Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3083 in Books
• Published on: 1990-11-16
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Synopsis
This is where the dragons went. They lie...not dead, not asleep, but...dormant. And although the space they occupy isn't like normal space, nevertheless they are packed in tightly. They could put you in mind of a can of sardines, if you thought sardines were huge and scaly. And presumably, somewhere, there's a key..."Guards! Guards!" is the eighth "Discworld" novel - and after this, dragons will never be the same again!

From the Back Cover
This is where the dragons went. They lie...not dead, not asleep, but...dormant. And although the space they occupy isn't like normal space, nevertheless they are packed in tightly. They could put you in mind of a can of sardines, if you thought sardines were huge and scaly. And presumably, somewhere, there's a key...

Guards! Guards! is the eighth Discworld novel - and after this, dragons will never be the same again!

About the Author
Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett is one of the most popular authors writing today. He lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he 'doesn't want to get a life, because it feels as though he's trying to lead three already'. He was appointed OBE in 1998. He is the author of the phenomenally successful Discworld series and his trilogy for young readers, The Bromeliad, is scheduled to be adapted into a spectacular animated movie.

Customer Reviews

Four Misfits, One Dragon , No Hope!
In Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett places Ankh-Morpork in danger by releasing a dragon. And producing the most unlikely heroes in the world: Captain Sam Vimes, a worthless drunk, Fred Colon a overweight sergeant, Nobby Nobbs chain smoking thief and allround good guy and Carrot the Discworlds tallest dwarf.

Together they are the Night Watch the city's last line of defence. Pratchett parodies the cop genre in fine style by making Vimes a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Dirty Harry. The plot is full of comedy, drama and romance (of sorts) with loveable characters like Cut-Me-Own Throat Dibbler, snobbish clerks like Wonse and deadly serious Vetinari who is annoying but likeable.

With these elements Guards! Guards! is a great read and should be classed as one of Pratchetts greats.

FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC !
"Guards ! Guards !" is the eighth book in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series and is the first to focus on Sam Vimes and Ankh-Morpork's City Guard. Although the City Guard was once a fine and noble profession, it has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Once, there had been hundreds of members : as the book opens, the City's Night Watch is staffed only by Sam, Sergeant Fred Colon and Corporal Nobby Nobbs. Like the Night Watch itself, Sam has also fallen on hard times. Having started drinking to forget (it was possibly something to do with a woman), he now drinks to forget the drinking. Despite his faults, though, he's a likeable cynic who has a well-developed sense of fair play and identifies with the underdog.

Things start turning around for Sam and the Watch in "Guards ! Guards !". The force sees a dramatic rise in numbers with the arrival of Carrot Ironfoundersson. Orphaned as a baby, Carrot had been taken in by the dwarfs and raised in a gold mine. Until shortly before he left home, he didn't realise he was human - he'd always thought he was just tall for his species. His adoptive father decides it's best for Carrot to spend some time with other humans and 'manages' to secure a position for him in the Ankh-Morpork City Guard. Carrot, on his arrival, is viewed with some amazement : an actual, honest volunteer. He takes things very literally (as dwarfs tend to do), is very innocent (he wouldn't know what to do with a seamstress if one fell into his lap) and a lot of the humour comes from his utter confusion.

The problem for Sam and the Night Watch is presented by the Unique and Supreme Lodge of the Elucidated Brethren. Well, actually, the problem is its mysterious (and big-headed) Supreme Grand Master, an ambitious and manipulative individual. (The remaining members are bitter, vitriolic, small-minded, jealous, resentful and a bit stupid. As a result, they're very easy to manipulate). He's devised a Machiavellian plan that will involve the removal of the Patrician (Ankh-Morpork's tyrant) and lead to the restoration of the monarchy. Unfortunately, his plan involves the controlling of a very dangerous dragon - to that end, Brother Fingers has managed to 'acquire' De Malachite's book on summoning dragons from the Unseen University's library. For some reason, it doesn't seem to bother him that the book is badly burnt.

This is the first of the Discworld books to feature Sam and the City Guard. As a result, it's a pretty good starting point if you've never read any of the other Discworld books before and want to see what you're missing. Pratchett's books are always very funny and this one gets better as it goes along. Definitely recommended.

Don't Stop the World, I Don't Want to Get Off
Terry Pratchett has become one of the most popular authors alive today and his popularity is richly deserved. But not even with his fertile mind could ever have envisaged the heights to which his Discworld series would rise. This book was first published in 1989 the same year as Pyramids and is number eight in the Discworld novels.

You would think that a fantasy world full of trolls, zombies, witches, vampires would be an alien concept to most readers. Werewolves and dwarves in the Ank Morpork city watch. Wizards running a university. All this born in the mind of one of the funniest author's writing today. Surely this style of writing would have a limited readership? But no the books are loved by anybody and everybody and are read by people who would not normally allow fantasy fiction anywhere near their book shelves. This is the Discworld of Terry Pratchett.

Guards! Guards! features some of my favourite Discworld characters. The books transports the reader into the world of the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch. The Watch contains lots of characters new to the Discworld series of books and what characters they are. Captain Sam Vimes, leader of the Watch, Corporal Nobby Nobbs, Sergeant Colon and Corporal Carrot, the tallest dwarf in history at 6 foot in his stocking feet. These are just a few of the new characters that grace the pages of this book. They are so well written that they all seem like old friends long before the book has finished.

The loose, very loose storyline to this plot is the fact that a book called The Summoning of Dragons has mysteriously gone missing from Unseen University. This coincides with the fact that a fire breathing dragon has been causing mayhem in the city. Dragons are the speciality of Sybil Ramkin, who keeps a number of swamp dragons as pets. "Just be firm with them," is her best advice.

Any books that can make me laugh out loud have got to be good and these books certainly do that. It is virtually impossible to describe them to people who have never read any of them. So if you need cheering up, or just enjoy a good laugh, buy one now. This one is one of my favourites but they are all terrific.