Book Review: Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #15)

  I am a late comer to Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. My adventure in Discworld began last October, when I read a hilarious, and thought-provoking book called Small Gods. I remember curling up on my couch, holding the book open and read it in one day. As a reader, I found my own personal experience resonated with the theme in Small Gods. All the while, I was laughing so hard reading the book that I almost fell off the couch. What can I say? Small Gods was a really funny book! Until this day, I regard Small Gods as my favorite Discworld book of all time. Afterward, I became a fan of Discworld and purchased 17 books in the series. 6 months later, I have read all Discworld books featuring Death and loved them. Last week, I began to read the City Watch sub-series, starting with Guards! Guards!.

Guards! Guards! was a very good book. I was most impressed by the world-building in the book. It helped readers envision the feel and the vibe for the city of Ankh-Morpork, bringing it to life. When I finished Guards! Guards!, I began to read Men at Arms immediately.

Men at Arms is the 15^th installment in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. It is also the second book in the City Watch sub-series. Counting to 350 pages, Men at Arms is often hailed as one of the best Discworld books and I agree with that assessment. Today, I will like to provide a review for this book.

Synopsis:

The police performs a very important function in a society; maintaining the law and the order. You can find police in every city, including a non-terrestrial city, such as Ankh-Morpork, the greatest city on Discworld, where the police is called the City Watch.

The Patrician, the supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork, ordered the City Watch to recruit new members. The goal is to restructure the Watch so it represents the diverse ethnic make-up in Ankh-Morpork. Under the first wave of recruitment, 3 recruits, a dwarf, a troll, and a werewolf joined the Watch. They were assigned to Corporal Carrot's team.

In the meantime, Captain Samuel Vimes was set to retire following his marriage to Lady Ramkin. As Vimes was getting ready to become a civilian, a wave of gruesome murders began to surface on the city streets. All victims are killed by an unidentifiable weapon. It seems Vimes' retirement would have to wait, as he joined forces with the rest of the City Watch to investigate this case, hoping to restore the law and the order to the city.

My thoughts on this book:

The story in Men at Arms revolves around a murder mystery. The story maintained the suspense throughout the book, where the answer to the riddle was only revealed at the end. Personally, I prefer Men at Arms to Guards! Guards! by a small margin. Terry Pratchett changed his style in this book, where he wrote a plot-driven story. The result? The story in this book feels more cohesive than the earlier Discworld novels. Furthermore, unlike the earlier entries in Discworld, Men at Arms doesn't have as many random events. This also means the story in Men at Arms moves at a faster pace when compared to the earlier installments in the series.

The story in Men at Arms was clothed in a tone more serious than the previous installments. While this book will still press your laugh buttons with sharp, witty satires, but the overall atmosphere is darker and more realistic than its predecessors. Beneath a story that appears to be light-hearted, jolly good fun, lies a social commentary exploring themes such as economic inequality, gender, and racial discrimination. Furthermore, readers feel a real sense of danger for the characters, as these heroes plunge into the midst of perils, then resurface into a sky of unforeseeable futures.

I really like the characterization in Men at Arms. In this book, readers meet old favorites such as Samuel Vimes and Carrot. Moreover, this book introduced new and memorable characters; Detritus the troll, a dwarf called Cuddy, and a werewolf lady known as Angua. In this book, Terry Pratchett weaved a moving tale with steep character developments. As the story progressed, every character in this book morphed and evolved. By the end of the book, readers can clearly see how the events in the book impacted and changed these characters. I particularly like the sub-story featuring the budding friendship between Detritus and Cuddy, a friendship that was both humorous and moving, colored with funny and tear-jerking moments. An equally interesting sub-story, is the romance between Carrot and Angua.

Speaking of Angua, I like the refreshing way in which Terry Pratchett portrayed her as a strong female character. Let me explain. In many fantasy novels, the depiction of female characters are often polarized and stereotypical; they either appear as damsels in distress, flowers in need of protections, or some sort of warriors wearing chain-mail bikinis oozing unrealistic sex appeals. As an avid reader of fantasy books, I often wonder why so many fantasy authors struggle to portray female characters realistically and convincingly. This is why, I think Terry Pratchett handled his portrayal of Angua brilliantly, as he portrayed her as a memorable, strong female character with great qualities. I look forward to reading more about Angua's adventures in the future Discworld novels.

Overall, I think Men at Arms is an excellent book, a solid addition to Discworld series. The story in this book is more plot-driven, and more cohesive than the earlier Discworld novels. The characterization takes the spotlight and radiates brilliance. The cast of comical and likable characters are bound to leave lasting impressions on a reader's mind. However, I would strongly recommend reading Guards! Guards! before reading Men at Arms because there are connections between these 2 books.

Until the next time, happy reading!