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A review by crufts
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
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
4.25
I "read" Guards! Guards! twice: once in the original novel format and once in the BBC radio play. Both are good.
Although this is Book 8 of the Discworld series, there's minimal connection to the preceding novels and you can read it as a standalone.
Samuel Vimes is the Captain of the Watch in the sprawling city of Ankh-Morpork. But his cynical, jaded, depressed attitude is shaken up by the arrival of a naive and idealistic new recruit (Carrot Ironfoundersson). Tasked to retrieve a magic book stolen from the Unseen University, the watch discovers a conspiracy seeking to summon a dragon, unseat the city's ruler and take the throne. With the help of dragon breeder Lady Sybil Ramkin, can the watch restore order to their beloved city?
There's a lot to enjoy about this book. My favourite points were:
(1) Cynicism vs Idealism
This is one of the thematic conflicts of the novel, with wholesome results.
(2) The romance
This wasn't crucial to the plot, but it was cute and it added to some characters' development. Also, the romantic interest character subverts a lot of tropes/stereotypes of what the romantic interest character is "meant" to be.
(3) The red herring "sordid past"
There is a running reference about the Captain's depression being caused by his mysterious sordid past, when he was supposedly "brung low by a woman". This is a red herring, and the actual cause is much better than the mystery.
A good read overall. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy other books in the Discworld City Watch storyline, such as Night Watch.
Although this is Book 8 of the Discworld series, there's minimal connection to the preceding novels and you can read it as a standalone.
Samuel Vimes is the Captain of the Watch in the sprawling city of Ankh-Morpork. But his cynical, jaded, depressed attitude is shaken up by the arrival of a naive and idealistic new recruit (Carrot Ironfoundersson). Tasked to retrieve a magic book stolen from the Unseen University, the watch discovers a conspiracy seeking to summon a dragon, unseat the city's ruler and take the throne. With the help of dragon breeder Lady Sybil Ramkin, can the watch restore order to their beloved city?
There's a lot to enjoy about this book. My favourite points were:
(1) Cynicism vs Idealism
This is one of the thematic conflicts of the novel, with wholesome results.
(2) The romance
This wasn't crucial to the plot, but it was cute and it added to some characters' development. Also, the romantic interest character subverts a lot of tropes/stereotypes of what the romantic interest character is "meant" to be.
(3) The red herring "sordid past"
There is a running reference about the Captain's depression being caused by his mysterious sordid past, when he was supposedly "brung low by a woman". This is a red herring, and the actual cause is much better than the mystery.
A good read overall. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy other books in the Discworld City Watch storyline, such as Night Watch.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death