Commander Sam Vimes is about to be a father. But he has been forbidden from his wife’s side. What’s a good copper to do besides wear a hole in the carpet pacing? Catch bad guys! And Carcer, known murderer, bad guy extraordinaire, has been spotted and the Watch has him surrounded. Joining the hunt is the best thing Sam can think of to keep him occupied. But a harrowing encounter with Carcer atop the Unseen University Library during a freak magical storm sends Vimes and Carcer back in time. Their presence alone disrupts the thread of time but when Carcer murders John Keel, the man who mentored a young Sam Vimes, the older Vimes must assume Keel’s identity and mentor himself if he is to be the Sam Vimes that he is. Even if time has been disrupted certain events must take place: teaching a young Sam how to be a copper, being the face of a revolution and grabbing hold of Carcer to bring him to justice and back to the timeline they belong in. If Sam fails, the life he knows, will never be or have been.
Oh time travel what a tangled web you weave and Pratchett handles it wonderfully though there were moments that confused me but I think that’s just the nature of time travel and this is Discworld after all. Night Watch is also quite dark and gritty, and I’m often surprised by this at times because the humor and fantasy elements are hilarious and outrageous. Pratchett doesn’t shy away from violence and the truth and motivations behind the mob mentality, rebellions and class warfare. There’s also plenty of light moments and comedy. I don’t know how Pratchett is able to balance everything out but he does. There are moments that make you cringe, nod your head in agreement, stifle a laugh; his books are very engaging.
I really loved seeing the younger versions of Sam, Colon, Nobby and Vetineri. A skinny, street urchin, pickpocket Nobby is the cutest, filthiest thing ever and Vetineri is just as sly and smart as an assasin just as he will be a sly, two-steps-ahead-of-you patrician. And of course, Sam is Sam, always the copper, always determined to do what is right and he has become one of my favorite characters, not just from Discworld, but also from the fantasy genre altogether.
I wasn’t really planning on writing up anything about what books I plan to read this summer. But Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings put up a Mr. Linky and I thought, why not, backlinks are never a bad thing. This will also give me a reason to brag about Venessa.
Barnes and Noble has a summer reading program going on. Read any eight books, record them in the reading journal provided by B&N, bring it it and get a free book. Well, Venessa has already read eight books and is on to her second reading journal with two already added to that! I’m so proud of her. The free book she picked out was Half Magic by Edward Eager. The library also has a summer reading program so she’s been keeping track of her books in the journal they provided. The library gives out stickers each week to mark their progress. She’s reading a mix of graphic novels like the Avatar series and Babymouse, along with some chapter books like the Ivy & Bean series. I also have her read aloud to me. Last week she read Father Bear Comes Home and Little Bear’s Friend to me. These were books I grew up reading and I’ve handed down my battered copies to Venessa. If you’re curious what books make for good reading for an eight year old, I created a shelf on Goodreads with the books Venessa has read so far this summer: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6116848?shelf=venessa-s-summer-reading-2012
As for me, this summer I plan to read Night Watch and Thud! by Terry Pratchett. They are part of the Discworld series so they’ll be read for the Summer In Discworld reading challenge. Currently I’m almost done with Redshirts by John Scalzi. I’m hoping to get to The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson, The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma and A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton. The other day me and a friend were bashing 50 Shades of Grey and it somehow led to how much the Anita Blake books disappointed me. My friend suggested the Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton. He said it’s completely crazy and trashy but no matter how nuts it was he couldn’t stop reading so I will see how that goes with the first book. I will also try to squeeze in The Thief by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott and The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett. The Clive Cussler book has a cover that caught my eye so when I saw it at the library it was an impulse grab. I’ve never read any Cussler so we’ll see how that goes as well.
We’ll see how any of this goes since I’m a mood reader and right now I’ve been feeling like I’m in a reading slump. I haven’t been blown away with my latest reads and it’s been disappointing.
So now it's your turn. Tell me what you will be reading this summer.
