Discworld: Men at Arms (Terry Pratchett)
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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I say it unashamedly, I’m a fan of The Pratch. I’ve read a dozen or so Discworld books, and none has let me down. That doesn’t mean I don’t have favorites, which I’ll discuss in a moment, but this is the one I’m reading now, so this is where I’ll start.
Men at Arms joins recurring characters Sam Vimes, Corporal Carrot, Corporal “Nobby” Nobbs, and Sergeant Colon during a time of upheaval: Captain Vimes is retiring in preparation for his new role as Mister Lady Sybil Ramkin; equal opportunity has hit the Night Watch in the form of Lance-Constable Cuddy (dwarf), Lance-Constable Detritus (troll) and Lance-Constable Angua (female); and someone has maliciously exploded a dragon in the Assassin’s Guild. In fact, nearly all Discworld novels feature one or more of a steady cast: Rincewind the magician, Lord Vetinari the Patrician, Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler and his sausages, the broomstick-wielding trio of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat, and, of course, Death. So if you are new to the Discworld, start at the beginning (see here for the Discworld store).
If you like to skip around, Corporal Carrot first appeared in Guards! Guards!; Gaspode the dog was introduced in Moving Pictures; Mrs. Cake first precognizised in Reaper Man (my favorite Discworld novel so far, and perhaps some day I’ll go back in time and tell you why).
A consistent feature of Discworld novels is the way Terry Pratchett chooses a subject, looks at it through the warped and fuzzy lens of his created universe, and repackages it as pure comedy. This is a skill beyond the lampoon, more than a pastiche, and something sideways to a metaphor. Previous books have dealt with women’s lib, ancient Egypt, and Hollywood. This one takes on the detective story. Although it avoids the cliche’d pulp fiction timbre, there is something compelling in the misfit officers’ search for the truth, connecting the dots between a dwarf missing his chest, and a clown apparently missing his nose, to … where? This is no hardboiled private eye pageturner, this is crime drama as can only occur on the Discworld - after all, “the river Ankh is probably the only river in the universe on which the investigators can chalk the outline of the corpse.” Another passage discusses the ease with which one might accidentally commit suicide in Ankh-Morpork - by walking in the Shades after dark, by ordering a “short” in a dwarf bar - and then assassination is another matter altogether - whereas murder is relatively uncommon.
Although Men at Arms may not stand out in the way of Reaper Man or The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (my other favorite, which can also be read as a stand-alone story appropriate for all ages of human, but not for rats), it is still a solid Discworld novel with plenty of nudges and winks along the way.