Rating: 
Summary: The best Pratchett I've read yet!
Review: The conundrum here is-
1) Yes it IS the best Pratchett yet that I've read (though I haven't read them all)
2) If you've never read Pratchett before, don't start here.Sam Vimes is my favourite character...any guy who can run naked in the snow with nasty things after him has my admiration...Jingo is a good book to read to get know this most excellent of Pratchett's characters! Night Watch focuses on Vimes quite a bit and readers might miss Carrot and other more recent characters. It was really interesting to see Vimes young and Vetinari makes his usual cool-as-ice appearance. I wish HE had a book all to himself!
Rating:
Summary: Not as funny, but just as good
Review: It is currently a quarter till 3AM, and I'm putting off bed for just a little longer just so I can share what I feel about this awesome book. Skimming over a few reviews, I have noticed that there have been a few complaints that this book isn't as funny as the others. This is true.
However, this doesn't mean it's a bad book. Far from it. While it has comedy (I, personally, love Detritus' jody at the beginning of the book), this is a much more serious book about a new father trying to get back home to his wife and newborn baby, while practically impossible odds face him.
What's also interesting about this book is that we learn the origins of a few older characters (Nobby, Colon, and Reg Shoe for example) and why they are what they are today.
My only complaint is that, while it has improved slightly, the book covers are still hideous. I don't see why we can't receive the Brit covers. But that's hardly worth demoting a star from the rating.
I'm a slow reader, and I finished this book in an approx. total of 9-12 hours. It is an adventurous page-turner that'll keep your heart pumping and give you a laugh when needed.
Rating: 
Summary: The 'man of the polis' is back...
Review: Excellent work; tough to put down long enough to sleep; actually rates about a 4.7. I suspect TP was a murder mystery writer in another life. He opens Night Watch well, with a question and a few clues . Throught the rest of the book he proceeds to allow you to uncover the answer.
The technique works for me, although, as in most of his recent books, TP gives in to the temptation to substitute irony for comedy. STILL:
Vimes is his usual fuming, funny self, out to keep the peace and everyone's body parts where they belong. I particularly enjoyed Detritus' marching song (true to the troll) in the beginning, though I missed the 'whiz-BANG' of Lady Ramkin's dragons, and Carrot's silly, noble 'dudley doright' attitude.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!! Another hit!
Review: It's rare that an author can keep writing one series, churning them out at speed, and still keep the novels fresh! Pratchett's secret seems to be that he doesn't spit out novels about the same characters over and over: he has essentially split the Discworld into many almost completely separated series, connected only by cameo appearances of some favorite characters. Night Watch focuses, not surprisingly, on Captain Vimes the Night Watch. This particular story reads much more like a science fiction novel than many of his works, with a pretty common sci-fi theme, but made fresh by Pratchett's perspective. The reuse of such a common theme was why I only rated this a 4, not a 5. However, this book is a great read, totally worth the money, and the time!!!
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful and funny
Review: It's hard to know where to recommend that newcomers start with Discworld. On the one hand, this is the best Pratchett yet (and that's saying something). On the other hand, although it stands alone it's better appreciated if you've read some of its predecessors. Perhaps the ideal compromise is to read Night Watch, read everything else chronologically, then read Night Watch again. It will certainly repay the time. Its unfortunately true that many humorous authors never again rise to the level of their first breakthrough, and spend the rest of their careers fending off remarks like "it's good, but it's no 'How To Be An Alien'". Not so with Pratchett. Over the span of the Discworld series he has constantly grown as a humorist and, even more, as an author. From the moment I read the first few pages of the first book in the series it was clear to me that something special was going on here, and Pratchett has avoided ever becoming stale even as his skills have grown. Pratchett is at his worst when leaning too heavily on parodies of other forms and relying on stock characters ("Moving Pictures", "Soul Music"), although it should be acknowledged that his worst is still pretty good. He is at his best when he lets his universe largely stand on its own merits, even when populated with figures familiar from earlier stories, as he does here and did before in "The Truth", for example. For those familiar with Pratchett, this is a no-brainer: buy this book and read it immediately. For those new to Discworld, by all means start here as the book stands on its own two feet. Then go back to the beginning and discover Discworld from the very beginning while at the same time tracking Pratchett's growth from "good" to "great", all the while knowing that the treat of Pratchett at the top of his game is awaiting you when you work your way back to re-reading Night Watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Times of Vimes
Review: In Night Watch, Terry Pratchett has a second (and more successful) go at time. It's predecessor, Thief of Time, starred Lao Tzu and his monks (who keep the threads of time running smoothly on their spindles most of the time)trying to thwart a plot to stop time. Night Watch is a more conventional time-travel story. Watch Commander Vimes, one of Pratchett's continuing characters, is cast back to the Ankh-Morpork of his youth by a lightning bolt just as he is arresting the most-wanted criminal in the city, a stone-cold killer named Carcer. Carcer shares Vimes' fate, escapes and sets about to create a future more to his own liking -- one that does not include Commander Vimes. The time in which they find themselves is a pivotal moment in Ankh-Morpork's history and in Vimes' own development as a police officer. Pratchett finesses the paradox of having the youthful Constable Vimes encounter his more mature self by having Commander Vimes assume the identity of John Keel, a sergeant of the watch he remembers from his youth. As Lao Tzu labors to bring Commander Vimes back to his proper place in time, Vimes struggles to keep Carcer from killing either of his selves and turning Ankh-Morpork to the dark side. Along the way, we encounter the future ruler of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Vetinari, in his youthful form as an apprentice in the Assassin's Guild. Much of the action in Night Watch takes place in Treacle Road, which is perhaps unintentionally appropriate. There is a vein of sticky sentimentality running through this story that makes this reader's teeth ache. It needed more of the wry humor with which Pratchett seasons his best books -- like The Word. Night Watch is, nevertheless, an entertaining fast-paced adventure that will please Pratchett's legions of devoted fans.
Rating:
Summary: Almost read it in one sitting . . .
Review: And then nearly didn't get up for work the next day!! I eagerly look forward to every Terry Pratchett book I can get my hands on. The man has made such a wonderful contribution to the literary world that, as an American, I am thunderstruck by how few people seem to know his work over here. With the relatively recent stateside success of the Harry Potter books and Lord of the Rings relaunch (well I'm sure the films helped, too *grin*), I think Terry Pratchett is primed to continue to become more well-known here. Onto the book . . . Loved it. Sam Vimes is a wonderful character. He has made great strides since his first appearance in "Guards! Guards!". Good story for fans, maybe not as friendly to new readers as "The Truth". I must confess that I wish Carrot would get to shine some more. I sometimes wonder if Terry hasn't been sure how to advance the character (I'd hoped for more from "The Fifth Elephant" in regards to Carrot's character development). But these are all fanboy geek wants. I'm not going to replay the story of "Night Watch". That's been done enough here. However, if you're a fan of the series, especially the "Guards" books, definately pick it up. If you haven't read a "Discworld" Novel before, then I suggest you try these first, "Guards! Guards!", "Men at Arms", "Feet of Clay", "Jingo", then "The Fifth Elephant", before picking up "Night Watch". My thinking is, if you try the first one and aren't hooked, then you're better of with another series and possibly another writer. My belief is that you will be hooked, then just follow the list I gave in order to read the "Guards" books in order.
Rating:
Summary: A great book.....but.....
Review: Not as funny as some of his other works.....hence my 4 star rating.....really it deserves 4.5, but that is not an option. Let me say that I have read all of his books more than once. He is, by far, my favorite author. This book is not typical Pratchett, but needs to be read, especially if you are a fan and have read the series.....the plot itself is nice, and works fairly well, but more enjoyable for me was seeing so many of my favorite characters "in their early years." It kind of gives you a view of their past, and how they became what they are. I do not want you to think there is no humor in this book, there is. However, it just was not as funny as I am used to, and that is because the story is a bit different, and takes on a different theme. If this is your first Terry Pratchett book, DO NOT read it until you have read a few others, especially Thief of Time. I think this book will be better appreciated having read at least ToT. I see that others have mentioned what the book is about, well, you can read that anywhere, and you never know what someone else thinks is a bummer to find out before reading a book....I just wanted to give you my opinion before you spend the money....but do spend the money, I thought it was worth it. :-) One last thing, and for me it is a real annoying thing.....there are SOOOOO many typos in this book, that it actually throws off your reading at times.....I almost forgot to mention it...but be ready, I have never encountered so many in one book before. It kills the flow, especially in some of the more important moments in the book. What makes it worse is that in this day and age, there is really no excuse for so many errors in grammar and spelling....at least not at this price level. Knowing this before hand may make it easier. Peace, Morley
Rating:
Summary: Tough calls and black humor
Review: The guards in general, and Sam Vimes in particular, are real heroes, in the meaning that you really feel that this is how real heroes would handle the tough calls, the conflicting interests, the raw chaos of unclear loyalties etc. and walk away with their integrity intact. He has succeeded in creating distilled reality, and that is magical, as magical as the making of fine malt whisky and as the library at the unseen university. He can even paint personalities with a one-liner, and that's bloody sourcery. I wonder about his ancestry, surely he must be the eighth son of an eighth son... The guards are hist best creation, and they were never better than here.
Rating:
Summary: The future is past
Review: Terry Pratchett is a paragon among writers. While some authors achieve a peak and slide away, even if only temporarily, Pratchett climbs upward, one step [book] at a time, reaching new crests. This work is indisputably his finest endeavor. Unlike other "fantasy" [ugh!] writers, he is able to draw on scientific sources to support his stories. In this instance it's quantum physics, time travel and probability. Oh, yes, and people. Plot and environment are set gently aside in Pratchett's quest to portray folks. Real people in real circumstances. Or at least as real as living in Ankh-Morpork, the Discworld's major city, will allow. We are once again confronted with the puzzle of how much is Sam Vimes Pratchett's idol and how much is Pratchett himself? All Terry Pratchett's characters are fascinating in their own way. Rincewind, a spectacular coward, expresses a survivor's continuing agonies of fear and distrust. Esme Weatherwax dons a cape of firm self-assurance you could roof a shed with - until she's alone and surveying her frailties. In Sam Vimes, however, Pratchett produced someone special. In his own view Sam sometimes strides on feet of clay. Plagued by self-doubts, worrying about problems often not his, beset by hordes of enemies and unpredictable circumstances, Vimes manages to trot up to the finish line soiled but sturdy. We live in an era when "character" is a disreputable phrase. Still, Sam Vimes arrives at each finale by employing resolute self discipline, applying it to himself or imparting it to others. In this book, that example becomes bifurcated by Sam's knowledge that he's coaching his younger self. Maintaining his own standards while imparting them to young Lance-Constable Vimes is a challenging situation. He was pursuing a killer in his own time - he continues the pursuit in the past. He's also, once again, caught up in Ankh-Morpork politics. Transported back in time, Vimes remains burdened with memories. Sybil, his wife, is about to produce their first born [promised in Fifth Elephant]. A Watch mainstay, Fred Colon, is an established Corporal, while Nobby Nobbs, a social stain, is a street urchin seeking the main chance. Sam encounters old friends and makes new ones. Some don't survive. Pratchett's ability to give life to each of his characters brings a sense of grief at their loss other authors fail to achieve. You cannot prevent a pause in your reading when you learn of their deaths. There is one character you're eager to see "pass on," but Pratchett denies you that comfort. Fantasy or no, reality is firmly established here. As always with Pratchett, the characters are your neighbours and family. You know them intimately, never mind their distance in time and place. You rejoice in their successes and mourn their losses. It's all part of Pratchett's ability to capture the reader - new or long- standing. Back in an earlier Ankh-Morpork, Vimes assumes the identity of John Keel. In this role, he establishes new standards in the Watch - dress, behaviour, skills, attitudes. Those who can't conform are eased [at least] out. Inevitably, the role of the Watch in relation to the military arises. Pratchett has addressed this issue before, of course, and it remains unresolved. Especially in times of civil unrest and resentment over government and taxes. The old labour movement refrain "Which Side Are You On" might have replaced the tune running through this book. Clearly, Pratchett is far more interested in helping his readers confront the world than in carving himself a comfortable niche among escapist fantasy writers. Those who bemoan the loss of "humour" in his recent works [although the asides in this book are among his best], are ignoring the message. He's a serious thinker imparting his ideas using the methods at his command. To pigeonhole him is to ignore his message or reject it. He deserves better. The next "critic" who labels Pratchett as a "humorous fantacist" can meet me in Sator Square. Bring your own weapons, but be advised my chosen second is the Commander of the Ankh-Morpork Watch . . .
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