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clayby'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
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
szuum's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- 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: Fatphobia and Sexism
theirgracegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
cults are a prominent plot point of this booktangleroot_eli's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
REREAD March 2024: Now I see why a lot of people recommend starting to read Discworld here, rather than with Colour of Magic. Pratchett really found his footing here. And the timeless/prescient quality feels even more striking now. Replace the Elucidated Brotherhood's black hoods with red hats and the Supreme Grand Master with QAnon, and it... works exactly the same.
* * *
First read review: January 2018: Many Discworld books--and the City Watch books, especially--have a timeless, even prescient quality that makes them equally fascinating and creepy. The subtle interplays between characters, especially the members of the Brotherhood and Vimes vs., erm... everyone are a treat to watch play out. oh and also dragons
* * *
First read review: January 2018: Many Discworld books--and the City Watch books, especially--have a timeless, even prescient quality that makes them equally fascinating and creepy. The subtle interplays between characters, especially the members of the Brotherhood and Vimes vs., erm... everyone are a treat to watch play out. oh and also dragons
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Classism
Minor: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Misogyny, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Police corruption, Environmental degradation,