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4.5 AVERAGE
4.5 AVERAGE
Sometimes these things get away from you then the Audible UK series reboot from 2023 finally becomes available in the US (featuring Peter Serafinowicz as Death and Bill Nighy as the footnotes) and even though Stephen Briggs is a brilliant narrator who was a good friend and creative partner to Terry Pratchett you decide it’s been so long since you started that audiobook version that you’re gonna start over anyway because you really do want to hear the new version and that’s okay because it’s apparently considered one of the best if not the best book in the Discworld series and His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel "Sam" Vimes deserves some damn respect and my full attention, not to mention the rest of the watch and all the wonderful characters in between…
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of the most hilarious, wittiest, thoughtful, driest, scathing and world-relevant satires I’ve ever read. It definitely would’ve been more beneficial for me to have read more Pratchett books prior to this (this is, after all, like the twenty-sixth book in the Discworld series), but I read this one on the insistence of my dad who’s a humungous Pratchett fan because this is one of his favourite books. I can see why.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
challenging
dark
hopeful
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
This book reads as the culmination of everything Pratchett has been working on in Discworld. What started as a series of fun parodies of the sword and sorcery genre with the odd lessons thrown in have evolved into satires that are astounding full of anger and hope in equal measure. The rage in this book is unlike anything seen before, and the violence is all too appalling for its reality. The police brutality and torture shown in this book are some of the darkest scenes put to page because of how human they truly are and how the character's reactions are. Its truly hard to put it into any better words that Pratchett did. The scene where Vimes is on the barricade thinking about logistics and what it takes to feed people, to keep the machine going, stuck out. This idea that so many of the people at the top cannot take the time to stop and think about the putting food on the table for people, this kind of callous ignorance that permeates those in charge, is put on full blast here, and rightly so. What really makes this book so special is the hope that comes along with the anger. Yes there is so much wrong with the world, enough to drive any sane person to anger, but its anger dedicated to action. It is not just talking about the wrongs of the world, but getting mad enough to do something about that. That is the embodiment of Sam Vimes as a character and a lesson that everyone should learn. Reading Discworld will make you a better person for it, and this book is the pinnacle of that. This idea of striving to be better, fighting for a better future, a better tomorrow, all the while maintaining control because if that's lost, everything is. Truly a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
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
Literally one of the best books I have read.
adventurous
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Police brutality