Play Book Tag discussion

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett - 4.5* - My Review

Guards! Guards! is Terry Pratchett's eighth Discworld novel and first in his City Watch series. It introduces us to the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, a motley collection of misfits, who mostly try to do as little as possible. When a secret society decides to summon a dragon to terrorize the city and gain power, the City Watch must act. And, of course, a dragon is not exactly the most cooperative creature one could summon. While it is a part of two series, it works well as a standalone.

The characters are priceless. Captain Sam Vimes is a cynical dipsomaniac who's given up on law enforcement in a city where crime is so organized it has its own guild. Sergeant Colon’s greatest skill is looking busy while doing nothing. Corporal Nobbs is a kleptomaniac who carries a certificate proving he's human, though the evidence remains questionable. The newest member, Lance Constable Carrot Ironfoundersson, is a six-foot-six “Dwarf” who earnestly enforces the letter of the law. The cast also includes an orangutan librarian, a confident woman who runs a swamp dragon home, and the Machiavellian Patrician who rules the city.

Pratchett makes it easy to root for these City Watch eccentrics. Vimes' journey from a cynic to someone who truly cares is surprisingly touching. Its plot is wrapped in enough puns and absurdist humor to make the reader groan and laugh simultaneously. It skewers everything from fantasy tropes to police procedurals to monarchy to despotic governments, with dragons that act like oversized cats and revolutionaries who are more concerned with proper meeting minutes than actual revolution. It's satire that feels like being gently ribbed by your witty friend, which is not to say it does not have more serious points to make. It was great fun. I had only read one of Pratchett's books previously, and now I understand why he has so many fans.

“It was amazing, this mystic business. You tell them a lie, and then when you don’t need it anymore you tell them another lie and tell them they’re progressing along the road to wisdom. Then instead of laughing they follow you even more, hoping that at the heart of all the lies they’ll find the truth. And bit by bit they accept the unacceptable. Amazing.”

“They accept evil not because they say yes, but because they don’t say no.”

4.5

I am almost done with the series, only three books left I think, and Sam Vimes has slowly become my favorite point of view from a huge cast of characters. When I finish, I might come back to this particular episode, just for the pleasure of making his acquaintance all over again.

I will definitely be reading more of the City Watch series. I think Sam Vimes is a great character with lots of potential for development in future volumes. Thanks for the tip to read Guards! Guards!. I liked it much more than the first Discworld book.