Night Watch: A Discworld Novel

Amazing book, so many little details that tie everything together so nicely. I love how Vimes is spending all this time thinking about what he wants to teach young Sam, and at the end there is a new young Sam. The journey to the past gave him incredible insight, at the end you know baby Sam will benefit immensely from everything Vimes had to go through. Great character. I don’t usually cry at the end of Discworld novels but this one hit me

Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett, is a fictitious book that revolves around His Grace Commander Samuel Vimes. Vimes is a duke in the city of Ankh-Morpork and is also the commander of the city watch. He doesn’t run the city, but he guides it and keeps its streets safe. In this novel about Vimes, he is involved in a time rift, one where he gets to relive the glory days from when he was a recruit. He starts off in the present, married with a child on the way and commander of the watch. One day as he is chasing down a man that had killed multiple comrades to vimes. His name was only known as Carcer. Carcer was a trickster that never gave up. As the two find each other and fight, a magical storm brews over head as it had been throughout the rest of the day. They reach the wizard academy during their chase, when suddenly they get struck by something. A time rift of sorts is created and sends both Vimes and Carcer back in time about 40-50 years. It is at this point where Pratchett gets creative in his story telling. He thoughtfully creates a character to explain to the reader and the character itself what is happening. The character he created to do this was a group of whimsical and goofy time traveling monks with their leader Lu-Tze. The monks and Lu-Tze explain that they don’t travel through time, but rather they step out of it and move around time. After Carcer arrived, he got into some trouble and killed the man John Keel who was supposed to Vimes’ mentor and make him the he was today. After the monks explain this to Vimes, they have him take the currently deceased John Keel’s place and live his time in the city. Since John Keel was just arriving in the city from far away places, not many people would be able to notice the difference between the two. As he goes about in this current time period he has some trouble adjusting. Especially since this was around the time that the Viscount in charge at the time was about to be assassinated and other rebellious uprisings would soon start, requiring that he prepare in a similar manner to that of how John Keel actually lived. It was also at this time that Vimes had to watch his own back in a different sense. There was the Vimes that had time traveled, but there was also the Samuel Vimes that was supposed be there at that time doing things. The younger Vimes was just a young sprout and recruit in the night watch on treacle mine road. This is where it all happened. Vimes taught his younger self the ways and protected him and his allies from Carcer. Carcer whom had also moved up in the world as a member of the city's “secret police,” the people that tortured and interrogated those who committed crimes and were out past curfew. The reason that Carcer had got in, was because he brought a torture technique from the future that the captain was especially fond of. As the story progresses, we reach the pinnacle of this book. The riots and rising revolution that is about to unfold. Riots attack and destroy multiple watch houses, but under the guidance of Vimes, the treacle mine road watch house was untouched. Vimes continues to do amazing things under the guise of John keel, and attempts to keep it somewhat historically accurate from when he had experienced it in his life. When the actual revolution starts he helps to keep the piece in his territory, there is extremely little rioting and violence because he had won the heart of the people. He built barricades to keep all the ruffians and soldiers out with the people he’s protecting, under the one thing he was told to do. Keep the piece. As he and his watchmen fend off the invaders, they start to get a sense of victory and achievement. It is also at this time that the Viscount is assassinated and his replacement is put into power. The new Viscount is very pleased with Vimes, but he deems him uncontrollable. In doing so, what is left of the secret police is led by Carcer to kill Vimes. Under Carcer’s command, he has a small regiment of soldiers and the some watchmen with him. It is in this epic battle that a showdown starts, but then just as the finally Lu-Tze arrives and pulls Vimes aside, out of time, and tells him that it cannot end like this. That he has made the proper preparations, and that Vimes must rush up to Carcer and grab him so that they can be sent back into their proper places. When they return, Vimes gets a hold of Carcer and arrests him.This book is filled with non-stop puns, jokes, and other funny things all while keeping a serious tone to it. It is, in my eyes, lone of the best books I’ve ever read. It has complex layers of thought, but it isn’t too difficult to follow for any reader. I really would recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy themselves while they are reading a novel. I had not read any other books in the discworld series, but it was very easy to catch on and follow the plot. I’d easily give this book 5 stars.

Time and magic can be an interesting combination. Vimes goes on the trip of a lifetime, or maybe two. Anything dealing with the Nightwatch can be an interesting read. In this issue we are introduced to a totally new villain and get to meet an old assassin when they were quite young and still learning their trade. We pick up on a lot of information that explains further a lot of little things we were familiar with from previous books. I have enjoyed every one of these books and have read many of them before but I really like going through them all in order for the first time.

What a wonderful gift Pritchett gives with each of his novels and insight on what means to be human with good and bad traits. Truly remarkable.

In the 28 other Discworld books a lot of sci-fi/fantasy staples have already been lampooned: heroic quests, magic swords, wizards, witches, vampires, werewolves, elves, and so forth. The one staple not yet really tackled has been time travel. "Night Watch" takes care of this glaring error in relatively entertaining style.As his wife is involved in a long labor to give birth to their first child, Commader Sam Vimes of the City Watch is involved in cornering a cop-killing madman named Carcer. In hot pursuit of Carcer, Vimes climbs up onto the roof of the library for Unseen University (the school for wizards) during a thunderstorm. When a bolt of lightning strikes the library, Vimes and Carcer are transported back in time 30 years.And of course it is a pivotal moment in the history of the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork. The brutal Lord Winder has been heavily taxing people and rounding up any who dissent. Revolt is fermenting, all it needs is a spark.Vimes takes on the identity of his mentor in the City Watch, John Keel, after the real Keel is killed by Carcer, who joins a secret police force known as the Unmentionables. Vimes has enough time to teach his younger self a few lessons about policing before that spark hits and the entire city erupts in violence. Now Vimes has to somehow keep the peace, keep himself (both of himselves) alive, and bring Carcer to justice. A tall order to be sure.This book is an interesting addition to the series because it provides a little more background on some of the Ankh-Morpork characters like Vimes, Lord Vetinari, Nobby Nobbs, and even Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler the crooked merchant. I was disappointed there was really nothing included about the wizards, especially the Librarian--who was turned into an orangutan in a magical accident; I kept waiting to see if there'd be an appearance by him in human form.My biggest complaint though is the story drags a little. Part of that is the nature of time travel stories like this. We already know there's going to be a riot because technically it's already happened. And we know in that riot there's going to be a final showdown between Vimes and Carcer, just like you knew Marty McFly would have to have it out with Biff Tannen in "Back to the Future." It's inevitable, so let's just cut to the chase.Still, like most of these books, there's a good message underneath the action. In particular is the concept that the reason they're called "revolutions" is that they typically go in a circular fashion. Or in other words the new regime is rarely better than the old one. The main point of reference in the book is the French Revolution, only in this case no one loses their heads--literally at least.That is all.

This was one of the last, "classic" Pratchett Discworld novels, before his illness began to effect his work. Vimes is my favourite character, a born Copper who would arrest the Gods themselves if he could. It's fascinating to read the City Watch novels in order, and follow Vimes' slow transformation from cynical drunk commanding a useless and forgetton Night Watch to one of the richest and most powerful men in the city.Vimes is some ways resembles Granny Weatherwax; both secretly fear the darkness within themselves, and gain much of their power through denying it. Vimes calls this side of himself, "the Beast". While it can be useful in combat, granting Vimes a kind of Berserker fury, he worries that he might give into it completely. To avoid this, Vimes has created a kind of internal Watchman to keep the Beast on a leash.In this novel, Vimes and a serial killer named Carcer are sent back in time due to a magical accident. They arrive around thirty years in the past, when Vimes was a raw recruit, and Ankh-Morpork was on the brink of revolution. Vimes must protect his younger self, capture Carcer and return to the present. And do it all without changing the past too much.We meet younger versions of the regular cast, so to speak; Nobby, Colon, Reg Shoe, Mrs Palm, CMOT Dibbler and even Vetinari and Downey. The History Monks, aka The Men in Saffron, aka No Such Monastery also play a prominant role.Noticably less overtly humorous than many Discworld novels, with a bitter-sweet edge to the writing. A book I've read many times and still take pleasure from.

Unlike many Discworld novels, this stands out as one where serious issues are discussed, and there is an undertone of sadness and loss. Even one very talented copper cannot simply change the world, though he can make small changes that shape the world for a better future. Thrown back in time by a perfect magical storm chasing a villain across Rooftops ends in His grace Sam Vimes, duke of Ankh and commander of the city watch being taken back 30 years to a time when he meets his younger greener self when the city of Ankh Morpork is on the brink of revolution due to the excesses of the mad and paranoid Lord Winder. It is complicated by the arrival of the arch villain Carcer who attempts to change history and ensure that young Sam Vimes never survives. Posing as a murdered policeman from Pseudopolis John Keel, Vimes endeavors to keep history moving in the right direction, and cannot return to his own time until history is kept right.There is much sadness and pathos and a total sense of isolation pervading this novel. I happen to think it is one of the best Discworld novels out there and I recommend it most highly.

One of those books that can be re read and still find something new in the text. Fulfills lots of those ideas we have of going back in time to tell our younger selves what (not) to do. Caustic observations on revolution and leaders. Although you know that things will resolve themselves, like Sam you're not quite sure how. Funny and profound all at the same time.

I have been a fan of Terry Pratchett since his works were first published many years ago and have remained a fan ever since, All of his books are very good but those of the Discworld series are possibly his finest. I own the whole Discworld series of books in hardback so it seemed only logical to buy them in Kindle as well in order to have a portable Terry Pratchett collection.

I brought the original hardback when it came out, question in the rain for an hour, until Sir Terry signed it. This time a read the Kindle version. It won't be the last time. A good book is one you can read again and again, and look forward to reading it in the future. This is such a book.