Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Pages: 376
Published by HarperTorch
Publication Date August 1989
Source: Borrowed
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads
Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all . . .).
Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume--The Summoning of Dragons--is missing from the Library's shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it's burned to a crisp). A rare tale, well done as only Terry Pratchett can.
Plot:
I liked the plot, the idea of a dragon overtaking a community was very interesting to me and held my attention throughout.
Characters:
I loved the characters, especially Vimes and Carrot. Carrot’s naiveté, sense of taking things literally and by the book kept me smiling. As for Vimes, he was on the straight and narrow and reminded me of Barty Crouch from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I also really liked his romantic relationship with Sybil Ramkin. It was a quirky courting that worked and look forward to seeing where it heads.
Pacing
I’m not going to lie, it was slow going. The first half was a slog, but I preserved because I could tell it was going somewhere. I was later rewarded but I wished that had happened sooner.
Final Thoughts:
While I wasn’t in love with Guards! Guards! the Discworld series has potential and enjoyed the character development. In the end, I’d definitely give the second book in this series a try.
Leave a Reply