Night Watch

(Discworld Novel 29)

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Tony Robinson

Brought to you by Penguin.

'Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come round again. That's why they're called revolutions. People die, and nothing changes.'

For a policeman, there can be few things worse than a serial killer loose in your city. Except, perhaps, a serial killer who targets coppers, and a city on the brink of bloody revolution.

For Commander Sam Vimes, it all feels horribly familiar. He’s back in his own rough, tough past without even the clothes he was standing up in when the lightning struck. Living in the past is hard. But he must survive, because he has a job to do. He must track down the murderer and change the outcome of the rebellion.

The problem is: if he wins, he's got no wife, no child, no future...

A Discworld Tale of One City, with a full chorus of street urchins, ladies of negotiable affection, rebels, secret policemen and other children of the revolution.

Truth! Justice! Freedom! And a Hard-boiled Egg!

Time travel with a Discworld twist

Tony Robinson has the ability to blow life into any Discworld abridgement in such a way that you won't even miss the titbits cut out by the abridger. In the case of 'Night Watch' the niceties found in Terry Prachett's sideway remarks and such colourful characters as Constable Buggy Squires, Sergeant Anqua and Captain Carrot Ironfoundersohn are almost completely absent. The abridgement seems also a bit more children friendly with words like 'arse' changed to its more suitable counterparts.

Fortunately enough of Terry Pratchett's wit is left to make this Night Watch novel just as enjoyable as the unabridged version.

The story is solid, with sir Samuel Vimes, commander of the Ankhmorpork City Watch, chasing a cop murderer into the past to ensure that justice will serve. Pratchett catches the camaraderie between Police officials splendidly and vividly. When the arch-criminal and cop murderer Carser becomes one of the gang, the plot thickens and Vimes has to choose between going back to his time of serving justice. Typically Discworld style Vimes chooses against what you and I would have.

I thoroughly enjoyed this recording of 'Night Watch.' You might want to buy it for Tony Robinson's performance and for being child safe, otherwise the unabridged version should be seriously considered.

All the little angels rise up, rise up...

I got into Audible for this exact book. I was reading it one day and wondered how the song went, and wondered if an audiobook narrator would tell me. Tony Robinson did not disappoint. I first met him as Baldrick in Blackadder, and he has outshone himself. He has given each character a life of his/her own, instead of just sounding like a man doing women's voices, etc. Kudos. He got me hooked (: