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Discworld #24
The Fifth Elephant
Everyone knows that the world is flat, and supported on the backs of four elephants. But weren't there supposed to be five? Indeed there were. So where is it?...
When duty calls. Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork constabulary answers. Even when he doesn't want to. He's been "invited" to attend a royal function as both detective and diplomat. The one role he relishes; the other requires, well, ruby tights. Of course where cops (even those clad in tights) go, alas, crime follows. An attempted assassination and a theft soon lead to a desperate chase from the low halls of Discworld royalty to the legendary fat mines of Uberwald, where lard is found in underground seams along with tusks and teeth and other precious ivory artifacts. It's up to the dauntless Vimes — bothered as usual by a familiar cast of Discworld inhabitants (you know, trolls, dwarfs, werewolves, vampires and such) — to solve the puzzle of the missing pachyderm. Which of course he does. After all, solving mysteries is his job.
262 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1999
1808 people are currently reading
24523 people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
684 books46.1k followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,431 reviews
October 24, 2015
You know what Goodreads *really* needs? The ability for someone to leave multiple reviews of a book that they've read at multiple points in their life.
I'd like to talk about my recent thoughts on this book, but I don't want to erase my old review or change the date on it.
Think how nice it would be to look back on your reading history and see how your attitudes have changed over the course of your life. Books you loved as a kid that pale as you mature, versus books you liked when you were young that grow even better with age...
I'd love to see something like that added here. What about you guys?
*****
There's worse ways to start the year than reading some Pratchett. So that's what I did.
I've only read this one one once before, and that was years back, so it was fun and pretty fresh for me.
I'm a big fan of Vimes, but even given my bias, this is a great book. Probably not on the level of Pratchett's best (Monstrous Regiment, Thud, Wee free Men) but still a great book.
I'd like to talk about my recent thoughts on this book, but I don't want to erase my old review or change the date on it.
Think how nice it would be to look back on your reading history and see how your attitudes have changed over the course of your life. Books you loved as a kid that pale as you mature, versus books you liked when you were young that grow even better with age...
I'd love to see something like that added here. What about you guys?
*****
There's worse ways to start the year than reading some Pratchett. So that's what I did.
I've only read this one one once before, and that was years back, so it was fun and pretty fresh for me.
I'm a big fan of Vimes, but even given my bias, this is a great book. Probably not on the level of Pratchett's best (Monstrous Regiment, Thud, Wee free Men) but still a great book.
October 19, 2020
Diplomaticing anything out of the downplaying of an incident around a just ideologically not completely worthless and overrated cult object.
The fine art of not going to war or, if so, at least sophisticated, with style, culture, and the right documents bureaucracy wants to see before the slaughter fun can start, that´s what diplomacy is for. Already ridiculous in real life, because the madness of tradition, ideology, and dogmas makes each country a special, unique mental asylum, it gets even more hilarious when Samuel Vines has got the job.
The object of saber rattling is just a strange looking object in a, maybe fictional, fictional story because, just as with diplomacy, there is no logic included except the underlying economic and market forces Pratchett is infamous for exposing and making fun of. His works include more differentiated, wise, and true analysis than whole subfields of wacky fringe sciences Alfred Nobel never wanted prices to be given for under his name so that they had to wait a while, strangely and completely coincidentally until the beginning of the rise of neoliberalism with extraordinarily and suspiciously many prices given to the university of Chicago and it´s bonkers boys, to get the dry and boring pipe dreams rolling.
How the true masters behind the kings and presidents ruled, rule, and will rule by manipulating the predictable and primitive primate instincts of their voters, in this case to use different cultural norms to let them fight good, old divide et impera style, is a fascinating topic and that it´s so easy to satirize too, because of it´s inherent sick and illogical nature that ought one let start thinking about why these anachronistic systems are still so strong in each seemingly democratic system.
Even the original, more obvious Scone of Stone metaphor, playing with the idea of any kind of cult object, is still big, which really makes one wonder about cultural evolution, until one realizes that the human brain hasn´t really developed that much over the last tens of thousands of years, so maybe it still needs some time to jump over the apes with smartphones line.
The reasons for laughter are always tabus and pain, but jumping from just giggling to realizing what´s behind the hilariousness is a step just a few are willing to take, because it would mean critical self analysis and possible change of mentality, so they prefer to better just keep smiling without digging too deep inwards toward the reasons why their cognitive dissonances start ringing.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
The fine art of not going to war or, if so, at least sophisticated, with style, culture, and the right documents bureaucracy wants to see before the slaughter fun can start, that´s what diplomacy is for. Already ridiculous in real life, because the madness of tradition, ideology, and dogmas makes each country a special, unique mental asylum, it gets even more hilarious when Samuel Vines has got the job.
The object of saber rattling is just a strange looking object in a, maybe fictional, fictional story because, just as with diplomacy, there is no logic included except the underlying economic and market forces Pratchett is infamous for exposing and making fun of. His works include more differentiated, wise, and true analysis than whole subfields of wacky fringe sciences Alfred Nobel never wanted prices to be given for under his name so that they had to wait a while, strangely and completely coincidentally until the beginning of the rise of neoliberalism with extraordinarily and suspiciously many prices given to the university of Chicago and it´s bonkers boys, to get the dry and boring pipe dreams rolling.
How the true masters behind the kings and presidents ruled, rule, and will rule by manipulating the predictable and primitive primate instincts of their voters, in this case to use different cultural norms to let them fight good, old divide et impera style, is a fascinating topic and that it´s so easy to satirize too, because of it´s inherent sick and illogical nature that ought one let start thinking about why these anachronistic systems are still so strong in each seemingly democratic system.
Even the original, more obvious Scone of Stone metaphor, playing with the idea of any kind of cult object, is still big, which really makes one wonder about cultural evolution, until one realizes that the human brain hasn´t really developed that much over the last tens of thousands of years, so maybe it still needs some time to jump over the apes with smartphones line.
The reasons for laughter are always tabus and pain, but jumping from just giggling to realizing what´s behind the hilariousness is a step just a few are willing to take, because it would mean critical self analysis and possible change of mentality, so they prefer to better just keep smiling without digging too deep inwards toward the reasons why their cognitive dissonances start ringing.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
November 21, 2025
“Let me see if I've got this right,' said Vimes. 'Überwald is like this big suet pudding that everyone's suddenly noticed, and now with this coronation as an excuse we've all got to rush there with knife, fork and spoon to shovel as much on our plates as possible?'
'Your grasp of political reality is masterly, Vimes. You lack only the appropriate vocabulary.”
“Vetinari was throwing him amongst the wolves. And the dwarfs. And the vampires. Vimes shuddered. And Vetinari never did anything without a reason.”
So His Grace, His Excellency, The Duke of Ankh; Commander Sir Samuel Vimes (aka my chosen Literary Husband) is being dispatched to the dangerous, faraway country of Überwald, where there is no Law, only The Lore, as Ambassador of Ankh-Morpork.
He is of course eager (ahem) and ready to "hand round the cucumber sandwiches like anything" and to get the hang of (or just to hang) diplomacy, but his policeman's nose and insticts tell him that something is rotten in the state of Überwald and it is not the hot baths.
“Well, he thought, so this is diplomacy. It's lying, only for a better class of people.”
First of all, the Scone of Stone, this most famous and priceless of dwarf bread, having seated the Low Kings of the Dwarfs for some fifteen hundred years, goes missing. The Low King cannot be Low King without this artifact under their bum.
The werewolves with their mad leader, Wolfgang, who happens to be Sgt. Angua's brother, are definitely up to something.
And where do the vampires, lead by the Lady Margolotta (and possibly former love interest of Lord Vetinari hmmm, hmmm) come into this picture?
Vimes has a lot to figure out while incidentally also running for his life and those of others, possibly.
And what has a cherry orchard with 3 spinsters got to do with it? Not much, admittedly, but I certainly appreciated the literary hint. And the humour and poignancy and Vimes, of course... I did tell you about.... yes, I did, didn't I? OK.
A great book in the Watch series (well, all books are great in the Watch series) and one I return to again and again with pleasure.
And Vimes meeting DEATH.. PRICELESS:
He took his hands off the oars and pulled in the mooring rope. If I make a couple of loops, he thought, I can strap the axe on to my back.
He had a mental picture of what could happen to a man who plunged into the cauldron below a waterfall with a sharp piece of metal attached to his body.
GOOD MORNING.
Vimes blinked. A tall dark robed figure was now sitting in the boat.
'Are you Death?'
IT'S THE SCYTHE, ISN'T IT? PEOPLE ALWAYS NOTICE THE SCYTHE.
'I'm going to die?'
POSSIBLY.
'Possibly? You turn up when people are possibly going to die?'
OH, YES. IT'S QUITE THE NEW THING. IT'S BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE.
'What's that?'
I'M NOT SURE.
'That's very helpful.”
'Your grasp of political reality is masterly, Vimes. You lack only the appropriate vocabulary.”
“Vetinari was throwing him amongst the wolves. And the dwarfs. And the vampires. Vimes shuddered. And Vetinari never did anything without a reason.”
So His Grace, His Excellency, The Duke of Ankh; Commander Sir Samuel Vimes (aka my chosen Literary Husband) is being dispatched to the dangerous, faraway country of Überwald, where there is no Law, only The Lore, as Ambassador of Ankh-Morpork.
He is of course eager (ahem) and ready to "hand round the cucumber sandwiches like anything" and to get the hang of (or just to hang) diplomacy, but his policeman's nose and insticts tell him that something is rotten in the state of Überwald and it is not the hot baths.
“Well, he thought, so this is diplomacy. It's lying, only for a better class of people.”
First of all, the Scone of Stone, this most famous and priceless of dwarf bread, having seated the Low Kings of the Dwarfs for some fifteen hundred years, goes missing. The Low King cannot be Low King without this artifact under their bum.
The werewolves with their mad leader, Wolfgang, who happens to be Sgt. Angua's brother, are definitely up to something.
And where do the vampires, lead by the Lady Margolotta (and possibly former love interest of Lord Vetinari hmmm, hmmm) come into this picture?
Vimes has a lot to figure out while incidentally also running for his life and those of others, possibly.
And what has a cherry orchard with 3 spinsters got to do with it? Not much, admittedly, but I certainly appreciated the literary hint. And the humour and poignancy and Vimes, of course... I did tell you about.... yes, I did, didn't I? OK.
A great book in the Watch series (well, all books are great in the Watch series) and one I return to again and again with pleasure.
And Vimes meeting DEATH.. PRICELESS:
He took his hands off the oars and pulled in the mooring rope. If I make a couple of loops, he thought, I can strap the axe on to my back.
He had a mental picture of what could happen to a man who plunged into the cauldron below a waterfall with a sharp piece of metal attached to his body.
GOOD MORNING.
Vimes blinked. A tall dark robed figure was now sitting in the boat.
'Are you Death?'
IT'S THE SCYTHE, ISN'T IT? PEOPLE ALWAYS NOTICE THE SCYTHE.
'I'm going to die?'
POSSIBLY.
'Possibly? You turn up when people are possibly going to die?'
OH, YES. IT'S QUITE THE NEW THING. IT'S BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE.
'What's that?'
I'M NOT SURE.
'That's very helpful.”
June 19, 2008
I know that many have stated that there had been a decline in his writing as time goes on… I personally would have to disagree. There is a change in his writing; however I feel that it has been for the better. As his book have progressed, he has leaned less toward the quick giggle and insane rush of nonsense and more toward a satirical plot with darker edges and the giggles interspersed within the story rather than his jokes running the story.
The Fifth Elephant is one of Pratchett’s more plot driven novels, there isn’t a giggle or a chortle on every page as with some of his others. I have always liked the Guard’s series for this reason, I like a good plot. If you have not read a discworld book before, I wouldn’t advise this be your starting place, instead I would start at the beginning of whichever series it is you want to read. This being part of the Guards Series I would start with “Guards Guards” which although it is by no means the strongest entry in the series, it is a good introduction to the lead character of Samuel Vimes and his crew. Each of the following books adds additional characters who become major players in the later books. The characters truly grow through each of the books and I think that having read the previous in the series will increase your enjoyment of this one.
Quick Summary: A strange theft and murder occur in Ankh-Morpork, and just as the Watch is about to investigate, The Patrician sends Vimes and his wife off to Uberwald to attend the coronation of the new Dwarfish Low King as ambassadors. While street hardened Vimes has to start learning about politicking, Angua disappears… and Carrot decides to go after her, unfortunately her trail leads to Uberwald, land of vampires, werewolves, and Dwarves who rarely come to the surface. As Sam Vimes always says – A cop will always find a crime, the origins of the strange crimes in Ankh-Morpork also lead back to Uberwald and the coronation ceremony. Vimes finds himself attempting to not only play politician and ambassador, but also detective to sort out the truth before the Dwarves are thrown into a bloody civil war.
The summary sounds a bit dark doesn’t it? Well this, much like “Carpe Jugulum,” is a darker more plot driven novel, but the humor is still there. Cheery accompanies Vimes back to her homeland as military attaché and unfortunately her modern ways cause issues amongst the more traditional dwarves of Uberwald. Detrius the Troll attends as the cultural attaché, unfortunately in Uberwald the trolls and dwarves have been at war for over a hundred years… then throw in Angua’s noble yet slightly psychotic werewolf family, and a Vampire clan that’s on the wagon from drinking human blood… everyone is moving their chess pieces and poor Sam has to figure it all out. Sybil has a much larger roll in this story than in the past, and her personality really begins to develop. This book is funny, full of action, and intrigue… who stole the Scone? Who murdered the prophylactics maker? Where is the fake stone? Who is behind it all? The opposing Dwarves? The Werewolves? The Vampires? Or is it someone from within?
Although I didn’t laugh nearly as much during this book, I found myself truly enjoying the read much more than some of the others. If I were to try to tell you what “The Color of Magic” was about… I really couldn’t other than to say it was about running away… True, I enjoyed it immensely, but this had a plot, a meaning, and more to learn from, I think this is an excellent addition to the Discworld series.
The Fifth Elephant is one of Pratchett’s more plot driven novels, there isn’t a giggle or a chortle on every page as with some of his others. I have always liked the Guard’s series for this reason, I like a good plot. If you have not read a discworld book before, I wouldn’t advise this be your starting place, instead I would start at the beginning of whichever series it is you want to read. This being part of the Guards Series I would start with “Guards Guards” which although it is by no means the strongest entry in the series, it is a good introduction to the lead character of Samuel Vimes and his crew. Each of the following books adds additional characters who become major players in the later books. The characters truly grow through each of the books and I think that having read the previous in the series will increase your enjoyment of this one.
Quick Summary: A strange theft and murder occur in Ankh-Morpork, and just as the Watch is about to investigate, The Patrician sends Vimes and his wife off to Uberwald to attend the coronation of the new Dwarfish Low King as ambassadors. While street hardened Vimes has to start learning about politicking, Angua disappears… and Carrot decides to go after her, unfortunately her trail leads to Uberwald, land of vampires, werewolves, and Dwarves who rarely come to the surface. As Sam Vimes always says – A cop will always find a crime, the origins of the strange crimes in Ankh-Morpork also lead back to Uberwald and the coronation ceremony. Vimes finds himself attempting to not only play politician and ambassador, but also detective to sort out the truth before the Dwarves are thrown into a bloody civil war.
The summary sounds a bit dark doesn’t it? Well this, much like “Carpe Jugulum,” is a darker more plot driven novel, but the humor is still there. Cheery accompanies Vimes back to her homeland as military attaché and unfortunately her modern ways cause issues amongst the more traditional dwarves of Uberwald. Detrius the Troll attends as the cultural attaché, unfortunately in Uberwald the trolls and dwarves have been at war for over a hundred years… then throw in Angua’s noble yet slightly psychotic werewolf family, and a Vampire clan that’s on the wagon from drinking human blood… everyone is moving their chess pieces and poor Sam has to figure it all out. Sybil has a much larger roll in this story than in the past, and her personality really begins to develop. This book is funny, full of action, and intrigue… who stole the Scone? Who murdered the prophylactics maker? Where is the fake stone? Who is behind it all? The opposing Dwarves? The Werewolves? The Vampires? Or is it someone from within?
Although I didn’t laugh nearly as much during this book, I found myself truly enjoying the read much more than some of the others. If I were to try to tell you what “The Color of Magic” was about… I really couldn’t other than to say it was about running away… True, I enjoyed it immensely, but this had a plot, a meaning, and more to learn from, I think this is an excellent addition to the Discworld series.
September 2, 2024
“So this is diplomacy. It’s like lying, only to a better class of people.”
So says Sam Vimes / Terry Pratchett in his 1999 novel The Fifth Elephant. Discworld fans also know that this 24th Discworld book was a return of the wonderfully entertaining City Watch sub series. In this edition, Pratchett has the Duke of Ankh go to Uberwald on a diplomatic mission for which Vimes is uniquely qualified.
Pratchett had previously visited the vampires in Uberwald in the 23rd Discworld book, 1998’s Carpe Jugulum. Here, readers finally get to see first-hand the creepy gothic Discworld region referenced in many Discworld books as a home of dwarfs, vampires, werewolves and Igors.
Like all Discworld books, Sir Terry mixes in lots of humor and action with thought provoking themes and musings. Here we have fun with truth and diplomacy, eastern European folklore, royalty and conflict between orthodox and reform elements, as well as progressive politics. One aspect of this book that was an unusual surprise was the idea of Ankh-Morpork as a kind of pluralistic, multi-cultural haven, almost an ugly America; but more hospitable in some respects than the old country.
*** 2024 reread -
My 2024 Discworldapalooza kept a rollin’ with a visit to this 1999 novel.
I think Pratchett was trying to be more ambitious in this book, in a way that he would succeed with in his later work Night Watch.
There’s a lot going on and maybe I was overwhelmed with awesomeness as Pratchett is to funny, satirical fantasy as Chuck Norris is to tiddlywinks, it’s spiritual godfather.
Set in Uberwald, I kept thinking about Mel Brooks brilliant Young Frankenstein though I didn’t see any over the top references.
We see another gnome and after Carpe Jugulum maybe he was gearing up for the Nac Mac Feegle who would become a central part of the Tiffany Aching books a few years later.
We also get to know more about the Dwarves and dwarven culture in some ways foreshadowing his writing in Monstrous Regiment down the line.
So Fifth Elephant was a pivotal novel in the Discworld universe.
Is the character of Inigo Skimmer based upon Count Fenring from Frank Herbert’s Dune? Too many similarities.
Much better than I gave it credit last time, one of the better Discworld novels.
So says Sam Vimes / Terry Pratchett in his 1999 novel The Fifth Elephant. Discworld fans also know that this 24th Discworld book was a return of the wonderfully entertaining City Watch sub series. In this edition, Pratchett has the Duke of Ankh go to Uberwald on a diplomatic mission for which Vimes is uniquely qualified.
Pratchett had previously visited the vampires in Uberwald in the 23rd Discworld book, 1998’s Carpe Jugulum. Here, readers finally get to see first-hand the creepy gothic Discworld region referenced in many Discworld books as a home of dwarfs, vampires, werewolves and Igors.
Like all Discworld books, Sir Terry mixes in lots of humor and action with thought provoking themes and musings. Here we have fun with truth and diplomacy, eastern European folklore, royalty and conflict between orthodox and reform elements, as well as progressive politics. One aspect of this book that was an unusual surprise was the idea of Ankh-Morpork as a kind of pluralistic, multi-cultural haven, almost an ugly America; but more hospitable in some respects than the old country.
*** 2024 reread -
My 2024 Discworldapalooza kept a rollin’ with a visit to this 1999 novel.
I think Pratchett was trying to be more ambitious in this book, in a way that he would succeed with in his later work Night Watch.
There’s a lot going on and maybe I was overwhelmed with awesomeness as Pratchett is to funny, satirical fantasy as Chuck Norris is to tiddlywinks, it’s spiritual godfather.
Set in Uberwald, I kept thinking about Mel Brooks brilliant Young Frankenstein though I didn’t see any over the top references.
We see another gnome and after Carpe Jugulum maybe he was gearing up for the Nac Mac Feegle who would become a central part of the Tiffany Aching books a few years later.
We also get to know more about the Dwarves and dwarven culture in some ways foreshadowing his writing in Monstrous Regiment down the line.
So Fifth Elephant was a pivotal novel in the Discworld universe.
Is the character of Inigo Skimmer based upon Count Fenring from Frank Herbert’s Dune? Too many similarities.
Much better than I gave it credit last time, one of the better Discworld novels.
October 27, 2020
Знаете ли какво означава да препикаеш момента? Това е, когато се случва нещо наистина важно и някой изтърси напълн�� неподходяща реплика насред цялата тържественост. Тери Пратчет винаги е съумявал да превърне препикаването на моменти във висококачествена литература. Така де, може би (почти) нищо не е чак толкова голямо и значимо, та участниците в него да се възприемат ужасно сериозно.
Сам Ваймс е човек с множество дарби. Дипломацията обаче не е сред тях. Най-близкото, което може да докара до разговор на висше международно ниво, е свързано със сандвичи с пача и кисели краставички. Покрай Командир Ваймс в „Петият слон“ ще срещнете много истини за външната политика, може би попреувеличени и с хумористичен уклон, което обаче не ги прави по-малко истини. Някъде там измежду расовата (не)толерантност сред хора, джуджета, тролове, вампири и върколаци се прокрадват и иноваторството и немаловажният въпрос за половата идентичност (кой казва, че не може да си момиче с брада?). Леонард Куирмски пък успява съвсем между другото да изобрети първата „Машина за много бързо кафе“ (сам си признава, че не е много добър в измислянето на имена за творенията си). Все пак сме във Века на Плодния прилеп!
И нека поговорим малко за традициите… Тери Пратчет за пореден път ни убеждава, че те са много повече от почитан свещен предмет или някакви ритуали, неспазването на които води до липса на легитимност. Ако мога да си послужа с малко Юнг, традициите са колективно съзнавано за общо минало, за свързаност, за споделено бъдеще. Ако с течение на годините смените по малко почти всички части на любимите си обувки, за вас те пак си остават същите обувки. Защото важните неща са в съзнанието, не толкова в материалния свят. А традициите… е, те се и променят, разбира се. Неусетно се подменят разни техни елементи, защото духът на времето го налага. Но в същността си остават същите традиции. Също като обувките. Докато търчи насам-натам в разгадаването на поредното (този път политическо) престъпление, Сам Ваймс постепенно достига до тази истина.
Няма да ми втръсне във всяко ревю да обяснявам колко обожавам Тери Пратчет. Понякога има лафове, които тук-там се повтарят (като например онзи, че някой е толкова задръстен, че не може да си намери задника и с карта), но за мен те са стари познайници, които е удоволствие отново да си припомня. Приятно изненадана бях този път от намигването към Чехов и неговите безутешни три сестри, които копнеят по големия град. Не е подминат и старият панталон на Вуйчо Ваньо, който изиграва относително ключова роля в действието.
Ще се запитате сигурно къде остана Петият слон? Ще ви подскажа само, че легендата за него има доста общо с богатите мастни залежи в Шмалцберг. Стига ви толкоз.
Сам Ваймс е човек с множество дарби. Дипломацията обаче не е сред тях. Най-близкото, което може да докара до разговор на висше международно ниво, е свързано със сандвичи с пача и кисели краставички. Покрай Командир Ваймс в „Петият слон“ ще срещнете много истини за външната политика, може би попреувеличени и с хумористичен уклон, което обаче не ги прави по-малко истини. Някъде там измежду расовата (не)толерантност сред хора, джуджета, тролове, вампири и върколаци се прокрадват и иноваторството и немаловажният въпрос за половата идентичност (кой казва, че не може да си момиче с брада?). Леонард Куирмски пък успява съвсем между другото да изобрети първата „Машина за много бързо кафе“ (сам си признава, че не е много добър в измислянето на имена за творенията си). Все пак сме във Века на Плодния прилеп!
И нека поговорим малко за традициите… Тери Пратчет за пореден път ни убеждава, че те са много повече от почитан свещен предмет или някакви ритуали, неспазването на които води до липса на легитимност. Ако мога да си послужа с малко Юнг, традициите са колективно съзнавано за общо минало, за свързаност, за споделено бъдеще. Ако с течение на годините смените по малко почти всички части на любимите си обувки, за вас те пак си остават същите обувки. Защото важните неща са в съзнанието, не толкова в материалния свят. А традициите… е, те се и променят, разбира се. Неусетно се подменят разни техни елементи, защото духът на времето го налага. Но в същността си остават същите традиции. Също като обувките. Докато търчи насам-натам в разгадаването на поредното (този път политическо) престъпление, Сам Ваймс постепенно достига до тази истина.
Няма да ми втръсне във всяко ревю да обяснявам колко обожавам Тери Пратчет. Понякога има лафове, които тук-там се повтарят (като например онзи, че някой е толкова задръстен, че не може да си намери задника и с карта), но за мен те са стари познайници, които е удоволствие отново да си припомня. Приятно изненадана бях този път от намигването към Чехов и неговите безутешни три сестри, които копнеят по големия град. Не е подминат и старият панталон на Вуйчо Ваньо, който изиграва относително ключова роля в действието.
Ще се запитате сигурно къде остана Петият слон? Ще ви подскажа само, че легендата за него има доста общо с богатите мастни залежи в Шмалцберг. Стига ви толкоз.
May 6, 2024
2024 re-read
Discworld books make me happy and feel at home. It's one of my favourite series. I love the characters, the world, the humour and the very high standards Sir Pratchett sets for us.
Beyond my love for the series, The Fifth Elephant is a fantastic book on its own. The mystery is complex and well constructed, the characters feel so real and human, even the ones who aren't, and difficult subjects are openly but delicately commented on.
I'm so happy to have this world to get lost into when I need it.
Discworld books make me happy and feel at home. It's one of my favourite series. I love the characters, the world, the humour and the very high standards Sir Pratchett sets for us.
Beyond my love for the series, The Fifth Elephant is a fantastic book on its own. The mystery is complex and well constructed, the characters feel so real and human, even the ones who aren't, and difficult subjects are openly but delicately commented on.
I'm so happy to have this world to get lost into when I need it.
December 6, 2024
Re-Read 12/6/24:
Always like coming home to a piece of bread.
Mind you, this book is more like the Scone of Scones, and maybe, perhaps, just as deadly, but it's Vimes. And for Vimes' sake, we all love this book.
I can't quite tell if this is just purely funny or comfort food.
Ah, well, who cares. I'm up for a promotion, anyway.
Original Review:
Re-Read.
But you know what? Other than the whole dwarf rock bits, the murders, werewolves, theft, and Detritus's exploding crossbow, I SWEAR this is a book about Brexit.
Of course, it could really be about making the European Union, but really it's about Brexit. Überwald is, of course, England. It's kinda obvious. Backward, reactionary, full of wolves, vampires, and werewolves. And Igors. Of course, Igors.
Isn't that amazing? How did Pratchett predict all these events back in 1999? Hello, dwarves!
Of course... the rest of the EU is actually Ankh-Morpork.
Eerie. So where is EU's Vimes? Come solve the crime! :)
(BTW, I liked this book the second time I read it better than the first. Tastes change and sometimes books improve.) :)
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
Always like coming home to a piece of bread.
Mind you, this book is more like the Scone of Scones, and maybe, perhaps, just as deadly, but it's Vimes. And for Vimes' sake, we all love this book.
I can't quite tell if this is just purely funny or comfort food.
Ah, well, who cares. I'm up for a promotion, anyway.
Original Review:
Re-Read.
But you know what? Other than the whole dwarf rock bits, the murders, werewolves, theft, and Detritus's exploding crossbow, I SWEAR this is a book about Brexit.
Of course, it could really be about making the European Union, but really it's about Brexit. Überwald is, of course, England. It's kinda obvious. Backward, reactionary, full of wolves, vampires, and werewolves. And Igors. Of course, Igors.
Isn't that amazing? How did Pratchett predict all these events back in 1999? Hello, dwarves!
Of course... the rest of the EU is actually Ankh-Morpork.
Eerie. So where is EU's Vimes? Come solve the crime! :)
(BTW, I liked this book the second time I read it better than the first. Tastes change and sometimes books improve.) :)
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
May 30, 2019
So much is happening in this 24th Discworld novel.
A dwarf king will be crowned in Überwald so the Patrician is sending Sam Vimes in his capacity as duke to participate in the coronation ceremony. As, no doubt, planned by the Patrician, sending Vimes ensures that justice will be done. Because there is a theft, a murder, diplomacy, a lot of very impolite werewolves, "vegetarian" vampires and plots. Oh, and then there are regular wolves, Gaspode, and some members of the Watch (Carrot, Angua, Detritus and Longbottom).
I very much liked how the spotlight shone on characters that had been explored only marginally until now. Thus, Carrot was not the unfailing hero here so Angua got to shine much more. Angua's family history was also a nice touch. Just like Longbottom's complicated status in this sometimes backwards dwarf kingdom. Most wonderful was to see Lady Sybil stepping up and takingbars matters into her own, very capable, hands.
And then there was this:
Yes, that is Detritus the troll with his "crossbow". *lol*
The action scenes here were not only thrilling but also hilarious in their details. Just like the conversations between the Patrician and Leonard or Fred Colon panicking because he had to take over as captain.
Sir Terry addressed a lot of themes in this volume, such as the ongoing gender identity amongst some dwarves, religion, traditions, facing political and social changes (the different meanings of "changing with the times") ... we even have organ donation. Well, body-parts donation as a theme. *lol*
As usual, this was like putting on your favourite piece of clothing. Like coming home. I was thrown off by the new audiobook narrator (Nigel Planer had quit and Stephen Briggs had taken over) a little at first and wasn't actually happy by the end either, but maybe it will get better in the future. I'm just used to the different voices of the different characters (especially Detritus). However, being with Sam Vimes and the other members of the Watch is always great, and it was still a wonderful addition to the series, very entertaining while also critically examining aspects of human nature.
A dwarf king will be crowned in Überwald so the Patrician is sending Sam Vimes in his capacity as duke to participate in the coronation ceremony. As, no doubt, planned by the Patrician, sending Vimes ensures that justice will be done. Because there is a theft, a murder, diplomacy, a lot of very impolite werewolves, "vegetarian" vampires and plots. Oh, and then there are regular wolves, Gaspode, and some members of the Watch (Carrot, Angua, Detritus and Longbottom).
I very much liked how the spotlight shone on characters that had been explored only marginally until now. Thus, Carrot was not the unfailing hero here so Angua got to shine much more. Angua's family history was also a nice touch. Just like Longbottom's complicated status in this sometimes backwards dwarf kingdom. Most wonderful was to see Lady Sybil stepping up and taking
And then there was this:
Yes, that is Detritus the troll with his "crossbow". *lol*
The action scenes here were not only thrilling but also hilarious in their details. Just like the conversations between the Patrician and Leonard or Fred Colon panicking because he had to take over as captain.
Sir Terry addressed a lot of themes in this volume, such as the ongoing gender identity amongst some dwarves, religion, traditions, facing political and social changes (the different meanings of "changing with the times") ... we even have organ donation. Well, body-parts donation as a theme. *lol*
As usual, this was like putting on your favourite piece of clothing. Like coming home. I was thrown off by the new audiobook narrator (Nigel Planer had quit and Stephen Briggs had taken over) a little at first and wasn't actually happy by the end either, but maybe it will get better in the future. I'm just used to the different voices of the different characters (especially Detritus). However, being with Sam Vimes and the other members of the Watch is always great, and it was still a wonderful addition to the series, very entertaining while also critically examining aspects of human nature.
December 6, 2024
The Fifth Elephant, the one that plunged into the planet and broke the land masses up into continents, amongst other things.
Terry Pratchett is probably best read in order of publication because some recurring characters are introduced in depth in previous novels, like The Reaper Man and Small Gods. Death does make another appearance in The Fifth Elephant, but just as a small side character, purely for humourous reasons.
So maybe I missed something in this book because I have read out of sequence but it felt like it was missing a lot of the signature Pratchett laughs. It was a good solid story, a further development of the warring factions of Trolls, Dwarves, Humans, Werewolves and Vampires, a bit of a mystery to be solved and enjoyable BUT just not as funny as I remember others.
Terry Pratchett is probably best read in order of publication because some recurring characters are introduced in depth in previous novels, like The Reaper Man and Small Gods. Death does make another appearance in The Fifth Elephant, but just as a small side character, purely for humourous reasons.
So maybe I missed something in this book because I have read out of sequence but it felt like it was missing a lot of the signature Pratchett laughs. It was a good solid story, a further development of the warring factions of Trolls, Dwarves, Humans, Werewolves and Vampires, a bit of a mystery to be solved and enjoyable BUT just not as funny as I remember others.
February 24, 2014
Aw, man!
First the Scone of Stone goes missing. Then Angua disappears and Carrot is off to find her. With Sam Vimes on his way to the coronation in Uberwald, that leaves Fred Colon as Acting Captain of the Watch. The horror, the horror! He annoys everyone and makes a general mess of everything...not to mention that his "principles" make him reluctant to investigate the death of a local manufacturer of rubber preventatives.
Sound confusing? It's not. At least, not yet.
Throw in some assorted dwarfs, trolls, wolves and werewolves, all with their own foibles and agendas, and your head may start to spin a bit.
Welcome to Discworld where just about anything can happen...and so, it DOES.
I was definitely NOT expecting to meet a certain three sisters who talk a lot about the weather and how much better things used to be. One of these dissatisfied ladies has a suggestion:
"You know, I bet if we cut down the cherry orchard, I'm sure we could put in a roller skating rink---"
They also reluctantly offer to help clothe a nearly nude Vimes:
"We have the gloomy and purposeless trousers of Uncle Vanya..."
This is one terrific outing by Pratchett, who even manages to offer some marital advice:
Sam Vimes could parallel process. Most husbands can. They learn to follow their own line of thought while at the same time listening to what their wives say. And the listening is important , because at any time they could be challenged and must be ready to quote the last sentence in full. A vital additional skill is being able to scan the dialogue for telltale phrases, such as "and they can deliver it tomorrow" or "so I've invited them for dinner" or "they can do it in blue, really quite cheaply."
Learn this valuable skill, guys and gals. Yes, it does work for women, too. I use this technique when my husband's going on and on about his day at work, and believe me, it's a lifesaver!
First the Scone of Stone goes missing. Then Angua disappears and Carrot is off to find her. With Sam Vimes on his way to the coronation in Uberwald, that leaves Fred Colon as Acting Captain of the Watch. The horror, the horror! He annoys everyone and makes a general mess of everything...not to mention that his "principles" make him reluctant to investigate the death of a local manufacturer of rubber preventatives.
Sound confusing? It's not. At least, not yet.
Throw in some assorted dwarfs, trolls, wolves and werewolves, all with their own foibles and agendas, and your head may start to spin a bit.
Welcome to Discworld where just about anything can happen...and so, it DOES.
I was definitely NOT expecting to meet a certain three sisters who talk a lot about the weather and how much better things used to be. One of these dissatisfied ladies has a suggestion:
"You know, I bet if we cut down the cherry orchard, I'm sure we could put in a roller skating rink---"
They also reluctantly offer to help clothe a nearly nude Vimes:
"We have the gloomy and purposeless trousers of Uncle Vanya..."
This is one terrific outing by Pratchett, who even manages to offer some marital advice:
Sam Vimes could parallel process. Most husbands can. They learn to follow their own line of thought while at the same time listening to what their wives say. And the listening is important , because at any time they could be challenged and must be ready to quote the last sentence in full. A vital additional skill is being able to scan the dialogue for telltale phrases, such as "and they can deliver it tomorrow" or "so I've invited them for dinner" or "they can do it in blue, really quite cheaply."
Learn this valuable skill, guys and gals. Yes, it does work for women, too. I use this technique when my husband's going on and on about his day at work, and believe me, it's a lifesaver!
December 15, 2025
До кінця циклу залишилось прочитати 7 книг і я вже сумую за Дискосвітом.
«Варта» знову на марші. Цього разу на марші в Убервальд - найбільш загадкову, небезпечну і холодну частину Дискосвіту.
(Увага: дисклеймер: в Убервальді присутні некислі алюзії на рашку, апогеєм яких є омаж на чеховських трьох сестер які планують вирубати вишневий сад!)
А так то, у «П’ятому слоні» є все, за що ми любимо Пратчета, але викручене на максимум. Сем Ваймз у центрі сюжету де перемішані політика, стародавні гноми, перевертні-аристократи, вампіри, Ігорі та викрадення Каменя-Кексу (гномський хліб виявляється не вершина гномськоі кулінаріі?).
Пратчет як завжди майстерно балансує легке фентезі, англійський гумор і серйозні підтексти актуальні у всі часи.
Особисто для мене всі ці роки цикл Дискосвіту був ще і терапією. Це можливість зануритися у світ, де навіть у найтемніших шахтах чи найгусті��их лісах здоровий глузд і людяність (навіть якщо ти троль чи перевертень) перемагають у#обків. Хоч десь
Як я вже сказав: до кінця циклю лише 7 книг. А я вже з нетерпінням чекаю, що колись я заведу дітей, вони виростуть і ми разом з ними будемо вивчати (диско)Світ за Террі Пратчеттом.
Дякую, майстре!
«Варта» знову на марші. Цього разу на марші в Убервальд - найбільш загадкову, небезпечну і холодну частину Дискосвіту.
(Увага: дисклеймер: в Убервальді присутні некислі алюзії на рашку, апогеєм яких є омаж на чеховських трьох сестер які планують вирубати вишневий сад!)
А так то, у «П’ятому слоні» є все, за що ми любимо Пратчета, але викручене на максимум. Сем Ваймз у центрі сюжету де перемішані політика, стародавні гноми, перевертні-аристократи, вампіри, Ігорі та викрадення Каменя-Кексу (гномський хліб виявляється не вершина гномськоі кулінаріі?).
Пратчет як завжди майстерно балансує легке фентезі, англійський гумор і серйозні підтексти актуальні у всі часи.
Особисто для мене всі ці роки цикл Дискосвіту був ще і терапією. Це можливість зануритися у світ, де навіть у найтемніших шахтах чи найгусті��их лісах здоровий глузд і людяність (навіть якщо ти троль чи перевертень) перемагають у#обків. Хоч десь
Як я вже сказав: до кінця циклю лише 7 книг. А я вже з нетерпінням чекаю, що колись я заведу дітей, вони виростуть і ми разом з ними будемо вивчати (диско)Світ за Террі Пратчеттом.
Дякую, майстре!
October 28, 2025
��авно я з таким захопленням не читав Пратчетта.
Одна з найкращих для мене.
І це при тому, що вперше більшість подій відбувається не в Анк-Морпорку.
Такий "букет" піднятих тем, мммммм
Люди, гноми, перевертні і вампіри - просто вишуканий ансамбль.
Одна з найкращих для мене.
І це при тому, що вперше більшість подій відбувається не в Анк-Морпорку.
Такий "букет" піднятих тем, мммммм
Люди, гноми, перевертні і вампіри - просто вишуканий ансамбль.
December 7, 2024
The 24th in my re-read of the entire Discworld series and we're back with the swoon-worthiest of Commanders!
One reason why I decided to re-read the series is that I can never just indulge in one of the volumes. The other is that the audiobooks were newly produced and the casts looked amazing.
Reading this 24th book (in chronological order) are:
Being with Sam Vimes, his wife and the City Watch is like having one big crazy but loving family you always love coming home to. Yes, even the weird-shit uncle Fred (to say nothing of whatever Nobby would be in this analogy) - and this even applies when they are split in half with one group staying behind in Ank-Morpork while the other group is going to Überwald where they meet vamps, weres, Igors and dwarves while waiting to get a coronation ceremony over and done with.
So yeah, the commander / duke / Sir has to go and be a diplomat! What could possibly go wrong?! Or, the question should rather be phrased: do you have a list detailing all the things that WILL go wrong? *chuckles*
From weird-ass customs amongst the dwarves, to the theft of an almost-religious symbol (Pratchett wonderfully emphasizing that even if you don't consider it a religion, the mechanisms are the very same - and how timely is THAT), to actual murder, to high-society-bullying (I wanted Sybil to punch all these bitches, literal and other kinds), to the enduring love and faithfulness of Carrot towards Angua (though him not being quite as infallible here made for a nice counter-weight to previous volumes and allowed Angua to show her worth, too, because why should it only be the guy showing he's all in), to the one true love between Sam and Sybil (they are my role models) ... this was another winner.
Sure, it didn't hurt that the lisps of the vamps made me burst out laughing frequently as the narrator did an excellent job with those, or that even Lord Vetinari was no match for the mess Fred Colon made and how "creatively" the Watch dealt with that.
It certainly helped that my favorite talking flee circus, Gaspode, was on the job and taught those bipeds (even the part-time ones) how to save the day. ;)
Hands down the best element though? Detritus and his "crossbow". MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Maybe not my favorite of the series, not even of the series-within-the-series, but an absolutely fantastic road trip to a totally new area on the Disc that colourfully illustrated just how many unique characters Pratchett has created and how well he could juggle all of them, at once even, if he felt like it, while also being once again spot-on about a host of socio-political topics that were as relevant then as they are now.
This is the kind of diplomacy I can get behind! :D
One reason why I decided to re-read the series is that I can never just indulge in one of the volumes. The other is that the audiobooks were newly produced and the casts looked amazing.
Reading this 24th book (in chronological order) are:
Being with Sam Vimes, his wife and the City Watch is like having one big crazy but loving family you always love coming home to. Yes, even the weird-shit uncle Fred (to say nothing of whatever Nobby would be in this analogy) - and this even applies when they are split in half with one group staying behind in Ank-Morpork while the other group is going to Überwald where they meet vamps, weres, Igors and dwarves while waiting to get a coronation ceremony over and done with.
So yeah, the commander / duke / Sir has to go and be a diplomat! What could possibly go wrong?! Or, the question should rather be phrased: do you have a list detailing all the things that WILL go wrong? *chuckles*
From weird-ass customs amongst the dwarves, to the theft of an almost-religious symbol (Pratchett wonderfully emphasizing that even if you don't consider it a religion, the mechanisms are the very same - and how timely is THAT), to actual murder, to high-society-bullying (I wanted Sybil to punch all these bitches, literal and other kinds), to the enduring love and faithfulness of Carrot towards Angua (though him not being quite as infallible here made for a nice counter-weight to previous volumes and allowed Angua to show her worth, too, because why should it only be the guy showing he's all in), to the one true love between Sam and Sybil (they are my role models) ... this was another winner.
Sure, it didn't hurt that the lisps of the vamps made me burst out laughing frequently as the narrator did an excellent job with those, or that even Lord Vetinari was no match for the mess Fred Colon made and how "creatively" the Watch dealt with that.
It certainly helped that my favorite talking flee circus, Gaspode, was on the job and taught those bipeds (even the part-time ones) how to save the day. ;)
Hands down the best element though? Detritus and his "crossbow". MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Maybe not my favorite of the series, not even of the series-within-the-series, but an absolutely fantastic road trip to a totally new area on the Disc that colourfully illustrated just how many unique characters Pratchett has created and how well he could juggle all of them, at once even, if he felt like it, while also being once again spot-on about a host of socio-political topics that were as relevant then as they are now.
This is the kind of diplomacy I can get behind! :D
October 21, 2019
Another fantastic entry in the Watch series, possibly one of my favourites. Lots of character development and a fun plot. There's not much to say since this is a sequel and I wouldn't want to spoil it for future readers, but boy does Terry Pratchett make politics fun. Add a dash of werewolves, a sprinkle of vampires and a whole lot of Igors, and you've got a great book.
August 27, 2025
4,5⭐️
Цикл про Варту один з улюблених. Краші - Морква та тезка Ігор😀.
Хороша сатира про міжнародну політику та закон, який якось працює.
«Він був Ігор, син Ігора, племінник кількох Ігорів, брат Ігорів і кузен стількох Ігорів, що без своїх записів він і не згадав би».
«- Перепрошую? Вас всіх у родині звуть Ігорами?
- Так, шер. Щоб уникнути непорожумінь».
«Ти мені, я - тобі, як кажуть Ігорі».
Такий Пратчетт мені норм!
Цикл про Варту один з улюблених. Краші - Морква та тезка Ігор😀.
Хороша сатира про міжнародну політику та закон, який якось працює.
«Він був Ігор, син Ігора, племінник кількох Ігорів, брат Ігорів і кузен стількох Ігорів, що без своїх записів він і не згадав би».
«- Перепрошую? Вас всіх у родині звуть Ігорами?
- Так, шер. Щоб уникнути непорожумінь».
«Ти мені, я - тобі, як кажуть Ігорі».
Такий Пратчетт мені норм!
September 10, 2021
A. MAY. ZING. Pratchett is at the top of his game here, twenty-four books and sixteen years into the Discworld series. This caps year two of my monthly series re-read, and I continue to be blown away beyond any of my past impressions.
The city watch moves increasingly afield from their city, without losing a whiff of who and what they are about. Sam Vimes finds himself appointed ambassador for Ankh-Morpork to attend the conoration of the dwarf Low King. He finds himself embroiled in murder, international plots, vampires, werewolves, red tights, assassins, and worst of all, diplomacy. But with a cigar in mouth and badge in hand, he will show Uberwald what Ankh-Morpork is all about. Of course it helps to have Detritus and his Piecemaker on his side, along with many other beloved watch members.
This book ties in incredibly well with the preceding Carpe Jugulum with a deeper look at Uberwald, in essence Discworld's Transylvania. It also launches several new concepts that will come to further define the Disc. We see the first appearance of the Clacks, a low-tech but high-impact visual telegraph system, never a throwaway element but intimately integrated into the plot and the Disc's cultural progression. We get a deep look at the Dwarf under-kingdom which will be revisited in future books. And we get the first direct look at Angua's werewolf kin, a shameful association that has only been teased previously.
Practchett is a scamp. He pulls you in with the humour, then slams you with deep cultural truth. Then tells more jokes. Then slams you with a phenomenal character moment. It's too much! I bow before his Monitorship. My favorite "holy crap!" moment was when I realized that Pratchett took a running gag about how you never see female dwarfs in traditional fantasy from a prior book, and transitioned that into a powerful moment of deep cultural transformation.
It's mostly solid gold looking forward in the series from here, as far as I remember. What a time to be alive.
The city watch moves increasingly afield from their city, without losing a whiff of who and what they are about. Sam Vimes finds himself appointed ambassador for Ankh-Morpork to attend the conoration of the dwarf Low King. He finds himself embroiled in murder, international plots, vampires, werewolves, red tights, assassins, and worst of all, diplomacy. But with a cigar in mouth and badge in hand, he will show Uberwald what Ankh-Morpork is all about. Of course it helps to have Detritus and his Piecemaker on his side, along with many other beloved watch members.
This book ties in incredibly well with the preceding Carpe Jugulum with a deeper look at Uberwald, in essence Discworld's Transylvania. It also launches several new concepts that will come to further define the Disc. We see the first appearance of the Clacks, a low-tech but high-impact visual telegraph system, never a throwaway element but intimately integrated into the plot and the Disc's cultural progression. We get a deep look at the Dwarf under-kingdom which will be revisited in future books. And we get the first direct look at Angua's werewolf kin, a shameful association that has only been teased previously.
Practchett is a scamp. He pulls you in with the humour, then slams you with deep cultural truth. Then tells more jokes. Then slams you with a phenomenal character moment. It's too much! I bow before his Monitorship. My favorite "holy crap!" moment was when I realized that Pratchett took a running gag about how you never see female dwarfs in traditional fantasy from a prior book, and transitioned that into a powerful moment of deep cultural transformation.
It's mostly solid gold looking forward in the series from here, as far as I remember. What a time to be alive.
May 30, 2019
Part of the Pratchett reread with the SpecFic Buddy Reads group in 2019.
In the country of Uberwald the Low King of the dwarfs is about to be crowned. As the second largest dwarf city in the world Ankh-Morpork needs to seen a representative and the Patrician decides on the Duke of Ankh, Commander Sam Vimes. But Uberwald is a country in careful balance between vampires, werewolves and dwarfs and politics are afoot, particularly as Vimes includes Sergeant Detritus and Corporal Cheery Littlebottom in his entourage. Trolls and dwarfs still fight each other in Uberwald, and a female dwarf is something that more traditional dwarfs get upset about.
This has long been one of my favourite books in the series. All the Watch books are basically Vimes books, but his supporting cast really get to play here. Lady Sybil gets the first really great outing since she was initially introduced, and we finally see some progress in whatever is going on between Angua and Carrot. With Carrot backgrounded for most of this Detritus and Cheery also really get to shine, and this is a brilliant book for Cheery.
In the country of Uberwald the Low King of the dwarfs is about to be crowned. As the second largest dwarf city in the world Ankh-Morpork needs to seen a representative and the Patrician decides on the Duke of Ankh, Commander Sam Vimes. But Uberwald is a country in careful balance between vampires, werewolves and dwarfs and politics are afoot, particularly as Vimes includes Sergeant Detritus and Corporal Cheery Littlebottom in his entourage. Trolls and dwarfs still fight each other in Uberwald, and a female dwarf is something that more traditional dwarfs get upset about.
This has long been one of my favourite books in the series. All the Watch books are basically Vimes books, but his supporting cast really get to play here. Lady Sybil gets the first really great outing since she was initially introduced, and we finally see some progress in whatever is going on between Angua and Carrot. With Carrot backgrounded for most of this Detritus and Cheery also really get to shine, and this is a brilliant book for Cheery.
May 4, 2021
Great fun
May 1, 2024
Lots of strangeness in this staggered story.
July 6, 2015
8.5/10
Back to form after a disappointing outing last time with Jingo. This is another stonking effort in the Watch sub-series making it hard for me not to start raving about them to people and tell them if they’ve not read them then they need to pick them up and get cracking!
Plot wise things are shaken up again. I did groan a little when I learnt that Vimes would yet again be leaving Ankh-Morpork for a distant land like in the last novel, but this time it proved to be an inspired choice and worked really well adding in some new fresh characters and adding extra layers to a few we already know. A fish out of water in a new land but yet Vimes still evolves into someone to be reckoned with whilst discovering a plot to start a civil war, solving a murder and handling a union strike at home (well he didn’t do anything with that but he sorted it in spirit).
There was a much darker feel to this book than I’ve previously seen in the Discworld novels (even the ones with Death which could become quite morbid if you think about it) but Terry Pratchett has enough humour in his locker to add some light relief along the way to keep things on this side of crazy batshit. I think the whole story had enough to put this at the top of my favourite Watch novels and up there with some of the better reads of the last few years (high praise indeed!).
It’s good to read these as a light break in between other reads but this one shows these shouldn’t be underestimated and really do work very well as a great book on many levels. My ignorance on some of the humour is quite apparent too but that isn’t the author’s failing, that’s the English Education System (definitely not me and my lack of wanting to learn at school). Looking forward to the next one now but unhappy that there are only 3 left in the sub-series to go.
If you like this try: “Going Postal” by Terry Pratchett
Back to form after a disappointing outing last time with Jingo. This is another stonking effort in the Watch sub-series making it hard for me not to start raving about them to people and tell them if they’ve not read them then they need to pick them up and get cracking!
Plot wise things are shaken up again. I did groan a little when I learnt that Vimes would yet again be leaving Ankh-Morpork for a distant land like in the last novel, but this time it proved to be an inspired choice and worked really well adding in some new fresh characters and adding extra layers to a few we already know. A fish out of water in a new land but yet Vimes still evolves into someone to be reckoned with whilst discovering a plot to start a civil war, solving a murder and handling a union strike at home (well he didn’t do anything with that but he sorted it in spirit).
There was a much darker feel to this book than I’ve previously seen in the Discworld novels (even the ones with Death which could become quite morbid if you think about it) but Terry Pratchett has enough humour in his locker to add some light relief along the way to keep things on this side of crazy batshit. I think the whole story had enough to put this at the top of my favourite Watch novels and up there with some of the better reads of the last few years (high praise indeed!).
It’s good to read these as a light break in between other reads but this one shows these shouldn’t be underestimated and really do work very well as a great book on many levels. My ignorance on some of the humour is quite apparent too but that isn’t the author’s failing, that’s the English Education System (definitely not me and my lack of wanting to learn at school). Looking forward to the next one now but unhappy that there are only 3 left in the sub-series to go.
If you like this try: “Going Postal” by Terry Pratchett
October 3, 2018
“Well, he thought, so this is diplomacy. It's lying, only for a better class of people.”
"It was funny how people were people everywhere you went, even if the people concerned weren’t the people the people who made up the phrase 'people are people everywhere' had traditionally thought of as people."
I keep going back and forth over whether this should get the fifth star, and that back and forth is what's keeping it at four (for now), but this is my favorite of these books since Hogfather. I very well may change my mind at any time and increase the rating. It didn't *quite* have the emotional oomph I like from these books in order to get the fifth star, but it was so much fun, and there was a little oomph, so . . . ugh, whatever. This book is great. Goodreads, give us half stars.
We are going back to Uberwald in The Fifth Elephant, and this time Captain Samuel Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is going with us. Except he's not going as Captain, he's going as the Duke of Ankh-Morpork, a title he does his best to forget he owns. The dwarfs are crowning a new Low King, and the rest of the Disc has cottoned on to the potential wealth of resources that might be obtained by befriending the monstrous and strange creatures that live there, which as well as dwarfs, also includes werewolves and vampires. They live in relative peace with one another, but Uberwald is a very different place than Ankh-Morpork, so Vimes is sent with his wife Lady Sybil, and three natives of Uberwald from the Watch: Angua (werewolf), Cheery Littlebottom (dwarf), and Detritus (troll).
Things of course start to go wrong immediately, and Vimes is the perfect POV on it all. His mix of practical cleverness, stubbornness, and cultural in/sensitivity make for an extremely entertaining read. The dwarfs' Scone of Stone, which they need for the coronation (a play on the historical Stone of Scone) has been stolen, as well as the replica housed in the dwarf Museum of Bread in Ankh-Morpork, and Vimes is determined to solve both crimes, whether or not his help is wanted (it's not; sort of).
My favorite parts of this were all to do with Vimes interacting with dwarf society, back home or in Uberwald. Pratchett uses the dwarfs (and to a lesser extent the other two races) to comment on lots of real life issues, like immigration, and old country vs. new country, which all leads to lots of (humorous) meditation on when to hold to tradition, and when to evolve. Vimes is always a good lens for this, because he *wants* to understand, and he mostly succeeds, but there's always a level of permanent befuddlement there that leads to a lot of really good one-liners. As he himself would be the first person to point out, he's a small-picture kind of guy.
I've been working through these book since I was eighteen, and I kind of sort of thought I'd never run out, because there are SO MANY of them. But I think I've finally reached the point where my brain realizes there is an end point to Discworld. I only have seventeen more left. Maybe I should slow my pace from three a year to one or two. On the other hand, there's always re-reading.
[4.5 stars]
January 14, 2016
I want to embark on an chronological Discworld in memoriam reread, but for now I started by revisiting The Fifth Elephant for Reasons. Gosh, I love this book: diplomacy and spycraft set in an old Germanic continent, in which the Gothic runs rife, the forests are deep and dark and dangerous, and there are supernatural beasties around every corner. (The races to get home before sunset being a fun Uberwaldean hobby is just the cutest.)
What struck me the most about rereading this book is that while it delivers a super fun and enjoyable plot with memorable characters, a really vivid setting, and a perfect lampooning of Gothic/horror stereotypes, Terry Pratchett's values are also interwoven throughout. The story involves sexism and feminism and SMASHING THE PATRIARCHY, open-mindedness and acceptance, mixed-race and adoptive and expatriate cultural issues, slow social change and moving with the times, the advancement of technology and its effects, the dangers of conservatism & racism, definite overtones of Nazism and their quest for racial purity -- meanwhile featuring good, solid people with good values who fight for each other and who stand up for what's right, even down to the very small stories, like being a Good Dog. I love the big political backdrop as much as I love the relationship struggles between Carrot and Angua, the hints of Vetinari and Margolotta (I SHIP IT LIKE BURNING), Vimes and Sybil and their adorable domesticity and his growth, all set against a locked-room mystery.
Everyone is moving with the times, dragged kicking and screaming into the century of the fruitbat, from teetotaller vampires to rebellious Igors with Modern Scientific Ideas, to dwarf feminists, to the clacks towers blazing a trail across the continent and shrinking the world. This book is about setting aside old and dangerous conservatism while still staying true to your cultural roots and traditions -- to the thing, and the whole of the thing.
Plus, Uberwald is one of my favourite settings anywhere, and I'm super into werewolves so the fact that they're the main villains of the piece delights me. I'm so into the von Uberwalds, you guys, they are so freakin' great. I think this book is one of my favourites of the series.
What struck me the most about rereading this book is that while it delivers a super fun and enjoyable plot with memorable characters, a really vivid setting, and a perfect lampooning of Gothic/horror stereotypes, Terry Pratchett's values are also interwoven throughout. The story involves sexism and feminism and SMASHING THE PATRIARCHY, open-mindedness and acceptance, mixed-race and adoptive and expatriate cultural issues, slow social change and moving with the times, the advancement of technology and its effects, the dangers of conservatism & racism, definite overtones of Nazism and their quest for racial purity -- meanwhile featuring good, solid people with good values who fight for each other and who stand up for what's right, even down to the very small stories, like being a Good Dog. I love the big political backdrop as much as I love the relationship struggles between Carrot and Angua, the hints of Vetinari and Margolotta (I SHIP IT LIKE BURNING), Vimes and Sybil and their adorable domesticity and his growth, all set against a locked-room mystery.
Everyone is moving with the times, dragged kicking and screaming into the century of the fruitbat, from teetotaller vampires to rebellious Igors with Modern Scientific Ideas, to dwarf feminists, to the clacks towers blazing a trail across the continent and shrinking the world. This book is about setting aside old and dangerous conservatism while still staying true to your cultural roots and traditions -- to the thing, and the whole of the thing.
Plus, Uberwald is one of my favourite settings anywhere, and I'm super into werewolves so the fact that they're the main villains of the piece delights me. I'm so into the von Uberwalds, you guys, they are so freakin' great. I think this book is one of my favourites of the series.
March 26, 2025
I loved this book so much!
I think Men at Arms (City Watch #2) still holds the position of my favorite City Watch book, but The Fifth Elephant blazed into that second spot so quickly.
Beyond the fact that it is one of the more linear and easy to follow plots of the City Watch books so far, this book represents so much of the payoff that comes with sticking to a group of characters for multiple books. Pratchett ladles out amazing character moments with so many of my favorites throughout the story. We see more of Angua's backstory, get a romp with Gaspode and Carrot through the wilderness, slink into the political quagmire of Uberwald, meet the Igors (now one of my favorite groups in Discworld), and through it all we have the solid anchor that is Sgt. Detritus. Who, by the way, is now my favorite character in the City Watch.
However, I would be remiss not to mention the true star and starlet of this novel. I've been waiting for a deeper window into the relationship between Sam Vimes and Lady Sybil, and this book did not disappoint. The commentary on marriage and love between the two of them had me more invested, emotional, and laughing out loud than any "romance" book I've ever read. This is the kind of relationship I love reading about.
What an absolutely fabulous book.
I think Men at Arms (City Watch #2) still holds the position of my favorite City Watch book, but The Fifth Elephant blazed into that second spot so quickly.
Beyond the fact that it is one of the more linear and easy to follow plots of the City Watch books so far, this book represents so much of the payoff that comes with sticking to a group of characters for multiple books. Pratchett ladles out amazing character moments with so many of my favorites throughout the story. We see more of Angua's backstory, get a romp with Gaspode and Carrot through the wilderness, slink into the political quagmire of Uberwald, meet the Igors (now one of my favorite groups in Discworld), and through it all we have the solid anchor that is Sgt. Detritus. Who, by the way, is now my favorite character in the City Watch.
However, I would be remiss not to mention the true star and starlet of this novel. I've been waiting for a deeper window into the relationship between Sam Vimes and Lady Sybil, and this book did not disappoint. The commentary on marriage and love between the two of them had me more invested, emotional, and laughing out loud than any "romance" book I've ever read. This is the kind of relationship I love reading about.
What an absolutely fabulous book.
August 13, 2020
10/10 en 2010 (y rima!)
Mundodisco, Serie de los Guardias: ¡Guardias! ¿Guardias?, Hombres de armas, Pies de barro, ¡Voto a bríos!, El quinto elefante,Ronda de Noche, Regimiento Monstruoso, ¡Zas! y Snuff.
Sam Vimes, el Bajo rey de los enanos, Überwald, Detritus, Pequeñotrasero, Angua y un miembro del gremio de asesinos, Zanahoria, Colon, hombres lobo que no pueden transformarse....
que sí, que se llevó un 10, la gocé como loco y es una de las novelas por la que la serie de los Guardias es mi preferida.
Qué envidia me dáis si no la habéis leído!
Mundodisco, Serie de los Guardias: ¡Guardias! ¿Guardias?, Hombres de armas, Pies de barro, ¡Voto a bríos!, El quinto elefante,Ronda de Noche, Regimiento Monstruoso, ¡Zas! y Snuff.
Sam Vimes, el Bajo rey de los enanos, Überwald, Detritus, Pequeñotrasero, Angua y un miembro del gremio de asesinos, Zanahoria, Colon, hombres lobo que no pueden transformarse....
que sí, que se llevó un 10, la gocé como loco y es una de las novelas por la que la serie de los Guardias es mi preferida.
Qué envidia me dáis si no la habéis leído!
January 6, 2023
I had never read any Terry Pratchett. But my GR friends Trish and Bradley have made many convincing arguments as to why I should. So I picked up "The Fifth Elephant". Yes, it was a random choice and I found it was the 24th book in Discworld series. Though they share a common world, it seems each novel can act as a stand alone.
Sam Vimes is a Captain of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. His marriage to Duchess Sybil makes him eligible to become an Ambassador to Uberwald for the coronation of a dwarven king. What follows is a mad cap adventure full of humor. From vampires and werewolves to angry dwarves and even trolls, this is a full fantasy world. The mystery of who is trying to subvert the ceremony and who stole the Scone (a Dwarven relic) make for an interesting story. But the humor of the situation and the writing make this a very enjoyable tale.
While this is my first Pratchett novel, it won't be my last. Trish and Bradley were 100% correct and this is a pleasure to read.
Sam Vimes is a Captain of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. His marriage to Duchess Sybil makes him eligible to become an Ambassador to Uberwald for the coronation of a dwarven king. What follows is a mad cap adventure full of humor. From vampires and werewolves to angry dwarves and even trolls, this is a full fantasy world. The mystery of who is trying to subvert the ceremony and who stole the Scone (a Dwarven relic) make for an interesting story. But the humor of the situation and the writing make this a very enjoyable tale.
While this is my first Pratchett novel, it won't be my last. Trish and Bradley were 100% correct and this is a pleasure to read.
February 6, 2024
Iepriekšējās četras sardzes grāmatas man patika labāk, tāpēc četras zvaigznes. Kopumā joprojām ļoti labi, ja nu vienīgi par maz kaprāļa Nobija Nobsa.
November 27, 2024
Още една длъжност в автобиографията на Сам Ваймс, още една точка за Патрицият и една стрела в моето сърце. 🫠
Уви, дипломацията на Ваймс му е сила колкото мисленето за Колън.
Ангуа хуква да се разправя с родата, а междувременно ще забърка и един малък любовен триъгълник.
Керът си е просто Керът. В ДНК му е заложено твърде много честност и благородство за да успее да угоди на гаджето и да гаднее.
Делегацията изпратена в Ювербалд за коронацията на джуджешкият крал ще срещне доста предизвикателства на терен, на който законите на Анкх-Морпорк не важат. Много екшън, много изненади и много от Сам Ваймс. А накрая още една значка ще бъде окачена на раменете на любимият ми командир от градската стража. Ще става интересно още.
Уви, дипломацията на Ваймс му е сила колкото мисленето за Колън.
Ангуа хуква да се разправя с родата, а междувременно ще забърка и един малък любовен триъгълник.
Керът си е просто Керът. В ДНК му е заложено твърде много честност и благородство за да успее да угоди на гаджето и да гаднее.
Делегацията изпратена в Ювербалд за коронацията на джуджешкият крал ще срещне доста предизвикателства на терен, на който законите на Анкх-Морпорк не важат. Много екшън, много изненади и много от Сам Ваймс. А накрая още една значка ще бъде окачена на раменете на любимият ми командир от градската стража. Ще става интересно още.
July 5, 2025
Another smart and funny book in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. It follows Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch as he’s sent to the distant land of Uberwald. What starts as a diplomatic trip turns into a tense and dangerous situation involving werewolves, vampires, dwarfs, and a missing royal item with a questionable name and hilarious origins.
The story moves at a steady pace, mixing action and clever dialogue. Jon Colshaw again does a great job bringing the story to life. His voice work is clear and lively, and he gives each character a unique personality. Vimes is my favourite as he feels real and grounded with a slight North Yorkshire accent.
I loved learning more about werewolf hierarchy and dwarf societies according to the quirky world of Pratchett. It was so much fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think this is my favourite book of The Watch series so far. There’s so much humour in it it made me very happy.
Overall, this audiobook is a strong mix of humour, mystery, politics and great voice acting. If you enjoy Discworld or smart fantasy with heart and humour, this is a great choice. I found it great fun and often laughed out loud at the humour.
The story moves at a steady pace, mixing action and clever dialogue. Jon Colshaw again does a great job bringing the story to life. His voice work is clear and lively, and he gives each character a unique personality. Vimes is my favourite as he feels real and grounded with a slight North Yorkshire accent.
I loved learning more about werewolf hierarchy and dwarf societies according to the quirky world of Pratchett. It was so much fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think this is my favourite book of The Watch series so far. There’s so much humour in it it made me very happy.
Overall, this audiobook is a strong mix of humour, mystery, politics and great voice acting. If you enjoy Discworld or smart fantasy with heart and humour, this is a great choice. I found it great fun and often laughed out loud at the humour.
October 13, 2023
Повери дипломацията в ръцете на Ваймс и после очаквай много... чудеса.
Ами, не я разбирал той дипломацията, ако вярваме на думите му.
Аз пък си мисля, че даже много добре си я разбира.
Дори успя да се превърне в екшън фигура от най-висок клас! Ей това вече съвсем не го очаквах от него :D Обичам го.
П.П.: Леонардо се е сдобил с нов превод на личното си име тук... А пък аз повярвах, че преводите на всички преводачи ще бъдат приравнени към едни и същи имена и терминологии. Е, въпреки Леонардо, нещата изглеждаха супер!
Ами, не я разбирал той дипломацията, ако вярваме на думите му.
Аз пък си мисля, че даже много добре си я разбира.
Дори успя да се превърне в екшън фигура от най-висок клас! Ей това вече съвсем не го очаквах от него :D Обичам го.
П.П.: Леонардо се е сдобил с нов превод на личното си име тук... А пък аз повярвах, че преводите на всички преводачи ще бъдат приравнени към едни и същи имена и терминологии. Е, въпреки Леонардо, нещата изглеждаха супер!
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