Book 252 Terry Pratchett. Guards Guards! Really enjoyed this one. Funny, bonkers. What an imagination. 9/10 ( )

Back before I ever read a Discworld book I had heard that this is where the series officially went from good to great.

And I believe it. Guards! Guards! is everything you'd want from a comedy book satirizing fantasy: there's loads of jokes, references both obvious and subtle, and a careful balance between legitimate storytelling and farce. The earlier Discworld books struggled with this balance, but Pratchett has definitely got the hang of it now.

The characters benefit the most from Pratchett's increased mastery. They aren't just vehicles for jokes or exist purely as a stand-in for some fantasy cliche. The stars of the book - Captain Vimes, Corporal Nobby, Sgt. Colon, Lance-Constable Carrot, and of course Lady Sybil, the noblewoman-slash-dragon breeder - are all memorable and easy to root for.

There are dragons to slay and cities to save, sinister secret societies, library crimes, and an exploration of the outrageously creative L-space. There's also a surprising amount of messaging, from commentary on the rich and poor to what it means to rule over others, whether as king or lawman or dragon.

And through all of this are roughly ten million jokes. Not all of them land, but in the same way that not every bullet from a gatling gun ultimately hits its target. Does it matter to the target that 10 bullets missed when the remaining 90 shredded it to bits? ( )

(A re-read I think.) In which Carrot comes to Ankh-Morpork, and Vimes meets Lady Sybil, and a mighty dragon threatens the city.

Some of Pratchett's earliest work feels to me like the humour is a bit forced; this is late enough that while it still has a touch of that feeling, it's also starting to delve deeper into characterisations and societal injustices and meaty stuff like that, while also being a really fun and easy read. ( )

If you want a quick-paced fantasy book full of action and humor, this is a good one. I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading it. I loved the characters, especially Carrot. ( )

Guards! Guards! is an early Discworld novel which, to my delight, was hatched in the same month of the same year (November 1989) that I hatched my first child, Diana. It feels like fate.

This novel asks and answers important questions: "what happens when a power-hungry man who has stolen a book of magic finds gormless acolytes to assist him in his hostile takeover?" (ans: dragons); "what happens when you mix an alcoholic watch captain and an aristocratic dragon-breeder" (ans: love), and "what does Nobby do in his spare time" (ans: folk dancing).

We are introduced to some of my favourite Discworld characters: the Librarian, Sam Vimes, the Patrician, and Lady Sybil Ramkin.

I must admit that i got rather bored midway through and skimmed a chunk of the book until the coronation scenes were over. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, and am looking forward to more re-reading of the stories of the City Watch. ( )