(Discworld Novel 15) (Discworld series) - Men At Arms

the whole city watch series is just about my favorite bunch of books I have ever read. I almost have to read them alonme because I get the whole family looking askingly when I laugh out loud. Great stories, obviousl;y fantasy but so real. And if you love word play you will never find better

The storyline keeps you riveted the entire time, and you find yourself not wanting to put the book down for even a moment until the end. And the endings to Terry Pratchett's books always seem to hit right on the dot and leave you feeling satisfied with the way such a beautiful story could end.

A nice job by Tony Robinson reading this book. This book is a follow-on to "Guards, Guards" and is one you will want to read before the remaining Guard books in the Discworld series.

In my opinion the character Vimes is still being sorted out in this writing. It appears, in retrospection, that maybe Sir Terry had not yet decided whether to concentrate on Vimes or Carrot in future books about the City Watch. But it sets the stage nicely for their future interactions.

The night watch is just a few grubby linkmen. Then, a deadly innovation, a deviously amoral ruler, an uncrowded king, a bad man determined to do good, and Corporal Nobbs (disqualified from the human race for shoving) deal with the hunger for power that tears up society. If you are new to the Discworld series, read The Light Fantastic first! If you need to know how Sam Vines, a disillusioned realist who despises rank and privilege, is persuaded to become Sir Samuel, Commander of the Anhk-Morpork City Watch, this is the explanation you seek. Enjoy!

The Second Book in the Vimes/Carrot/Watchmen sage in Disc World. In many ways it is a more complete adventure than the first one. Pratchett displays good humor but more so an unerring sense of timing in developing the mystery and action. First rate fiction.

Each Discworld book is a treasure. They are like literary trips to a kind of Disney World where half the fun is finding the hidden Mickeys. This was no exception. The characters come and go so it helps to read in order. Not necessary but helpful.

I so enjoy Sir Pratchett's Discworld novels. "Men at Arms" is the second in a series introduction Sam Vimes, a copper's copper. The last one was "Snuff". I got the feeling that Sir Pratchett used Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry as a template for Sam Vines. In this one, Sam is introduced to a "gonne" with magical properties, sort of. Also, Sam really, really does not like anything to do with magic and he has a very strong dislike for vampires. Also you will see a six foot, three inch dwarf. Actually a human raised by dwarfs. Then there is Angua, a weirwolf. Detritus, a troll. Nobby Nobbs who is a human, maybe.

Harper Collins is about to join Penguin books in the Kindle boycott.

I'm was set to put my enter Pratches library on Kindle but won't when I can buy a new mass market paper back at 20% less, right here on the store, from an "alternate" seller.

This one started weird and continued to be like that for about a quarter of the book. Couldn't quite put my finger on it but it seemed like Pratchett struggled with execution. Everything felt convoluted, jokes were trying too hard, language was sort of artificial, puns were bad and nothing had that natural flow many of Pratchett's earlier books had. To top it all, it seemed like things weren't getting anywhere (in a sense this remained true till the end), like it was all one enormous set-up for a thing that will eventually come. On it's own this wouldn't be peculiar, Pratchett did that technique more than once, it was just that this time it all seemed so uninspired, going through the motions-like, without a real kick to it or anything that would warrant your attention. It made sense, when you think about it, with Men at Arms being fifteenth book in a series. It's far from easy keeping it on the level for so long.

After a while things got better. It still felt like it's lacking direction but Ankh-Morpork, together with all of its inhabitants, finally came to life. Which meant Met at Arms could kick it up a notch and deliver yet another beautiful rendition of human (and sort of human) character in all of its tattered splendor.

Pratchett put some layers on his recurring characters though not all got “fair” treatment in that regard. Captain Vimes particularly felt sort of left out and his storyline wrapped up unusually quick. Nobby felt downplayed as well, just like CMOT Dibbler. Carrot, though, finally got interesting. He remained naive (and awfully literal) seven foot tall dwarf, yet he gained that particular shrewdness and street-smart intelligence coming from spending time in Ankh. Detritus and rest of the trolls became more than a towering lumps of stone (though they towered quite well thank you very much), Patrician got another shade and dwarven community (apart from Cuddy who is...well, you'll see) together with Guilds showed some of their inner workings. In general, with this book (as always, you can read it as a standalone but it works so much better if you're familiar with at least City Watch storyline) Ankh was given sort of dimension, becoming like a full-bodied wine someone left open long time ago (which explains the stench). It became living and breathing world, not unlike our own (excluding orangutan librarians of course).

In broader terms still, Men at Arms lacked that particular Pratchett insight into general human condition we all grown to like. There are tidbits and singular scenes worthy of note but as a whole Men at Arms read more as a loosely connected series of sketches than as a meaningful book. In that sense, Men at Arms was a first step backward in a long journey of Discworld. As I said, fifteenth book and all, it was bound to happen sooner or later, yet when it did you couldn't just shrug it off. Discworld became a part of you long time ago and it isn't easy noticing those first cracks in the pavement. One might argue that cracks were there by design (after all, this is Ankh were talking about) yet that argument is not convincing. You, as well as I know that these are not the droids...I mean cracks we're looking for.

This second Discworld City Watch novel is an improvement over the first, thanks mostly to some appreciated deepening of the characters of Carrot and Sam Vimes. But it's still not great, and the satire on affirmative action involving the appointment of fantasy creatures like trolls and dwarves to the Watch struck me as a bit of a comedic misfire. (Some of the jokes are at people's intolerance, and that's fine, but the ones about the stereotypical habits of the 'ethnics' themselves are cruel and unnecessary. Did Sir Terry honestly not see anything problematic in making 'fortune rats' a dwarven delicacy?) Not to mention werewolf guardswoman Angua, who is a great new addition, but is often reduced to her sex and subjected to leers from male characters -- including, repeatedly, a stray dog. It's all a bit uncomfortable for a light comedic fantasy novel, and it really detracts from what's otherwise another fun romp around the Discworld. I know Pratchett can do better than this, and I'm impatient to get to the books where he does.

The Night Watch is an organization that see's all men as equals whether they be human, dwarf (both actual and adopted), troll, or werewolves of the female gender. In "Men at Arms" Terry Pratchett allows the male chauvinist speciesist Sam Vines to retire upon his marriage to Lady Sybil Ramkin instead of lead this new Watch, or at least that was the plan until someone decides to make Ankh-Morpork a monarchical city-state once again which upsets Vimes more than equal opportunity.

Captain Vimes' last week in charge of the Night Watch finds himself embroiled in a plot to restore the monarchy in Ankh-Morpork which is leaving a trail of bodies across the city with a new type of weapon, the gonne, and causing tensions to rise as well as anarchy (even more than usual). In addition, the Watch has new recruits from different ethnicities, which on the Disc means species sense racism doesn't exist. After the Patrician overdoes his criticism, as a form of reverse psychology, Vimes loses his motivation and prepares to join the aristocracy with his impending wedding. Stepping into the void comes Corporal Carrot Ironfoundersson who takes charge not only of the Watch but of the investigation into a string of crimes related to one another while also being the focal point of the plot to return the monarchy, which he doesn't know about.

Pratchett weaves together a magnificently written and humorous main story arc with several subplots that cross paths in hilarious ways before all coming together in the end to form a perfect ending, well except for one little thing which I'll get to later. The interactions between the new dwarf and troll Watch recruits Cuddy and Detritus, who come from species that really dislike one another, produces some of the best scenes in the book. Character growth of Carrot and Vimes personal crisis throughout the book are equally hilarious as well as mirroring one another, only adding to the overall quality of the book. The canine relationship of Watch recruit Angua, a werewolf, and Gaspode the talking dog is a good subplot that has a few elements that seem a bit off (Big Fido the Psycho Poodle and Gaspode scene at the very end of the book) and ruin a perfectly written ending.

The second entry of the Discworld's Night Watch series, following "Guards! Guards!" is simply hilarious and a joy to read for anyone who enjoys fantasy or humor or both. I can't recommend this book more.

I am, slowly but surely, making my way through the Discworld series. This is my favorite of the ones I've read so far, with the possible exception of Small Gods. I love the Watch. And while all of the Discworld books make me laugh until I cry, this one just plain made me cry, which is a fairly impressive feat.
The best thing about Discworld is the way Pratchett uses the pure fantasy of the realm to comment on our world, in clearly relevant ways. The class warfare in this book rings true, and I always catch myself nodding emphatically with a knowing grin at the Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

Plus, there are, in addition to our loyal(ish) and faithful (in a way) and (not very) sober Watch members,
asassins ("...Assassins did have a certain code, after all. It was dishonorable to kill someone if you weren't being paid...” ),
talking dogs ("...Besides, almost all dogs don't talk. Ones that do are merely a statistical error, and can therefore be ignored.”),
a werewolf ("...It was easy to be a vegetarian by day. It was preventing yourself from becoming a humanitarian at night that took the real effort...."),
trolls and dwarfs ("...Asking for a short in a dwarf bar was suicide. Saying 'Got rocks in your head?' to a troll was suicide. You could commit suicide very easily, if you weren't careful..."),
clowns ("...The point of clowns was that, after watching them, anything else that happened seemed enjoyable. It was nice to know there was someone worse off than you. Someone had to be the butt of the world..."),
and the very wealthy ("...If you had enough money, you could hardly commit crimes at all. You just perpetrated amusing little peccadilloes...").

Good old Captain Vimes is about to get married to Lady Sybil and retire to a civilian life of leisure, which he cannot begin to fathom. The Watch has been instructed to diversify, so they now have a troll and a dwarf, who get along about as well as...well, a troll and a dwarf, and a woman, who just confounds everybody. An assassin has taken it into his mind that Ankh-Morpork would be better if there were kings again, so he begins assassinating people, planning to pave the way for a certain large, red-headed fellow with an old sword and crown-shaped birthmark to rule the city. The increasingly-in-shambles Watch is going to have to find and stop this killer. And they aren't exactly used to DOING things. Plus, Gaspode the Wonderdog is in town!

When last we left our intrepid Ankh-Morpork Night Watch, things were looking up. This is a nice change from the gutter's-eye-view we had at the beginning of Guards! Guards!. Things have changed in the time between books. The Watch has a new headquarters, much nicer than its old one, thanks to Lady Sibyl Ramkin, the fiance of Captain Sam Vimes. She comes from an ancient and respectable family, has more money than anyone else in the city, and loves Vimes despite his deep-seated curmudgeonliness, if that is a word.

What's more, the Watch is taking on new recruits, as ordered by the Patrician. Ankh-Morpork is a city with a very diverse population, and the Patrician believes that the Watch should reflect that diversity. Now we have a Watch open to anyone - trolls, dwarfs, the undead, apes, women - who wants to join, or who doesn't want to get their heads beaten in. Carrot Ironfoundersson has become a beloved figure in the city - he knows everyone and everyone knows him. All in all, things are looking up.

But there are those who are of a mind that things would be better if only Ankh-Morpork had a king....

This is a recurring theme in the early Watch books - the irrational need for royalty. Although, that's not entirely accurate. Pratchett is a British writer, of course, and he's got the Queen to look up to, but she doesn't have all that much real power. Certain people in Ankh-Morpork are looking for a sovereign - not to wave at them and make a Hogswatch speech, but to actually take over their city. They hope, in their hearts, that a king will solve everything. In that way, this recurring theme is not so much about royalty versus populism, but rather the ability to control one's own life versus allowing someone else to control it for you. The idea that one has responsibility for one's own actions and well-being is dominant in the Guards books, no more so than in this one.

There is a man named Edward d'Eath, and he has a vision. He is the last of an aristocratic line whose power has declined in this age of guilds and merchants. He looks to the past and sees it as better, brighter than the future. He knows that, if he can just do one little thing, Ankh-Morpork - and he - will be restored to glory. That one little thing, of course, is to put a king on the throne.

Not just any king, of course. The fools who thought to use a dragon to set up a puppet king showed how ineffectual that would be. No, this would only work with a real king, a descendant of the ancient kings of Ankh-Morpork. Find him, put him on the throne, and everything will finally be set straight.

Of course, that doesn't work out nearly as well as Edward hopes. He steals a mysterious artifact to set his plan in motion - a weapon of such power and danger that the Assassins refuse to use it, and keep it on display as a message: beware things such as this. It is the Gonne, and the man who wields it has the power to change the world.

Like I said, this book is all about making choices in life. Vimes is engaged to be married to Sybil Ramkin, and thus his days as the Captain of the Watch are numbered. He may be in a better position than he was in the last book - having someone try to kill you is always refreshing, after all - but he knows that the life he's giving up, with all of its pain and trouble and heartache, is the life that he needs to live.

Corporal Carrot needs to choose how best to serve the city of Ankh-Morpork. He is an excellent policeman, probably the only man on the Disc who could get in the middle of an incipient troll/dwarf race riot and shame them out of killing each other. People do what he says - he is, in his own words, "good at being obeyed." If he wanted to, he could run the city and the city would be glad to let him do it. But is that the best thing for the city?

The troll Detritus and the dwarf Cuddy both have choices - will they conform to the ancient animosity that stands between their two races, or will they overcome it for the common good?

And then there's the Gonne itself. As a weapon, it is frighteningly powerful - much more so than the standard-issue crossbow - and as a firearm, however primitive, it represents a vast escalation in the way violence is done. What's more, since this is a fantasy novel, the Gonne has something of a mind of its own. Its wielders hear it talking to them, convincing them that the only thing standing between them and what they want are a few simple deaths - something the Gonne can easily provide. It even uses the old NRA saw verbatim - Gonnes don't kill people. People kill people.

But people have a choice, perhaps more of a choice than the characters of these books do. The Gonne controls them, the trigger practically pulls itself, and when you're holding it, you can easily understand how a simple shot, one simple thing, could change the world. For the better, of course - always for the better.

Pratchett's views on guns and their efficacy aside, it's a very gripping book. There's the mystery of it, of course - who has the Gonne, and why are they using it - but it's also a story about characters and the choices they make for themselves. My absolute favorites in this are Detritus and Cuddy. Trolls and dwarfs have a famous antagonism, stretching back to the ancient battle of Koom Valley (the only battle in the multiverse where both sides ambushed each other) and it would be very easy for them to fall into simple, culturally conditioned roles.

While it may be a cliche to say that they found common ground, learned to look past their own prejudices and learned to respect - nay, to like one another, that's exactly what they did. It is due to Pratchett's skill as a writer and as a creator of characters that we come to deeply care for this relationship, investing a lot of hope in it. We know that if Cuddy and Detritus can become friends, then maybe there's hope for everyone. This emotional investment pays off, and Pratchett reaches deep into our hearts at the end, showing that just because you start with a cliche, it doesn't mean it can't have depth.

Of course, if you're not quite as analytical as I am, you can still enjoy it as a good murder mystery. Watching Vimes and company piece together the crime is always fun, because there's always a twist somewhere that you never saw coming. And Vimes really is one of my favorite Discworld characters - he's cynical and world-weary, but he still has enough idealism within him to carry him through those times that look like they're trying to kill him.

All in all, a great book and one that's highly recommended. The earlier Discworld books are largely stand-alone, so if you've never read any of the series before, don't worry - you can pick this one up and you won't really miss anything. You may, however, find yourself driving back to the bookstore to get as many other Discworld books as you can. I'm just saying....

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"Generally, I meet people before they're buried. The ones I meet after they've been buried tend to be a bit over-excited and disinclined to discuss things."
- Death, Men at Arms
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Men at Arms is Terry Pratchett's 15th Discworld book and is the 2nd book in the Night Watch series—the books dealing with Samuel Vimes and the other guards of Ankh-Morpork's night watch. It is also one of the best Discworld books (in my opinion, it gets beat out only by two other Night Watch entries, Night Watch and Thud!).

The Night Watch books have long been popular with Discworld fans, and rightly so. They include ensemble casts of interesting and engaging characters and, while they are certainly full of heroics and fantasy-world trappings, they are largely driven by the characters and their very human struggles (even when the characters in question may not even be human).

Men at Arms, like the previous Night Watch book Guards! Guards!, adopts the form of the police procedural. In this current novel, however, Pratchett also turns his fine sense of humor and sharp satire to the exploration of the dilemmas and contradictions inherent in being an armed peace officer in a free society (Pratchett's medievalesque-bordering-on-renaissance fantasy city Ankh-Morpork is not really a democracy and its citizens' idea of "one man, one vote" simply means that their benevolent but autocratic Patrician calls all the shots, but in many ways the values and ideals of its people mirror those found in modern Western nations). And beneath the jokes and the heroics is a rather serious and thoughtful examination of the temptations and struggles that face Vimes and his fellow guards as they try to balance the needs to protect the people without violating the very principles which give so much value to these people's lives. As they, in short, go about trying to remain "of the people" while acting as chief agents of the state's threat of violence that underpins the maintenance of law and order in any civilized society.

As usual in Pratchett's work, this stuff is revealed in the story but is not the story itself. Pratchett has a real appreciation for the writer's job as an entertainer. And while Pratchett gives the reader plenty to think about, his is a more than generous enough author not to tell the reader how they should think. Men at Arms has some depth and heft to it, but it largely succeeds because it is simply a damn good read.

Captain Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is retiring and getting married in a few days. But an explosion at the Assassins' Guild attracts his interest, and soon a trail of bodies is forming. The Guilds don't want his help, the Patrician has ordered him to lay off and his fellow Watch members seem more concerned about the new intake of ethnic minorities (Lance-Corporal Cuddy of the dwarfs and Lance-Corporal Detritus of the trolls) than the mystery. But somewhere in Ankh-Morpork a killer is on the loose with a very powerful new weapon...

Men at Arms is the second Discworld novel to focus on the City Watch, introduced in the classic Guards! Guards! As told in that volume, the City Watch saved the city from a marauding dragon and at the end of the book the Watch gained fresh resources from a grateful city government. However, it is still regarded as a joke, as Men at Arms makes clear.

Pratchett once again uses the cliches and ideas of police procedurals to generate humour and satire, although this volume is much more of a hard-bitten (in some cases, literally) mystery novel. Sam Vimes is portrayed as the cynical, weathered old cop doggedly pursuing his case in the face of all opposition, whilst Corporal Carrot is his enthusiastic young sidekick. Of course, that would be a bit too cheesy, so Pratchett subverts this idea earlier on and takes the story in a more interesting and original direction.

The city of Ankh-Morpork comes to life in this book more successfully than in any prior volume, to the extent that Pratchett's playwright and friend Stephen Briggs was able to use information in this book (and the prior ones) to map the city so everything tracked and made sense (the results can be found in the spin-off product, The Streets of Ankh-Morpork). The city's ethnic make-up, the political structure of the guilds and the office of the Patrician are all portrayed convincingly. In addition, Pratchett aims high with his characterisation, with the most affecting death of a Discworld character to date and some brilliant development for Carrot and Vimes. There is even a reasonably well-portrayed romance and some (tastefully off-screen) sex, a first for the series. Men at Arms is Discworld aimed at a slightly maturer level than arguably any of the previous books bar Small Gods.

Which isn't to say that Pratchett doesn't bring the funny. The Colon/Nobbs double-act is excellent, the return of Gaspode the Wonder Dog (from Moving Pictures, but much better-utilised here) is genuinely funny and there is some fantastic material to be mined from the Cuddy/Detritus relationship.

Men at Arms (*****) is Pratchett yet again firing on all cylinders, delivering a novel that is by turns brilliantly funny, genuinely thought-provoking and consistently entertaining. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

Men at Arms reunites us with the stalwart defenders of our beloved Ankh-Morpork: the Night Watch. Along the way we also meet up with some of the Discworld's most distinctive secondary characters (including Foul Ole Ron and Big Fido), get a glimpse of affirmative action Ankh-Morpork-style, discover the identity of the rightful king (if Ankh-Morpork still had a king, which it doesn't, which isn't the fault of the shady characters in this book trying to replace the Patrician with the aforementioned heir to the throne, who doesn't want the job anyway), converse once more with Gaspode the talking dog, and - if that's not enough - make ready for the wedding of the year between Captain Samuel Vimes of the Night Watch and Lady Sybil Ramkin, proprietor of the Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Dragons and the richest woman in Ankh-Morpork. Captain Vimes is in fact retiring from the Watch, but his retirement involves much more than the traditional gift watch presentation from his men. A washed-up aristocrat named Edward D'eath takes it upon himself to restore the long-lost monarchy, a circumstance that can only come about over the Patrician's dead body. Even clowns aren't safe from this deadly conspiracy.

The trouble begins with an explosion and robbery at the Guild of Assassins. Someone has stolen nothing less than the only "gonne" on Discworld, and a series of murders shock the town. OK, nothing's really going to shock the people of Ankh-Morpork, but the fact that people keep turning up full of holes where guts should be definitely stirs up the Watchmen. The Patrician is also less than happy about things, so he makes sure the Watch gets to the bottom of things by forbidding Captain Vimes to investigate. The Watch itself is growing; thanks to some new laws pushed through by the Silicon Anti-Defamation League, it has ethnically balanced itself with the addition of a dwarf, a troll, and a woman to the force. The woman, Angua, also happens to be a werewolf, and I don't have to tell you that dwarfs and trolls are natural enemies. Luckily, Constable Carrot, the 6'6" dwarf (he was adopted, you know) who is just so doggoned nice that people will actually listen to him and do as he requests, is there to keep the Watch united and performing its duty the way Carrot (alone) thinks it should be done. After a dwarf is killed and a troll arrested by the Day Watch (on the basis that any troll is surely guilty of something), there's an ever-present danger that the city's trolls and dwarfs will have a go at each other (and it won't be like last time, when both groups somehow managed to ambush one another at the same time).

Constable Detritus really steals the show here. Watching a troll think is always entertaining, but Detritus really comes into his own as this story progresses. At first, he can't salute without knocking himself out, but by the end he's recruiting and training fellow trolls (in his own endearing way) and warming up quite well to his dwarf partner. He also manages to show us that, in the right conditions (such as the kind of very cold temperature you find in a pork futures market), trolls can be brilliant thinkers.

People always die in Discworld novels, but there was one death in Men at Arms that really took me by surprise. A bit sad, it was. Don't be sad about Captain Vimes leaving the Night Watch, though. Furthermore, don't worry about the future of the City Guard, as it does not fall into the hands of Sergeant Colon or Corporal Nobbs (who, as we all know, has already been disqualified from the human race for shoving). I'm sure the men and women and dwarfs and trolls and werewolf of the Night Watch will be as ready as ever for the next threat that rears its ugly head in Ankh-Morpork; after all, Carrot's still on the job.

Captain Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is retiring and getting married in a few days. But an explosion at the Assassins' Guild attracts his interest, and soon a trail of bodies is forming. The Guilds don't want his help, the Patrician has ordered him to lay off and his fellow Watch members seem more concerned about the new intake of ethnic minorities (Lance-Corporal Cuddy of the dwarfs and Lance-Corporal Detritus of the trolls) than the mystery. But somewhere in Ankh-Morpork a killer is on the loose with a very powerful new weapon...

Men at Arms is the second Discworld novel to focus on the City Watch, introduced in the classic Guards! Guards! As told in that volume, the City Watch saved the city from a marauding dragon and at the end of the book the Watch gained fresh resources from a grateful city government. However, it is still regarded as a joke, as Men at Arms makes clear.

Pratchett once again uses the cliches and ideas of police procedurals to generate humour and satire, although this volume is much more of a hard-bitten (in some cases, literally) mystery novel. Sam Vimes is portrayed as the cynical, weathered old cop doggedly pursuing his case in the face of all opposition, whilst Corporal Carrot is his enthusiastic young sidekick. Of course, that would be a bit too cheesy, so Pratchett subverts this idea earlier on and takes the story in a more interesting and original direction.

The city of Ankh-Morpork comes to life in this book more successfully than in any prior volume, to the extent that Pratchett's playwright and friend Stephen Briggs was able to use information in this book (and the prior ones) to map the city so everything tracked and made sense (the results can be found in the spin-off product, The Streets of Ankh-Morpork). The city's ethnic make-up, the political structure of the guilds and the office of the Patrician are all portrayed convincingly. In addition, Pratchett aims high with his characterisation, with the most affecting death of a Discworld character to date and some brilliant development for Carrot and Vimes. There is even a reasonably well-portrayed romance and some (tastefully off-screen) sex, a first for the series. Men at Arms is Discworld aimed at a slightly maturer level than arguably any of the previous books bar Small Gods.

Which isn't to say that Pratchett doesn't bring the funny. The Colon/Nobbs double-act is excellent, the return of Gaspode the Wonder Dog (from Moving Pictures, but much better-utilised here) is genuinely funny and there is some fantastic material to be mined from the Cuddy/Detritus relationship.

Men at Arms (*****) is Pratchett yet again firing on all cylinders, delivering a novel that is by turns brilliantly funny, genuinely thought-provoking and consistently entertaining. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

Men at Arms reunites us with the stalwart defenders of our beloved Ankh-Morpork: the Night Watch. Along the way we also meet up with some of the Discworld's most distinctive secondary characters (including Foul Ole Ron and Big Fido), get a glimpse of affirmative action Ankh-Morpork-style, discover the identity of the rightful king (if Ankh-Morpork still had a king, which it doesn't, which isn't the fault of the shady characters in this book trying to replace the Patrician with the aforementioned heir to the throne, who doesn't want the job anyway), converse once more with Gaspode the talking dog, and - if that's not enough - make ready for the wedding of the year between Captain Samuel Vimes of the Night Watch and Lady Sybil Ramkin, proprietor of the Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Dragons and the richest woman in Ankh-Morpork. Captain Vimes is in fact retiring from the Watch, but his retirement involves much more than the traditional gift watch presentation from his men. A washed-up aristocrat named Edward D'eath takes it upon himself to restore the long-lost monarchy, a circumstance that can only come about over the Patrician's dead body. Even clowns aren't safe from this deadly conspiracy.

The trouble begins with an explosion and robbery at the Guild of Assassins. Someone has stolen nothing less than the only "gonne" on Discworld, and a series of murders shock the town. OK, nothing's really going to shock the people of Ankh-Morpork, but the fact that people keep turning up full of holes where guts should be definitely stirs up the Watchmen. The Patrician is also less than happy about things, so he makes sure the Watch gets to the bottom of things by forbidding Captain Vimes to investigate. The Watch itself is growing; thanks to some new laws pushed through by the Silicon Anti-Defamation League, it has ethnically balanced itself with the addition of a dwarf, a troll, and a woman to the force. The woman, Angua, also happens to be a werewolf, and I don't have to tell you that dwarfs and trolls are natural enemies. Luckily, Constable Carrot, the 6'6" dwarf (he was adopted, you know) who is just so doggoned nice that people will actually listen to him and do as he requests, is there to keep the Watch united and performing its duty the way Carrot (alone) thinks it should be done. After a dwarf is killed and a troll arrested by the Day Watch (on the basis that any troll is surely guilty of something), there's an ever-present danger that the city's trolls and dwarfs will have a go at each other (and it won't be like last time, when both groups somehow managed to ambush one another at the same time).

Constable Detritus really steals the show here. Watching a troll think is always entertaining, but Detritus really comes into his own as this story progresses. At first, he can't salute without knocking himself out, but by the end he's recruiting and training fellow trolls (in his own endearing way) and warming up quite well to his dwarf partner. He also manages to show us that, in the right conditions (such as the kind of very cold temperature you find in a pork futures market), trolls can be brilliant thinkers.

People always die in Discworld novels, but there was one death in Men at Arms that really took me by surprise. A bit sad, it was. Don't be sad about Captain Vimes leaving the Night Watch, though. Furthermore, don't worry about the future of the City Guard, as it does not fall into the hands of Sergeant Colon or Corporal Nobbs (who, as we all know, has already been disqualified from the human race for shoving). I'm sure the men and women and dwarfs and trolls and werewolf of the Night Watch will be as ready as ever for the next threat that rears its ugly head in Ankh-Morpork; after all, Carrot's still on the job.

Edward D'Eath by chance becomes obsessed with the royal line of Anhk Morpork, the city watch enjoys the benefits of several directions of integration, Sam Vimes of the Night Watch prepares to retire to a life of comfort and other torments, the harsh and serious nature of clowns is considered, the genteel and sophisticated nature of Assassins is considered, and the fruits of allowing a certifiable genius to run loose with tools are sown.

As an obsessed Assassin works behind the scenes to restore the heir to the royal family of Anhk Morpork to the throne, the unsuspecting presumed heir walks the streets of Anhk Morpork commanding the respect of the crimenal element of the city. This is most unusual as he is a junior Watchman.

An invention of Leonard of Quirm is loose in the city, and as the inventions of madmen and geniuses (and Leonard is both in his own special fashion) are wont to do, it is making mischief.

Sam Vimes is about to marry the wealthiest woman in the city, and the clash of cultures is brilliant social commentary.

And the dogs of A-MP have a leader with a dark vision of the supremacy of canines over bipeds...

This is Terry Pratchett at his best! Discworld is in fine form, reflecting the obsession with royals, gun control, affirmative action, political action, and the dark side of clowns. One of the best of DIscworld.

Captain Sam Vimes is about to become wealthy, married, and retired from his career in the City Watch. When a strange explosion occurs in the Assassins Guild, it really isn't his business--especially when Vetinari, the Patrician, specifically orders him to stay clear. Vimes's common sense wars with his self-defined duty and duty wins--at least until Vetinari calls him in for a second appointment (nobody wants a second appointment with the city's strange and nearly omnicient leader). For Vimes, the bottle is the way out. But Corporal Carrot isn't about to let a little thing like Vetinari's orders keep him from donig the right thing (Carrot always does the right thing) and pushes on in Vimes's absence.
MEN AT ARMS tells the story of the fundamental reshaping of the City Watch under the combined influence of Vetinari, Vimes, and Carrot. The Watch is expanded from all-human to include dwarves, trolls, and a beautiful werewolf. Vetinari's policy of constructive anarchy may allow the city to work after a fashion, but a watch made up of misfits from all walks of life can certainly help. The novel is a near-continuation of the very fine GUARDS! GUARDS!
Author Terry Pratchett combines puns, outrageous and over-the-top action, and real insights into humanity in ways that keep the reader laughing and thinking at the same time. Both Vetinari and Carrot are admirable, but both are also beyond most of our reach. Vimes, in contrast, is every-man. His dilemmas are those that all of us must face. That Vimes can rise (and sometimes fall) to the occasion brings some hope that any of us could do so too. Pratchett's work is at its best when it uses Discworld as a backdrop for the actions and decisions of its all-too-human sapients, and MEN AT ARMS is a fine example of exactly this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Of course, I've thoroughly enjoyed every Discworld book except the very first, so that wasn't very surprising. However, one thing that made this book especially enjoyable is that it is the introduction of one of my favorite recurring characters, Angua.

Men at Arms is a Watch book, and I always particularly enjoy them because the Watch is full of such colorful characters. In this book we are also introduced to Detruis, the troll who's really smart when it's cold and really stupid when it's hot. Unfortunately, Ank-Morpork is almost always hot.

As usual for Discworld novels, Men at Arms is full of satire, poking fun at everything from monarchy to violence to racism (or in this case, specism). The thought "Guns don't kill people; people kill people" is turned on its head when the gonne takes over the mind of it's wielder, making him kill people at random. It talks to whoever is holding it and even fires itself on occasion.

The book starts out with new recruits to the watch being trained. Cuddy (a Dwarf), Detrius (a Troll), and Angua (both Werewolf and a woman) provide comic relief throughout the book as they attempt to adjust to the different procedures of the Night Watch.

The real story, however, is the gonne that has gone missing just a day before Captain Vimes is scheduled to retire (he's marrying Lady Sibyl). Of course, Vimes has to find the gun and the culprit who is using it. Vetinari tells him not to, but that only makes him more determined. After all, he is a policeman; solving crimes is his job.

As with all Discworld books, the best part of Men at Arms is the characters rather than the story. The story itself is all right, but it is the crazy character-extremely literal and valiant Carrot, hulking and slow Detrius, very odd but strangely loveable Nobby, Gaspode the talking dog, and stubborn and determined Vimes-that make the story. Without them, it wouldn't be nearly as funny or enjoyable.

Pratchett has a knack for weaving stereotypes into believable, loveable characters, and it shows in this book. Carrot, the long lost king, is brave, valiant, noble, and honest. However, he's also managing to adapt to life in Ank-Morpork. While he doesn't lie, he doesn't ever tell the whole truth. Detrius is big and slow and stupid, but get him in cold weather and he's extremely smart. Every main character personifies a stereotype and then takes it further, turning it around and making it real and comical.

This is definitely one of Pratchett's more amusing books. I would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a humorous read and all Pratchett fans.

Unlike the Hitchhiker's Trilogy from the late Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett's Discworld books have managed to stay fresh and original through not a mere five, but 27 installments. The reason for this, I think, is that Pratchett uses the format to its fullest potential, creating several groups of characters that he visits time and again, never having any single group act as the star of the entire series, and using it to tackle diverse subjects without ever repeating himself.
"Men at Arms" is the second Discworld book to focus on Captain Vimes and the men -- um... humans... er... beings -- of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch (the first being "Guards! Guards!") and it has firmly cemented these characters as my favorite recurring heroes in the Discworld universe.
Time is running out for Captain Sam Vimes -- because he's getting married. Furthermore, his beloved night watch is being tampered with by higher-ups calling for "greater diversity" in the hirings, forcing him to welcome trolls, dwarfs and women into the group. To make matters worse, someone has stolen a strange new weapon from the assassin's guild and is using it to kill people. Vimes, Carrot, Nobby and the gang have to find the murderer and save the day.
Funny, yes, but also particularly poignant in light of recent events in the Washington D.C. area. I read this book a few months ago, before the unpleasantness began... this may be just the thing to help you cope.

Can you believe this is my first Pratchett novel? At 34?

Fantasy I've read over the last few years tends to try and avoid the classic tropes of trolls, dragons, etc. It was actually refreshing for a story to embrace them like old friends and give them their own unique characters so that it still feels fresh and relevant. Men at Arms is a very funny book, particularly satirical in this day and age over equality and gun laws.

Like other reviews I see here, this makes me want to start reading through the back catalogue. I picked this up from a box of battered old paperbacks and before I knew it, 100 pages had been rocketed through. Recommended.

Pratchett's Discworld novels are consistently amusing, often touching, and brilliantly creative. Men At Arms manages to be all these things and more . . .
The misfit Night Watch we met in Guards, Guards! Is in danger of becoming almost respectable. Carrot and Sgt. Colon have new recruits of all shapes and sizes. Captain Vimes is retiring to become a respectable gentleman as Sybil Ramkin's husband. What could go wrong . . .
Well, this IS Ankh-Morpork, a city so corrupt that if the gods took vengeance on it, no one would notice. Things get complicated when an exploding swamp dragon, a mysterious invention, warring guilds, and an assasin who is NOT killing for pay send the city into more turmoil than usual. Who can save the day? It's up to the flattest of flatfoots in the Night Watch, and their new recruits to set the city right, or at least not so wrong.
There is the usual Pratchett wordplay and humor, as well as the thoughtful emotional interplays he has developed over the years. There's also an interesting mystery at the center of the whole piece, and some of his most interesting characters trying to deal with it. There are also some scenes of real poignance and heart that will make you think, and make you feel.
If you haven't read Discworld, read Guards, Guards!, and then this novel. You'll be glad you did!

Of all Pratchett's brilliantly drawn characters, Samuel Vimes stands unique in providing a realistic role model for the rest of us. He's honest, forthright, deeply suspicious of aristocracy, and best of all, despises the idea of kings. The last is important here, for someone wishes the return of the Ankh-Morpork monarchy. And Sam Vimes' remote ancestor, Old Stoneface, executed the last one.
Edward d'Eath [how does PTerry come up with these names?!], an impoverished aristocrat, seeks fulfillment of his destiny by restoring the monarchy. Recruiting fellow lords to his cause proves difficult. It's been a long time since the last king, and the Patrician runs the city with commendable, if frightening, efficiency. So Edward embarks on a solitary campaign.
Pratchett's inventive mind takes us from the "fantasy" genre into the murder mystery domain. Murder isn't a common event on the Discworld, and its occurrence here creates an intensity of feeling rarely evoked by Pratchett's works. Vimes is particularly irritated by such abhorrent events as murder. Assassination is bad enough, although carefully regulated by its Guild. For Vimes, murder is too arbitrary. It reflects the one aspect of society he resents the most, the exercise of absolute power. He's affronted both as a copper and a man.
Partly inspired by Corporal Carrot, Vimes is no longer content having the Watch "let things lie anymore". Forces that used to push a drunken Vimes into the gutter are forces he now resists, even struggles to overcome. It's an inspiring read watching Pratchett give Vimes a new sense of dedication. Vimes has always sought justice, and his recent rise in society and the Watch has given him fresh impetus, and clout, to gain it. However, first he must survive. He's up against a new force. A force of absolute power, without soul or pity - the Gonne.
There are other aspects in this book beyond the new Old Stoneface trying to catch a murderer. Pratchett pays homage to the struggle for women's and immigrants' rights in Britain [and elsewhere]. The Watch has been compelled to recruit dwarves, trolls and, um, a woman. Sergeant Colon's attempts to reconcile size, attitudes and anatomy with a traditional human, male, role must bring tears to the eyes of all recruiting sergeants reading it. Pratchett's sympathetic view of Angua pays homage to the efforts of women striving to enter men's realms. But for a novel view of the world we all inhabit, there's few that can out-express Gaspode, one of Pratchett's finest creations.
Pratchett possesses a superior ability to create timeless works. Nestled in this library since its publication, this book is taken up as an old friend for repeated enjoyment. There's nothing lost in re-reading Men At Arms - the issues remain timely, the characters worth noting - sometimes emulating, and the wit undiminished. If you're new to Pratchett, this is a fine place to start. If you're coming along in the Discworld sequence, be prepared for an item of exceptional value, something beyond the humorous fantasy of wizards, witches and Mort's employer.

There's something to be said for reading a series in chronological order, but it seems somehow more in the spirit of Discworld to just read them however they come to hand. This one features the Night Watch (my favorite sub-series) on the cusp of becoming the reorganized and expanded City Watch. Carrot is presently a corporal and trolls and dwarfs are just being added to the roster in the spirit of affirmative action. Captain Sam Vimes is facing both imminent retirement and imminent marriage to Lady Sybil Ramkin, both of which have put him into a strange state of mind. And on top of all that, there has been a mysterious series of murders of guild members, committed with an unknown weapon. Carrot, a six-foot-tall adopted dwarf, gets a lot of play this time, with special attention to his special talent: Everyone likes Carrot because he truly thinks everyone is basically decent underneath it all. As always, Pratchett, a master of stealth philosophy, combines off-the-wall humor and bent puns with thoughtful and humane digressions on the nature of right and good vs. wrong and evil, and what makes a good copper.

I've been working my way through the Discworld series in the order of publication, and I must admit the City Watch novels are among my favorites. In "Men at Arms", Pratchett does a great job of transforming the rag-tag group of night watchmen into another Ankh-Morpork institution. I really enjoyed following Vimes and Carrot as they conducted their investigation, and the introduction of our new watch... people... promises more enjoyment in future installments.

Above all, I enjoy Pratchett's ability to blend humorous fiction with poignant social commentary. Though some of these books are over a decade or two old, and perhaps written to juxtapose some then-current event or social dilemma, his novels have that lasting quality that makes them apt regardless of today's world issues. Even today we have problems with gun control and violence, and with this novel Pratchett does what he does best - pokes fun at everyone on all sides.

This definitely ranks in my top 5 of the series to this point.

Men At Arms, another installment in the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, is a wonderful continuation of the characters from Guards Guards and a fuller look at the famed city of Ankh-Morpork. Not only is there a continuation of characters, but new ones are added, and further developed. Terry Pratchett shows he is a REAL writer by his ability to interweave a funny, uplifting book, with true drama, a plot, and a mystery type story, of whodunnit? If you like "buddy flicks" and enjoy excellent humor, this is a must read. Even though it is a continuation from a previous book, the reader does not need to read Guards Guards! to fully understand the characters, for Pratchett's writing style allows the new reader to become comfortable with the characters within a few pages. The only warning i give to the reader is, not all books are completely happy go lucky, for drama is truly woven in with surprising occurences. Enjoy this book! If you are a fan of Pratchett in the least sense, you will love Men At Arms

Pratchett once again shows his ability to use comedy to make a social statement. I love his disc world books and Men at Arms was not a disappointment. If you have been unfortunate enough to not visit this wonderful world filled with magic, wizards, and an occasional god then take the opportunity. The books don't need to be read in order but some of the characters make multiple appearances. You will fall in love with the place and the people. I find myself a little sad each time I finish a book. Pratchett has the ability to give you a well written story that mixes humor with drama and even an occasional love story. His books would fall under fantasy and can be read by teenagers as well as adults. I highly recommend this book as well as others.

"Men at Arms" is the fifteenth novel in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series and the second to focus on Sam Vimes and Ankh-Morpork's City Guard. Although its reputation may have raised very slightly, having rescused the City from a large and angry dragon, it's still not the fine and noble profession it once was.

Sam is the Captain of the Night Watch, though he is on the verge of retiring and will soon marry Lady Ramkin, the noted dragon-fancier. It isn't entirely clear, however, whether or not he's entirely happy about either the retirement or his impending life of marital bliss. It's fair to say he's not your typical hero : he hates the Undead (some of my best friends are werewolves), Assassins (a perfectly respectable profession) and - in keeping with an old family tradition - Kings (not an ideal musketeer then). Sam's also trying to quit drinking and has taken up smoking cigars to soften the blow.

The Night Watch has had a couple of new recruits since "Guards! Guards!" - largely at the insistence if the Patrician, the city's ruler. The recruits - Lance-Constables Cuddy (a dwarf), Detritus (a troll) and Angua (a woman, for most of the month) - have been selected to reflect Ankh-Morpork's `ethnic makeup'. Although Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs are Sam's most experienced officers, the most capable is Carrot. Although born human, Carrot was raised as a dwarf and is an incredibly innocent character - he still hasn't figured out what seamstresses do for a living. He has, however, figured out how Ankh-Morpork works and has stopped trying to arrest the President of the Thieves Guild. The trouble begins when Edward d'Eath suspects that Carrot may be the rightful king of Ankh-Morpork.

Edward is the latest Lord d'Eath, albeit a very poor one, following the recent death of his father. He was educated at the Guild of Assassins, where he became the first student to gain full marks at postgraduate level. His suspicions about Carrot are a little worrying, given that he wants to restore the monarchy. This will, of course, see the Patrician `removed' from office - something that should be easier now that he has acquired a weapon that shouldn't exist.

Pratchett's books are always very funny and this one is no exception. Despite being the second book to focus on the Night Watch, there's no real requirement to have read the first - the newcomer won't feel `left out'. (However, I would recommend reading it, all the same !). Another big plus is Gaspode, Ankh-Morporks finest talking dog. Like Carrot, he's also devoted to Angua - though he's a lot less innocent ! Definitely recommended.

Okay. As a quick synopsis, the Ankh-Morpork City Guard (Night Watch) are having to deal with a very new and very, very nasty weapon. And this is a Bad Thing (TM) because the Night Watch in its entirety consists of a human who was raised as a dwarf, a dwarf with a nasty temper, a werewolf who holds long conversations with dogs, a really fat idiot, a recovering drunk, a troll who knocks himself unconscious whenever he tries to salute, and a.. well, we haven't quite worked out *what* Nobby is yet.
This isn't exactly a *mystery*, per se, not in the same way that, say, The Fifth Elephant or Feet of Clay are, because we have a fair idea pretty early on of what the weapon we're facing actually is, even if the Night Watch don't. My personal favorite scene is the one starting in the sewers where Vimes gets the.. um.. probably shouldn't say it here.. anyway. I also like the bits with Leonard, especially when Vetinari's talking to him about the Watch and starts comparing people to clockwork ("And sometimes you have to wind the spring as tight as it will go, and pray it doesn't break.") That was actually a bit creepy, really..

Terry Pratchett has really carved his own little niche in the fantasy genre. I am often reminded of Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series when I read a Discworld novel. Excellent prose, and the dry, witty, British humor you can't get enough of.

Men at Arms is the second Discworld novel featuring the Night Watch (the first was Guards! Guards!)

The Watch features the crew from the previous book (Vimes, Carrot, Colon and Nobby) and some new recruits. Someone is murdered in a most mysterious way, and it's up to the Watch to get to the bottom of it.

What I love about Pratchett is he doesn't settle to just write a witty satire. It's actually a great mystery/fantasy story with great characters who have excellent believable relationships.

Men at Arms even has some scenes that I found emotionally stirring. I loved Guards! Guards! but I personally enjoyed Men at Arms more. This is an excellent and brilliantly imagined story.

Pratchett at his worst is light-years beyond Piers Anthony, Robert Asprin, or even the dearly departed Douglas Adams at their best. And this is hardly Pratchett's worst (that would probably be Soul Music or Maskerade). But, this book doesn't crackle and fizz with the subversive humor, satire, and insight into the human condition of his other books. This book is kind of, well, dull in parts.
I have to confess that much of that might be my fault... this is a cop's story, a mystery, beyond all else. And, try as I might, I just can't care about mystery stories.
However, Carrot and Vimes, two of the Night Watch's finest, are certainly engaging characters and Pratchett does manage to bring his wild humor into a rather mundane mystery story. He is still a sharp-eyed philosopher with a keen understanding of human nature. But I just can't help thinking that this could have been a better book. Maybe the Librarian wasn't in it enough... he can save even the WORST Pratchett book (as Soul Music demonstrates).