Guards! Guards!
by Terry Pratchett · first published 1989
60% recommend38% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Funny Discworld fantasy that introduces Sam Vimes and the City Watch, with real depth and strong character work beneath the humor. Often suggested as a good, easy entry point for newcomers to Pratchett.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Here there be dragons ... and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all ...).
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Guards! Guards! is great, but the thing about Pratchett is that his writing got significantly better every few books until the very end of his life. Later entries in the series -- Night Watch and Thud! -- are much better.…
on “Discworld on Page and Screen, Part 1: Serious Comedy” ↗This hits hard. Pratchett has been a constant in my life ever since I picked up my first Discworld book at 13. I'll be reading "Guards, Guards!" tonight in memory of him while eating a hot meat pie of questionable origin.
on “Sir Terry Pratchett has died” ↗Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, particularly: "Mort" and "Reaper Man"; "Guards! Guards!", "Men at Arms", and "The Night Watch"; "Wyrd Sisters", "Witches Abroad" and "Lords and Ladies"; and "Small Gods" and "Pyramids". The first two are about Death, the second three about Samuel Vimes,…
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. The Guards is my favorite arc in Discworld and Samuel Vimes is my favorite character among all the fiction I've read.
on “Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?” ↗Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett. I’d start with the DEATH series (Mort is first book in that one) but a lot of folks like the City Watch. (Guards! Guards!). Lighthearted, hilarious, and some real insights into the human condition in a tongue in cheek way. Can’t go wrong, good vacation reads. M
on “Ask HN: Best non-business books to read on vacation” ↗Men at Arms (the direct followup to Guards! Guards!) was my first Pratchett book and really had me hooked. I think any of the Vimes-centric books are great starting points, because the detective mystery style of plotting keeps the pages at a steady balance…
on “Discworld on Page and Screen, Part 1: Serious Comedy” ↗i mostly read genre stuff (science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, humour), my all time favourite author being terry pratchett. "guards! guards!" is a great first book of his, it's humorous fantasy but also with a lot of depth and superb character development. if you like that, go on to read the entire discworld series, they are almost all excellent.…
on “Ask HN: 2 weeks off work, what to do?” ↗…Hail Mary is very enjoyable, don't read spoilers and you'll enjoy it even more. https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir/dp/059313... The Discworld City Watch series of books, starting with "Guards! Guards!" The characters are hilarious, there's so much humour yet still enough space for meaningful prose. Terry Pratchett was taken from us too soon. https://www.amazon.com/Guards-Discworld-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0...…
on “Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?” ↗…to Germany). Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. Most Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience). The Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!! Peter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space…
on “Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?” ↗The recommendation I've had and am happy to pass along is to begin with Guards! Guards!, which is the first novel where it really becomes evident what Pratchett has to say now he's gotten all the juvenilia out of the way and set to work in earnest. The series is certainly worth the trouble,…
on “Death and What Comes Next (2002)” ↗Read some mature Discworld content (Guards! Guards! is the best entry point, I'd say), it's an easy read too. Pratchett's skill with English would make even a tax report smooth and riveting. No need to always flex with some highbrow stuff to find a masterful…
on “To become a better writer, read as much as you can” ↗If you haven't read a Discworld book I'm going to throw my vote behind Guards! Guards! as a great starting point. I re-read it recently and it was even better than I remember it being when I first read it as a teenager - I think because my extra life experience meant that I understood…
on “Discworld on Page and Screen, Part 1: Serious Comedy” ↗I will seconds Guards! Guards! it's what I always suggest to friends as a starting point and it leads more naturally into a coherent series as you follow Vimes and the city watch - as an alternative the witches are quite hilarious…
on “Discworld on Page and Screen, Part 1: Serious Comedy” ↗…to the canon, some better suited than others to different readers. The Igors first arrive in The Fifth Elephat, or possibly Thief Of Time. As an entry point (but without the Igors (yet)) I recommend "Guards! Guards!", YMMV.
on “Emacs users are like Terry Pratchett’s Igors” ↗…beginning. Just know that across so many books, there's bound to be some unevenness. Some books are just plain fun, others have deeper messages, some are, frankly, just not as good. Early highlights like Guards Guards, Pyramids, Small Gods, Wyrd Sisters are the ones where you'll discover the real breadth of what he does. Later books can be less consistently original, but when you get to books like The Truth, Night…
on “Sir Terry Pratchett has died” ↗