They say that diplomacy is a gentle art. That its finest practitioners are subtle, sophisticated individuals for whom nuance and subtext are meat and drink. And that mastering it is a lifetime's work. But you do need a certain inclination in that direction. It's not something you can just pick up on the job. Which is a shame if you find yourself dropped unaccountably into a position of some significant diplomatic responsibility. If you don't really do diplomacy or haven't been to school with the right foreign bigwigs or aren't even sure whether a nod is as good as a wink to anyone, sighted or otherwise, then things are likely to go wrong. It's just a question of how badly...
The Fifth Elephant: (Discworld Novel 24) (Discworld Novels)
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Terry Pratchett has a seemingly endless capacity for generating inventively comic novels about the Discworld and its inhabitants, but there is in the hearts of most of his admirers a particular place for those novels that feature the hard-bitten captain of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, Samuel Vimes. Sent as ambassador to the Northern principality of Uberwald where they mine gold, iron, and fat--but never silver--he is caught up in an uneasy truce between dwarfs, werewolves, and vampires in the theft of the Scone of Stone (a particularly important piece of dwarf bread) and in the old werewolf custom of giving humans a short start in the hunt and then cheating.
Pratchett is always at his best when the comedy is combined with a real sense of jeopardy that even favorite characters might be hurt if there was a good joke in it. As always, the most unlikely things crop up as the subjects of gags--Chekhov, grand opera, the Caine Mutiny--and as always there are remorselessly funny gags about the inevitability of story:
They say that the fifth elephant came screaming and trumpeting through the atmosphere of the young world all those years ago and landed hard enough to split continents and raise mountains.No one actually saw it land, which raised the interesting philosophical question: when millions of tons of angry elephant come spinning through the sky, and there is no one to hear it, does it--philosophically speaking--make a noise?
As for the dwarfs, whose legend it is, and who mine a lot deeper than other people, they say that there is a grain of truth in it.
All this, the usual guest appearances, and Gaspode the Wonder Dog. --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Acclaimed British author Pratchett continues to distinguish himself from his colleagues with clever plot lines and genuinely likable characters in this first-rate addition to his long-running Discworld fantasy series (Carpe Jugulum, etc.). This time around, the inhabitants of Discworld's Ankh-Morpork have turned their attentions in the direction of Uberwald--a country rich in valuable minerals and high-quality fat deposits. (The fifth elephant, it seems, left all these when he or she crashed and burned in Uberwald at the beginning of time.) Ankh-Morpork's policeman Sam Vimes has been sent there to represent his people at a coronation--and to find the recently stolen, rock-hard and symbolically important (at least to the Dwarf population) Scone of Stone. As he tells Vimes's story (and surrounding ones), Pratchett cheerfully takes readers on an exuberant tale of mystery and invention, including the efforts of a clique of neo-Nazi werewolves to destabilize Uberwald. Along the way, he skewers everything from monarchy to fascism, as well as communism and capitalism, oil wealth and ethnic identities, Russian plays, immigration, condoms and evangelical Christianity--in short, most everything worth talking about. Not as perfect as Pratchett's Hogfather but in the same class, this novel is a heavyweight of lightness. 200,000 ad/promo; 7-city author tour. (Apr.) FYI: At the end of The Fifth Elephant is appended a "handy travel guide" to the "World of Terry Pratchett," including a character guide to the Discworld novels and a Discworld crossword puzzle.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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By Brian Ashe
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Oh, I do love Terry Pratchett. This is one of his best, much more on the lines of political satire than outright fun, but the main characters of Captain Samuel Vimes (now a duke) and Angua just explode onto the stage. (A slow explosion for Vimes, as you might expect) Even for those not weaned on Pratchett (the best-selling English author till Rowling), this novel is fun. Pratchett manages to skewer most of Western civilisation, and much of European mythology at the same time, in his exploration of Uberwald (Transylvania) and its economy. Vimes, of course, has an abiding fear and loathing of vampires, which makes his appointment as envoy to the ruling vampire class of Uberwald most enjoyable. Highly recommended.
By wiredweird
Format:Paperback
The Discworld and its denizens keep moving forward.
In particular, the much-reviled police captain Vimes and the much-honored Duke Vimes move forward. I mean, like a glacier moves forward. Not the fastest one around, I won't even warn you to get out of his way. Glacier-like, it wouldn't matter. Go ahead, get in his way - he might even notice. Probably not.
This time, in his ducal capacity, he has been appointed to an ambassadorship by Lord Vetinari. Vetinari is not a bad man (by local standards, at least) and doesn't do bad things (again, by local standards). Pray that you're nowhere near when he attempts something good. It might be like lighting a candle in the darkness, with you as the match.
Or it might be like lighting the fuze on the powder-keg. Vimes isn't much the candle type. Around him are many people. There's his finishing-school wife who can finish off dwarves and lots of others, six against one, in unarmed debate. There's Officer Angua of the city watch. A very capable woman but watch out for her "monthlies". You know, new moon, howling over the heath, and and all that were-sort-of-thing. Then ... well, Angua is the predictable one. There are lots of others who aren't.
This is a long-running series with lots of character development in previous volumes. Pratchett is uncommonly well tuned to the newcomer, though. Even if the writer knows the two-dozen stories before this one (and a dozen-squared he never wrote), this story still stands well on its own. The newcomer may as well start here as anywhere. The tone is a bit more serious and less haha than most of the Discworld series, but it fits well.
Enjoy!
//wiredweird
By N E Hetrick
Format:Audio Cassette
I love Terry Pratchett novels and even more than that, I love having the chance to listen to them. This cassette edition is narrated by Tony Robinson, who played Baldrick in the Black Adder series; he does a lovely job and the novel is, of course, funny and original. However, I must warn you, it is abridged and that does detract from the delight of it. Anyone considering purchasing this might want to instead consider the audio versions of The Wee Free Men or The Night Watch, also available on this website for reasonable prices.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quite Possibly the Best of Discworld
For those of you who aren't familiar with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, you have been missing quite a bit. Read more
Published on Jun 19 2003 by John Whaley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Political Disc
The Fifth Elephant is the latest Discworld book that features the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork, a city on the Disc. Read more
Published on May 14 2002 by David Roy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good book with excelent re-readability
I've owned this book for a while and I recently re-discovered it on my bookshelf and I just could not put it down till I'd re-read it. Read more
Published on May 9 2002 by Michael Love
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not all that
I love Discworld, and 5th Elephant was entertaining, but it doesn't stand out as one of his better books. Read more
Published on Mar 5 2002 by owookiee
4.0 out of 5 stars
A return to form in the Discworld series
Better than Carpe Jugulum, which I read at the same time. (It at least has many more footnotes, which is a sign of quality in any Discworld book. Read more
Published on Feb 1 2002 by Kevin W. Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars
It is very Pratchetty
The Fifth Elephant is Practhett at his best. For the uninitiated, the Discworld is a fantasy world, inhabited by all sorts of creatures--dwarfs, vampires, humans, etc, which all... Read more
Published on Nov 29 2001 by Emilia Palaveeva
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Fifth Elephant
In order to save a kingdom, Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Mor-Pork guard must go to Uberwald and unite a broken country. Read more
Published on Nov 5 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply the Best!
This book is the best Terry Pratchett book yet! It is realy funny, it has a really good mix of Sherlok Holmes, Lord of the Rings and a huge dollop of humor. Read more
Published on Oct 28 2001 by Jenny
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond the Masks of Lies Lie the Truth
The aford mention title of this review is probably the the closest analogy to Terry Pratchett's "The Fifth Eleplant". Read more
Published on Oct 16 2001 by Anh Nguyen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond the Masks of Lies Lie the Truth
The aford mention title of this review is probably the the closest analogy to Terry Pratchett's "The Fifth Eleplant". Read more
Published on Oct 16 2001 by Anh Nguyen
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