Night Watch (Mass Market Paperback)

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...

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.