Guards! Guards!Guards! Guards!
Score Classic
What it's about
In Ankh-Morpork, a smelly, corrupt city of the Discworld, the Night Watch has dwindled to three men: Captain Sam Vimes, a drunk; Sergeant Colon; and Corporal Nobbs. Then a new recruit arrives: Carrot, a six-foot-tall dwarf, raised by dwarves, who takes the law seriously. At the same time, a secret society of incompetent conspirators summons a dragon to help them seize the throne, and it turns out the dragon has its own ideas.
Why it's worth reading
It was a pick on the BBC's Big Read, and it's many fans' favorite way into Terry Pratchett's Discworld. It's a fantasy parody and a story about policing, power and decency.
You'll love it if you liked
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hobbit
American GodsGood to know
It's the eighth Discworld novel, but the first about the City Watch, so it's a perfect starting point.
By the numbers
- Readers93 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller50 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #6 of the 35 humor books we rank
- #64 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #162 of the 762 classics we rank
- #507 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Funny, Uplifting
More by Terry Pratchett
Night Watch
Men at Arms
The Truth
Going PostalIf you like this, read next
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Good Omens
Starter Villain
We Are Legion
The Kaiju Preservation Society
RedshirtsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Guards! Guards! worth reading?
Yes. It was a pick on the BBC's Big Read, and it's many fans' favorite way into Terry Pratchett's Discworld. It ranks #507 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Guards! Guards! about?
In Ankh-Morpork, a smelly, corrupt city of the Discworld, the Night Watch has dwindled to three men: Captain Sam Vimes, a drunk; Sergeant Colon; and Corporal Nobbs. Then a new recruit arrives: Carrot, a six-foot-tall dwarf, raised by dwarves, who takes the law seriously. At the same time, a secret society of incompetent conspirators summons a dragon to help them seize the throne, and it turns out the dragon has its own ideas.
How long does it take to read Guards! Guards!?
About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Guards! Guards!?
If you liked it, try The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien or American Gods by Neil Gaiman.