teadrinking_bibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
The Discworld City Watch books reread begins!
Going to go in order this time... I think this one in particular I enjoyed more the second time around. Having stumbled into the Discworld on a later Watch book, encountering Vimes 'early days' after on the first run through was a bit of a let down. But having none month's breathing room from last year's disordered marathon of the whole series, it's just wonderful reading classic Pratchett again, and easier to spot all the pieces of Vimes that make him an enduring character (in both senses of the word), also helpful to start here to get a sense of Nobby and Colon, let alone Carrot. Sybil is a treasure. Errol is a precious flame puppy. The Librarian, and L-Space, my beloved.
Probably remarked upon previously, but what stuck out on this reading were:
-Succinct take down of the more sketchy/culty religious traditions;
-exactly how sharply critical of humanity's downsides Pratchett can be - the larger dragon is necessarily the second worst foe as a result;
-how efficiently he makes the mind of that larger dragon a terrifying thing to consider, and then upends the threat 👌🏻
-exactly how difficult it is to stand up to tyranny when violence is the primary method of suppression, and simultaneously how crucial that makes fighting back anyway.
-How vulnerable, insecure, men can be, without it being toxic, just honest.
And he can still make you laugh! Oh, Terry. 🥹
Going to go in order this time... I think this one in particular I enjoyed more the second time around. Having stumbled into the Discworld on a later Watch book, encountering Vimes 'early days' after on the first run through was a bit of a let down. But having none month's breathing room from last year's disordered marathon of the whole series, it's just wonderful reading classic Pratchett again, and easier to spot all the pieces of Vimes that make him an enduring character (in both senses of the word), also helpful to start here to get a sense of Nobby and Colon, let alone Carrot. Sybil is a treasure. Errol is a precious flame puppy. The Librarian, and L-Space, my beloved.
Probably remarked upon previously, but what stuck out on this reading were:
-Succinct take down of the more sketchy/culty religious traditions;
-exactly how sharply critical of humanity's downsides Pratchett can be - the larger dragon is necessarily the second worst foe as a result;
-how efficiently he makes the mind of that larger dragon a terrifying thing to consider, and then upends the threat 👌🏻
-exactly how difficult it is to stand up to tyranny when violence is the primary method of suppression, and simultaneously how crucial that makes fighting back anyway.
-How vulnerable, insecure, men can be, without it being toxic, just honest.
And he can still make you laugh! Oh, Terry. 🥹
twislerguy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
michaelkerzman's review against another edition
3.75
This is an undeniably good book that I think I might have read the wrong time or with the wrong mindset. This is my first discworld book so I wasn't really sure what I was getting into. The characters and the world are hilarious, and they get more and more likeable as the story goes on. Pratchett's writing style is also so witty to the point where it actually becomes impressive.
I enjoyed it more as I got along but the first half of the book was a bit difficult for me to get through. The structure of the book is very untraditional. There are no chapters, the story just goes from beginning to end. The only real breaks are when we shift perspectives but theres no consistency in how frequent that is. Sometimes it'll happen after a paragraph, and other times it happens after many pages. This was hard for me just because I've grown so used to the chapter format.
I felt like the plot here didn't matter, and the real enjoyment came from all the character interactions, jokes, and running gags. It was the type of story that I couldn't binge through; I had to take it in small doses, which means it took me a while to read this small book. With that in mind, I think I'd probably enjoy this much more on a re-read, but as it stands, I just wasnt mentally prepped for it.
I enjoyed it more as I got along but the first half of the book was a bit difficult for me to get through. The structure of the book is very untraditional. There are no chapters, the story just goes from beginning to end. The only real breaks are when we shift perspectives but theres no consistency in how frequent that is. Sometimes it'll happen after a paragraph, and other times it happens after many pages. This was hard for me just because I've grown so used to the chapter format.
I felt like the plot here didn't matter, and the real enjoyment came from all the character interactions, jokes, and running gags. It was the type of story that I couldn't binge through; I had to take it in small doses, which means it took me a while to read this small book. With that in mind, I think I'd probably enjoy this much more on a re-read, but as it stands, I just wasnt mentally prepped for it.
aprivateislander's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
hazbooks's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
leeza_robertson_writes's review
3.0
Another fabulous Discworld addition. Though not my fav story from the multiverse. In true Pratchett way, this books is a spiritual experience and takes us deep into our own set of beliefs and perceptions. A must-read for all Discworld fans.
tristan_lince's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5