Book #117 of 2017: Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #15)
This second Discworld City Watch novel is an improvement over the first, thanks mostly to some appreciated deepening of the characters of Carrot and Sam Vimes. But it’s still not great, and the satire on affirmative action involving the appointment of fantasy creatures like trolls and dwarves to the Watch struck me as a bit of a comedic misfire.
(Some of the jokes are at people’s intolerance, and that’s fine, but the ones about the stereotypical habits of the ‘ethnics’ themselves are cruel and unnecessary. Did Sir Terry honestly not see anything problematic in making ‘fortune rats’ a dwarven delicacy?)
Not to mention werewolf guardswoman Angua, who is a great new addition, but is often reduced to her sex and subjected to leers from male characters – including, repeatedly, a stray dog. It’s all a bit uncomfortable for a light comedic fantasy novel, and it really detracts from what’s otherwise another fun romp around the Discworld. I know Pratchett can do better than this, and I’m impatient to get to the books where he does.
★★★☆☆
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 