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Summary: Dwarfs, werewolves and BCB (burnt crunchy Bits)
Review: The watch is back. Trouble in the Uberwald sends Vimes, Cherry and Detritus to the coronation of the new Dwarf King. Meanwhile Carrot and Agnes are having some problems, which leaves Sergeant Colon next in line for promotion to head of the watch....This is a great story, full of humor, politics and plot twists. So easy to read I picked up the book and I read it without putting it down. It has more of a political tone compared with the watches last outing (Jingo), which was more of an adventure. The fifth elephant expands the disk word by padding out the dwarfs and giving incite to the Uberwald (expect more books from the Uberwald) It's a good book if your just coming into the disk world books and a Great book if your following the disk world series cont... I've owned this book for a while and I recently re-discovered it and I just could not put it down till I'd re-read it. I certainly think the book deserves a re-read or two.
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Summary: Pratchett scores again
Review: While I've enjoyed almost every Discworld book I've read, the tales of Samuel Vimes and the Ankh-Morpork Watchmen always seem to rank among my favorites. This time out, Vimes is being sent as an ambassador to the distant land of Uberwald to meet with the new Low King of the Dwarfs. Meanwhile, Angua has disappeared and Carrot resigns his position with the Watch to search for her, leaving Fred Colon in charge. Pratchett returns to some of the monster elements he used in "Carpe Jugulum" -- the vampires and a closer examination of werewolf society. He took these elements and effortlessly blended them into a mystery for Vimes to solve involving a sacred Scone and a few inconvenient murders. For once, I didn't feel like there was any "filler" story in this book. I was involved in the Vimes/mystery storyline, swept up in Carrot's quest for Angua, and left rolling on the floor clutching my side at poor Colon's efforts to run the Watch as he grows increasingly paranoid about the quantity of sugar cubes in his office. Although the titular Fifth Elephant doesn't really play much into the plot at all, except for providing an explanation for a natural resource that makes this odd country important, this ranks as one of the best in the Discworld series. Funny, smart and a great read.
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Summary: Another Masterpiece!
Review: Terry Pratchett is an Englishman whose best-known work is the Discworld serie. The books are set in a place called Discworld which is a disc-shaped planet (thus the name). It rides on the backs of four elephants which are standing on the shell of Great A'tuin, a giant space turtle. As you might already have figured out, Discworld is a place where normal things don't happen - at least not very often. It's populated by humans, dwarves, vampires, dragons, witches, werewolves and whatever you can imagine. The Discworld novels are often quite funny and they make parodies of the usual clichés of fantasy literature. But lately the books have started to have some darker twists in them, of which The Fifth Elephant is a good example. The Fifth Elephant continues the story of the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork. Since each of the Discworld novels are independent, you don't really have to read the earlier books but they do enlighten the characters' backgrounds. If you want to learn more about Fifth Elephand and other Discworld books take a look at www.fantasy-fan.org .
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Summary: Pratchett is the reigning master of humourous fantasy
Review: Life is good when there's a new Terry Pratchett adventure in the bookstores...and thankfully he writes one every year! (And since Douglas Adams seems to have taken a hiatus of tremendous proportions, Pratchett should be proclaimed as the reigning master of humourous fantasy.) "The Fifth Elephant" takes place, like the other 20+ books in the series, on the mysterious earth known as Discworld (a flat earth supported by elephants on the back of a giant turtle--an earth where magic not only works, it frequently works *against* you). Like always, the casts of characters rotates among books so your favorites pop up every few years no matter who you like best! The focus this book is on Ankh-Morpork chief of police Samuel Vimes (Discworld's answer to Captain Frank Furillo), sent on a diplomatic and investigative mission to the mysterious country of Uberwald--fill in your own real-life counterpart here, because, as in the best of the Discworld adventures, Pratchett mixes the humour, adventure and fantasy with his own dry and frequently hilarious social commentary on everything from fascist groups (werewolves) to born-again fundamentalist religion. Hilarious and fast-paced, it's not the best in the series but still deserves five stars--even a lesser Pratchett is a joy and delight and only leaves you wanting more! Plus, there's a long-needed travelguide to Discworld in the back of the book, along with character profiles and a crossword! The only thing that would have made this new Pratchett a breakout title would have been if HarperCollins had published it last year! This came out in England in November 1999--Pratchett books are published anywhere from 6 months to a year earlier in England, making us wait for the treat long after the Brits, or ordering it instead from Amazon UK. Result: lost sales for HarperCollins US! Scholastic learned from a similar problem with the "Harry Potter" books and moved their US publication dates to match the UK pub dates...any consideration for the same thing, HarperCollins?
Rating:
Summary: One of the Better Books about Vimes
Review: Vimes is sent to the city of Bonk in Uberwald as ambassador, Duke of Ankh-Morpork. Funny bits about dwarf culture, more of the Igors, more on Angua's family. As in Night Watch, Vimes is pushed and pulled madly by plot elements all around him, but never really stretched.
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Summary: Creative and delightful
Review: For those hungry for more Discworld, here's a feast. Vimes is sent as ambassador and detective to Uberwald following a murder and a theft of an important dwarven artifact. Carrot plays a strong important role and his character is so wonderfully fleshed out that we want another book focusing oh him. As an adventure book, Fifth Elephant is top-notch. The action is nicely paced and Uberwald is hilariously intriguing.
The jokes are sometimes simple and sometimes hard to catch, but when you do, you laugh out loud.
Pratchett's strengths, plot, character, dialogue, are all present here in fresh amounts. This is a truly entertaining read.
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Summary: what a great read
Review: Vimes is the best. so are the Igors. It may not be the first about the watch it is probably the best. vimes inter actions with the vampires, dwarfs, and werewolves are great. i think i might just read it again.
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Summary: all pratchett books are good except equal rites and makerade
Review: I have read 23 discworld novels and the fifth elephant was one i have enjoyed very much. my favorite discworld books include, the colour of magic, the light fantasic, mort,sourcery,SMALL GODS was very very good and finished perfectly, moving pictures i really like Gaspode Interesting times, reaper man, soul music, the hogfather and men at arms (stars Gaspode) I think that terry P should come to Australia he wrote a book similar to Australia called the last continet, which was quite good Rince wind is quite a good character. I th
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but not as good as others
Review: I've found every book in this series to be funny, entertaining, and an enjoyable read. That said, if I had to rank this book compared to the others in the series, I'd have to put it on the low end. Pratchett generally keeps the stories fresh by cycling between his large cast of Discworld characters from one book to the next, but this book had too much of a "been there, done that" feel to it.
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Summary: Don't compare him to Douglas Adams
Review: The only thing that is alike about Pratchett and Adams is the fact that they're both English... okay and funny. I think this novel, the first of the series I have read, is highly entertaining, funny, and a pretty clear opinion of our own little western civilization. It doesn't take a harty philosophical view of why we exist in this planet, but puts a rather antique twist to modern complexities. Pratchett's talent, I believe, is his ability to not take all of our politics, traditions, and prejudices too seriously--he simply points out that we don't all agree, and no matter where you go, there is going to be someone who just doesn't like you for whatever reason. And the book is really is entertaining on top of that! The dialogue comes very naturally, and the characters are extremely likeable (especially the Igor clan). From other reviews I have read about this book, some of these characters pop up in the other Discworld novels and that's incentive enough for me to enjoy another one or two of thix. Sorry, I had to.
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