“Things are different here,” sir, said Carrot. “It wasn’t until ten years ago they replaced trial by ordeal with trial by lawyer, and that was only because they found that lawyers were nastier.”
Book 24 in the Discworld series, Book 5 in the City Watch subseries.
Sam Vimes has been through a lot in his days as a copper on the streets of Ankh-Morkpork. But this time he isn’t in Ankh-Morpork, and he isn’t a copper. He is in Überwald, and he is there as an ambassador for Ankh-Morpork in his role as the Duke of Ankh, a position with no real authority, a lot of forced conventions, diplomacy and, worst of all, tights to be worn with the ceremonial ducal outfit that doesn’t even include a good old-fashioned sword to swing at his enemies, of which he turns out to have surprisingly many considering that Vimes has never been in Überwald before.
The dwarfs of Überwald, many of whom are the fathers and, although they don’t like to admit it, in some cases also the mothers of the dwarfs in Ankh-Morpork, are in a barely concealed panic as they are about to crown a new Low King of the Dwarfs, and definitely are not in any way missing a very important artefact required for the coronation.
Meanwhile, Angua and Carrot reach a pivotal point in their relationship, and Gaspode the dog learns some important lessons about the differences between dogs, wolves, werewolves and humans. Detritus becomes cultural attaché to Ankh-Morpork. Littlebottom learns that the right to choose includes the right not to choose. Vimes encounters Death. Lady Sibyl has an important announcement to make.
Back in Ankh-Morkpork Colon is left in charge of the City Watch. Even the best of men can be corrupted by a sudden taste of power, and as Colon is very far from the best of men on any given day, the situation is bound to go to his head and from there spiral completely out of control in a way that will definitely require the very best of men to fix.
And the werewolves of Überwald are about to learn an important lesson: You can take the man out of Ank-Morkpork, but you can’t take Ankh-Morkpork out of Sam Vimes.
Fantasy – Humour – Satire
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