason why this was my first review. I adore this book.)
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useful against dragons, no matter how impressively the light glints off them.Guards Guards introduces arguably Terry Pratchett's most conflicted and INTERESTING character till date, the city night watch commander Samuel Vimes. Also throwing their collective dented helmets in the ring are the hapless Sgt. Colon, Nobby nobbs, the man who nature forgot, and the six foot three dwarf Carrot Ironfounderrson. It's a roller coaster ride through a vivid world of characters who seem to jump off the page to accost you and beg for change(This IS Ankh Morpork after all). A biting satire in the style of ye olde fantasy stories and hard boiled detective stories and everything in between, Pratchett once again takes the fantasy genre and turns it on its head
(I realise after reading this how much it seems like a blurb, but I refuse to change it. There's a reason why this was my first review. I adore this book.)
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LibraryThing member Narilka
Someone out there was about to find that their worst nightmare was a maddened Librarian. With a badge.
It's no secret I'm a huge Discworld fan and have a particular fondness for the Night Watch books. So I was quite excited when Guards! Guards! was chosen for my book club's September read. This
The Supreme Grand Master of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night has an idea: to overthrown the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and install a puppet ruler while he not-so-secretly rules the city from behind the throne. How to acheive such a feat? Locate the long lost heir to the throne, have him defeat a dragon and install him as king. Using a book he stole from Unseen University the Supreme Grand Master goes about setting his plot in motion. What could possibly go wrong?
Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld novel and the start of the Watch sub-series. As with most Discworld books it takes several familiar concepts from mythology and common fantasy tropes, shakes them up, adds a twist and gives the story it's own unique Discworld flavor. This time around it's secret societies, the origins of dragons and their nature, a by-the-book cop, ritual magic, the danger of libraries (knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass), how to make a king, humans being the real monsters, million-to-one chances and more.
It is also the first book that is set entirely within Ankh-Morpork. The city comes to life in such detail that in some ways almost becoming a character itself. In Vimes's words:
The city wasa, wasa, wasa wossname. Thing. Woman. That's what it was. Woman. Roaring, ancient, centuries old. Strung you along, let you fall in thingy, love, then kicked you inna, inna, thingy. Thingy, in your mouth. Tongue. Tonsils. Teeth. That's what it, she, did. She wasa ... thing, you know, lady dog. Puppy. Hen. Bitch. And then you hated her and, and just when you thought you'd got her, it, out of your whatever, then she opened her great booming rotten heart to you, caught you off bal, bal, bal, thing. Ance. Yeah. Thassit. Never knew where where you stood. Lay. Only one thing you were sure of, you couldn't let her go. Because, because she was yours, all you had, even in her gutters...
Speaking of Vimes, this is our first introduction to him and the other members of the Watch. Vimes goes on one heck of a character arc in this book and throughout the series. He starts as a down in the gutter drunk to being quite the detective and able leader of the Watch. It is great fun to read. The remaining members of Watch are: Lance Constable Carrot, a 6'6" dwarf (he's adopted) and very literal minded when it comes to the Book of Law; Corporal Nobby Nobs; and Sargent Colon. The imposing and advocate for swamp dragons, Lady Sybil Ramkin makes her first appearance. Lord Vetinari, the enigmatic Patrician and ruler of Ankh-Morpork character is fleshed out into who he will be for the remainder of the series. His relationship with Vimes and how he rules the city in general is fascinating.
For anyone looking for a good place to start their Discworld adventure I highly recommend Guards! Guards!. It's a great introduction to the world, Pratchett's style of humor and it's cast of recurring characters. This one is a favorite of mine.
It's no secret I'm a huge Discworld fan and have a particular fondness for the Night Watch books. So I was quite excited when Guards! Guards! was chosen for my book club's September read. This
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reread did not disappoint! It was just as enjoyable as I remembered.The Supreme Grand Master of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night has an idea: to overthrown the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and install a puppet ruler while he not-so-secretly rules the city from behind the throne. How to acheive such a feat? Locate the long lost heir to the throne, have him defeat a dragon and install him as king. Using a book he stole from Unseen University the Supreme Grand Master goes about setting his plot in motion. What could possibly go wrong?
Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld novel and the start of the Watch sub-series. As with most Discworld books it takes several familiar concepts from mythology and common fantasy tropes, shakes them up, adds a twist and gives the story it's own unique Discworld flavor. This time around it's secret societies, the origins of dragons and their nature, a by-the-book cop, ritual magic, the danger of libraries (knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass), how to make a king, humans being the real monsters, million-to-one chances and more.
It is also the first book that is set entirely within Ankh-Morpork. The city comes to life in such detail that in some ways almost becoming a character itself. In Vimes's words:
The city wasa, wasa, wasa wossname. Thing. Woman. That's what it was. Woman. Roaring, ancient, centuries old. Strung you along, let you fall in thingy, love, then kicked you inna, inna, thingy. Thingy, in your mouth. Tongue. Tonsils. Teeth. That's what it, she, did. She wasa ... thing, you know, lady dog. Puppy. Hen. Bitch. And then you hated her and, and just when you thought you'd got her, it, out of your whatever, then she opened her great booming rotten heart to you, caught you off bal, bal, bal, thing. Ance. Yeah. Thassit. Never knew where where you stood. Lay. Only one thing you were sure of, you couldn't let her go. Because, because she was yours, all you had, even in her gutters...
Speaking of Vimes, this is our first introduction to him and the other members of the Watch. Vimes goes on one heck of a character arc in this book and throughout the series. He starts as a down in the gutter drunk to being quite the detective and able leader of the Watch. It is great fun to read. The remaining members of Watch are: Lance Constable Carrot, a 6'6" dwarf (he's adopted) and very literal minded when it comes to the Book of Law; Corporal Nobby Nobs; and Sargent Colon. The imposing and advocate for swamp dragons, Lady Sybil Ramkin makes her first appearance. Lord Vetinari, the enigmatic Patrician and ruler of Ankh-Morpork character is fleshed out into who he will be for the remainder of the series. His relationship with Vimes and how he rules the city in general is fascinating.
For anyone looking for a good place to start their Discworld adventure I highly recommend Guards! Guards!. It's a great introduction to the world, Pratchett's style of humor and it's cast of recurring characters. This one is a favorite of mine.
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LibraryThing member Moriquen
The more I find out about captain Vimes the more I start to like him. He seems to be an almost perfect anti-hero. He and lady Sybil seem perfectly mismatched, yet they make a great pair. I also loved Carrot. Pratchett seems to like his characters naïve and he has made a good naïve boy in Carrot.
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There should be more 'Carrots' in the world Show Less
LibraryThing member ninjapenguin
One of my favorite Discworld books. The first in the Night Watch books, and our introduction to my favorite DW character, Sam Vimes. Here he's drunken Captain Vimes of the nearly useless Night Watch. But when the upright (VERY upright), sober, naive Carrot joins the watch, and supposedly extinct
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dragons start killing citizens, Vimes discovers that maybe his inquisitveness and sense of justice haven't been completely drowned yet. There are also wonderful cameos by Vimes and the Librarian, classic jokes, secret societies, and that fine figure of a woman, Sybil. From first to last, I love it. Show Less
LibraryThing member lorelorn_2007
Who notices the guards in fantasy novels? You know, the half dozen guys whose job is to spring into existence only to be mowed down by the hero. They have the life expenctancy of a mayfly. This is their story.
When the only legal crime is organised, what room is there for policing? Why should there
This is the first of Pratchett's discoworld 'guards' novels, and a great read it is too.
When the only legal crime is organised, what room is there for policing? Why should there
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be a law that applies equally to all?This is the first of Pratchett's discoworld 'guards' novels, and a great read it is too.
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LibraryThing member docliz
The first Prachett book I read thanks to my husband and I loved it. It got me hooked. Funny with fabulous characters
LibraryThing member SunnySD
The course of true love never does run smooth. And this is Ankh-Morpork, so Sam Vimes should probably feel luck it doesn't just run him down in the street... oh, wait - it does...
Intrigue, conspiracy, danger, dragons... to say nothing of the sausages. And some lovely cameos by the Librarian - what
Intrigue, conspiracy, danger, dragons... to say nothing of the sausages. And some lovely cameos by the Librarian - what
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more could one ask for! Show Less
LibraryThing member ngeunit1
This is the first novel in the City Watch sequence of books and it is clear from the start that this is going to be a winning series. The City Watch starts off as a gang of less than steller members whose last intention is to do anything close to police the city of Ankh-Morkport. This all changes
Pratchett usually twist of common fantasy elements is in full effect here and works very well. The story revoles around the summoning of a Dragon and with that event comes the development of the Dragon lore as it exists in the Discworld. I like that he really plays with the common ideas a bit and changes them up to be something fun and different.
Overall, this is another fun Discworld novel, and probably one of my favorite series so far. The characters are all really interesting and engaging and it has one of the best stories so far in the series.
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when a new member, a dwarf-raised human named Carrot, comes along with a great desire to withhold the law and turn things around.Pratchett usually twist of common fantasy elements is in full effect here and works very well. The story revoles around the summoning of a Dragon and with that event comes the development of the Dragon lore as it exists in the Discworld. I like that he really plays with the common ideas a bit and changes them up to be something fun and different.
Overall, this is another fun Discworld novel, and probably one of my favorite series so far. The characters are all really interesting and engaging and it has one of the best stories so far in the series.
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
I recently organized my wife's books for her, which made me cognizant of the number of books she owned that I would like to read, but haven't. So I have begun a sporadic project to do so, beginning with the Discworld novels in general, and the City Watch subseries in particular, since multiple
Well, there are some forty Discworld novels to read after this, so it will be a long time before I know if they actually are my favorites, but I did really enjoy this. It's one of those books were you keep laughing aloud-- and keep pausing your reading to explain the jokes to whoever's around you, who in my case was my wife, which meant she suffered through hearing about jokes she'd already read! Carrot Ironfoundersson is a human biologically, but a dwarf culturally, and is sent to Ankh-Morpork to make something of himself after a lifetime in the dwarf mines. But he's also a bit dim, a bit literal, and bit earnest, meaning the fact that the Night Watch spends its time avoiding work is kind of lost on him. One of my favorite gags was when he's told all he has to do is walk around the streets saying, "It's Twelve O'clock and All's Well." Carrot asks what if it's not all well, and he's told, "You bloody well find another street"! (I was also a big fan of all the jokes about the incompetent secret conspiracy.)
So I laughed a lot as Carrot's new way of doing things gradually infects the other members of the Watch, especially its alcoholic captain, Samuel Vimes, and before they know it, they're actually investigating crimes. It occasionally gets serious, which I appreciate; there's a small subplot about xenophobia, which feels more relevant in 2019 than it did in 1989, I suspect, and is a theme Pratchett will return to in future City Watch novels, especially Jingo. This might be the funniest of the City Watch novels, actually, because as time goes on, Pratchett tones down the comedy and amps up the social commentary. The funniest, perhaps, but not the best.
(If you have the 2000s U.S. Harper edition, don't read the back cover, as it gives away what would have been a clever twist from around the three-quarters mark. Unforgivable!)
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people who know my tastes well have told me these would be my favorites.Well, there are some forty Discworld novels to read after this, so it will be a long time before I know if they actually are my favorites, but I did really enjoy this. It's one of those books were you keep laughing aloud-- and keep pausing your reading to explain the jokes to whoever's around you, who in my case was my wife, which meant she suffered through hearing about jokes she'd already read! Carrot Ironfoundersson is a human biologically, but a dwarf culturally, and is sent to Ankh-Morpork to make something of himself after a lifetime in the dwarf mines. But he's also a bit dim, a bit literal, and bit earnest, meaning the fact that the Night Watch spends its time avoiding work is kind of lost on him. One of my favorite gags was when he's told all he has to do is walk around the streets saying, "It's Twelve O'clock and All's Well." Carrot asks what if it's not all well, and he's told, "You bloody well find another street"! (I was also a big fan of all the jokes about the incompetent secret conspiracy.)
So I laughed a lot as Carrot's new way of doing things gradually infects the other members of the Watch, especially its alcoholic captain, Samuel Vimes, and before they know it, they're actually investigating crimes. It occasionally gets serious, which I appreciate; there's a small subplot about xenophobia, which feels more relevant in 2019 than it did in 1989, I suspect, and is a theme Pratchett will return to in future City Watch novels, especially Jingo. This might be the funniest of the City Watch novels, actually, because as time goes on, Pratchett tones down the comedy and amps up the social commentary. The funniest, perhaps, but not the best.
(If you have the 2000s U.S. Harper edition, don't read the back cover, as it gives away what would have been a clever twist from around the three-quarters mark. Unforgivable!)
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LibraryThing member eddy79
My first of the Watch books, and very good it was. All the characters, especially Vimes were extremely well-drawn, as can be expected of Pratchett. More of a straightforward plot that other Discworlds I've read, and it was only the stronger for it.
LibraryThing member love2laf
The 8th book of the discworld series still remains my favourite. The puns & characters are full-fledged, and for me, this becomes the turning point in the series. Up till now the books are great fun, this one starts to become a bit more edge of the seat, what's going to happen. Dragons, romance,
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Kings, all done in the irreverent style of Pratchett. Show Less
LibraryThing member Crowyhead
The first Discworld novel to feature Sam Vimes and the City Watch. The characters aren't as fully fleshed out as in later City Watch novels, but it's still absolutely fabulous. The Librarian also plays a major role in this one, much to my delight.
LibraryThing member Telute
One of my favourite Discworld novels, the first of the city watch sequence and the one which in many ways sets the tone for the rest. Vimes is a brillant creation, thankfully prone to darker moments, Carrot I have never trully liked, although the slightly evil version in more recent novels has been
The plot is excellent with many little twists and turns, the Patrician is also on fine form and the book makes a perfect introduction to the Discworld for newcomers.
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growing on me.The plot is excellent with many little twists and turns, the Patrician is also on fine form and the book makes a perfect introduction to the Discworld for newcomers.
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LibraryThing member wizardsheart
This discworld novel introduces the Watch of Ankh-Morpork. As they are stumbling around insensically trying to do as poor a job as possible...the discover a dragon that begins stalking the city and attempt to set out to save the city. Pratchett's books seem to get better and better. This one was
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hilarious, well plotted, and just plain fun. All the things that you expect of Pratchett. It was a lot of fun for me as these are new characters. I definitly recommend this one! Show Less
LibraryThing member Greatrakes
The first of the Discworld, Guards books, and it starts with Vimes drunk and Carrot arriving. Carrot is one of my favourite Discworld characters, a human raised by dwarfs, an elemental force of nature, and (in a typical Pratchett joke) a Lance Constable.
I like Pratchett for two reasons:
1. He
2. He is part of the old tradition of word playing and absurdist British comedy writers that I have always loved.
This book is full of little jokes and wordplays, I like this:
The Librarian has pulled a book from the shelf, the back of the book is blackened, with many pages and burnt away -
"No doubt about it, The Summoning of Dragons. Single copy, first edition, slightly foxed and extremely dragoned."
The plot, such as it is, concerns a coup d'etat which backfires and results in an imaginary dragon taking the throne. The Guards save the day (in a parody of hackneyed British storyline of a seedy, even cowardly, little group who suddenly reform themselves, realise their duty, save the day, chips are down, etc, etc). Vimes finds love and Vetinari (another favourite) remains cool and has really been in control all along.
I like Pratchett for two reasons:
1. He
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provides a consistent and entertaining satire on 20th century British life and attitudes, and2. He is part of the old tradition of word playing and absurdist British comedy writers that I have always loved.
This book is full of little jokes and wordplays, I like this:
The Librarian has pulled a book from the shelf, the back of the book is blackened, with many pages and burnt away -
"No doubt about it, The Summoning of Dragons. Single copy, first edition, slightly foxed and extremely dragoned."
The plot, such as it is, concerns a coup d'etat which backfires and results in an imaginary dragon taking the throne. The Guards save the day (in a parody of hackneyed British storyline of a seedy, even cowardly, little group who suddenly reform themselves, realise their duty, save the day, chips are down, etc, etc). Vimes finds love and Vetinari (another favourite) remains cool and has really been in control all along.
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LibraryThing member gercmbyrne
Terry Pratchett is a god who walks among men. The entire Discworld series is a joy and only a strange mad creature cursed by gods and man would refuse to read and love these books!
LibraryThing member TadAD
Pratchett has hit his stride, in my opinion, with the introduction of the City Watch characters. Along with the witches, these are the best characters in all the Discworld novels. This characters play the major role in Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch and Thud.
LibraryThing member jnicholson
In this novel, Pratchett introduces the Watch, who are required to save the day when the city is menaced by a dragon. This also introduces the character of Sybil Ramkin, last scion of one of the city's noble families; and gives a human face to the Patrician, Vetinari. The Watch, originally composed
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of caricatures, has subsequently matured and become great favourites of Pratchett's public. Show Less
LibraryThing member jaygheiser
The Night Watch catches a dragon. Enter Carrot (apparently, the long lost king--to be continued)
LibraryThing member tundranocaps
The first Watchmen book.On later re-reads it's not as good, Terry takes a bit to get going full-steam with the crew, but if you read the books in order, then you'll enjoy it a-plenty.
LibraryThing member JKCollins
I didn't particularly care for this book, my first read by Terry Pratchett. I didn't like the way it meandered on and on without any chapter breaks. I've heard so many people rave about this author I will give other books of his a try but this one was a struggle for me to get through to the end.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1989-11
Physical description
7.87 inches
ISBN
1473200180 / 9781473200180