This book is excellent! It is a LOT darker than previous discworld books, although the guards series have been heading this way. It isn't a fantasy book (although I don't think the discworld series has been for a while). Vimes is sent back in time, to a Ankh Morpork which doesn't have dwarves, trolls etc, and so it is a story with Vimes very definitely the central character - there aren't humorous equal-opportunity side shows. As Ankh Morpork slides towards civil war Pratchett revisits some of the themes investigated in Jingo (how to steer a decent path through mobs, political manipulation, military incompetence), but unpicks the themes more thoroughly and effectively. You need to read… Read more
