Guards! Guards!

Terry Pratchett

Many people may be familiar with Terry Pratchett - I had heard his name many times but had never actually read anything by him until this book. Guards! Guards! is one of (get ready) 41 books in the Discworld series, plus there are also numerous companion pieces that supplement with additional lore and stories. This book was a gift so I wasn’t really sure what to expect honestly, but after doing a little digging I found it’s one of the numerous recommended starting places to get invested into the series as a whole (more on that here if you are curious).

“His age was indeterminate. But in cynicism and general world weariness, which is a sort of carbon dating of the personality, he was about seven thousand years old.” (p.64)

Now I can safely say I have been missing out. This book was funny in a sardonic & ridiculous sort of way, adventurous with unsuspecting “heroes”, and all together thoroughly entertaining. I really haven’t read anything with same writing style and it’s been a while since I’ve literally laughed out loud while reading a book. The few quotes I’ve included here are my attempt to exemplify the tone and dry hilariousness you can expect.

“If you let your mind dwell on rooms like this, you could end up being oddly sad and full of a strange, diffuse compassion which would lead you to believe that it might be a good idea to wipe out the whole human race and start again with amoebas.” (p.165)

The book tells the tale of a begrudging Night Watch Captain in the fictional city of Ankh Morkpork, and the shenanigans that ensue when a few eccentric citizens try to summon none other than a dragon.

“Death strips away many things, especially when it arrives at a temperature hot enough to vaporize iron, and among them are your illusions.” (p.236)

This book definitely left me curious to discover some of the other characters that make up Discworld and get a better understanding of the world as whole. It has certainly given me enough potential reading material for quite some time, so I think I will end up coming back to this series time and time again to see what else is in store. If you’re looking for something to keep you occupied until this whole pandemic thing is over, this series may be just the ticket.