Graham Downs reviewed Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, #8)
Review of 'Guards! Guards!' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Terry Pratchett is easily my favourite author of all time! What's more, the Discworld may just be my favourite fantasy world of all time. It so happens that the very first Discworld book I read was [b:Men at Arms|400354|Men at Arms (Discworld, #15)|Terry Pratchett|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347687894s/400354.jpg|819071], which is actually the second book in Discworld's so called "City Watch" series (this book is the first in that series). Still, I was able to suspend disbelief and "pretend" that many of the things that were assumed in Men at Arms hadn't happened yet.
This book is all about dragons and kings, which Pratchett describe in his typical humourous style. It's laugh-a-page, and I simply could not put it down. Over the past few weeks while I've been reading it I've had some pretty late nights, resulting in me being quite unable to get out of bed in the mornings, and often arriving to work …
Terry Pratchett is easily my favourite author of all time! What's more, the Discworld may just be my favourite fantasy world of all time. It so happens that the very first Discworld book I read was [b:Men at Arms|400354|Men at Arms (Discworld, #15)|Terry Pratchett|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347687894s/400354.jpg|819071], which is actually the second book in Discworld's so called "City Watch" series (this book is the first in that series). Still, I was able to suspend disbelief and "pretend" that many of the things that were assumed in Men at Arms hadn't happened yet.
This book is all about dragons and kings, which Pratchett describe in his typical humourous style. It's laugh-a-page, and I simply could not put it down. Over the past few weeks while I've been reading it I've had some pretty late nights, resulting in me being quite unable to get out of bed in the mornings, and often arriving to work quite late.
I would've rated this book five stars, but for two points where the book moved a little slowly for my liking. Yes, only two - the pacing is otherwise brilliant! About halfway through the book I began to think that it was getting a bit long in the tooth and I thought it should just end. Thankfully, I pushed through, and it was like a whole new story started, a "sequel" if you like. Then around 85% of the way through, the story was over but there were still loose ends to tie up. I caught myself thinking "Yeah, I know all this stuff is necessary, but we all know what happens next, and who ends up with whom. Just finish already!"
Once again, I'm glad I pulled through, though: there are one or two surprises in the wrap-up that I found quite entertaining!
If you like fantasy (or even if you hate it), and love comedy, Terry Pratchett's your man! And this book is a decent place to start reading the City Watch series. Highly recommended!!
