In the 28 other Discworld books a lot of sci-fi/fantasy staples have already been lampooned: heroic quests, magic swords, wizards, witches, vampires, werewolves, elves, and so forth. The one staple not yet really tackled has been time travel. "Night Watch" takes care of this glaring error in relatively entertaining style.

As his wife is involved in a long labor to give birth to their first child, Commader Sam Vimes of the City Watch is involved in cornering a cop-killing madman named Carcer. In hot pursuit of Carcer, Vimes climbs up onto the roof of the library for Unseen University (the school for wizards) during a thunderstorm. When a bolt of lightning strikes the library, Vimes and Carcer are transported back in time 30 years.

And of course it is a pivotal moment in the history of the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork. The brutal Lord Winder has been heavily taxing people and rounding up any who dissent. Revolt is fermenting, all it needs is a spark.

Vimes takes on the identity of his mentor in the City Watch, John Keel, after the real Keel is killed by Carcer, who joins a secret police force known as the Unmentionables. Vimes has enough time to teach his younger self a few lessons about policing before that spark hits and the entire city erupts in violence. Now Vimes has to somehow keep the peace, keep himself (both of himselves) alive, and bring Carcer to justice. A tall order to be sure.

This book is an interesting addition to the series because it provides a little more background on some of the Ankh-Morpork characters like Vimes, Lord Vetinari, Nobby Nobbs, and even Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler the crooked merchant. I was disappointed there was really nothing included about the wizards, especially the Librarian--who was turned into an orangutan in a magical accident; I kept waiting to see if there'd be an appearance by him in human form.

My biggest complaint though is the story drags a little. Part of that is the nature of time travel stories like this. We already know there's going to be a riot because technically it's already happened. And we know in that riot there's going to be a final showdown between Vimes and Carcer, just like you knew Marty McFly would have to have it out with Biff Tannen in "Back to the Future." It's inevitable, so let's just cut to the chase.

Still, like most of these books, there's a good message underneath the action. In particular is the concept that the reason they're called "revolutions" is that they typically go in a circular fashion. Or in other words the new regime is rarely better than the old one. The main point of reference in the book is the French Revolution, only in this case no one loses their heads--literally at least.

That is all.

The Sam Vimes arc is my favorite of the Discworld stories, and this is my favorite book. Sam offers such an interesting perspective on the situation and his perpetual frustration is hilarious. And I love how he has scruples, but picks when to use them. This is book is a good introduction to this particular arc, because it offers a wealth of backstory for the other books. And the story is priceless.

I really enjoy Terry Pratchett's series about DiscWorld. This is one of the better books in the series. However, you need to have read some of the series in order to get all the little things about the different characters. The only bad thing about this book is that I don't really like the whole time travel concept of it. I liked seeing the characters when Sam Vimes is just starting out and is young and impressionable, but I didn't like having to go back in time and pretend to be someone else to do it. I love how Mr. Pratchett takes what's going on in our world today and gets his characters to make fun of and make statements about it. I really loved his social commentary about rebellions and political changes, not to mention how when a new man comes into an organization and slowly takes it over. I just find his series revealing about how others may see us and how we do what we do. How funny it really sounds to others. I would highly recommend this book to others who have read the series. If you haven't started the series then you definitely need to get on it.

This is my favorite book in the City Watch book and quite possibly my favorite book in the entire Discworld series. It gives you a little more background on some of the main characters(Vimes, Colon, Nobby, and even Vetinari)and makes for a thrilling read. Read it! I command you!

Being a prison guard (no, not like the ones in this book, a REAL one) I find great comfort in Sam Vimes. Moralistic humor, nice twisty view of the world, yet always trying to do right - even to himself. This book has gotten me through hard times when I needed to be reminded to be true to myself, to do what I know is right, to look to the greater picture. I adore Terry Pratchett's view and agree wholeheartedly with it. Acceptance that people are who they are, but we need to be who we need to be also. I believe all his books are quite readable, enjoyable. I am currently in the process of reading the entire discworld series in chronological order and am impressed to watch not only the characters grow, but the author also. Thank you sooooo much Mr. Pratchett! Not only are your books entertaining, but provide the view more of us need to see the world through.