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heathengray's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I must have read this 10 years ago. I loved it then. I love it still.
But while, during the first reading I felt this was the literary equivalent of a fast paced 80's US cop caper (think Dirty Harry, Lethal Weapon), it might be my age, but on the second reading I got a lot more of a noir feel, even brushing very close to the movie Blade Runner. Wait! Hear me out!
I always picture Ankh-Morpork as dingy, dirty, but always in daylight, in fine weather. But for much of the book it's raining non-stop (like Blade Runner), set at night (like Blade Runner), only becoming sunny and daylight towards the end (Like...), dealing with issues of fate, destiny, creations run amok, and ends pretty much paraphrasing Gaff's final aside from the movie.
On to the actual plot: A secret society is releasing a Dragon into the city, the City Watch having not much else to do (as crime is regulated by the criminals... it's ingenious, but complicated) decide to investigate. This is the first of the Discworld books to really flesh out the city, The Patrician, and The Librarian. Everything gets another dimension to it, pushing past parody levels. The fantasy breaths on its own. And Pratchett continues to make incredible, likable, imperfect characters. For example, beautiful characters always have some endearing flaw, the bad guys always have some justification, ugly people are described with such love, you would happily marry them.
If there was a downside, it's the infrequent direct quotes from other movies ('I'm too old for this', 'Here's looking at you, Kid'). They dragged me out of the world for a moment with an eye-roll, even though I remembered giggling at them the first reading. But the ones that were sown into the fiction (e.g. Vimes quoting Dirty Harry, but he's holding a swamp-dragon) are a delight to read and recognize.
A popcorn book if ever there was one.
But while, during the first reading I felt this was the literary equivalent of a fast paced 80's US cop caper (think Dirty Harry, Lethal Weapon), it might be my age, but on the second reading I got a lot more of a noir feel, even brushing very close to the movie Blade Runner. Wait! Hear me out!
I always picture Ankh-Morpork as dingy, dirty, but always in daylight, in fine weather. But for much of the book it's raining non-stop (like Blade Runner), set at night (like Blade Runner), only becoming sunny and daylight towards the end (Like...), dealing with issues of fate, destiny, creations run amok, and ends pretty much paraphrasing Gaff's final aside from the movie.
On to the actual plot: A secret society is releasing a Dragon into the city, the City Watch having not much else to do (as crime is regulated by the criminals... it's ingenious, but complicated) decide to investigate. This is the first of the Discworld books to really flesh out the city, The Patrician, and The Librarian. Everything gets another dimension to it, pushing past parody levels. The fantasy breaths on its own. And Pratchett continues to make incredible, likable, imperfect characters. For example, beautiful characters always have some endearing flaw, the bad guys always have some justification, ugly people are described with such love, you would happily marry them.
If there was a downside, it's the infrequent direct quotes from other movies ('I'm too old for this', 'Here's looking at you, Kid'). They dragged me out of the world for a moment with an eye-roll, even though I remembered giggling at them the first reading. But the ones that were sown into the fiction (e.g. Vimes quoting Dirty Harry, but he's holding a swamp-dragon) are a delight to read and recognize.
A popcorn book if ever there was one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism
Vimes is one of these 80's cops that is definitely an alcoholic by today's standards, but is also able to just shrug it off and doesn't feel the need to drink.ampharos906's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Minor: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
dave_ex_machina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
An early volume of my favorite Discworld arc!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Vines does start out as a drunk, but he ultimately overcomes itclayby's review against another edition
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
5.0
Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett
This is where the dragons went. They lie... Not dead, not asleep. Not waiting, because waiting implies expectation. Possibly the word we're looking for here is... dormant.
I wanted to start 2023 off with something more light-hearted, and Guards! Guards! ended up fitting the bill perfectly. I'd never read a Discworld book before, the sheer number of them had intimidated me in the past. However, I discovered a little while back that there were subseries that were mostly self-contained, and off to the races I was!
As for Guards! Guards! itself, I have to say that I really enjoyed Terry Pratchett's style of humor, underlaid with a bit of seriousness. It was wonderful being dragged along through the streets and back-alleys of Ankh-Morpork, getting to know the City Watch, the locals, and their customs (good and bad).
I'm looking forward to working my way through the rest of the City Watch series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Ableism and Fatphobia
sinceraly's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
This book was so funny, and I could not put it down during the second half, but the first half is incredibly slow and made me lose interest in reading fit for a while. Definitely recommend pushing through, though, if nothing else but for Terry Pratchett's amazing skill with comedy and Monty Python-esque jokes. And Carrot and Lady Ramkin. I love Carrot and Lady Ramkin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Fatphobia
theaceofpages's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are good people and bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.”
Oh man, I absolutely love Pratchett and this book was no exception. Im slowly making my way through the books again (started in September 2022) and will hopefully actually make it through the whole series this time. Life has always gotten in the way and for some reason I always feel the need to restart... I’m not letting that happen this time.
In Guards! Guards!, a secret brotherhood has stolen a book about summoning dragons from the local magical library located in the wizarding university (much to the orang-utan librarian’s dismay). Their goal is to overthrow the partitioner and replace him with a man that they can control. It is up to Carrot and the rest of the Night Watch (who, let’s face it, have been pretty useless up to this point) to save the day, with the help of Swamp Dragon breeder Lady Sybil Ramkin, Goodboy Brindle Featherstone/Errol (who is eating everything (although at least he sniffs it first?) and who may or may not explode) and the Librarian (who can only communicate with “ooook”s).
I love the way that Pratchett is able to criticise the horrors of humanity in such a humorous and tongue in cheek way. All without losing the significance and weight of the issues he is writing about. I’m picking up on and appreciating this more and more as I get older and the world gets worse. He does this both through the human characters (whom are often believably cruel to each other) and also through the dragon – a beast of fierceness and rage. The dragon notes, for example, “But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless and terrible. But this much I can tell you, we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality.”even while she is negotiating a treaty in which she will be fed people after being elected king, or queen.
Filled with Pratchett’s signature puns and literal translation of concepts, this is not a book to be missed. It definitely made me groan or laugh out loud on multiple occasions (which I must say, may humour books really don’t do for me). He definitely always manages to hit the spot. The characters are also incredibly enjoyable. I found Carrot’s struggles to accept he’s human and not a dwarf) and his struggles to understand the very new and crazy and corrupt world he’s been thrown into very relatable. I loved how the watch played off each other (even if they are more than a little mean at times) – how Carrot inspired them to do actual police work, and how they drew his idealistic self into more of a reality (even if it meant he couldn’t follow up on all of the laws in his book). And being a (swamp) dragon breeder as a job? Isn’t that just the dream! Although I do hate how much prejudice Lady Ramkin experiences. Although, it really is the case for any odd hobbies I guess. Especially when its one that no one really understands.
While this may be the eighth book of the Discworld series, it is the first of its story arc. So if it sounds like your cup of tea (made in the new tea kettle the watch requested after their old one got eaten by Errol) feel free to dive right in.
Oh man, I absolutely love Pratchett and this book was no exception. Im slowly making my way through the books again (started in September 2022) and will hopefully actually make it through the whole series this time. Life has always gotten in the way and for some reason I always feel the need to restart... I’m not letting that happen this time.
In Guards! Guards!, a secret brotherhood has stolen a book about summoning dragons from the local magical library located in the wizarding university (much to the orang-utan librarian’s dismay). Their goal is to overthrow the partitioner and replace him with a man that they can control. It is up to Carrot and the rest of the Night Watch (who, let’s face it, have been pretty useless up to this point) to save the day, with the help of Swamp Dragon breeder Lady Sybil Ramkin, Goodboy Brindle Featherstone/Errol (who is eating everything (although at least he sniffs it first?) and who may or may not explode) and the Librarian (who can only communicate with “ooook”s).
I love the way that Pratchett is able to criticise the horrors of humanity in such a humorous and tongue in cheek way. All without losing the significance and weight of the issues he is writing about. I’m picking up on and appreciating this more and more as I get older and the world gets worse. He does this both through the human characters (whom are often believably cruel to each other) and also through the dragon – a beast of fierceness and rage. The dragon notes, for example, “But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless and terrible. But this much I can tell you, we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality.”
Filled with Pratchett’s signature puns and literal translation of concepts, this is not a book to be missed. It definitely made me groan or laugh out loud on multiple occasions (which I must say, may humour books really don’t do for me). He definitely always manages to hit the spot. The characters are also incredibly enjoyable. I found Carrot’s struggles to accept he’s human and not a dwarf) and his struggles to understand the very new and crazy and corrupt world he’s been thrown into very relatable. I loved how the watch played off each other (even if they are more than a little mean at times) – how Carrot inspired them to do actual police work, and how they drew his idealistic self into more of a reality (even if it meant he couldn’t follow up on all of the laws in his book). And being a (swamp) dragon breeder as a job? Isn’t that just the dream! Although I do hate how much prejudice Lady Ramkin experiences. Although, it really is the case for any odd hobbies I guess. Especially when its one that no one really understands.
While this may be the eighth book of the Discworld series, it is the first of its story arc. So if it sounds like your cup of tea (made in the new tea kettle the watch requested after their old one got eaten by Errol) feel free to dive right in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Confinement
Minor: Animal cruelty
breadwitchery's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia
midnightcomets's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"The Librarian rolled his eyes. Homo sapiens? You could keep it."
I cannot express how enamoured I am by this story, but I can only tell you that it is a great place to start if you want to get into Pratchett. This was hilarious, fast-paced, full of lovable characters, plot twists I never saw coming and an unforgettable atmosphere of a mystery parody. Also, the amount of characters that seem to be neurodivergent in this...Bonus because a fat charaacter was my favourite character and she was described as stunning and majestic.
I cannot express how enamoured I am by this story, but I can only tell you that it is a great place to start if you want to get into Pratchett. This was hilarious, fast-paced, full of lovable characters, plot twists I never saw coming and an unforgettable atmosphere of a mystery parody. Also, the amount of characters that seem to be neurodivergent in this...Bonus because a fat charaacter was my favourite character and she was described as stunning and majestic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping and Alcoholism
Minor: Gore
woweewhoa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
A fun time! I'm working through all the Discworld books in order and currently this is my favorite one! I really enjoyed all the characters and the comedic timing was top notch. I listen to the audiobooks of the books and the narration was really good and characterful for this one for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Fatphobia, Death, Violence, and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty
keegan_leech's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Impossible not to recommend Terry Pratchett to everyone all the time. Beneath his lighthearted, funny style, there's such an incredible depth of thought that goes into each character, and every book.
A perfect place to introduce yourself to the Discworld, and I particularly recommend it to anyone who likes the sound of a funny detective noir story about the shortcomings of "hero of destiny" tropes.
A perfect place to introduce yourself to the Discworld, and I particularly recommend it to anyone who likes the sound of a funny detective noir story about the shortcomings of "hero of destiny" tropes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol