Customer Reviews

Night Watch: A Novel of Discworld

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of the tricky parts of a time travel novel is explaining to the traveler (especially if his journey is inadvertent as it is in "Night Watch") and the reader just what the heck happened.

Luckily, in a previous Discworld novel, "Thief of Time" (2001), Pratchett invented Lu-Tze and the Time Monks, so that when Sam Vimes travels back to his own past while chasing a cold-blooded murderer, a little bald wrinkly smiling man (Rule #1: "Do not act incautiously when confronting little bald wrinkly smiling men!") rescues Sam from the clutches of history's cowardly, badly run Night Watch, and explains what has happened.

Basically, young Sam Vimes has just joined the past's Night Watch and the older Sam Vimes must teach him to be a good cop while disguised as Sargeant John Keel, newly arrived in Ankh-Morpork and ready to kick some sloppy, sadistic cop butt.

If 'old' Vimes doesn't make sure 'young' Vimes becomes a decent cop, his future, his wife, his position as Commander of the Watch will be lost to him. Good men will needlessly die.

Historical Ankh-Morpork is also gearing up for a revolt against a Patrician who is propped up by a really nasty secret police gang. Once 'Sargeant John Keel' gets himself clothed, out of jail, his plight explained by Lu-Tze, and is put in charge of the Treacle Mine Road Watch House, he must train up young Sam Vimes (as well as future-Sargeant Colon, and Nobby Nobbs), capture a killer, and make sure the Revolution is won by the right people.

Only then Vimes will get to return to the 'future' where his wife is about to give birth.

I enjoy all of Discworld novels starring the redoubtable Sam Vimes, but "Night Watch" is something special. The plot zips from beginning to end, never slowing down except for the mandatory insertion of the Time Monks, who have to explain the how and why of Sam's excursion into his own past. Many of the loose ends from previous Night Watch novels are tied together and neatly tucked in. Most of all, I was delighted by a deepening illumination of character--not just of Vimes, but of the Patrician Vetinari, Sargeant Colon, and Nobby Nobbs. While you read, you'll be thinking 'of course they started like this.' Pratchett is that good.

If you'd like to read the Sam Vimes/Night Watch books in order of publication, they are: "Guards! Guards!" (1989); "Men at Arms" (1993); "Feet of Clay" (1996); "Jingo" (1997); "Night Watch" (2002); and "Thud!" (2005).

Night Watch is the 27th, or 28th (depending on how you count them) book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The Discworld series takes place on the flat world of the Disc which is carried on the backs of four elephants standing on the great Turtle, A'tuin, as he (or maybe she) swims through space. On the Disc mariners who attempt to sail over the horizon, in fact, sail over the edge. The Disc is home to magic and many magical creatures and beings abound, gods, dwarfs, trolls, vampires, zombies, werewolves, wizards, witches and more. Terry Pratchett's Discworld books can be grouped into categories depending on who the primary characters are. I tend to think of the categories as the Wizards of the Unseen University, the Witches of Lancre, Death, and the City Watch. Most of the Discworld books fall into one of these categories although a few like Pyramids, Moving Pictures and Small Gods don't. Night Watch though is definitely a City Watch book.

In Night Watch, we learn how Samuel Vimes' character was formed. His Grace, the Duke Samuel Vimes, the commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is dispatched back in time (along with a ruthless killer) to the waning days of the corrupt Lord Winder's reign as ruler of Ankh-Morpork. Vimes must assume the identity of John Keel, a guardsman recently recruited to the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch as a Sergeant at Arms. In the Night Watch he finds his earlier self, takes him under his wing and teaches him how to be a good copper. In his jaunt back to the past Vimes meets earlier versions of Fred Colon as a corporal, Nobby Nobbs as a street urchin, Reg Shoe as a non-zombie revolutionary and a young new street vendor named Dibbler just starting out. Lu-Tze, the sweeper monk of history, makes an appearance trying to get Vimes to accept his role in the course of events leading up to the revolution that ousts Lord Winder. A young Vetinari, as a senior at the Assasins Guild also takes part in the plot.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are jewels of humorous fantasy and Night Watch is no exception. The most enjoyable Discworld books involve the City Watch, Guards, Guards, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, and The Fifth Elephant. Night Watch continues the story of the City Watch characters by going back in time to explain how the central character, Sam Vimes, came to be. However, Night Watch, is not the typical hysterical Pratchett romp through the fantastic world of the Disc. This book, while still funny, is a little darker than the average Discworld book and a little bit deeper, which makes it a very nice change of pace. The older Sam Vimes as John Keel, teaches the younger Vimes the meaning of being a watchman, doing the job that's in front of you and keeping the peace. It's in some ways a sad and trying story, but it opens up tremendous insight into one of the most beloved Discworld characters. This book probably is not the best choice for your first Discworld book, but if you are a fan of the Discworld and enjoy the books about the City Watch, this book is a must read.

This is the Discworld version of a time machine story. I think it's the best written of the entire Terry Pratchett library, but I only give it four stars.

The thing about any time machine story is that you already know how it comes out. And, for me at least, that takes a bit out of Pratchett's toolbox. Pratchett novels in the past have been a wild ride where you were never completely sure how it would all work out. "Night Watch" is a wild ride, but it's a roller coaster ride, and you know at the end of the ride you'll be, more or less, back at the starting point, breathless but okay.

There's also a bit of a character development issue. Maybe it's just the Monks of History having problems again, but how did eager young nightwatchman Sam Vimes - not John Keel, but Sam Vimes - turn into the lush we know and love in "Guards! Guards!"? We first met Sam Vimes, remember, lying drunk in a gutter in a rainstorm...

Still and all, this is an excellent addition to the Night Watch series. Not an introduction, mind you. I think you need to meet Fred Colon and Nobby Nobbs in "Guards! Guards!" or "Men at Arms" to appreciate those first, earlier encounters here. Especially to ah... savor the meeting with Nobby. Longstanding mysteries are solved, and half the fun is knowing they are mysteries in advance. Why Reg Shoe is a zombie. Whether Vetinari is indeed an assassin.

Pratchett's wordcraft is as good or even better than it has ever been. He is particularly deft in seamlessly intertwining the linked story threads and his message, which he slips in as craftily as any assassin. The party at which Mad Lord Winder is not assassinated is particularly well done.

I'm not rabid about Pratchett - I'm not a chronic hanger-on at L-Space, and there are some small sections of The APF I've not committed to memory. But any Prachett book is cause for keen anticipation and delighted, delightful reading. "Night Watch" is no exception. Oh, and stay off the Library dome in lightning storms...

Night Watch is Terry Pratchett's consummate masterpiece. He applies his insights into politics, ambition, loyalty, commitment, love, duty, sacrifice, and human fragility in a powerful, frequently entertaining, and ultimately overwhelming story. Pratchett shines when he fills each page with something to make it worth inclusion in the whole, and he does so brilliantly in Night Watch.
On my first reading, I carefully avoided reading ahead, and although many of the book's conclusions were clearly foreshadowed, I was near tears at the book's final revelations. The book sharply contrasts the potential for great natural bravery among the streetwise downtrodden with the potential for casual cruelty among the powerful elite. Not that the elite are typecast as cruel - several major characters among the "elite" are written with great depth, and the future Patrician of Ankh-Morpork finally has his moment to shine, albeit as a young man.
My favorite Pratchett novel, bar none. Worthy of many rereads.

This is another excellent book in the Discworld series. It's not the best, by some way, but it's still an incredibly good read.

Sam Vimes is cast back in time to old Anhk-Morpork. Whilst there he must drag a vicious killer back to the present, stop a bloody revolution, and teach the young Vimes how to be a good copper, otherwise when he returns, he may find himself faced with no future at all.

This book is considerably darker than some of Pratchett's works, and there's not quite as much humour as normal, which doesnt really matter, because it is still there in part. (Indeed, the way Nobby Nobbs imparts news of husband's death's to their new widows is posibly the funniest thing i have ever read.) However, it's still absolutely chock-full of the philosophical musings which lift his books so far most fantasy novels, indeed, almost ALL novels. Not only are his books immensely enjoyable, funny and well written, they make you think, and they say a great great deal about the world we live in today, by using the Discworld societies as mirrors of our own.

Some people say that some of books of the last five or so years havent been as good as some of those from his "middle period", i however, couldn't disagree more. In the past few years, terry Pratchett ahs produced some of his absolutely best work, from the best of the entire series, "The Truth", to the cleverst work of detective fiction i've ever come across, "Feet of Clay".

This book has another cracking plot with some excellent characters (it was great to see some of the characters we now know so well, in their younger days. Nobby, Fred, etc. Indeed, the young Havelock Vetinari provides an absolutely brilliant performance.) and it's nie to have a window into Anhk-Morporks history, however, after the excellent first 200 pages, the book slows down a bit and gets slightly, dare i say it, mundane, for a very short while, before it picks itself up again and goe son to another great ending.

Terry Pratchett really deserves some kind of award for this, and every book he's wrriten. Indeed, with Terry Pratchett writing a book a year, no other fantasy/sci-fi writer would stand a chance.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. Sam Vimes, the commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, falls into the third category. From his first appearance as a tarnished copper in "Guards, Guards" to his most recent outing in "Thud" as "not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer-but-straight-as-an-arrow" Sam Vimes, he has risen above his mediocrity, overcome his tarnished nature, and done great things.

In "Night Watch" we learn how the foundation for this heroic everyman was laid. Commander Sam Vimes, seeking to arrest a serial killer, finds himself thrown back into time, becoming a Sergeant on the old Ankh-Morpork Night Watch. He seeks to de-corrupt the Watch, whip it into a professional law enforcement agency, and guide the career of a rookie officer, Lance Constable Sam Vimes. The future isn't fixed, and if Vimes is ever going to get back home to his wife and newborn son, he must set things right in this same-but-different world.

In addition to exploring some of the implications of quantum theory and parallel time lines, Pratchett manages to give us a nice meditation on what moves some of us to self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty.

While Terry Pratchett is always funny - and one of the wittiest writers in fantasy (if not all of publishing) - many of his last ten books seem a little short of the sparkle that his earlier work had. This is certainly not a problem for "Night Watch", though. In fact, it's his very return to many of his old formulas that, surprisingly, makes it such a success.

As with all the Discworld books, "Night Watch" takes three or four popular themes in literature - or fiction or science fiction or whatever - and plays with them and their conventions. For this book, he's taken the idea of everybody's reminiscences of the 'good old days', time travel stories (especially those like "Back to the Future") and revolutions (specifically the French Revolution and at least a couple of Roman revolutions I can think of). All of this is, of course, woven into the story of Sam Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, being thrown back in time thirty years to a pivotal revolution in the city when he was just starting as a recruit.

All the stereotypes are there: from the dingy, cowardly watchmen that he must whip into shape to the know-it-all monitoring wise people (monks, in this case) and the young versions of many of the other Ankh-Morpork denizens we've met in the past five Watch books. What really makes this great, though, is that he has fun with all of these stereotypes and still manages to tell a story that's both engaging and like going back to visit old friends (albeit cowardly, somewhat-corrupt ones).

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to the Terry Pratchett fan as well as to the fantasy fan or even just the humor fan. While going back to "Guards! Guards!" (the first Discworld book about the Watch) may be helpful for those of you that aren't familiar with the series, it's still strong enough that it can hold it's own. If "Night Watch" is your first Terry Pratchett book, you may miss a lot of the references, but you'll still be in for an excellent read.

Night Watch, the 27th (and brand new!) Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, is a wonderful character study of Samuel Vimes, the head of the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork. In this one, Pratchett turns kind of serious, though there are some amusing bits. Unlike Small Gods, it appears to work in this one. Maybe I just wasn't ready for it before. Or maybe Vimes is such an interesting character that I was willing to forgive. Whichever way it is, Night Watch is yet another masterpiece from Pratchett.

Carcer is one of Pratchett's best villains, I believe, because he's "normal." Yes, he's insane, but he could very well live in the world we live in, unlike some of Pratchett's other bad guys. Not to say that they weren't good as well, but Carcer adds that extra bit of chill. He's a survivor, able to adapt to many different situations. It takes some time for Vimes to adapt himself to what he has to do once he discovers what has happened. Even when the Monks of History (the main source of any humour in this book) tell him what he must do, he is still reluctant. Carcer, on the other hand, jumps in with both feet, ingratiating himself with the higher-ups, and starts establishing himself. Once he realizes what the situation is with Vimes (and the younger Vimes) it gets even chillier. He's very effective, and the reader is often left wondering just how Vimes can beat him.

This book, however, is Sam Vimes' book. I've always found Vimes to be a fascinating character, throughout all of the City Watch books, and this book just builds on those. Every City Watch book is really about the development of Vimes, and Night Watch takes it to the next level, with an in depth character study, where you get under his skin and find out what makes him tick. When he's taken out of his element and dumped back in time, he has nothing to go on but his copper instincts. Times may change, politics may change, but coppers are coppers, and they just have to do what is right. Catch the bad guys, keep the peace. He sees himself as an extraordinarily simple man, and in a way, he is. But he's very dedicated to what he does, very strongly determined to do what's right, no matter what the consequences. When rebellion is flourishing all over the city, and the Unmentionables (the current government's secret police) is fomenting even more, Vimes is determined to make sure it doesn't reach the area of the Watch house. He uses some very unorthodox methods to make sure this happens, which doesn't put him on the good side of the Unmentionables (especially a new member, who has seemingly appeared out of nowhere). Vimes continues to show his intelligence, as well as his moralistic thinking. He's put through the ringer in this one, and a very interesting character throughout the previous books becomes a fascinating one instead.

The relationship between him (as John Keel) and the young Sam is a joy to watch. The young Sam is very impressionable. He wants to do the right thing, but he doesn't really know what that is. He took part in the round-ups of curfew-breakers (and delivering them to the Unmentionables) only because he didn't know any different. When Vimes arrives and sees what Sam is in danger of becoming, memories flood over him, and he becomes determined to ensure that Sam becomes what Vimes is. He also tries desperately to keep him out of danger, because he has to keep history going along the path it did before. The relationship is wonderful, and really aids in fleshing out the character of Vimes that we all know and love.

The plot is very interesting as well. Rebellion against the current Patrician of Ankh-Morpork is hitting the city all over the place. It is touching to watch the tragic inevitability of what happens, knowing that as much as Vimes tries, he really has to ensure that history repeats itself. The Lilac rebellion must occur in some fashion, and some good people, who he is getting to know again, are going to die. Carcer is going to do his best to make Vimes' life miserable, and if that involves changing history, too bad.

Pratchett ties everything together nicely into a tight plot with no holes that I could see. The story contains some interesting time travel theories, wonderful writing by Pratchett, and interesting characters. Fans of the series will be glad to see that not only are the Watch back (though they are only there in the present-day sequences), but also the Wizards play a small role. The Monks of History are around, trying to make sure that History is not damaged too badly by what is going on. Also, we get some history on Nobby Nobs, Sergeant Colon, Reg Shoe, Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler and we find out a very interesting aspect of the current Patrician, Vetinari. I've noticed that in recent books, Pratchett picks and chooses characters from his series to throw together into a book, and I think it really works.

But make no mistake. This book is about Samuel Vimes. He carries the book on his shoulders, and he does it very well. I wasn't sure if Pratchett could do much more with Vimes other than just another "adventure of the City Watch," but Pratchett proved me wrong. In spades. This is a wonderful book. While it's certainly readable as a first Discworld book, it loses a lot of its impact that way, so I would not recommend starting here. Get some background, then come back to this one. It's a keeper.

And then nearly didn't get up for work the next day!!

I eagerly look forward to every Terry Pratchett book I can get my hands on. The man has made such a wonderful contribution to the literary world that, as an American, I am thunderstruck by how few people seem to know his work over here. With the relatively recent stateside success of the Harry Potter books and Lord of the Rings relaunch (well I'm sure the films helped, too *grin*), I think Terry Pratchett is primed to continue to become more well-known here.

Onto the book . . . Loved it. Sam Vimes is a wonderful character. He has made great strides since his first appearance in "Guards! Guards!". Good story for fans, maybe not as friendly to new readers as "The Truth". I must confess that I wish Carrot would get to shine some more. I sometimes wonder if Terry hasn't been sure how to advance the character (I'd hoped for more from "The Fifth Elephant" in regards to Carrot's character development). But these are all fanboy geek wants. I'm not going to replay the story of "Night Watch". That's been done enough here. However, if you're a fan of the series, especially the "Guards" books, definately pick it up. If you haven't read a "Discworld" Novel before, then I suggest you try these first, "Guards! Guards!", "Men at Arms", "Feet of Clay", "Jingo", then "The Fifth Elephant", before picking up "Night Watch". My thinking is, if you try the first one and aren't hooked, then you're better of with another series and possibly another writer. My belief is that you will be hooked, then just follow the list I gave in order to read the "Guards" books in order.

Here we find Vimes vaulted through time, inadvertanly following Carcer, one of the smartest and least moral of any criminal. Vimes must teach his young self the ropes of being a copper while trying not to mess up the time continuum, Althewhile bringing some much needed wisdom to the watch and the past.

Page 125:
'Like petty criminals everywhere, the watchmen prided themselves on there being some depths to which they would not sink. There had to be some things below you, even if it was only mudworms.'

Page 136:
'It wasn't that the city was lawlwss. It had plenty of laws. I just didn't offer many opportunities not to break them. Swing didn't seem to have grasped the idea that the system was supposed to take criminals and, in some rought-and-ready fashon, force them into becoming honest men. Instead, he'd taken honest men and turned them into criminals.'

Page 255:
'Who knew what evil lurked in the hearts of men? A copper, that's who. After ten years, you thought you'd seen it all, but the shadows always dished up more. You saw how close men lived to The Beast. You found that people like Carcer were not mad. The were incredibly sane. The were simply men without a shield. They'd looked at the world and realized that all the rules didn't have to apply to them, not if they didn't want them to. They weren't fooled by all the little stories. They shook hands with The Beast.'

Seems pretty deep, and it is. However, would you believe that most of the book is actually funny? I'd started reading Pratchett a year ago and I'm still amazed that he can infuse laughter with so much wisdom. Though, I suppose you'd go crazy if you couldn't laugh at this mad world.