Men at Arms

“If the Creator had said, “Let there be light” in Ankh-Morpork, he'd have got no further because of all the people saying “What colour?”

On the Disc, Ankh-Morpork is the place to be. The books featuring the City Watch are part of the background, history, and atmosphere of the city. For this installment of the subseries, Corporal Carrot beats the odds to solve a series of murders, seemingly with the entire city against him. Meanwhile, old-timer, Captain Vimes, is stressing over his upcoming nuptials and his promise to his bride-to-be that he's leaving the Watch.

This is notable because a book or so later, the subseries became Vimes-centric, an unusual choice to make the mentor-type character the focus instead of keeping it on Carrot, the young, charismatic hero. But Discworld never goes where you expect.

This is the book that introduces the stream of recruits representing various races of the Disc, including dwarfs and trolls, those two always-warring groups. Angua and Detritus make their debut here.

You can't beat Pratchett and the Discworld series for funny dialogue and characters that feel real. Every page has an entertaining exchange and the pace never dips

“Have - have you got an appointment?' he said.
‘I don't know,' said Carrot. ‘Have we got an appointment?'
‘I've got an iron ball with spikes on,' Nobby volunteered.
‘That's a morningstar, Nobby.'
‘Is it?'
‘Yes,' said Carrot. ‘An appointment is an engagement to see someone, while a morningstar is a large lump of metal used for viciously crushing skulls. It is important not to confuse the two, isn't it, Mr-?' He raised his eyebrows.
‘Boffo, sir. But-‘
‘So if you could perhaps run along and tell Dr Whiteface we're here with an iron ball with spi- What am I saying? I mean, without an appointment to see him? Please? Thank you.”

I love that you can pick up any book of Discworld, start reading and not feel too lost. There's enough in the exposition to get you caught up and it's otherwise entertaining enough that you can fill in the blanks, or you're having too much fun to care about what you missed. I do think reading Guards! Guards! would be helpful though, for setting up Carrot's background, Vimes past, and the evolution of the City Watch.

Guards! Guards! was the first Discworld book I read and it's a terrific introduction to Carrot, Vimes, and the Watch. Men at Arms improves on the model—the plot moves faster, the characters get new layers, and the new additions to the watch, and the series, are a delight.