Guards! Guards!: A Discworld Novel

Terry Pratchett

Mar 2009 · Discworld Book 8 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

“Patchett demonstrates just how great the distance is between one- and two-joke writers and the comic masters whose work will be read into the next century.” —Locus

Magic, mayhem, and a marauding dragon combine for extraordinary fun in this cheeky Discworld novel from New York Times bestselling author Terry Pratchett.

Insurrection is in the air in the city of Ankh-Morpork. The Haves and Have-Nots are about to face off. Again.

It’s old news to Captain Sam Vimes of the city’s ramshackle Night Watch. But this time, something is different—the Have-Nots have found the key to a dormant, lethal weapon that even they can’t fully control, and they’re about to unleash a campaign of terror on the city.

Long believed extinct, a draco nobilis can now be seen patrolling the skies above Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, but it’s also soon crowned King.

Can Vimes, Captain Carrot, and the rest of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch restore order (before it's burned to a crisp)?

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Guards! Guards! is the 1st book in the City Watch collection and the 8th Discworld book.

The City Watch collection in order:

• Guards! Guards!
• Men at Arms
• Feet of Clay
• Jingo
• The Fifth Element
• Night Watch
• Thud!
• Snuff

Ratings and reviews

A great addition to the series, and of the Discworld books I've read thus far, it is one of my favorites. It does not follow a typical story structure, as is common in Terry's novels, and contains numerous laugh out loud moments. Well worth it if you have the chance.

Picked up on a whim on a tip from a friend, barreled through it in less than a day. It's as if the troupe of Monty Python wrote a mash up of Tolkien and McCaffrey. I cannot wait to read more!

I love this book. I usually read it once every year or two. If I had to choose five books to have on a deserted island, this would be one of them. If you read this, you must read the rest of the City Watch series. Outstanding.

About the author

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.