Almost too funny
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This is as good as anything Terry has written and is a true joy to behold. Only he could marry murder and mirth into such a palpable fun fest. The story is as follows: The watch hires some new recruits... a troll named Detritus, Cuddy the dwarf and Angua the werewolf. It already sounds funny doesn't it?! The highlight of the book has to be when Nobby and Colon visit the fools guild to make inquiries into the murder of the clown Beano.
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Pride is all very well, but a sausage is a sausage
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"Men at Arms" is the fifteenth novel in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series and the second to focus on Sam Vimes and Ankh-Morpork's City Guard. Although its reputation may have raised very slightly, having rescused the City from a large and angry dragon, it's still not the fine and noble profession it once was.
Sam is the Captain of the Night Watch, though he is on the verge of retiring and will soon marry Lady Ramkin, the noted dragon-fancier. It isn't entirely clear, however, whether or not he's entirely happy about either the retirement or his impending life of marital bliss. It's fair to say he's not your typical hero : he hates the Undead (some of my best friends are werewolves), Assassins (a perfectly respectable profession) and - in keeping with an old family tradition - Kings (not an ideal musketeer then). Sam's also trying to quit drinking and has taken up smoking cigars to soften the blow.
The Night Watch has had a couple of new recruits since "Guards! Guards!" - largely at the insistence if the Patrician, the city's ruler. The recruits - Lance-Constables Cuddy (a dwarf), Detritus (a troll) and Angua (a woman, for most of the month) - have been selected to reflect Ankh-Morpork's `ethnic makeup'. Although Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs are Sam's most experienced officers, the most capable is Carrot. Although born human, Carrot was raised as a dwarf and is an incredibly innocent character - he still hasn't figured out what seamstresses do for a living. He has, however, figured out how Ankh-Morpork works and has stopped trying to arrest the President of the Thieves Guild. The trouble begins when Edward d'Eath suspects that Carrot may be the rightful king of Ankh-Morpork.
Edward is the latest Lord d'Eath, albeit a very poor one, following the recent death of his father. He was educated at the Guild of Assassins, where he became the first student to gain full marks at postgraduate level. His suspicions about Carrot are a little worrying, given that he wants to restore the monarchy. This will, of course, see the Patrician `removed' from office - something that should be easier now that he has acquired a weapon that shouldn't exist.
Pratchett's books are always very funny and this one is no exception. Despite being the second book to focus on the Night Watch, there's no real requirement to have read the first - the newcomer won't feel 'left out'. (However, I would recommend reading it, all the same !). Another big plus is Gaspode, Ankh-Morporks finest talking dog. Like Carrot, he's also devoted to Angua - though he's a lot less innocent ! Definitely recommended.
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Men At Arms review.
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Men At Arms is another riveting read by Terry Prattchett.In Men At Arms a strange new weapon called a "gonne" has been invented and to stop it from destroying the city of Ankh-Morpok Captain Carrot along with help from Nobby Nobson,Sgt Colon and the new Lance-constables Angua,Detritus and Cuddy must form the first ever Ankh-Morpok city militia.If you like reading sci-fi,fantasy or detective stories then read Men At Arms.If you enjoy this book then try books 8,19,21,24,27 and 32.
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Captain Vimes' new millenium
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Another fantastically entertaining masterpeice from Terry Pratchet. If you like any of the other books in this series based around the cunningly inteligent watch you will love this one. Vimes needs a new, improved watch and only true Pratchet fans can imagine the trouble such a thing can bring. Highly recommended just for its dry humour.
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Men at Arms- A Review
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The sequel to 'Guards! Guards!' and the fifteenth book in the Discworld series, 'Men at Arms' is one of the funniest by Terry Pratchett. In this book the readers are introduced to a host of new recruits to the Night Watch of the city of Ankh-Morpork when they are asked to recruit ethnic minorities, Lance-Corporal Detritus (a troll), Lance-Constable Cuddy (a dwarf) and Lance-Constable Angua (a woman). They also get to learn more about characters from the previous book, including Corporal Carrot and Captain Vimes. When there is a plot to assassinate the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork using a new and dangerous weapon, 'the gonne', and to restore the rightful king to the throne, which we learnt at the end of the last book is Corporal Carrot, the Night Watch must capture the villain behind it. The storyline is funny with an interesting and original twist although you may find that some jokes are repeated. My favourite part is when Lance-Constable Angua meets a talking dog called Gaspode who introduces her to another dog, Big Fido. This part of the story is a parallel to Hitler and the Nazis as Big Fido is a dictator of all the dogs in Ankh-Morpork and tells them they must be more like wolves whereas he himself is a poodle, just like Hitler told the Nazis that real Germans should be tall with blond hair and blue eyes but he was short with dark hair and eyes. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Terry Pratchett's other books, however I would also recommend that you read 'Guards! Guards!' first.
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