⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’ve just finished Night Watch as part of my slow, slightly obsessive chronological read through the Discworld books, and I’ve got to say: this one really stuck with me. Not in a loud, laugh-out-loud-every-page way (though there’s still plenty of Pratchett humour), but in a heavier, more reflective sense that lingered after I closed the book.
By the time you reach Night Watch in order, you already know Sam Vimes pretty well. You’ve seen him at his angriest, his drunkest, his most principled. This book feels like Pratchett turning him inside out and asking, “Right, but how did he actually become that man?” The time-travel setup could have been a gimmick, but instead it becomes an excuse to dig into power, justice, memory, and how fragile revolutions really are. It’s grim in places — darker than a lot of earlier Discworld — but it never loses that sharp, humane wit.
What I really enjoyed was seeing Ankh-Morpork from a different angle. Knowing how the city ends up makes the past feel uncomfortable rather than cosy. There’s a constant sense of inevitability, like history is a weight pressing down on every decision. Pratchett handles that tension brilliantly, especially through Vimes, who’s stuck watching events unfold while desperately wanting to interfere. It made the moral questions feel more personal than abstract: when should you step in? When does doing the “right thing” make everything worse?
That said, this isn’t a five-star read for me, mainly because it’s not always an easy one. It’s dense, emotionally loaded, and less playful than some Discworld novels I love. If I’d picked it up out of order, I think some of the impact would’ve been lost. Reading it chronologically really matters here — the character growth, the callbacks, the sense of culmination all depend on what’s come before. As a “next step” in the series, though, it feels earned and deliberate.
Overall, I’d give Night Watch a solid four stars. It’s thoughtful, angry, funny in a tired, world-weary way, and deeply compassionate underneath it all. Not my absolute favourite Discworld book, but definitely one of the most meaningful so far — and one that makes continuing the journey feel worthwhile.
Gareth Ellis - Author 