SPOILERS Men at Arms Discussion **Spoilers**
- Thread starter Tonyblack
- Start date
**Warning**
This thread is for discussing Men at Arms in some depth. If you haven’t read the book then read on at your own risk – or, better still, go and read the book and join in the fun.
For those of us that are going to join in the discussion, here are a few guidelines:
Please feel free to make comparisons to other Discworld books, making sure you identify the book and the passage you are referring to. Others may not be as familiar with the book you are referencing, so think before you post.
Sometimes we’ll need to agree to disagree – only Terry knows for sure what he was thinking when he wrote the books and individuals members may have widely different interpretations – so try to keep the discussion friendly.
We may be discussing a book that you don’t much care for – don’t be put off joining in the discussion. If you didn’t care for the book, then that in itself is a good topic for discussion.
Please note: there is no time limit to this discussion. Please feel free to add to it at any time - especially if you've just read the book.
And finally:
Please endeavour to keep the discussion on topic. If necessary I will step in and steer it back to the original topic – so no digressions please!
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Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
Originally published 1993
Captain Samuel Vimes is leaving the Watch to get married and become a gentleman. Who will be the new leader of the all new multi-species Night Watch? And what about the plot to get rid of the Patrician and replace him with a king? Of course there’s also a deadly weapon on the street, several unsolved murders and the trolls and dwarfs are ready to fight the Battle of Koom Valley (or was it an ambush?) right there in Ankh-Morpork!
Maybe now is not the best time for Sam Vimes to leave the Watch after all.
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There’s ten years between the publication of this book and the last one we discussed (The Wee Free Men) and a further ten years since the publication of the first Discworld book (The Colour of Magic). Ankh-Morpork and Discworld are really becoming recognisable as the places we know and love.
But this is actually only the second Watch book. Only the second time we read about Sam Vimes, Carrot and the rest of the Watch (even if one or two had made cameo appearances in other books). Some of the characters – Vimes and Carrot in particular, have come a long way and developed considerably since Guards! Guards! Indeed, Carrot seems to change before our very eyes in this book.
I enjoyed rereading it.
But what did you think of it?
----------------------------------
Want to write the introduction for the next discussion (Hogfather)? PM me and let me know if you’d like to – first come first served.
This thread is for discussing Men at Arms in some depth. If you haven’t read the book then read on at your own risk – or, better still, go and read the book and join in the fun.
For those of us that are going to join in the discussion, here are a few guidelines:
Please feel free to make comparisons to other Discworld books, making sure you identify the book and the passage you are referring to. Others may not be as familiar with the book you are referencing, so think before you post.
Sometimes we’ll need to agree to disagree – only Terry knows for sure what he was thinking when he wrote the books and individuals members may have widely different interpretations – so try to keep the discussion friendly.
We may be discussing a book that you don’t much care for – don’t be put off joining in the discussion. If you didn’t care for the book, then that in itself is a good topic for discussion.
Please note: there is no time limit to this discussion. Please feel free to add to it at any time - especially if you've just read the book.
And finally:
Please endeavour to keep the discussion on topic. If necessary I will step in and steer it back to the original topic – so no digressions please!
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
Originally published 1993
Captain Samuel Vimes is leaving the Watch to get married and become a gentleman. Who will be the new leader of the all new multi-species Night Watch? And what about the plot to get rid of the Patrician and replace him with a king? Of course there’s also a deadly weapon on the street, several unsolved murders and the trolls and dwarfs are ready to fight the Battle of Koom Valley (or was it an ambush?) right there in Ankh-Morpork!
Maybe now is not the best time for Sam Vimes to leave the Watch after all.
------------------------------------
There’s ten years between the publication of this book and the last one we discussed (The Wee Free Men) and a further ten years since the publication of the first Discworld book (The Colour of Magic). Ankh-Morpork and Discworld are really becoming recognisable as the places we know and love.
But this is actually only the second Watch book. Only the second time we read about Sam Vimes, Carrot and the rest of the Watch (even if one or two had made cameo appearances in other books). Some of the characters – Vimes and Carrot in particular, have come a long way and developed considerably since Guards! Guards! Indeed, Carrot seems to change before our very eyes in this book.
I enjoyed rereading it.
But what did you think of it?
----------------------------------
Want to write the introduction for the next discussion (Hogfather)? PM me and let me know if you’d like to – first come first served.
Likes:
RathDarkblade
I agree. Is it just me, or does anyone else find Tony Robinson's readings very dry? =\ He doesn't put too much "emotion", I guess, into his readings -- that is, his characters all sound very similar.
Likes:
Who's Wee Dug and Tonyblack
His inflection was much the same for all the characters he voiced, I think he was chosen because he was a fan of the Discworld books and films.
Likes:
Ponderstibbons
Hmm - I was wondering which Discworld books Tony Robinson has read, because I remember listening to them in the late '90s (on CD, long before the Discworld films were out ... unless you mean the animated films, Dug?)
So, I googled "Tony Robinson Discworld", and came across this gem of a question:
*falls off his chair laughing*
So, I googled "Tony Robinson Discworld", and came across this gem of a question:
*falls off his chair laughing*
That's fair enough, =Tamar. I also enjoy the printed word very much. But since English is my second language (yes, surprise -- I've 'only' been speaking English for 35 years, but it's not my mother tongue), there are still some jokes and allusions that STP made but which flew right over my head.
So, when I hear Nigel or Stephen read the books (and put the right inflections in the right places), these become much more intelligible and the books become even funnier.
I also enjoy the printed word very much. But since English is my second language (yes, surprise -- I've 'only' been speaking English for 35 years, but it's not my mother tongue), there are still some jokes and allusions that STP made but which flew right over my head.So, when I hear Nigel or Stephen read the books (and put the right inflections in the right places), these become much more intelligible and the books become even funnier.
I've just finished a re-read and now scanned through this thread in an attempt to find an answer to a couple of things bugging me about the book:
Firstly Vimes's (V) chase of Cruces (C) and the number of shots in the gonne.
V has caught up with C in the celler and C is putting a new clip in the gonne.
During the struggle it goes off (1)
V gets the gonne and it goes off "six inch hole appeared in the wall" (2)
V shoots the lock off a door ".. a splinter-bored hole" (3)
V is accosted by an assassin and fires at the ceiling (4)
V runs off "Doors closed again after the gonne fired again" (5)
V shoots off the lock to C's study (6)
There are no shots left in the gonne, so V could not shoot C
Secondly the two rooms - Beano's and D'Eath's share the party wall; I presume they must each be at the end of respective corridors as they would need to be on an outside wall as well or they would not have daylight from a window? (does that make sense?)
Firstly Vimes's (V) chase of Cruces (C) and the number of shots in the gonne.
V has caught up with C in the celler and C is putting a new clip in the gonne.
During the struggle it goes off (1)
V gets the gonne and it goes off "six inch hole appeared in the wall" (2)
V shoots the lock off a door ".. a splinter-bored hole" (3)
V is accosted by an assassin and fires at the ceiling (4)
V runs off "Doors closed again after the gonne fired again" (5)
V shoots off the lock to C's study (6)
There are no shots left in the gonne, so V could not shoot C
Secondly the two rooms - Beano's and D'Eath's share the party wall; I presume they must each be at the end of respective corridors as they would need to be on an outside wall as well or they would not have daylight from a window? (does that make sense?)
I waver among (1) it's a seven-shooter,
(2) the Gonne can manifest bullets when it wants to, and it wants to take over V,
(3) the editor assumed there was something they didn't get and let it go instead of asking.
Yes.
I think the two buildings must overlap only by that one segment of wall, or someone else's room could have been used.
Each room would be a corner room.
(2) the Gonne can manifest bullets when it wants to, and it wants to take over V,
(3) the editor assumed there was something they didn't get and let it go instead of asking.
Yes.
I think the two buildings must overlap only by that one segment of wall, or someone else's room could have been used.
Each room would be a corner room.
Likes:
Tonyblack
Let's see ... *cracks knuckles; craaaaaaaaaaaack*
1. No-one says how many bullets it has, so it doesn't have to be a seven-shooter. It could be eight, nine, ten or however-many-shooter.
2. No-one ever says that the Gonne is NOT a magical artefact (or is it artifact?). So, we can assume that it's at least partly magical. If that's true, it can manifest bullets whenever it wants to.
3. Even if #2 is wrong, we're talking about a world that swims through space on the backs of elephants who stand on the back of a turtle. Not everything has to make sense, especially according to Roundworld physics/logistics/etc.
So, it could be that someone simply goofed.
1. No-one says how many bullets it has, so it doesn't have to be a seven-shooter. It could be eight, nine, ten or however-many-shooter.
2. No-one ever says that the Gonne is NOT a magical artefact (or is it artifact?). So, we can assume that it's at least partly magical. If that's true, it can manifest bullets whenever it wants to.
3. Even if #2 is wrong, we're talking about a world that swims through space on the backs of elephants who stand on the back of a turtle. Not everything has to make sense, especially according to Roundworld physics/logistics/etc.
So, it could be that someone simply goofed.
Whoops, my mistake. *blush* So maybe someone simply goofed?
Though Tony's right; maybe Vimes had another clip. But slotting it into the Gonne would take time.
I think it's an excellent book. Some highlights: commentary on racism, sexism, and advanced mathematics. And then there's Nobby becoming Axel Foley for a bit, Vimes saving Vetinari's life, and the "Hiho" song ("Ook ook ook ook ook oook" simply killed me -- I still can't look at it written down without giggling). What's not to like?
Though Tony's right; maybe Vimes had another clip. But slotting it into the Gonne would take time.
I think it's an excellent book. Some highlights: commentary on racism, sexism, and advanced mathematics. And then there's Nobby becoming Axel Foley for a bit, Vimes saving Vetinari's life, and the "Hiho" song ("Ook ook ook ook ook oook" simply killed me -- I still can't look at it written down without giggling). What's not to like?
