Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

This book is the 8th book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series--which is a humor/fantasy series about a flat world which rides through space on the back of a turtle.

I'm going to steal the next two paragraphs from Wikipedia because frankly, I’m not all that great at writing book reports (not particularly revelatory to anyone who reads this blog).

“The story follows a plot by a secret brotherhood, the Unique and Supreme Lodge of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebony Night, to overthrow the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and install a puppet king, under the control of the Supreme Grand Master (Vetinari's secretary, Lupine Wonse). Using a stolen magic book, they summon a dragon to strike fear into the people of Ankh-Morpork.


Once a suitable state of terror and panic has been created, the Supreme Grand Master proposes to put forth an "heir" to the throne, who will slay the dragon and rid the city of tyranny. 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.”

Guards! Guards! was very hilarious in a very British way. I’m not incredibly well versed in the art of understanding British humor, but I did find that reading this book with a British accent and imagining Monty Python-esque situations seemed to increase my appreciation of the story significantly. I guess that’s about all I’ve got on this one.

Favorite Quotes: "Aiding and Abetting what, Captain?' said Carrot, as the weaponless guards trooped away. "You have to aid and abet something.' 'I think in this case it will just be generalized abetting,' said Vimes. 'Persistent and reckless abetment." (pg 329)

"They felt, in fact, tremendously bucked-up...which was definitely several letters of the alphabet away from how they normally felt." (pg 157)
If this were a movie, I'd rate it: PG-13

Overall Grade: B

Would I recommend this book to my friends: Yes, the kind of dorky ones.(and I mean "dorky" with the highest possible level of respect.)