Besides the odd murders of an old preacher and a man who cared for the Dwarven Bread Museum, the Patrician is being poisoned, and the golems, which most people regard as simple automatons, are acting oddly. Our ever-expanding night watch must solve the crimes and also what links them together, all while dealing with the ridiculousness of Discworld.
For the nineteenth novel on Discworld, we return to Ankh-Morpork and especially for the watch. A watch that has grown even larger, and it appears that this expansion is just in time. We meet the Omnian Constable Visit-The-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets, also known simply as constable Visit. We can see the influence Brutha had over the Omnian church from Small Gods with this character. We also have Constable Cheery Littlebottom, the dwarf who becomes their first forensic pathologist, and who isn't happy that all dwarves present themselves as male, and it turns out that she's not the only one.
The book has some similarities to both Guards!Guards! and Men at Arms. Not just because it follows the watch, but also due to a plot to remove the Patrician and install a monarchy. It takes a different tack than those two books, but the idea is a recurring theme for the watch cycle of books. It also plays very much like a police procedural, with Vimes' cynicism taking center stage in the investigations.
Beyond the murder mysteries, poisoning, and coup attempt going on here, there are so many underlying issues and relationships here that it's amazing he can fit so much to enjoy and ponder in a book that is only 357 pages. His books are always funny, but one reason the Discworld novels get more love once we get past the mostly parody stage of the very early volumes, is that Sir Terry gets into some deep subjects in many of his books, and this tome has some of the deepest.
We have the plight of the golems, who are slaves if you get right down to it. They don't need to sleep or eat, so they are worked hard and can perform difficult jobs easily, but because they are created via magic and obey the words in their head, they aren't considered truly alive by most people. Carrot is an exception here early on, but he's not the only one. As someone who abhors the idea of slavery, I have a lot of sympathy for the golems and especially Dorfl, who we get to know the best over the course of this book. People are suspicious of them and even attack them at times despite the lack of proof that the golem in question did anything wrong. This is hauntingly familiar to similar situations on our roundworld. Golems cannot speak, they use slates to communicate, and they have words written by priests on paper inside their heads, so when Dorfl's slate is smashed, he desperately tries to repair it. One thing he points out after that incident is that; 'Words in the heart cannot be taken,' which evokes a strong reaction from the reader. They tried to stop golems from speaking at all, as golems that could speak were considered blasphemy, so they had to rely on using slates to write upon instead. When that mob broke Dorfl's slate, they rendered him voiceless for a time. Something that tyranny always strives to do, to take the voice away from the oppressed, so they stay that way.
Cheery Littlebottom, later known as Cheri Littlebottom, is a dwarf that a lot of trans people relate to directly. This has been all over the internet as something that they wrote to Sir Terry to thank him for, mentioned at conventions, his daughter has discussed it, and it's an important part of the book. With dwarves always presenting a more masculine image, Cheri wants to be more obviously a woman, so she starts dressing more feminine, largely thanks to her friendship with Angua. The only issue here is that Angua is of course a werewolf, and Cheri doesn't like werewolves since her cousin was eaten by one. This will be tested late in the book, but this too is a social commentary. Cheri considers Angua her closest friend and confidant, but Angua has to hide her true nature from her.
Speaking of Angua, her dual nature creates a lot of trying situations for her. Her powerful sense of smell and physical capability is an asset to the watch and to her own well-being, but it also creates a lot of conflicts and difficulties in her relationship with Carrot. Carrot is fine and accepts her as she is, but others are often on edge around her, and that bothers Carrot more than it bothers her. Carrot is one of the most likeable and decent people around, so even that causes some issues in their relationship. Angua has to be constantly aware of who she is, and the limitations and complications as well as the powers she has as a werewolf.
Carrot is the first to demand that golems are people and he challenges those wanting to smash them as word gets out about erratic behavior. At one point Carrot points out that if golems are not people, then they can't commit murder, but if they are people then they need to be treated as such. One of the few times I see him show any kind of negativity is towards Cheri as she wants to be referred to as she instead of he, and to present a more feminine image. Since he was raised by dwarves, he expects them to act like dwarves, so this reveals a blind spot in his otherwise impeccable character. Angua calls him out on it, and even when he is being negative, he's hardly as nasty as some of the other dwarves get, although some of them like the idea and start asking her about her makeup and her now high-heeled boots.
Vimes has to stand up for the common folk as alluded to in the introduction of this review. This too has connotations to our own world. When a couple of poor folk die as a side effect of the poisoning of the Patrician, the reaction of some of the guilty to Vimes' and Carrot's questioning is along the lines of; 'were they important', and 'who?' These reactions do not sit well with either of the questioners. Vimes is from a very poor family originally, so he knows what being in such a situation is like, while Carrot is a fair-minded and decent person, so he loathes acting like they are somehow beneath notice.
Detritus has become one of my favorite Discworld characters at this point. His growth from a simple big guy that hits things into a watchman who still hits things but now does other stuff as well has been such a joy. He is still quite simple, but also likeable and comes off as genuinely good. The fact that a character like this even has such growth is a testament to Sir Terry's narrative skill.
While this book is funny, the humor takes more of a backseat to the plot and social messages here. Sir Terry is always amusing and witty, and this is not the first time he's drawn parallels between the Disc and Earth, but he hits the social commentary hard here. The hardest to date in fact, and the fact that he does so, while still being this enjoyable to read and funny without the issues he brings up getting in the way of a great novel, means that I have to give another of the watch books the top rating.
4 Emancipated golems out of 4.
Some fun quotes:
"There's lots of people will help you with alcohol business, but there's no one out there arranging little meetings where you can stand up and say, 'My name is Sam Vimes and I'm a really suspicious bastard.'"
"It was Carrot who'd suggested to the Patrician that hardened criminals should be given the chance to 'serve the community' by redecorating the homes of the elderly, lending a new terror to old age and, given Ankh-Morpork's crime rate, leading to at least one old lady having her front room wallpapered so many times in six months that now she could only get in sideways."
"There were no public health laws in Ankh-Morpork. It would be like installing smoke detectors in Hell."
Morella is a Gen Xer who likes strange things a bit too much.
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