In the chaotic city-state of Ankh-Morpork, a secret brotherhood uses a stolen magical book to summon a noble dragon, hoping to overthrow the Patrician and install a puppet king. Against this threat stands the Night Watch: a cynical Captain Vimes, his small squad of societal outcasts, and the six-foot-tall dwarf-by-adoption Carrot Ironfoundersson. These officers must navigate a city where crime is legalized through guilds and a populace that prefers a comfortable tyrant over an unpredictable beast. The story follows their attempt to enforce the law in a place where the law is an inconvenience, eventually confronting the dragon through a mixture of stubbornness and basic physics.
This book serves readers who enjoy subverted fantasy tropes and humor rooted in public policy and human folly. It appeals to those interested in how institutions function when they have lost their purpose and how individuals find dignity within those systems. Readers finish the book with a perspective on the difference between being a soldier and being a guard, alongside a practical understanding of how small, one-in-a-million chances operate within a narrative universe. It provides a cynical but grounded look at civic duty and heroism.
Escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1989
- Language
- EN
