Reviews

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

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mebius's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

naveenpiedy's review against another edition

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5.0

At this point, it is no secret that I love Discworld novels. They are humorous, witty and more importantly worthwhile. The humor doesn't detract, but only adds to the central theme that the book satirizes.

Men at Arms is another fine example of this. It goes over heavy topics such the power of Gonnes (Guns), racial tension, inclusion of minorities, sexism, democracy vs monarchy, the role of police. All of these complex themes are woven seamlessly into a high-stakes murder mystery, populated with unforgettable characters. I am astonished at the balance between humor and tension, without ever undermining the weighty issues at the heart of the story.

The characters when they are introduced to us are pretty one dimensional. We are told what to expect of these characters. But as the story progresses, they don't necessarily morph into someone else or sprout several dimensions. But they were richer, deeper, and more importantly I cared about them by the end of it.

The Beautiful Dichotomy at Play

Captain Vimes is a cynic, and he is bitter and jaded. That all comes with experience, and rightly so. He is seen it all, and he is survived it all. He is old and he retiring from the force at the start. Then there is Corporal Carrot who is new, an optimist, simple-minded and ... everyone likes Carrot.
Their characters arcs are for the better part devoid of the other. But as the story ramps into the third act, they are thrown together and thrown into an explosive action packed finale, and this is where the magic happens. The contrast between, especially under the pressure of life and death, is what helped me understand and ultimately appreciate these two.

Like I said earlier, most of the characters have single dimensions. And Pratchett setups these pairings where they play off each other, only to emerge out of it deeper and richer. It happens with Detritus the troll and Cuddy the Dwarf (new recruits), with Gaspode and Angua (dog and werewolf/new recruit) and so forth.

And all of it was utterly fascinating, and I am here for it. And this is what elevates this book from good to great.

Post Script

I have not dived deep into the finer points or even the larger points of the plot or the subtext. I merely touched upon the highlights. This is in due part not wanting to spoil and also wanting to keep this short. Having said that, this book has it all. Well crafted characters, a compelling murder mystery, passages with loaded subtext, racism, sexism, Werewolves, Clowns, Assassins, Mad Dogs, romance, bromance, and also Goones. What more can I ask for!

It is a wonderful book, that is deserved to be read by everyone. And I hope I get at least one person to pick up a Discworld novel.