One moment, Sir Sam Vimes is in his old patrolman form, chasing a sweet-talking psychopath across the rooftops of Ankh-Morpork. The next, he’s lying naked in the street, having been sent back thirty years courtesy of a group of time-manipulating monks who won’t leave well enough alone. This Discworld is a darker place that Vimes remembers too well, three decades before his title, fortune, beloved … beloved wife, and impending first child. Worse still, the murderer he’s pursuing has been transported back also. Worst of all, it’s the eve of a fabled street rebellion that needlessly destroyed more than a few good (and not so good) men. Sam Vimes knows his duty, and by changing history he might just save some worthwhile necks—though it could cost him his own personal future. Plus there’s a chance to steer a novice watchman straight and teach him a valuable thing or three about policing, an impressionable young copper named Sam Vimes.
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This is one of my favorite Discworld novels. While pursuing a criminal, Sam Vimes gets sent back in time where everything he has helped to build in the future is put in jeopardy. A major civil unrest is about to break open and Sam is forced to take on the persona of the lawman who trained him to become the watchman we know. It’s both exciting and touching to watch Sam try to keep his beloved city from blowing up in major riots, even as the criminal he pursued to the past fans the flames. If you haven’t ever read a Discworld novel before, this one is a great place to start.
The plot is okay, but the prose and storytelling is spot on.
This is the 1st of the Nght Watch books in the Descworld series. They are fantasy but reflect very familiar social issues. If you are having trouble recognizing them here, you might want to read the Night Watch books to get a clearer view. They are both funny and poignant. I definitely recommend this book.
Another great entry in the Discworld series.
I needed more laughs, so I read more Pratchett. In this one Sam Vimes is fighting a murderer above the library. Now everyone knows that time and space do funny things in a library. So, you guessed it, Sam and the murderer are sent back in time.
And Sam has to make sure time works out the same way this go round… while the murderer is busy making a royal chaos of everything.
Pratchett is wonderful! The NightWatch series is my favorite. It begins with Guards! Guards! In this entry in the series we see some of the experiences that shaped Sam when he first joined the Watch. Fun, thought-provoking, and great characters. Highly recommended.
This is an amazing book — you don’t need to have read all of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. It’s one of the best mystery/adventures. Think of it as a cross between Dr. Who and the BBC’s Sherlock.
Takes some work to get into, but probably the best city watch book
This is one of Sir Terry Pratchett’s best books. It is a mystery, a historical one, really. If you ever want to know why Pratchett fans love lilac flowers, read this excellent book!
The members of Anhk-Morpork’s police… at their…um…finest?
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! Vimes and how the motley Watch crew came to be – couldn’t be better!
A little higher action than most of his books (though, by and large, any of the Ankh-Morpork books are higher energy than, say, the Lancaster), this was a thrilling read. I love Vimes!
A wonderful story from a fantastic Author with incredible skill. Outstanding!
This is one of my favorite books of all time. Like every Discworld book, it builds on the books that came before it, but still stands on its own as a story, and could be enjoyed even by someone unfamiliar with the rest of the series. Terry Pritchett was a master of taking everything that is frightening, confusing, and infuriating about being human and making it bearable and funny. In this story he explores the intricacies of revolution, civil war, and where duty ends and choice begins with his signature wit and perception. I laugh, I cry, I read it again and again.