krillson 's review for:

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

5.0

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

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 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. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture