“Guards! Guards!” is the eighth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989.
This is the first Terry Pratchett novel i’ve read, although i was familiar with the discworld universe from games and television but never once actually got around to picking up one of the books. I’m glad that I finally devoted some time as this one was quite good.
The Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night are conspiring, their goal is quite simple; overthrow the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and replace him with a puppet king who can easily be manipulated by the Supreme Grand Master of the order. How do they achieve this? By summoning a dragon! Who will stop them? The City Watch! led by the intoxicated Captain Sam Vines and his motley crew of weirds.
There’s not much I can really say about this book that couldn’t be said with a quick glimpse at its wikipedia page. I can’t really offer any personal insight into the narrative or attempt to find deeper meaning within its pages. It’s a well written story that continues a very popular saga that requires no previous knowledge to enjoy. The character dialogue is witty and comical whilst the narrative keeps you flicking those pages. If you’re looking to undertake the discworld books i’d highly recommend this as a starting point, or even if you’re looking for an easy read with a few laughs thrown in then Guards! Guards! is worth the attention. The ending also features death-by-metaphor which is something new.
Max
104 books 