Night Watch (Discworld)

Last updated

Night Watch
Night watch discworld.jpg
Author Terry Pratchett
Cover artist Paul Kidby
LanguageEnglish
Series
  • Discworld
  • 29th novel – 6th City Watch novel (7th story)
Subject
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
2002
Awards
ISBN 0-385-60264-2
Preceded by The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents  
Followed by The Wee Free Men  

Night Watch is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 29th book in his Discworld series, and the sixth starring the City Watch, published in 2002. The protagonist of the novel is Sir Samuel Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. A five-part radio adaptation of the novel was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Night Watch placed second in the annual Locus Poll for best fantasy novel. In late 2024 Penguin announced that Night Watch would be added to the Penguin Modern Classics range, with a new introduction by Pratchett's PA and friend Rob Wilkins, and annotations by Prof David Lloyd and Dr Darryl Jones. [1]

Contents

Plot summary

On the morning of the 30th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution of the Twenty-Fifth of May (and as such the anniversary of the death of John Keel, Vimes' hero and former mentor), Sam Vimes — whose wife is in labour with their first child — is caught in a storm while pursuing Carcer, a notorious criminal who has murdered several watchmen, to the roof of the Unseen University's Library. He awakens to find that he has somehow been sent back in time.

Vimes's first idea is to ask the wizards at the Unseen University to send him home, but before he can act on this, he is arrested for breaking curfew by a younger version of himself. Incarcerated in a cell next to his is Carcer, who after being released joins the Cable Street Particulars (otherwise known as the Unmentionables), the secret police carrying out the paranoid whims of the Patrician of the time, Homicidal Lord Winder.

When he is taken to be interrogated by the captain, time is frozen by Lu-Tze, who tells Vimes what has happened and that he must assume the identity of Sergeant-At-Arms John Keel, who was to have arrived that day but was murdered by Carcer. It is stated that the event which caused Vimes and Carcer to be sent into the past was a major temporal shattering. Vimes then returns to the office, time restarts and he convinces the captain that he is Keel.

Young Vimes believes Vimes to be Keel, allowing Vimes to teach Young Vimes the lessons for which Vimes idolized Keel. The novel climaxes in the Revolution. Vimes, taking command of the watchmen, successfully avoids the major bloodshed erupting all over the city and manages to keep his part of it relatively peaceful. After dealing with the Unmentionables' headquarters he has his haphazard forces barricade a few streets to keep people safe from the fighting between rebels and soldiers. However, the barricades are gradually pushed forward during the night (by Fred Colon and several other simple-minded watchmen) to encompass the surrounding streets until Vimes finds himself in control of a quarter of the city containing most of its food supplies, dubbed "The Glorious People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road", with a still alive Reg Shoe as one of the leading figures.

The ruler, Lord Winder, is effectively assassinated by the young Assassin's Guild student Havelock Vetinari, and the new Patrician Lord Snapcase calls for a complete amnesty. However, he sees Keel as a threat and sends Carcer to lead a death squad of Unmentionables, watchmen and the palace guard to murder Keel. Several policemen (the ones who died when the barricade fell in the original timeline) are killed in the battle, as is Reg Shoe; Vimes manages to fight off the attack until he can grab Carcer, at which point they are returned to the future and Keel's body is placed in the timeline Vimes has just left, to tie things up, as in the "real" history, Keel died in that fight.

Vimes' son is born, with the help of Doctor "Mossy" Lawn, whom Vimes met while in the past, and Vimes finally arrests Carcer, promising him a fair trial before he is hanged. A subsequent conversation with Lord Vetinari reveals that the Patrician alone knows Vimes took Keel's place, also that he fought alongside Keel's men against Carcer's death squad. He proposes that the old Watch House at Treacle Mine Road (where Keel was sergeant, and which was destroyed by the dragon in Guards! Guards! ) be rebuilt, as Vimes outright refuses a monument commemorating the Twenty-Fifth of May.

Characters

Background and publication

Night Watch is the twenty-ninth novel in the comic fantasy Discworld series, written by Terry Pratchett, and the sixth to focus on the character of Sam Vimes. Pratchett felt the book was closer to Discworld novels like The Fifth Elephant more so than the first book, The Colour of Magic , believing the series had "evolved", attributing the series' success to its ability to change. [2] Pratchett called the humour in the book "the humour that comes out of bad situations", comparing it to the humour of M*A*S*H . The contents of the book, such as the secret police and the torture chamber, meant that an abundance of gags would seem wrong. [2]

Pratchett commented:

"The point was, if I had filled the torture chamber with the comfy chair and soft cushions from Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition sketch for a laugh, that would have been an obscenity." [2]
The book's cover parodies Rembrandt's The Night Watch. La ronda de noche, por Rembrandt van Rijn.jpg
The book's cover parodies Rembrandt's The Night Watch .

Paul Kidby illustrated the cover of British edition, with Night Watch being the first main-sequence Discworld novel not to have a cover by the recently deceased Josh Kirby. Kidby had previously worked on Discworld in The Last Hero , The Pratchett Portfolio and Nanny Ogg's Cookbook , establishing "[his] own 'look'" for the series. [3] Kidby chose to parody Rembrandt's painting Night Watch , an idea he'd had since first reading Guards! Guards! , and talked with Pratchett about what characters to include. Kidby pays tribute to the late artist by placing him in the picture, in the position where Rembrandt is said to have painted himself. [3] At the time, Kidby recalls being criticised for making the cover "too brown". [3]

Reception

The book received critical acclaim. In the Mar/Apr 2003 issue of Bookmarks , a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg (4.5 out of 5) with the critical summary stating, "So Pratchett's a satirist and a deep thinker, but that's not all. He's also a skilled storyteller, creative in his range of characters, plots, and dialogue. Finally, there's his unpredictability: 'anyone expecting T. Pratchett to stick to formula doesn't know T. Pratchett' (Philadelphia Inquirer). If there's one complaint, it's the in-jokes—Night Watch assumes some previous Discoworld [sic] knowledge." [4]

Robert Hanks of The Independent drew attention to a "slight softening of the funny bone" and a "hardening of the issues" in the later Discworld books, commenting on a lesser amount of jokes per page in Night Watch. He criticised the book's slow start, but called the book intriguing for its "Chestertonian common-sense morality" and drew comparison to the book's events to the Bloody Sunday. [5] The New York Times 's Therese Littleton praised the book as "transcend[ing] standard genre fare with its sheer schoolboy humour and characters who reject their own stereotypes". [6]

Night Watch won the 2003 Prometheus Award, [7] and came runner-up in the Locus Poll for best fantasy novel. [8] On the suggestion of the book having "darker" themes, Pratchett responded:

A dark book, a truly dark book, is one where there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Where things start off going bad and carry on getting badder before they get worse and then it's all over. I am kind of puzzled by the suggestion that it is dark. Things end up, shall we say, at least no worse than they were when they started... and that seems far from dark to me. The fact that it deals with some rather grim things is, I think, a different matter. [2]

Adaptation

A five-part radio adaptation of the novel was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from February 27, 2008 that featured Philip Jackson as Sam Vimes and Carl Prekopp as young Sam. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Jingo</i> (novel) 1997 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Jingo is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 21st book in his Discworld series. It was published in 1997.

<i>Feet of Clay</i> (novel) 1996 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Feet of Clay is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the nineteenth book in the Discworld series, published in 1996. The story follows the members of the City Watch, as they attempt to solve murders apparently committed by a golem, as well as the unusual poisoning of the Patrician, Lord Vetinari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Vimes</span> Fictional character of the Discworld novels

His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel "Sam" Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Vimes is depicted in the novels as somewhere between an Inspector Morse-type 'old-school' British policeman, and a film noir-esque grizzled detective. His appearances throughout the Discworld sequence show him slowly and grudgingly rising through the ranks of both police force and society. As of his latest promotion, his full name and title is stated as being "His Grace, His Excellency, The 1st Duke of Ankh; Commander Sir Samuel Vimes". When serving as Ambassador for Ankh-Morpork, he is also referred to simply as "His Excellency", and is also nicknamed "Blackboard Monitor Vimes", "Vimes the Butcher" and "Vetinari's Terrier". According to his wife, Sybil, Vimes is recognised by many as Lord Vetinari's right-hand man.

<i>Guards! Guards!</i> 1989 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Guards! Guards! is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the eighth in the Discworld series, first published in 1989. It is the first novel about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. The first Discworld point-and-click adventure game borrowed heavily from the plot of Guards! Guards!

Paul Kidby is an English artist, best known for his art based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. Kidby has created the sleeve covers since Pratchett's original illustrator, Josh Kirby, died in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Vetinari</span> Character in Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels

Lord Havelock Vetinari, Lord Patrician of the city-state of Ankh-Morpork, is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Vetinari has written an unpublished manuscript known as The Servant, the Discworld version of The Prince by the Italian statesman and diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli.

<i>Men at Arms</i> 1993 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Men at Arms is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 15th book in the Discworld series, first published in 1993. It is the second novel about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch on the Discworld. Lance-constable Angua von Überwald, later in the series promoted to the rank of Sergeant, is introduced in this book. Lance-constable Detritus is introduced as a new member of the watch as well, though he had already appeared in other Discworld novels, most notably in Moving Pictures. Also notable is the only appearance of Lance-constable Cuddy.

<i>Thief of Time</i> 2001 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Thief of Time is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 26th book in his Discworld series. It was the last Discworld novel with a cover by Josh Kirby.

<i>The Fifth Elephant</i> 1999 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

The Fifth Elephant is a 1999 fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 24th book in the Discworld series. It introduces the clacks, a long-distance semaphore system.

<i>Going Postal</i> 2004 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Going Postal is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 33rd book in his Discworld series, released in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2004. Unlike most of Pratchett's Discworld novels, Going Postal is divided into chapters, a feature previously seen only in Pratchett's children's books and the Science of Discworld series. These chapters begin with a synopsis of philosophical themes, in a similar manner to some Victorian novels and, notably, to Jules Verne stories. The title refers to both the contents of the novel, as well as to the term 'going postal'.

The Ankh-Morpork City Watch is a fictional police force appearing in Terry Prattchett's Discworld series. The Watch primarily functions out of the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork, but some stories do include members of the watch elsewhere in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moist von Lipwig</span> Fictional character of the Discworld novels

Moist von Lipwig is a fictional character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. A "reformed con-man" who is one of the major characters of the series, von Lipwig is the protagonist of the novels Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam.

<i>Thud!</i> 2005 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Thud! is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 34th book in the Discworld series, first released in the United States on 13 September 2005, then the United Kingdom on 1 October 2005. It was released in the U.S. three weeks before Pratchett's native UK in order to coincide with a signing tour. It was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 2006.

<i>Wheres My Cow?</i> 2005 childrens book by Terry Pratchett

Where's My Cow? is a picture book written by Terry Pratchett and illustrated by Melvyn Grant. It is based on a book that features in Pratchett's Discworld novel Thud!, in which Samuel Vimes reads it to his son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discworld Diary</span> Themed diaries by Terry Pratchett

The Discworld Diaries are a series of themed diaries based on the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. Each one is based on an Ankh-Morpork institution, and has an opening section containing information about that institution written by Pratchett and Stephen Briggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ankh-Morpork</span> Fictional city from the Discworld series

Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state that is the setting for many Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett.

<i>Discworld</i> Fantasy book series by Terry Pratchett

Discworld is a comic fantasy book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat planet balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. The series began in 1983 with The Colour of Magic and continued until the final novel The Shepherd's Crown, which was published in 2015, following Pratchett's death. The books frequently parody or take inspiration from classic works, usually fantasy or science fiction, as well as mythology, folklore and fairy tales, and often use them for satirical parallels with cultural, political and scientific issues.

<i>Snuff</i> (Pratchett novel) 2011 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Snuff is the 39th novel in the Discworld series, written by Terry Pratchett. It was published on 11 October 2011 in the United States, and 13 October 2011 in the United Kingdom. The book sold over 55,000 copies in the first three days.

The Watch is a fantasy police procedural television programme inspired by the Ankh-Morpork City Watch from the Discworld series of fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett. The series, developed by BBC Studios for BBC America, premiered on 3 January 2021 and was released on BBC iPlayer on 1 July 2021.

References

  1. ↑ Matilda Battersby (1 November 2024). "Terry Pratchett's Finest Novel to Become a Penguin Modern Classic". The Bookseller . Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Terry Pratchett (2003). "Discworld Divinity". SFcrowsnest (Interview). Interviewed by Phil Jones. Archived from the original on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Paul Kidby (11 October 2011). ""Fantastic fantasy artwork: Night Watch (Discworld) by Paul Kidby"" (Interview). Interviewed by Joshua S Hill. Fantasy Book Review. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Night Watch". Bookmarks Magazine . Archived from the original on 9 April 2003. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Hanks, Robert (29 November 2002). "Night Watch by Terry Pratchett" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Littleton, Therese (15 December 2002). "Books in Brief: Fiction & Poetry". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2003 Prometheus Awards". Locus . Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "2003 Locus Awards". Locus . Archived from the original on 15 November 2006. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Night Watch". BBC iPlayer.
Reading order guide
Preceded by 29th Discworld Novel Succeeded by
Preceded by 7th City Watch Story
Published in 1999		Succeeded by
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Prometheus Award Recipient
2003		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.