what's next for Vimes?

[prajuvikas]

I was just having a think about how Vimes has progressed all these years and I was wondering what's next for him?
He has done close to everything I can imagine in DW.

So I thought...
Maybe Vimes could arrest a god? (alluded to in Snuff)
Or He could take over Death's duties...That would make him the embodiment of Justice...?

Any other thoughts?

 

[Tonyblack]

I wonder if he'll ever retire. Maybe become a reformer like Sir Robert Peel. He's still got plenty of life in him yet.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Maybe we will get an idea in Raising Steam, he is sure to make an appearance.

 

[The Mad Collector]

I think that Vimes is due a 'background character' role in the next book same as he had in UA, I don't see him as a pivital figure in consecutive Ankh Morpork books anymore much as I like him. Terry wants to tell more of a story of the city

 

[raisindot]

I tend to agree. Snuff was Vimes' last innings as a central protagonist. His character has gone as far as it can go. He's completely self-realized and no longer has any of the fears or flaws or insecurities that made him a compelling character in earlier books. The only possible way another Vimes could be interesting is something catastrophic happened to shake up his world (such as him suddenly losing all of this wealth and having to move his family back to the Shades, or him being falsely accused of a crime a la The Fugitive, or a Night Watch-type time or dimension shift (Hey! Let's call it "The Long Discworld!"). At best he'll be a side character in any of the few DW books Pterry has left.

 

[=Tamar]

Maybe we will get an idea in Raising Steam, he is sure to make an appearance.

According to Sybil, Vimes is supposed to be on a nice, long vacation - so maybe Raising Steam will happen without him. If so, maybe there will be relatively little ordinary licensed crime during it (the guild kept it down when Vimes was away, for fear of what would happen when he returned (T5E)). (Hmm, a new crime-fighting technique - send Vimes away every so often.)

On the other hand, that would free the rest of the Watch to focus on whatever brand new kind of crime appears.

 

[Tonyblack]

With the supposed Watch TV series coming, maybe we are ready for a book with the Watch but with Vimes only playing a nominal role. There are now lots of Watch houses and a whole host of possible new characters that we may get to meet when the TV show takes off.

 

[prajuvikas]

I cannot imagine a watch book with our Vimes....
It feels so wrong!

Regarding Vimes though,
in Snuff, it was established that Vimes would try to do what is moral rather than what is legal.
So what happens if a God commits a crimes? Someone from teh Omnian groups against Witches for e.g.
That could pit Vimes AND granny Weatherwax (maybe even Vetianri) against Om!
And that would so awesome!

 

[=Tamar]

in Snuff, it was established that Vimes would try to do what is moral rather than what is legal.
So what happens if a God commits a crimes? Someone from the Omnian groups against Witches for e.g.

Omnians are not gods. Om is a god but he doesn't interfere personally any more.
Nuggan used to create crime by forbidding normal behavior, but he's dead now.

That could pit Vimes AND granny Weatherwax (maybe even Vetinari) against Om!

Only if Om became personally involved, and he doesn't do that any more. If some other god tried it on, Carrot might be more useful in a direct confrontation than Vimes; in The Last Hero Carrot went to Dunmanifestin and managed to face down the whole boiling lot, using his special technique of saying exactly what he means. Dorfl could also be of some use.

 

[=Tamar]

Thinking again... I've seen a common sequence in most series that have a single main character, and Vimes has completed just about all of it. Rise to the top, marry, offspring, teach someone the job, check - except that he hasn't yet taught anyone how to be Commander, just how to be good watchmen. Come to think of it, I don't think he has yet taught anyone how to watch themselves internally the way he does.

 

[raptornx01]

There is still the question of the death of Vetinari and what happens after. If any story left could be a Vimes story it would be that. With Carrot also being a main point in that ofcourse.