Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett Options

[Yoda]

The newest in the series, 'Night Watch' features two of the best things about fiction (or at least, fiction I recommend to people):

1). It's by Terry Pratchett.

2). It's about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch.


What? You need more than that to go and read it? Honestly!

Okay, so a brief synopsis: It starts off in the time of the watch we all know and love with Cmmdr Vimes waiting expectantly for the birth of his first child. As he waits there's a summons to capture Carcer, a typical murderous villain with a good sense of humour

Anyway, in his confrontation with Carcer...something odd happens. Vimes finds himself transported back to the time when Lord Winder still held patricianship over the city. It's also the time when Lord Snapcase is just about to depose Winder. And the time when a young lad named Sam Vimes joined the watch.

Assuming the title of his old sergeant, Vimes must teach himself and the rag-tag watch to become a police force - and fast. The city is on edge and Carcer is the least of Vime's worries. History led to the death of his sergeant, and the last thing Vimes wants is to die in the past...but if he doesn't, he won't have a future to go back to...


Once again Pratchett has summoned a great plot, unearthed the characters we know but this time at a point in their lives we've never seen before. Among the regulars are the young (and living in Reg Shoe's case) Fred Colon, C.M.O.T. Dibbler and Nobby Nobbs, but we also meet the old watchmen; Sergeant Dickins, Wiglet, Nancyball and Ned Coates.

The best character by far is of course Vimes, but then again this is Vimes's story - even though told through the eyes of John Keel, Sergeant at Arms.

In this story though Pratchett has given his answer to the question: 'Can we change the past?' Interestingly enough, his answer comes across as obvious to that question, and he instead goes on to ask another: 'Do we have the right, or can we take the choice to change the past?'

Excellent reading as always, and a plot that does keep you guessing right up to the end. My favourite part is the conversation between Ponder Stibbons and Captain Carrot early in the book though, it's quite good at revealing the wizard's ego and Carrot's tendency to surprise people.

Yoda

Edited to correct a name

[Imogen]

Much as I love Terry Pratchett, particularly his Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat books, I'm finding that some of the newer books are just chugging along and using the familiar formula. The older ones were spectacular because they were parodying Macbeth or the concept of fairy tales and his quirkyness really made it come alive.

I read "The Truth" last and it felt a bit flat compared with his other stuff - how does this new one compare with it?