The Fifth Elephant

This book's read, being the fifth entry in the city watch series, I approached fearing a rushed book that was always on the chase, like in Jingo. I was happily surprised by the more personal dimension of the book, albeit still, as the last one, discussing great themes like tradition, different cultures etc..., since I find that's where Pratchett has been shining as an author for me. The only reason I feel I cannot give it five stars is that I would have liked more book in this book, more time for the characters, especially Sybil, and generally a quieter pace for the narrative. Otherwise, as always, it's just a great read I'd totally recommend.

something that always strikes me about the portrayal of policing in Discworld is that the Watch is often portrayed as little better than a nuisance. But for Plot reasons there's always a diabolical scheme brewing in the background that needs Vimes's detective skills to uncover. This ultimately serves as a justification for the continued existence of the Watch. Real life, of course, has no Wolfgangs.

divorced from my distaste for cop apologia, though, it's a very good discworld book.