Night Watch [Paperback]

Sir Samuel Vimes, the Commander of the City Watch in Ankh Morpork, is catapulted out of the present at a sensitive and important moment in his personal life. Together with the criminal Carcer, who he was about to arrest, he is transported into an earlier, smaller and much less organized city. It would not be true to his character if he just laid low while waiting and hoping to get back to the present/future. Disguised as another copper, he involves himself in the city's business. He meets a number of well-known Discworld luminaries in their earlier selves, from Nobby Nobbs and Fred Colon to a smart young Havelock Vetinari and learns how Reg Shoe becomes a zombie. And, of course, we encounter the young Sam Vimes who is still very naïve and trusting. He is in need of a role model and hero and Vimes, the older and still disguised, has to step into the part. Suffice to say, that the events are unfolding in good Pratchett fashion. Sam Vimes is in the thick of it - a rebellion to be precise.

As a result of Vimes and Carcer's presence, events happen not quite as they were suppose to have happened. That is where the temporal prime directive becomes an important aspect leading us to a more reflective and pondering Sam. He knows how history will report the past that he is reliving, but not as himself. Will he jeopardize his own future if he tweaks reality in the past? Will there be his wife, Sybil, and the child yet to be born?... Those familiar with Pratchett's Discworld will remember time shifts and alignments and those who tinker with them in THIEF OF TIME. Not surprising therefore that the Sweeper has to make an appearance, this time accompanied by a character similar to one in Star Trek - playing with time and space. To find out about the importance of lilac, you have to read the book.

NIGHTWATCH is a great book - rich in the story and the reflections on politics, power, violence and teamwork. And of course, Pratchett's famous and unsurpassed one-liners, such as, when referring to the old Watch "in the sea of adventure, you're bottom-feeders". It is one of those P'Terry books you want to read in one go. On reflection, it is also recommended to newcomers to the Discworld. You don't have to read all 28 Discworld novels first... you will certainly read more of them after you started with this one.

All Terry Pratchett's characters are fascinating in their own way. Rincewind, a spectacular coward, expresses a survivor's continuing agonies of fear and distrust. Esme Weatherwax dons a cape of firm self-assurance you could roof a shed with - until she's alone and surveying her frailties. In Sam Vimes, however, Pratchett produced someone special. In his own view Sam sometimes strides on feet of clay. Plagued by self-doubts, worrying about problems often not his, beset by hordes of enemies and unpredictable circumstances, Vimes manages to trot up to the finish line soiled but sturdy. We live in an era when "character" is a disreputable phrase. Still, Sam Vimes arrives at each finale by employing resolute self discipline, applying it to himself or imparting it to others. In this book, that example becomes bifurcated by Sam's knowledge that he's coaching his younger self. Maintaining his own standards while imparting them to young Lance-Constable Vimes is a challenging situation. He was pursuing a killer in his own time - he continues the pursuit in the past. He's also, once again, caught up in Ankh-Morpork politics.

Transported back in time, Vimes remains burdened with memories. Sybil, his wife, is about to produce their first born [promised in Fifth Elephant]. A Watch mainstay, Fred Colon, is an established Corporal, while Nobby Nobbs, a social stain, is a street urchin seeking the main chance. Sam encounters old friends and makes new ones. Some don't survive. Pratchett's ability to give life to each of his characters brings a sense of grief at their loss other authors fail to achieve. You cannot prevent a pause in your reading when you learn of their deaths. There is one character you're eager to see "pass on," but Pratchett denies you that comfort. Fantasy or no, reality is firmly established here. As always with Pratchett, the characters are your neighbours and family. You know them intimately, never mind their distance in time and place. You rejoice in their successes and mourn their losses. It's all part of Pratchett's ability to capture the reader - new or long- standing.

Back in an earlier Ankh-Morpork, Vimes assumes the identity of John Keel. In this role, he establishes new standards in the Watch - dress, behaviour, skills, attitudes. Those who can't conform are eased [at least] out. Inevitably, the role of the Watch in relation to the military arises. Pratchett has addressed this issue before, of course, and it remains unresolved. Especially in times of civil unrest and resentment over government and taxes. The old labour movement refrain "Which Side Are You On" might have replaced the tune running through this book.

Clearly, Pratchett is far more interested in helping his readers confront the world than in carving himself a comfortable niche among escapist fantasy writers. Those who bemoan the loss of "humour" in his recent works [although the asides in this book are among his best], are ignoring the message. He's a serious thinker imparting his ideas using the methods at his command. To pigeonhole him is to ignore his message or reject it. He deserves better. The next "critic" who labels Pratchett as a "humorous fantacist" can meet me in Sator Square. Bring your own weapons, but be advised my chosen second is the Commander of the Ankh-Morpork Watch . . .