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Night Watch (Discworld, #29)

Terry Pratchett,

Stephen Briggs (Map)

Why we're reading this: No. 73
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Aug 08, 2019 Robyn Blaber rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a great look deeper into the mind of Sam Vimes, leader of the night watch. I've seen a few fictions, but very few deal with the fundamental difference between the military and the police... but I'd say that this is one of the best I've seen. The job of the military is to kill the enemy and the job of the police is to keep the peace. These are fundamentally different goals, yet both conducted by people with uniforms and weapons.

In a previous book we were instructed that using the police ...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Fembat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Night Watch is another instalment in the Discworld series, a set of books I generally adore with very few reservations. For those of you poor individuals who have managed to get through life so far without even the faintest knowledge of the said series (quite how I do not know) here is a brief overview.

Discworld are a series of comic fantasy books which are, as their name aptly suggests, set on the discworld – a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back Night Watch is another instalment in the Discworld series, a set of books I generally adore with very few reservations. For those of you poor individuals who have managed to get through life so far without even the faintest knowledge of the said series (quite how I do not know) here is a brief overview.

Discworld are a series of comic fantasy books which are, as their name aptly suggests, set on the discworld – a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, the Great A’Tuin. To date the series of books total 38 , Night Watch being the 29th.

The book opens on the morning of the 30th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution of the 25th of May, where those lost are remembered by the wearing of Lilac. Sam Vines, Commander of Ankh-Morpork City Watch and Duke, is caught in a magical storm and is transported back in time when trying to capture notorious criminal Carcer Dun. He awakens to find himself to have been rescued by Miss Palm (a “seamstress”) and pox Doctor Mossy Lawn. After time is frozen and the situation more or less explained by the History Monks, Sam assumes the identity of Sergeant-At-Arms John Keel (his old mentor), who was to have arrived that day but was murdered by Carcer. Vimes finds himself responsible for the training of his younger slightly less aware self (frankly young Sam it a bit of a twerp) and also the Night Watch who, at this time really are barely any better than the criminals they arrest.

Night Watch is one of my most favourite of the Discworld series but I was surprised how little I had remembered of the plot after first reading it back in 2002. Not so much of a disadvantage as, for the most part, I had the pleasure of seemingly reading it for first time all over again. Prior to re-reading I would have placed it, perhaps No 3 on my personal preferences list for the Discworld series, below Going Postal and Making Money… now, well, its moved up to the top having overtaken my slightly obsessive attachment to Moist Von Lipwig of the aforementioned novels.

Terry Pratchett is an enormous talent when it comes to writing satire and Night Watch is one of the best he has turned out. His humour, world knowledge and sense of the ridiculous never fails to capture my imagination. My thirst for Discworld tales, it seems, can never be truly quenched. ...more

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