Here be Dragons! (Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: wyrdsister

Product:	Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchett
Date:	15/02/02 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great story line, Twists, Dragons

Disadvantages: none

If you’ve never heard of Terry Pratchett, then you won’t be familiar with a bizarre world in the multiverse called Discworld. The Disc, as its inhabitants know it, is a flat world, perched on the back of four elephants, supported by the giant space turtle Great A’Tuin. It is a world saturated with old magic and is populated by strange people, wizards, witches, vampires, dwarves and trolls to name but a few. Anything and anyone can have a place on the Disc and feel right at home. The chances of such a world actually existing are precisely one million to one, but wizards have calculated that such odds occur nine times out of ten, it is also said that even the Creator has a sense of humour. At the centre of this world lies the great twin city of Ankh-Morpork, home of Unseen University, the Disc premier College of wizardry, and the Guilds.

The Guild system was put in place to regulate crime: thieves issue receipts, beggars need a permit and it is regarded bad form for assassins to work without a proper fee and not to leave a card, that’s just murder. Guilds regulate and police themselves. It’s complicated but it works, most of the time. Captain Samuel Vimes of the city Watch (night shift) hates it, he’s a joke and he knows it, but he can’t do much about it except get royally drunk. All this goes under the watchful eyes of Lord Vetinari, the Patrician and ruler of Ankh-Morpork. There hasn’t been a king in Ankh Morpork for centuries, but that’s about to change.

A crime is being committed. A book is being stolen from the Unseen University Library, the world’s biggest collection of magic books. Most magical books are dangerous, and this one is no different: in the wrong hands, or mind, it could be fatal.
In a room, somewhere in Bitwash Street, a secret meeting is taking place. The Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night have gathered, their Supreme Grand Master has a plan: Ankh-Morpork needs a
King, not a good or bad one, just one that’s good at taking orders, his of course. In the old days, it was simple, the long lost heir to the throne presented himself in a time of crisis, he had a birthmark and a magical sword, handed down to him under mysterious circumstances, and it all usually involved slaying a dragon. But there are no dragons on the disc, not anymore, unless you count the small swamp dragons but they just tend to look sheepish and explode. The other dragons, the big ones, went a long time ago to a place where they could be, and the Supreme Grand Master knows where the dragons lie. Soon Ankh Morpork will have a king again.

Carrot Ironfoundersson is a dwarf. He always knew he was different, being over six feet tall, but it came as a chock when his father told him he was, in fact, adopted: his parents found him by the wreckage of a carriage along with an old sword. He also told him that he should spend some time amongst his own kind and arranged for a descent, honourable job for Carrot, a job that would make a man of him, a job in the City Watch. So Carrot, an earnest and obedient young man, set out for the city armed with his sword and the Laws and Ordinances of The City of Ankh-Morpork.

When Carrot turns up, the Night Watch, that is Sergeant Colon, corporal Nobby and Captain Vimes don’t know what hit them. First of all, he’s a volunteered and well, that’s unheard of. Also he very literal minded, having been raised by dwarves who, as everyone knows don’t have a sense of humour and real problems with metaphors. But worst of all, he’s very keen and that could be very dangerous. They’ll have to explain a few things to the lad.
On their merry, drunken way, the Watch take the wrong turn and end up in the Shades, the worst part of the city. It’s to be a sobering experience for Vimes, a big, fiery and dragon shaped sobering experience. The thing is, dragons don’t exist and he
9;s pretty certain about that. One of nature’s suspicious men, Vimes takes it upon himself to solve the mystery. All he has to help him are his men, an ape, his cynicism, Lady Sybil Ramkin, the local swamp dragon expert and Errol, the dragon world equivalent of Vimes: a total whittle.

The first chapter in the Watch series, Guards! Guards! is a whodunit with Discworld written all over it. The plot is suitably complex and introduces the Watch, Ankh-Morpork’s answer to policing and a pretty depressing one at that. There’s Captain Samuel Vimes, a hopeless and cynical drunk looking for a purpose, Sergeant Colon, a man not looking for anything, Corporal Nobbs, a man (probably) with a criminal mind and the new recruit, Lance-constable Carrot, technically a dwarf, who has righteousness written on his forehead and a solid punch to go with it.

Pratchett’s characters are, as usual, well drawn and their personalities and individual situations thoroughly detailed and explored. This helps give Guards! Guards! a depth and realism that tend to be lacking in his later novels, where Pratchett seems to write more for his fans, and although the stories are still good, they don’t the same quality than in his earlier efforts.
Although Guards! Guards! still retains the trademark Pratchett humour, happily provided by Nobby and Colon, I feel it is more serious than some of its predecessors. A slight departure from the usual fantasy format of story telling Pratchett is associated with, Guards! Guards! bends toward the detective novel and the overall atmosphere of the book seems to reflect this change. It is darker and somehow the tension grows more tangible as the comic relief seems to get scarcer as the story unfolds. This is also reflected in the characters, who seem a lot more vulnerable. This allows the readers to feel that the dangers faced by the characters are in effect more pressing and real that previously felt in Discworld nove
ls.


Overall, Guards! Guards! is one of Pratchett’s best. Set is a fantasy world, this is a great detective story in its own right and could stand equally well without the Disc.
The characters definitely have more depth and complexity. There are some nice moments in this book such as Vimes’ transformation from self-loathing alcoholic to proud copper, brought on by Carrot’s genuine belief in the Watch and upholding the law. The story is well crafted and emanates a great sense of suspense and danger throughout. Pratchett’s attention to detail and interesting twists and impromptu developments really makes Guards! Guards! an enjoyable and recommended read.

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