Night Watch

I have actually read a sizeable portion of Night Watch as of right now, since I’m writing this some days after I started it. I will say I wasn’t expecting a certain element of it to be there, and despite my being less than 150 pages into the thing I can definitely see why people say it’s the best. More on that once I finish it.

Oh, it was fantastic. Night Watch is an absolute masterclass in setup and payoff. So much of the story is foreshadowed hundreds of pages before it happens but it’s all done subtly enough that it doesn’t spoil the experience. Everything slots into place as you continue reading.

Night Watch provides a great deal of insight into the storied history of the city of Ankh-Mopork, particularly Commander Sir Samuel Vimes’ career in the Night Watch and how his experiences in his past shaped his present. In telling these stories the book also shines a light on several characters from previous installments, including Nobby Nobbs and Sergeant Colon, two mainstays from across the Watch series as well as several other places in the Discword canon. It even illuminates a little bit of the past of Patrician Havelock Vetinari, in the “present” of Discworld he is the deviously clever ruler of Ankh-Mopork but thirty years prior he was just an up-and-coming young Assassin, still in the Guild’s school.

Even with its classic Discworld humor, the story of Night Watch managed to capture my heart, and I can certainly see why people say it’s the best. I will more than likely be one of those people, moving forward.