Men at Arms, the first[1] book in Pratchett's City Watch subseries, makes for a wonderful introduction to the characters and world of Discworld. Admittedly, it's comparitively weak in some respects; like so many other series I've encountered, it suffers from "first book syndrome": weaker characterization, more predictable plot, and less elegant language. However, once you read it, you can get into the good stuff with an almost complete background of the characters. It can also be safely skipped in favour of Feet of Clay and Jingo, the next two books in the series.The story takes place in the colorful, polluted, wild, cynical city-state of Anhk Morpork, cheerful center of crime of the civilized world. As Pratchett notes,And visitors say: how does such a big city exist? What keeps it going? Since it's got a river you can chew, where does the drinking water come from? What is, in fact, the basis of its civic economy? How come it, against all probability, works?Actually, visitors don't often say this. They usually say things like, "Which way to the, you know, the...er...you know, the young ladies, right?”Ankh Morpork is ruled by the ascetic, incredibly crafty, and self-proclaimed tyrant, Lord Vetinari. Vetinari long ago decided that if the city was bound to have crime, it might as well be organized--so now the city is the proud home of the Assassins' and Thieves' Guilds, and people can buy yearly insurance against thievery (quite reasonable rates!). Since thieves do their own policing and punish non-guild members harshly (non-guild thievery is so bad for business), there's not much for Sam Vimes, head of the Night Watch, to do. Except, of course, get ready for his impending retirement and nuptuals to one of the richest women in the city. For a man whose entire life has revolved around his job, it's an increasingly terrifying prospect. And if that weren't enough, apparently his department has been chosen to herald political correctness by hiring a dwarf, a troll, and (oh, the horrors!), a woman.But when a mysterious crime occurs right near the Assassin's Guild, Vimes' copper instincts are on fire. It's up to him and his loyal(ish) subordinates to ferret out the crime, all while the various guilds and the patrician himself seek to hold them back.Men at Arms was my first introduction to Discworld, and, to tell the truth, I didn't warm to the characters when I first experienced them in this book. The narrative felt fragmented, as it's told from the perspectives of quite a large subset of the cast. While I loved Vimes, I felt rather mixed about some of the other characters-- in particular, Carrot Ironfoundersson, the Galahadesque white knight of the City Watch. I'm not entirely sure we're supposed to like him; I tend to identify with Vimes, who is himself rather bemused by Carrot. I find Carrot to be fascinating, for he highlights what I find as an innate conflict between taking the "right" and the "sympathetic" action. Carrot believes, at his core, that"Personal isn't the same as important."While I think all of us would admit the truth of this, and in the abstract, want the protagonist to take the action that protects the "important", the "greater good," over the "personal," I find the characters who do so to be unsympathetic, almost inhuman. Yet despite this, Carrot still manages to be oddly and universally liked. As one character puts it,“Some people have inspired whole countries to great deeds because of the power of their vision. And so could he. Not because he dreams about marching hordes, or world domination, or an empire of a thousand years. Just because he thinks that everyone’s really decent underneath and would get along just fine if only they made the effort, and he believes that so strongly it burns like a flame which is bigger than he is. He’s got a dream and we’re all part of it, so that it shapes the world around him. And the weird thing is that no one wants to disappoint him. It’d be like kicking the biggest puppy in the universe. It’s a kind of magic.”The story is structured almost as a mystery, but not quite, as from the outset, segments are given from the perspective of the antagonist as well as the protagonist. The story utilizes a significant amount of dramatic irony; we know what the antagonist was doing, but have to watch our protagonists stumble around detecting. Notably, this is the last time that Pratchett employs this story structure; from here on out, the mysteries are mysterious to the reader as well as the characters.For all that, the first time I read it, it kept me on the edge of my seat and up till 2AM to finish it. When I went on to read Feet of Clay, most of the characters really grew on me. This has become one of my absolute favorite series, and the pinnacle of it, Night Watch, is one of the best books I have ever read. Sam Vimes is, hands-down, my favorite noir/hardboiled/UF detective. Outwardly a Javert-like, rigid, rule-obsessed copper, he is also cynical, crafty, and incredibly soft-hearted.Pratchett is, above all else, a satirist. He uses the nonthreatening and ridiculous world of Anhk Morpork to explore deeper philosophical issues. A few of my favourite quotes:People ought to think for themselves... The problem is, people only think for themselves if you tell them to.If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat. They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar.So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.Although less true in this book, most of the others in the series have provided serious food for thought in his nonjudgmental exploration of multiple facets of important political and ethical questions. Overall, the start of a great series. Worth reading if you if you want to get a full background on the characters. If you want to move straight to the best stuff, though, you can skip directly to Feet of Clay.[1]I am potentially alone in considering this to be the start of the City Watch subseries of Pratchett's Discworld. Officially the start would be Guards! Guards!, because that is the first time the characters are introduced, but to me, there are so many differences in characterization between the Guards!Guards! version and the rest of the series, and so many retcons over the Guards!Guards! material, that I just don't consider it part of the series.
This novel was a joy to read. The second in the Watch sub-series, it is as much a fantasy as a mystery. People often die in Ankh-Morpork, mostly from suicide (walking along some of the city streets after dark is definitely suicidal), but now a series of murders have been committed. Sam Vimes, the Captain of the Night Watch, starts the investigation, and various complications spring in his way with predictable regularity. The plot of this novel is just a pencil sketch, a colorless collection of events without much value of their own. What brings colors to this story, animates it, makes it a masterpiece of wisdom and laughter is its characters. Sam Vimes is getting married and retiring from the Watch. He doesn’t need murder and mayhem in the few days before his wedding. Accordingly, most of the page space is reserved for the other members of the Watch. The old acquaintances from Guards! Guards!, Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobby, offer the readers multiple opportunities to giggle and snicker at their silly antics and amusing dialog. The new recruits, Cuddy, the dwarf, and Detritus, the troll, represent the progressive policies of the Watch – to reflect the ethnic makeup of the city. They are learning to be policemen, trying to find the murderer, while simultaneously dealing with their respective people’s mutual animosity. The idea, so unfortunately relevant in today’s life, is taken by the talented writer and turned into a satirical looking glass. The readers glance in it and cringe in shame, as they recognize themselves and their prejudices. ‘We should do something!’ said Angua, from the guards’ hiding place in the alley.‘Weeell,’ said Sergeant Colon, slowly, ‘it’s always very tricky, ethnic.’‘Can put a foot wrong very easily,’ said Nobby. ‘Very thin-skinned, your basic ethnic.’‘Thin-skinned? They’re trying to kill one another!’‘It’s cultural,’ said Sergeant Colon, miserably. ‘No sense us tryin’ to force our culture on ’hem, is there? That’s speciesist.’ The new recruit Angua, the only woman in the watch so far, is dealing with her own set of problems. Smart, brave and loyal, she is the only character in the book portrayed without ridicule. The author seems to adore her, his beautiful, fully-dressed (sometimes) damsel in arms, and so do the readers. And then there is Corporal Carrot, a two-meter-tall dwarf (adopted), with the heart of gold and the unshakable belief in everyone’s goodness. Once in a while, there comes a book where a secondary character steals the show as soon as he appears on the page. By the sheer power of his personality, such a character often goes against his creator’s intentions and becomes a protagonist on his own. That’s Carrot. As soon as he steps into a scene, any scene, he becomes its star, outshining everyone else. With his absurd faith in the universal decency and his inability to understand sarcasm, he should’ve been pathetic and ludicrous, but he is neither. His naïve magnetism is alluring, and the readers, along with everyone else in Ankh-Morpork, inevitably fall under his spell. We all want to believe in our own untarnished virtue. ‘OK.’ Carrot still didn’t look around. ‘We’ll hold the city together through the rest of the night, I think. Everyone’s seen sense.’No, they haven’t, said Angua in the privacy of her own head. They’ve seen you. It’s like hypnotism. People live your vision. You dream … for everyone. You really think everyone is basically nice. Just for a moment, while they are near you, everyone else believes it too. Alongside the Watch members and almost as impressive rises the figure of Patrician Vetinari – a genius politician, holding the city of Ankh-Morpork together by means of information and manipulations. He’s never taken too much space in any of the Discworld books I’ve read so far, but his brilliant mind and absolute ruthlessness cause the readers to gasp in admiration mingled with awe. Do any of us want such a political leader for our city/country/party? I doubt it. Do we need one? Perhaps.These and the other memorable characters make this book what it is – a delightful parody of our lives, hilarious and sad at the same time. The readers laugh and contemplate, curse and learn. Recommended!
What do You think about Men At Arms (2003)?
I loved the second instalment of the City Watch sub-series of Discworld novels even better than the first.Men at Arms presents the old and new members of the ever growing Night Watch under the retiring Captain Vimes with a straight-up murder mystery. Only in typical Discworld fashion the mystery turns out anything but straight, but rather a squiggly, twisted piece of string. As if that weren't enough to keep them occupied the Watch also experiences the pros and cons of affirmative action as Pratchett takes the opportunity to introduce us to the cultural characteristics of dwarves, trolls and, of course, clowns. The humour of the Disc, once again, is spot on, but so is the world-building. In addition to that the novel takes some darker turns than its predecessor in the City Watch series, but it's also a lot more emotional. Death has his hands full and this time we find him visiting not only antagonists and minor one-scene-wonders, but our heroes as well. With Angua and Detritus Men at Arms introduces two characters that ended up becoming staples of this particular subset of Discworld books. It also takes up plot threads from the previous in a minor fashion such as Carrot's ancestry.
—Reni
I like all the various Discworld series - the witches, the DEATH books, the wizards* - but I have the biggest soft spot for the Nightwatch (i.e. the series of books about Ankh-Morpork's policemen). I just love the characters. This Nightwatch book was interesting because, as an earlier book, a lot of pivotal things happened - Vimes got married (then promoted), the first non-humans joined the watch - Angua (werewolf), Detrius (troll) and Cuddy (dwarf). I finally found out why Carrot is (probably) the rightful heir to the throne, and why he would never ever sit on it. As is often the way with reading a series backwards, parts of things were oddly different - why was Vimes so gruff and small-minded, compared to now? But the good thing about reading them this way (especially if you are having a terribly, terribly stressful week), is that I knew that it would all (basically) turn out ok, 'cause I knew what was going to happen. It was very calming and let me enjoy the book with no stress. Perhaps not normally the ideal reading situation, but this week it worked perfectly.I can't say enough how much I enjoy reading these books - I'm going to make one more plea that you should give them a chance - even if you think (as I do, honestly) that fantasy novels are for the birds. These are not what you'd expect and, if you like funny, clever, touching books, you would enjoy these. And they were solace for me when I needed my brain to be elsewhere for a few hours, for which I could not be more grateful.* Well, I would probably like the wizards if I got around to reading about them. I like what I have read about them - I love the librarian!
—Carrie
Men at Arms is the second book I've read for the Beach Blanket Bonanza. My husband (whom I originally introduced to Pratchett's books) has been selecting the best of the Discworld books for me to read and I have been enjoying these reading "assignments" thoroughly.Men at Arms is the next in the "Night Watch" group of books. Vimes is on the eve of his retirement from the watch and about to get married. Meanwhile, bodies are showing up in Ankh-Morpork and a new weapon has been stolen. Carrot and a bunch of new recruits set out to solve the mystery and retrieve the weapon before all hell breaks loose.In Men at Arms, Pratchett sets aside the puns (for the most part) to work on world building and fleshing out his characters. Ankh-Morpork begins to feel like a believable working (as well as it ever does) city. Carrot grows as a character and is rapidly becoming one of my favorites (but then everyone likes Carrot).Best of all, there is an honest to goodness mystery (and hence plot) in Men at Arms. It was one of the best mysteries I've read this year with enough clues to get me close to solving it but still tricky enough for some surprises.
—Sarah Sammis
