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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
I love Terry Prachett's Night Watch stories. Vines and Carrot are fabulous characters. Here's hoping we get at least one more Night Watch book before TP calls it quits.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This, friends, is a 2.5-star book, that I am rounding up. I could round it down. But let me tell you about my feelings! Because ratings, as always, are to me a method of achieving inner peace with my book.
Reasons this book deserves two stars:
- It... isn't very good! As a novel. The structural wisps involving the villain Edward were confusing instead of intriguing, and somehow heavyhanded at the same time since you see where it's going -- you just can't identify the gob of plot he left there on that page. It scene-jumps too quickly. There's all these murders but it's not a mystery or about the murders at all except we spend all this time establishing these murders. You could theoretically summarize the book with certain things -- and indeed, the flap copy tells us it is about the criminal hijinks that occur in the days before Captain Vimes retires -- but it is not actually about those things.
- It wasn't about... anything.
- I am ignoring the thing it might be about, because it's ridiculous. It might be a parody of the fantasy weapon that casts a great spell on those who wield it. But I am afraid I'm way more convinced it's some kind of commentary, and it's real bad at that.
- I outright disliked half the characters. All of the characters seem to be recurring characters, so, a mixed bag. Disliked the trolls, and mostly the dwarfs. Do like Carrot & Angua and Vimes & Sybil, but the latter couple says about two words to each other in this entire book while also managing to get married. Other books are about them. That's great. Then why do they get married in this book? I sigh.
- The silliness got in the way of making any points and getting on with anything. Pratchett's young adult books are funny and beautiful. Does he think that adults don't need their books to, I don't know, have a subject?
- Sometimes the humor felt like when you watch a comedy that isn't funny.
- I got bored and it took forever even though it is stupid fast reading.
Reasons this book deserves three stars:
+ The two-star books I've read have basically driven me nuts in some way. I did not dislike this book! Needing improvement isn't the same. (I still have only one-starred one book. Apparently I just save that for "THIS HAS REALLY OFFENDED ME, SOMEONE LISTEN.")
+ It is the second book of a series of which I have not read the first book. I believe that the previous book is in fact worse, as a book, yet I'm still interested in reading it because I want to establish this stuff. I took a gamble in not starting at the start, thinking I'd have a better time with a better book, but I didn't.
+ I know that Pratchett's writing gets much better. This is a full ten years older than the Tiffany Aching books. Those work structurally as novels, and don't get bogged down in derpy recurring characters until a tiny bit at the very end. Most importantly, while being hilarious Discworld books, they say strong things, contain sorrow, and enrich a constant theme. And crack you up on the subway, as well.
I wouldn't read this again, but it isn't a waste of time. Essentially, I chose it because the Guards are Evan's favorite Discworld series, and I want to make it to those later books, I do. I will. And someday, I'll pick up #1, too.
Reasons this book deserves two stars:
- It... isn't very good! As a novel. The structural wisps involving the villain Edward were confusing instead of intriguing, and somehow heavyhanded at the same time since you see where it's going -- you just can't identify the gob of plot he left there on that page. It scene-jumps too quickly. There's all these murders but it's not a mystery or about the murders at all except we spend all this time establishing these murders. You could theoretically summarize the book with certain things -- and indeed, the flap copy tells us it is about the criminal hijinks that occur in the days before Captain Vimes retires -- but it is not actually about those things.
- It wasn't about... anything.
- I am ignoring the thing it might be about, because it's ridiculous.
Spoiler
Having to spend time discerning that someone has invented a gun, that the characters have to figure out what it is and moralize it, that the gun TAKES OVER THEIR MIND because it fills them with unnatural power... no.- I outright disliked half the characters. All of the characters seem to be recurring characters, so, a mixed bag. Disliked the trolls, and mostly the dwarfs. Do like Carrot & Angua and Vimes & Sybil, but the latter couple says about two words to each other in this entire book while also managing to get married. Other books are about them. That's great. Then why do they get married in this book? I sigh.
- The silliness got in the way of making any points and getting on with anything. Pratchett's young adult books are funny and beautiful. Does he think that adults don't need their books to, I don't know, have a subject?
- Sometimes the humor felt like when you watch a comedy that isn't funny.
- I got bored and it took forever even though it is stupid fast reading.
Reasons this book deserves three stars:
+ The two-star books I've read have basically driven me nuts in some way. I did not dislike this book! Needing improvement isn't the same. (I still have only one-starred one book. Apparently I just save that for "THIS HAS REALLY OFFENDED ME, SOMEONE LISTEN.")
+ It is the second book of a series of which I have not read the first book. I believe that the previous book is in fact worse, as a book, yet I'm still interested in reading it because I want to establish this stuff. I took a gamble in not starting at the start, thinking I'd have a better time with a better book, but I didn't.
+ I know that Pratchett's writing gets much better. This is a full ten years older than the Tiffany Aching books. Those work structurally as novels, and don't get bogged down in derpy recurring characters until a tiny bit at the very end. Most importantly, while being hilarious Discworld books, they say strong things, contain sorrow, and enrich a constant theme. And crack you up on the subway, as well.
I wouldn't read this again, but it isn't a waste of time. Essentially, I chose it because the Guards are Evan's favorite Discworld series, and I want to make it to those later books, I do. I will. And someday, I'll pick up #1, too.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Still one of Pratchett's finest books, and the one where the City Watch starts to take its final form as mainstays like Angua and Detritus join. This time Vimes & co have to solve a fun and effectively written murder mystery, as a mysterious assassin (but as the Guild of Assassins would stress: not necessarily an Assassin with a capital A) is killing people with a never before seen weapon.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
An excellent fantasy for the times we’re currently living in. I look forward to my next visit to Discworld.