Review: Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

It was with a little bit of shock, and a lot of delight, that I discovered last year that Terry Pratchett's Night Watch was to be published as a modern classic. The first Pratchett novel to be bestowed the honour, it has a suitably Penguin Modern Classic's cover, complete with quotes from acclaimed authors, while the picture--though different from the original--retains a distinct Pratchett look about it.

The twenty-ninth book in the Discworld series, Night Watch concerns itself with Sam Vimes, who whilst chasing a very nasty crook, finds himself propelled back into the past and working along his much younger self. In order to return home and to his own timeline--where his wife is about to give birth--Vimes must set about carefully making sure that he does no harm, that the events transpire in a certain way and that he catches the crook. 

Night Watch proved itself to be an interesting read. The novel was somewhat more serious than some of Pratchett's other works and I suspect this is the reason it was chosen as a Modern Classic. It was also enjoyable having my expectations for what makes a Pratchett/Discworld novel challenged. That said, I did not really find anything about this one to be terribly remarkable--I can think of Pratchett novels ahead of this one that I would have rather seen published as a modern classic and would probably have wider appeal. (Hogfather for example.)

Overall, it is a an entertaining read about what happens when the past and present collide.

Recommended.

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