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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  RachDan | Dec 31, 2009 |  The Fifth Elephant is a neat little political satire, set in the Translvanian-esq Uberwald. Pratchett covers a lot of ground with the material he pokes fun at, and he does it so magnificently. I really, really love the city guard series, and The Fifth Elephant is definitely one of the stronger books in it. (  ) ZanKnits | Dec 29, 2009 | 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. (  ) 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? ( ) 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. (  ) mohi | Jul 5, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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. 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) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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Wikipedia in English (2)
this is another convoluted crime caper, with its fair share of exciting, violent action. There are strong themes of Germanic culture, and the surreal world of diplomacy. the comic strands stem mainly from Colon trying disastrously to captain the city watch, and the tentative attempts by female, bearded dwarves to appear feminine. but this novel isn't nearly as funny as some. It is heavy on plot, but sometimes is weighed down by it. Probably one of the more interesting and even thought-provoking of the Discworld series, but far from my favourite. (