Guards! Guards!: (Discworld Novel 8) (Discworld Novels)

Product Information

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The arrival of Carrot changes this; Carrot has memorised the Laws and Ordinances of the Cities of Ankh and Morpork, and on his first day tries to arrest the head of the Thieves' Guild for theft (the Thieves' Guild is permitted a quota of legally licensed thieving, a concept that the book of ancient Laws does not take into account).

Other than the The Witches and Death I truly think that The Watch series is the best in Pratchett's lot. The most common origin, that it is an acronym, standing for 'Port Out, Starboard Home' is in fact false.Don’t worry I have not spoiled the book for you, I am barely scratching the surface of the many ingenious satires, jokes and witticisms to be found in this book. Getting back into Discworld made me wonder how much of my love for it is how it influenced who am I now (I started reading these at 14), or is it speaking to my core as a person. Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic , was published in 1983. In one of the earliest episodes our Shaolin monk-in-training was tasked to walk along a sheet of rice paper without ripping it or leaving a mark.

The Watch's swamp dragon, Errol, reorganises his digestive system to form a supersonic jet engine and fights the king, eventually knocking the king out of the sky with a shock wave. There are ordinary people in Ankh-Morpork now: street urchins, bartenders, low-life criminals, common palace guards, traders, workers, to name a few.The phrase itself and Pratchett's comments reflect a juxtaposition between " justice" and "J ust us"). Regarded as one of the most significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire “for services to literature” in 1998, and has received four honorary doctorates from the Universities of Warwick, Portsmouth, Bath, and Bristol. Vimes confronts his old schoolmate, the Patrician's Secretary Lupine Wonse, having figured out that he is the Supreme Grand Master, and responsible for the dragon's appearance. I think it was around Feet of Clay, I realised he was the ONE Literary Character for me - well "Here's looking at you kid!

I’m lucky as I haven’t read every Discworld yet, but I know a day will come when I’ve read everything new to me. p. 48] The fizzing and flashing illuminated sign outside Captain Vimes' office is a reference to the tired old visual cliché from most film noir. It is the task of the Night Watch – Captain Vimes, Sergeant Colon, Corporal Nobbs, and new volunteer Carrot Ironfoundersson – to stop them, with some help from the Librarian of the Unseen University, an orangutan trying to get the stolen book back. The scene where the Supreme Grand Master accidentally tries to gain access to the Illuminated and Ancient Brethren of Ee, I almost fell out my seat laughing. p. 104] The bit about the hero killing a monster in a lake, only to have the monster's mum come right down the hall the next day and complain, is a reference to Grendel and his mother, two famous monsters from the Beowulf saga.

To date there are a total of 36 books in the Discworld series, of which four (so far) are written for children.

Especially since he is a good fighter, honourable and knows all the (forgotten) rules and laws - and will enforce them. The reference here is to the famous series of 18th century morality woodcuts by William Hogarth, with names like "Gin Lane" and "Beer Street". The Librarian who knows how to navigate the L-space, that parallel dimension that exists between every library in the world created because of terrifying power of books.He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any .