Men at Arms: The Watch is Growing

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Odd though it may be, most people agree that Ankh-Morpork is a city that works. Its citizens pay dues to the Thieves Guild so that they will not be robbed, and because the city’s leader, Havelock Vetinari, was a member of the Assassin’s Guild, there is little chance that he will be overthrown through assassination. (The assassins would of course kill Vetinari, but the price they have listed for his head is prohibitive). The guilds all agree that they would be worse off without Vetinari, which is odd considering that he seeks to modernize almost every aspect of the city.

He even believes that the City Watch should represent every species in Ankh-Morkpork. Angua, a werewolf, seems like she might fit in: she’s so beautiful that Carrot thinks criminals will line up to be arrested by her. However, now Sergeant Colon and Nobby Nobbs are training trolls and dwarfs. Unfortunately, dwarfs and trolls hate each other since trolls turn into rock during the day, sometimes waking to discover dwarfs attempting to mine them. The Watch is growing – maybe more quickly than it would prefer – but Captain Vimes has decided to retire in order to marry Sybil Ramkin.

There is no clear successor, so it will likely fall to Carrot to lead the Watch during this time of expansion and reform. Carrot, a six-foot-six-inch tall orphan raised by dwarfs in the mountains, strikes many as a simple country boy, but he does have a knack for leadership. The other members of the Watch don’t know that Carrot Ironfoundersson is actually the secret heir to Ankh-Morkpork’s throne.

But the secret is starting to get out. Edward d’Eath, an assassin and an aristocrat, is one of Vetinari’s conservative detractors who wants to return Ankh-Morpork to its past by crowning Carrot. As his plan forms, he reflects:

And this was right. And it was fate that had let Edward recognize that just when he’d got his Plan. And it was right that it was Fate, and the city would be Saved from its ignoble present by its glorious past. He had the Means, and he had the end. And so on … Edward’s thoughts often ran like this.

He could think in italics.

I loved this brief introduction into Edward’s mind. Like so much of Pratchett’s writing, it is humorous, clever, and efficient.

So is the plot. Within a few pages, Edward has found a strange device – a gonne – and the City Watch begins finding suspicious (even by Ankh-Morpork’s standards) corpses. Vetinari explains that the deaths are an Assassins Guild matter, and he orders Vimes and the other guards not to investigate. Naturally, they investigate anyway, and soon have led us to talking dogs, a hostel for the Undead, and dwarf cuisine.

What is amazing about Pratchett’s work is his ability to constantly surprise SFF readers. Although Pratchett often subverts genre expectations, he just as often elaborates on them. For example, trolls move at night and turn to stone during the day. So when Detritus, our troll, finds himself getting colder, he discovers that he is much smarter when cold than he is when warm. Who knows what secrets he could unlock while freezing to death?

I found the plot less inventive, though it does move quickly. Much of Men at Arms is helter-skelter chases, which often feels like a contrivance to explore all of the jokes Pratchett has prepared. Though I enjoyed the way Edward d’Eath was introduced, I ultimately found him a forgettable villain who brought very little tension to Ankh-Morkpork. I always happily followed along with the Watch’s investigation but rarely felt compelled to see what would happen next, perhaps because Vimes is largely absent.

Men at Arms is the fifteenth DISCWORLD novel, and the second to feature the City Watch. The Watch is expanding and Pratchett introduces many characters that will return in later entries, which means that devoted readers should probably pick it up. Having said that, while I enjoyed reading Men at Arms, I doubt that the plot will stay with me very long. In other words, it’s just another DISCWORLD novel: a quick read that should please most readers.

~Ryan Skardal

Pratchett scores another hit with a solid mystery, lots of good fun, and plenty of social commentary. Sam Vine’s one paragraph rumination on rich people and boots should be required reading in every Econ 101 class.

I love any DISCWORLD book that features the Patrician, Lord Vetinari, and he has a big role here, although not as big as Corporal Carrot, the strapping, blond haired, blue-eyed dwarf (he’s adopted). Like the best of these books, it is an entertaining read that leaves you thoughtful.

~Marion Deeds