Even in a universe of infinite possibilities, of wonders splendid and splendours wonderful, it is a constant amazement that a mind such as Terry Pratchett's can exist.
His world, the Discworld -- a flat piece of real estate held up by four patient elephants balancing on the back of a giant, marathon-swimming star turtle -- is home to witches, kings, heroes, villains, gods, demons, devils and DEATH.
And then there's the City Watch.
In the latest Discworld release, The Fifth Elephant, Pratchett again brings us news of our intrepid Ankh Morporkian police force, as they attempt to solve a murder, restore a sacred relic, and secure a treaty for huge amounts of... er... fat.
Really.
In the enlightened Century of the Fruitbat, recruits from all ethnicities are welcome in the Watch. Zombies, trolls, dwarves and werewolves, all, are vigilant prosecutors of illegal crime (as opposed to the legal kind, which they can do nothing about), and Commander Samuel Vimes is at their helm. Vimes -- once a mere commoner, now a Duke married to money so Old it's probably fossilized -- keeps order in the greatest city on the Disc with a single-minded belief in justice, his towering lieutenant Captain Carrot, and a complete disregard for political correctness.
Then Vimes is sent on a diplomatic mission, werewolf Constable Angua runs home to Mummy, the trusted Carrot runs after her, and Ankh Morpork is plunged into a reign of tyre-clamping terror.
The Watch are out of their element, here, and that is always fun. As is the Discworld. Pure, unadulterated, you-can't-do-that-in-fantasy fun.
Not one of the Disc's twenty-four tales of warped wizardry has failed to delight. Even those few that might be considered below par are still unusual, witty, well-plotted and sharp. The allegories Pratchett draws between his fantastical universe and our own are pointed and perceptive (if sometimes a little obvious -- and I'm looking your way, here, The Last Continent), as are his thinly-disguised political observations. And these books have footnotes!
The Fifth Elephant is a return to Discworld greatness. The City Watch stories are consistently witty, wry and topical, and yet there is a new, and rare, ingredient in this one. For Captain Carrott, (six-foot-tall dwarf and rightful heir to the Ankh-Morpork throne -- long story) is in love, and that adds a whole 'nother dimension to both his character, and the book itself. Carrot, less than perfect? Carrot, abandoning his post? Carrot, acting like an idiot? Who said this could happen?
Yet, it works. Pratchett can take a beloved character, make him vulnerable and a little foolish, and make us like him all the more. And, again, make us wonder -- is all really as it seems?
The story here is pretty standard Discworld fare -- dwarves, thrones, machinations and money -- but there is ever something new to discover, ever a twist you couldn't have expected, and always a turn of phrase that will make you laugh out loud. The conclusion kinda sneaks up on you, but is none the less satisfying for all that.
And in Pratchett's freaky, and very funny, world, the best part is the journey that gets us there.
-- Rachel Hyland
The Fifth Elephant, published by Harper Prism, is currently available in hardcover.
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