Book of the Month- February 2018

Book of the Month

February 2018

My dad spent ages trying to get me to read Terry Pratchett, and I'm really glad he finally managed it. Guards! Guards! has become one of my particular favourites so far, and it was absolutely hilarious. There's a lot to love- the inept City Watch, the rather unique dragons, and the hopeless villains. Here are my highlights! Obviously, watch out for spoilers.

Favourite character: Carrot Ironfoundersson. I can only think of a few characters I like, in anything, who insist on sticking to the rules, but part of Carrot's charm is that he is unaware of how much of an irritant he is. That makes him funny, and true, he's a huge part of the comedy of the book. But he's my favourite character of this book because his cluelessness makes him utterly endearing, at least to me. And his enthusiasm is never dented no matter what happens to him. The world needs more people like Carrot.

Best quote: "Killed by a metaphor." When I'm reading one of Terry Pratchett's books, I'm always sucked into the richness of the Discworld, and then he hits me with a line like this out of the blue. I can't think of any authors who are this willing to break the fourth wall. That's probably because Pratchett is just too good at it. Very few authors use language as cleverly as him.

Most intriguing moment: When the Patrician sits back in his cell and grins whilst the dragon is destroying his castle. Obviously this is because it means he isn't in the path for destruction, but it's also pretty clear by this point that he's had a plan for this kind of situation in place for a while. Which begs the question, what else has he planned for? Like I say. Intriguing.

Favourite scene: The final fight between Errol and the bigger dragon, where it is revealed that the dragon is a female. This is partly my favourite because of how surprised they are to find out the dragon's sex, but it also wrapped up the plot in a way I really wasn't expecting- something else Pratchett does well. I'm really glad the dragon survived. 

Most memorable scene: After a dragon comes out of the imaginary space where it has been existing of its own accord, as opposed to being summoned, it destroys most of the Brotherhood who initially summoned it in one blast of fire. Pratchett is understandably unkind to a lot of his villains, but the brutality of that moment really shocked me and hit home the power of the dragon. I was looking forward to seeing them all humiliated, but this worked even better.

Most satisfying moment: The main conspirator in the plot to reawaken the dragons is Wonse. Wonse is the man who is eventually killed by a metaphor in the shape of a law book. He falls- which takes a very long time -and asks if the figure he can then see is Brother Doorkeeper. The figure reaches out and says "METAPHORICALLY". Every scene Death appears in is a treasure, but this scene was extra satisfying because Wonse got what he deserved, in a way metaphorically fitting the plot.

So, let me know what you think about Guards! Guards! and if you think I should have mentioned anything else about it. I'd love to hear from you!