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Trish's Reviews > Night Watch
Night Watch (Discworld, #29)
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Justice! Freedom! Reasonably Priced Love! And a Hard-Boiled Egg!
This 29th Discworld novel has us go back to Ankh-Morpork again. Sam Vimes is about to be a father! But then, just when he thought that waiting for his wife to give birth was the most nerve-wrecking thing, timey-wimey stuff happens when he and The Watch are trying to apprehend a cop-killer on the memorial day of a revolution. So he ends up in the past, not least thanks to the intervention of The Library as well as Lu-Tze, and has to find his way home. Along the way, we get to se a wholly different side of the city and its citizens from a time when Vetinari was not Patrician (yes, it boggles the mind).
This book, mainly, is about politics, about The People, about freedom and justice as concepts as well as the reality of them. But it is also very much about what makes Sam Vimes be who he is. It was a deep character study as well as a look at history and its repetition.
Moreover, in addition to some of Pratchett's best writing including the well-known gems such as puns and turns of phrases, it was a mad dash. Theoretically, we all know more or less what happens to Vimes since we know there will be other The Watch books, but I was still fearing for him, sitting on the edge of my seat. And I wanted him to go give Carcer the justice that little shit deserved - preferrably without abandoning his principles. Not to mention that in this one case I actually wanted history to repeat itself since I knew where it would lead to. You see, I actually like Vetinari, his leadership style and what has become of Ankh-Morpork. Did it? Well, I shan't spoiler it for those of you who haven't read this madcap adventure yet.
I might be wearing a Lilac every 25th May (in addition to my towel) from now on. And now excuse me while I go and eat my hard-boiled egg.
This 29th Discworld novel has us go back to Ankh-Morpork again. Sam Vimes is about to be a father! But then, just when he thought that waiting for his wife to give birth was the most nerve-wrecking thing, timey-wimey stuff happens when he and The Watch are trying to apprehend a cop-killer on the memorial day of a revolution. So he ends up in the past, not least thanks to the intervention of The Library as well as Lu-Tze, and has to find his way home. Along the way, we get to se a wholly different side of the city and its citizens from a time when Vetinari was not Patrician (yes, it boggles the mind).
This book, mainly, is about politics, about The People, about freedom and justice as concepts as well as the reality of them. But it is also very much about what makes Sam Vimes be who he is. It was a deep character study as well as a look at history and its repetition.
Moreover, in addition to some of Pratchett's best writing including the well-known gems such as puns and turns of phrases, it was a mad dash. Theoretically, we all know more or less what happens to Vimes since we know there will be other The Watch books, but I was still fearing for him, sitting on the edge of my seat. And I wanted him to go give Carcer the justice that little shit deserved - preferrably without abandoning his principles. Not to mention that in this one case I actually wanted history to repeat itself since I knew where it would lead to. You see, I actually like Vetinari, his leadership style and what has become of Ankh-Morpork. Did it? Well, I shan't spoiler it for those of you who haven't read this madcap adventure yet.
I might be wearing a Lilac every 25th May (in addition to my towel) from now on. And now excuse me while I go and eat my hard-boiled egg.
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Quotes Trish Liked
“No! Please! I'll tell you whatever you want to know!" the man yelled.
"Really?" said Vimes. "What's the orbital velocity of the moon?"
"What?"
"Oh, you'd like something simpler?”
― Night Watch
"Really?" said Vimes. "What's the orbital velocity of the moon?"
"What?"
"Oh, you'd like something simpler?”
― Night Watch
“But here's some advice, boy. Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions.”
― Night Watch
― Night Watch
“What did I tell you about Mister Safety Catch?' said Vimes weakly.
When Mister Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend,' recited Detritus, saluting.”
― Night Watch
When Mister Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend,' recited Detritus, saluting.”
― Night Watch
“Winder's mind felt even fuzzier than it had done over the past few years, but he was certain about cake. He'd been eating cake, and now there wasn't any. Through the mists he saw it, apparently close but, when he tried to reach it, a long way away.
A certain realization dawned on him.
"Oh," he said.
YES, said Death.
"Not even time to finish my cake?"
NO. THERE IS NO MORE TIME, EVEN FOR CAKE. FOR YOU, THE CAKE IS OVER. YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF CAKE.”
― Night Watch
A certain realization dawned on him.
"Oh," he said.
YES, said Death.
"Not even time to finish my cake?"
NO. THERE IS NO MORE TIME, EVEN FOR CAKE. FOR YOU, THE CAKE IS OVER. YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF CAKE.”
― Night Watch
“Who knew what evil lurked in the hearts of men? A copper, that's who. (...)You saw how close men lived to the beast. You realized that people like Carcer were not mad. They were incredibily sane. They were simply men without a shield. They'd looked at the world and realized that all the rules didn't have to apply to them, not if they didn't want them to. They weren't fooled by all the little stories. They shook hands with the beast.”
― Night Watch
― Night Watch
“Well done,' said a voice somewhere behind him. 'Consciousness to sarcasm in five seconds!”
― Night Watch
― Night Watch
“There was no universe, anywhere, where a Sam Vimes would give in on this, because if he did then he wouldn't be Sam Vimes anymore.”
― Night Watch
― Night Watch
“Who really knew what evil lurked in the heart of men?
ME.
Who knew what sane men were capable of?
STILL ME, I’M AFRAID.
Vimes glanced at the door of the last room. No, he wasn’t going in there again. No wonder it stank here.
YOU CAN’T HEAR ME, CAN YOU? OH. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT, said Death, and waited.”
― Night Watch
ME.
Who knew what sane men were capable of?
STILL ME, I’M AFRAID.
Vimes glanced at the door of the last room. No, he wasn’t going in there again. No wonder it stank here.
YOU CAN’T HEAR ME, CAN YOU? OH. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT, said Death, and waited.”
― Night Watch
“The horsemen came closer.
Vimes was not good at horsemen. Something in him resented being addressed by anyone eight feet above the ground. He didn't like the sensation of being looked at by nostrils.”
― Night Watch
Vimes was not good at horsemen. Something in him resented being addressed by anyone eight feet above the ground. He didn't like the sensation of being looked at by nostrils.”
― Night Watch
“He hated being thought of as one of those people that wore stupid ornamental armor. It was gilt by association.”
― Night Watch
― Night Watch
“People are content to wait a long time for salvation, but expect dinner to turn up within the hour.”
― Night Watch
― Night Watch
“Once you get troops on the streets, it’s only a matter of time before it goes bad. Some kid throws a stone, next minute there’s houses on fire and people getting killed.”
― Night Watch
― Night Watch
“He went downstairs, doing up his belt, and bumped into Lawn coming out of his surgery, wiping his hands on a cloth. The doctor smiled absently, then focused on the uniform. The smile did not so much fade as drain.
„Shocked?� asked Vimes.
„Surprised�, said the doctor. „Rosie won‘t be, I expect. I don‘t do anything illegal, you know.�
„Then you‘ve got nothing to fear,� said Vimes.
„Really? That proves you‘re not from round here,â€� said Lawn. „Want some breakfast? There‘s kidneys.â€� This time it was Vimes‘s smile that drained. „Lamb,â€� the doctor added.”
― Night Watch
„Shocked?� asked Vimes.
„Surprised�, said the doctor. „Rosie won‘t be, I expect. I don‘t do anything illegal, you know.�
„Then you‘ve got nothing to fear,� said Vimes.
„Really? That proves you‘re not from round here,â€� said Lawn. „Want some breakfast? There‘s kidneys.â€� This time it was Vimes‘s smile that drained. „Lamb,â€� the doctor added.”
― Night Watch
“You haven't killed your wife," he said. "Anywhere. There is nowhere, however huge the multiverse is, where Sam Vimes as he is now has murdered Lady Sybil. But the theory is quite clear. It says that if anything could happen without breaking any physical laws, it must happen. But it hasn't. And yet the “many universesâ€� theory works. Without it, no one would ever be able to make a decision at all."
"So?"
"So what people do matters!" said Sweeper. "People invent other laws. What they do is important. The Abbot's very excited about this. He nearly swallowed his rusk. It means the multiverse isn't infinite and people's choices are far more vital than they think. They can, by what they do, change the universe.”
― Night Watch
"So?"
"So what people do matters!" said Sweeper. "People invent other laws. What they do is important. The Abbot's very excited about this. He nearly swallowed his rusk. It means the multiverse isn't infinite and people's choices are far more vital than they think. They can, by what they do, change the universe.”
― Night Watch
Reading Progress
September 30, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 30, 2019
– Shelved
October 25, 2019
–
Started Reading
October 25, 2019
–
Finished Reading
March 25, 2025
–
Started Reading
(Audible Audio Edition)
March 25, 2025
– Shelved
(Audible Audio Edition)
March 28, 2025
–
Finished Reading
(Audible Audio Edition)
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Bradley
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Oct 26, 2019 06:11AM
At least you were THERE. :)
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Yep, so now I get to wear the lilac.
Great review, Trish! Now I want a hard-boiled egg, too.
