Truth, justice, freedom, reasonably priced love, and a hard-boiled egg
I nearly forgot that today is the Glorious Twenty-fifth of May! I don't have any lilacs, but at least I remembered before the end of the day. For those of you who are very confused right now, these are all references to Terry Pratchett's Night Watch, which everyone should read if you haven't already. In honor of the date, and because I really like going on at great length about books, I'm going to explain just what's so great about the Discworld books, in particular the Watch series, in particular Night Watch.
Note: I'm writing this all from memory, and didn't actually look up anything except the chronological order of the books on a very helpful chart, found here. However, I did paraphrase some lines from various books, especially in describing the characters.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books feature a fantastical world that is flat and rests on the backs of four elephants, which in turn rest on the back of the great space turtle A’Tuin. Despite all this, the Discworld series is possibly the most realistic fantasy series I’ve ever read. Yes, I know this sounds odd, but what I mean is that the books show the enormous range of people, places, and ideas that make up life. They are mostly shown in a rather extreme way, because the books are satire, but it’s difficult to think of many other fantasy novels that give us all the bits and pieces of society. Plus, they’re funny and brilliantly satirical in their portrayal of a world that is of course in no way anything like our own.
Why should you read these books? First, they’re good stories. Each one has a clear plot, with interesting subplots that all connect together in the end. Pratchett knows how to tell a story in a way that’s interesting, witty, and ultimately satisfying. Second, as I mentioned, they’re funny, and the humor isn’t just fluff. It’s biting and pointed in a way that sticks with you, while still making you laugh. Third, they don’t shy away from tough subjects. Through this fantastical world, the books deal with serious issues, like those about religion, race, and social class, in ways that are far more effective than many books I’ve read, while still leaving you feeling hopeful.
There are several sub-series within the Discworld continuum. The one I’m going to talk about is the Watch series, which takes place in the city of Ankh-Morpork, which is basically every major city ever, all mashed together. And Pratchett doesn’t skimp on the gory details of how a huge city like that runs-in fact, he revels in them. The City Watch is the city’s police force, such as it is, and each book features another unique and bizarre problem they have to deal with.
To give you a taste of what these books are like, here are some of the characters who appear in the Watch books:
Sam Vimes: The commander of the City Watch. Originally, he was in charge of the night shift, and spent most of his time getting drunk and passing out in gutters. Since then, he’s taken command of the entire operation and risen rapidly through the aristocratic ranks, the latter being something which annoys him greatly. He’s a perfect example of the multi-dimensional characters who appear in these books: He has a sharp mind and the balls to arrest anyone or anything, up to and including the ruler of the city, but has very human problems like alcoholism and anger with which he struggles throughout the books.
Carrot Ironfoundersson: The physical embodiment of the word “shiny,” in all its senses. He’s a six-foot-six-inch dwarf (he was adopted) who likes to believe the best in people, and they somehow can’t resist the urge not to prove him wrong.
Angua: A werewolf. She’s a vegetarian, except for those occasions when she has four legs and teeth. She has a knack for inspiring pants-wetting terror in criminals, and in her time off she likes to go out drinking with the guys, and wishes they wouldn’t stop telling the dirty jokes when she’s around.
Nobby Nobbs: Possibly the only person who has to carry a certificate stating that he’s human, since you wouldn’t know it to look at him. He can always be relied on in a crisis to be somewhere else, and you can always trust him to steal any small object that isn’t bolted down and a few that are. Still, he’s one of the Watch’s oldest members, and in his own way he’s completely dependable.
These are just a few summaries that certainly don't do the characters justice, and I didn't even include some of my favorite characters, but this gives you some idea. The Watch books, in chronological order, are Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch, and Thud! It’s not necessary to read them in that order, but I enjoy watching the progression of various characters from book to book.
Given today’s date, I want to specifically mention Night Watch. This is, of course, the book in which the Glorious Twenty-fifth of May is significant. In it, Sam Vimes, who is Commander of the City Watch and holds a great deal of power in the city (whether he wants it or not), is chasing a criminal through the streets of Ankh-Morpork when he gets caught in a magic-laced thunderstorm. (This sort of thing happens frequently on the Discworld.) He ends up thirty years in the past, in what he refers to as the “bad old days,” when the city was a much more lawless and less well-run place. To make matters worse, the criminal he was chasing landed in the past with him. To make matters even worse, he’s landed smack in the middle of a potential revolution. And to top it all off, the only one who seems to know what’s going on is an apparently loony old monk who doesn’t so much explain things as spout a load of metaphorical gibberish which may or may not be useful. Vimes’ mission? To arrest the criminal and not destroy the space-time continuum. Not as easy as it sounds, and it sounds pretty hard.
I recommend reading at least one earlier book with Vimes in it before this one, because you’ll appreciate him and the story much better that way. Still, Night Watch is a fantastic book in its own right, and definitely one of my favorites of all the Discworld books. It shows all the quirks and tricks of humanity, with characters who are almost absurdly like caricatures, but at the same time feel like fully-developed people. All this is packed into a thrilling adventure plot, with a brain-twisting element of time travel thrown in. Vimes, as a character, just shines (in the strictly metaphorical sense), as he tries to fit all the complications of his life and this new situation into his very straightforward approach to the world, and to be a Watchman no matter what.
Note: I'm writing this all from memory, and didn't actually look up anything except the chronological order of the books on a very helpful chart, found here. However, I did paraphrase some lines from various books, especially in describing the characters.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books feature a fantastical world that is flat and rests on the backs of four elephants, which in turn rest on the back of the great space turtle A’Tuin. Despite all this, the Discworld series is possibly the most realistic fantasy series I’ve ever read. Yes, I know this sounds odd, but what I mean is that the books show the enormous range of people, places, and ideas that make up life. They are mostly shown in a rather extreme way, because the books are satire, but it’s difficult to think of many other fantasy novels that give us all the bits and pieces of society. Plus, they’re funny and brilliantly satirical in their portrayal of a world that is of course in no way anything like our own.
Why should you read these books? First, they’re good stories. Each one has a clear plot, with interesting subplots that all connect together in the end. Pratchett knows how to tell a story in a way that’s interesting, witty, and ultimately satisfying. Second, as I mentioned, they’re funny, and the humor isn’t just fluff. It’s biting and pointed in a way that sticks with you, while still making you laugh. Third, they don’t shy away from tough subjects. Through this fantastical world, the books deal with serious issues, like those about religion, race, and social class, in ways that are far more effective than many books I’ve read, while still leaving you feeling hopeful.
There are several sub-series within the Discworld continuum. The one I’m going to talk about is the Watch series, which takes place in the city of Ankh-Morpork, which is basically every major city ever, all mashed together. And Pratchett doesn’t skimp on the gory details of how a huge city like that runs-in fact, he revels in them. The City Watch is the city’s police force, such as it is, and each book features another unique and bizarre problem they have to deal with.
To give you a taste of what these books are like, here are some of the characters who appear in the Watch books:
Sam Vimes: The commander of the City Watch. Originally, he was in charge of the night shift, and spent most of his time getting drunk and passing out in gutters. Since then, he’s taken command of the entire operation and risen rapidly through the aristocratic ranks, the latter being something which annoys him greatly. He’s a perfect example of the multi-dimensional characters who appear in these books: He has a sharp mind and the balls to arrest anyone or anything, up to and including the ruler of the city, but has very human problems like alcoholism and anger with which he struggles throughout the books.
Carrot Ironfoundersson: The physical embodiment of the word “shiny,” in all its senses. He’s a six-foot-six-inch dwarf (he was adopted) who likes to believe the best in people, and they somehow can’t resist the urge not to prove him wrong.
Angua: A werewolf. She’s a vegetarian, except for those occasions when she has four legs and teeth. She has a knack for inspiring pants-wetting terror in criminals, and in her time off she likes to go out drinking with the guys, and wishes they wouldn’t stop telling the dirty jokes when she’s around.
Nobby Nobbs: Possibly the only person who has to carry a certificate stating that he’s human, since you wouldn’t know it to look at him. He can always be relied on in a crisis to be somewhere else, and you can always trust him to steal any small object that isn’t bolted down and a few that are. Still, he’s one of the Watch’s oldest members, and in his own way he’s completely dependable.
These are just a few summaries that certainly don't do the characters justice, and I didn't even include some of my favorite characters, but this gives you some idea. The Watch books, in chronological order, are Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch, and Thud! It’s not necessary to read them in that order, but I enjoy watching the progression of various characters from book to book.
Given today’s date, I want to specifically mention Night Watch. This is, of course, the book in which the Glorious Twenty-fifth of May is significant. In it, Sam Vimes, who is Commander of the City Watch and holds a great deal of power in the city (whether he wants it or not), is chasing a criminal through the streets of Ankh-Morpork when he gets caught in a magic-laced thunderstorm. (This sort of thing happens frequently on the Discworld.) He ends up thirty years in the past, in what he refers to as the “bad old days,” when the city was a much more lawless and less well-run place. To make matters worse, the criminal he was chasing landed in the past with him. To make matters even worse, he’s landed smack in the middle of a potential revolution. And to top it all off, the only one who seems to know what’s going on is an apparently loony old monk who doesn’t so much explain things as spout a load of metaphorical gibberish which may or may not be useful. Vimes’ mission? To arrest the criminal and not destroy the space-time continuum. Not as easy as it sounds, and it sounds pretty hard.
I recommend reading at least one earlier book with Vimes in it before this one, because you’ll appreciate him and the story much better that way. Still, Night Watch is a fantastic book in its own right, and definitely one of my favorites of all the Discworld books. It shows all the quirks and tricks of humanity, with characters who are almost absurdly like caricatures, but at the same time feel like fully-developed people. All this is packed into a thrilling adventure plot, with a brain-twisting element of time travel thrown in. Vimes, as a character, just shines (in the strictly metaphorical sense), as he tries to fit all the complications of his life and this new situation into his very straightforward approach to the world, and to be a Watchman no matter what.