Date Finished: 30/03/2012
My Rating: 4/5
I don't think that it is particularly surprising that out of the four Discworld novels on the Big Read's Top 100, two of them are about the Watch. Guards! Guards! introduces the reader to the misfits that form the Night Watch. It strongly hints that the new recruit to the Watch, dwarf-raised, rule-abiding, Carrot comes from some kind of heroic background. It shows (the wonderful) Vimes as something of an alcoholic who is rather fed up with the current state of the Night Watch, and certainly sets the scene for his character's development over the remaining Watch novels.
And what more could you want from a book... it has a big, scary, scaly dragon. Summoned by magic and then uncontrollable once it had tasted that little bit of freedom. I'm sure there's a 'careful what you wish for' type message in there somewhere.
Like most Discworld books, I found it a very easy read. All of a sudden you've got through 40 pages, laughed through at least 38 of them, and forgotten that physics works differently in the real world. Everything moves along rapidly, the characters are colourful and intelligently written. Oh, did I mention that it's funny? I must have read Guards! Guards! at least 5 times before I read it for this challenge. I won't be surprised if I read it another 5 times once I've finished the Big Read.
So, who should read this book? If you haven't read any Discworld novels, why not start here? I love the Watch books, and as this is the first one, it seems an obvious place for me to recommend that you start. It's a million to one chance, but you might just like it...
Next book: Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
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