anomandrewrake 's review for:

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

4.0

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

I was a little frustrated at first that this book wasn't as funny as I have come to expect from Discworld. Upon further reflection, I don't know what I was smoking. I don't have all that much else to say, but I will mention one thing. Pratchett is fascinating. He wrote his silly little fantasy/comedy books that clock in at 400 pages at the longest... And yet he puts so much of himself into them. These books get deeply philosophical at a moment's notice, sometimes they can be extremely cynical. And regardless of your feelings about any given character's philosophy, the struggle within Pratchett is evident. I read these books, and specifically this one, and I see the author fighting desperately against his cynicism. Trying to find a silver lining to this whole "existence" thing. And he'll find that silver lining, finally. And then he'll wonder, "Did I just make that up to have something nice to think about?" It's deeply compelling. I can't wait to read the rest of these books.