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pratchettfan recommends Zwerg und Überzwerg: Die große Erzferkelprophezeiung by Christian von Aster

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▾Member reviews

English (26) Polish (1) German (1) All languages (28)

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Showing 1-5 of 26 (next | show all)

A thriller set in Ankh-Morpork and Uberwald. Uberwald is a cross between pre-Bismark Germany and pre-revolutionary Russia, really a set of city states and spheres of influence. Under ground the new Low King of the Dwarfs is experiencing internal troubles in a parody of the struggle between secularism and religious fundamentalism in the islamic world.

In to this cauldron Lord Vetinari sends plain speaking copper Sam Vimes as an ambassador. Sam, of course, triumphs as his values are superior. Underlying all of Pratchett's 'satire', it seems to me, is a classically condescending British belief that we should be tolerant of all cultures and races until they see the error of their ways and become just like us.

Features a large role for Angua as her family, the Von Uberwalds, are werewoves, who are planning a Nazi style coup d'état. This is not one of my favourite Discworld books, but it has some good jokes. (

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Greatrakes | Oct 18, 2009 |

Now this one I think has a little for everyone. No Rincewind this time, but there are Dwarves, Trolls, Vampires, Werewolves, humans, and the random talking dog. It's the time of the crowning of the Low King and Ankh-Morpork needs to send a representative to the crowning. Who better suited than Commander Vimes or is that Duke Vimes? The question is, will he survive what Überwald has in store for him? And while the cats away, will Ankh-Morpork stay afloat with the friendly, but woefully incompetent Colon in charge? (

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ravenwood0001 | Aug 20, 2009 |

Vimes vs. Werewolves. A somewhat mediocre entry in the Watch books, though saved by its exploration of the neglected Uberwald part of the Discworld. (

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mohi | Jul 5, 2009 |

Yet another Terry Pratchett book. Specifically, another City Watch book, though much of this one takes place in Überwald. No witches are visible, though there are plenty of werewolves, dwarves, vampires, and Igors.

There is, as usual, a good story. Being a City Watch book, it's largely a detective story, with the details swirling around the coronation of a new dwarven king, a very revered piece of dwarf bread, and the politics of the region, including the involvement of Sergeant Angua's parents. And, of course, plenty of very funny bits; Pratchett has a tendency to make me laugh out loud while on the bus.

I had worried that Terry Pratchett was losing his plain humor in being overly satirical, but The Fifth Elephant is merely a funny, well-told story with satirical elements running through some of the details. (Well, "politics" is a pretty big detail, but still...)

Yet another Terry Pratchett book I'm happy to add to my collection.

asciiphil | Dec 9, 2008 |

Another good Pratchett book focusing on race relations, patriotism, and changes towards acceptance and greater tolerance towards others. The first half of the book is the best, as Vimes and his watch are slowly clued in to how diplomacy works. As they catch on, the story slows a bit, but not enough to cause any interruptions in the story. Overall, another nice story from Pratchett. (

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ironicqueery | Aug 1, 2008 |

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▾Common Knowledge

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Series (with order)

Discworld (24)

Discworld: City Watch (5)

Canonical Title

The Fifth Elephant

Original publication date

1999

People/Characters

Important places

Überwald, Discworld

Discworld

Ankh-Morpork, Discworld

Important events

Awards and honors

BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 153)

Gaylactic Spectrum Nominee (Novel, 2001)

Epigraph

Dedication

Many thanks to Peter Bleackley for his help with the dwarf opera Bloodaxe and Ironhammer, which was probably a lot better in his version (and had a lot more songs about gold).

First words

They say the world is flat and supported on the back of four elephants who themselves stand on the back of a giant turtle.

Quotations

Sam Vimes could parallel process. Most husbands can. They learn to follow their own line of thought while at the same time listening to what their wives say. And the listening is important, because at any time they could be challenged and must be ready to quote the last sentence in full. A vital additional skill is being able to scan the dialogue for telltale phrases such as "and they can deliver it tomorrow" or "so I've invited them for dinner?" or "they can do it in blue, really quite cheaply."

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

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▾Common Knowledge (short form)

Canonical title	The Fifth Elephant
Original publication date	1999
Series	Discworld (24), Discworld: City Watch (5)
People/Characters	Sam Vimes (Commander), Carrot Ironfoundersson (Captain), Fred Colon (Sergeant), Nobby Nobbs (Corporal), Lady Sybil Ramkin Vimes, Angua von Überwald (Constable) (show all 19)
Important places	Überwald, Discworld, Discworld, Ankh-Morpork, Discworld
Awards and honors	BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 153), Gaylactic Spectrum Nominee (Novel, 2001)
Dedication	Many thanks to Peter Bleackley for his help with the dwarf opera Bloodaxe and Ironhammer, which was probably a lot better in his version (and had a lot more songs about gold).
First words	They say the world is flat and supported on the back of four elephants who themselves stand on the back of a giant turtle.
Quotations	Sam Vimes could parallel process. Most husbands can. They learn to follow their own line of thought while at the same time listening to what their wives say. And the listening is important, because at any time they could be c... (show all)

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com (ISBN 0061020400, Mass Market Paperback)

Terry Pratchett has a seemingly endless capacity for generating inventively comic novels about the Discworld and its inhabitants, but there is in the hearts of most of his admirers a particular place for those novels that feature the hard-bitten captain of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, Samuel Vimes. Sent as ambassador to the Northern principality of Uberwald where they mine gold, iron, and fat--but never silver--he is caught up in an uneasy truce between dwarfs, werewolves, and vampires in the theft of the Scone of Stone (a particularly important piece of dwarf bread) and in the old werewolf custom of giving humans a short start in the hunt and then cheating.

Pratchett is always at his best when the comedy is combined with a real sense of jeopardy that even favorite characters might be hurt if there was a good joke in it. As always, the most unlikely things crop up as the subjects of gags--Chekhov, grand opera, the Caine Mutiny--and as always there are remorselessly funny gags about the inevitability of story:

They say that the fifth elephant came screaming and trumpeting through the atmosphere of the young world all those years ago and landed hard enough to split continents and raise mountains.
No one actually saw it land, which raised the interesting philosophical question: when millions of tons of angry elephant come spinning through the sky, and there is no one to hear it, does it--philosophically speaking--make a noise?
As for the dwarfs, whose legend it is, and who mine a lot deeper than other people, they say that there is a grain of truth in it.

All this, the usual guest appearances, and Gaspode the Wonder Dog. --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:10 -0400)

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