Book · 1989
Guards! Guards!
by Terry Pratchett
A drunk watch captain and his misfit City Watch have to stop a summoned dragon nobody in charge takes seriously.
What does Reddit think of Guards! Guards!?
Guards! Guards! sits at 655 mentions, split across r/suggestmeabook (328), r/Fantasy (253), and a smaller r/printSF contingent (74). The recommendation is remarkably uncontested for a 40-plus-book series: start here. One thread (↑252) says so directly, waving off talk of 'the Embuggerance' supposedly souring later Discworld. What people quote back is the satire, specifically the dedication (↑152, ↑144) mocking every fantasy guard whose job is to 'rush into the room... and be slaughtered,' this book makes that joke the plot. The cast gets described as 'fairly incompetent city guards' just 'collecting a paycheck,' explicitly 'a long way from Stormlight Archive heroes' (↑301). That's not a knock; it's the premise. r/Fantasy calls the whole series accessible to teens without talking down to them, 'funny and deep' at once (↑247), and one rundown (↑170) lists everything Discworld covers, sci-fi, mystery, ethics, gender, politics, short of, in its words, 'spicy sex scenes.'
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · genre-trope satire (the guards who are meant to lose)
- · Discworld's entry-point problem despite being the recommended start
- · humor paired with real thematic weight
- · measured against 'chosen one' epics like Stormlight Archive
Common praise
- + The series' satire lands specifically: one heavily-quoted passage (↑152, ↑144) skewers the genre convention where guards exist only to 'rush into the room... and be slaughtered,' and Guards! Guards! is credited as the book that flips that trope.
- + r/Fantasy calls Discworld 'very accessible to teens but don't talk down to them at all,' crediting the satire with being 'both funny and deep' (↑247).
- + One comment (↑170) rattles off everything the Discworld series covers, sci-fi, mystery, comedy, ethics, religion, gender, politics, joking the only thing missing is 'spicy sex scenes.'
Common criticism
- − Discworld's sheer size scares people off before they start; one comment (↑247) admits the whole series 'can be very intimidating since it's a collection of over 40 books.'
- − There's real disagreement about the series' late-book quality, with one thread (↑252) name-checking 'the Embuggerance' as the supposed cause of a decline, even though that commenter personally doesn't buy it.
Who it's for
Discworld's 40-plus books are intimidating until you know where to start, and r/Fantasy names this one as the entry point repeatedly (↑247, ↑252). You get comedy that doesn't sand down its own teeth: satire on morals, religion, gender, and politics sits right next to jokes about incompetent watchmen, per one rundown of the whole series (↑170). Prefer chosen-one power fantasies like Stormlight Archive? This is deliberately the opposite: a squad 'collecting a paycheck,' not saving the world (↑301). Teens and adults get the same book without a watered-down version, which is rarer than it sounds.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Guards! Guards!?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
““Noble dragons don't have friends. The nearest they can get to the idea is an enemy who is still alive.” ― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! “Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.” ― Terry Pratchett, Jingo
“Guards! Guards! is about a group of fairly incompetent city guards in a city with a lot of problems. Evil cults, rebellions, dragons... but they're just collecting a paycheck. They do end up being pretty important, but they're a long way from Stormlight Archive heroes. Also it's Terry Patchet
“# DISCWORLD Some blame The Embuggerance for a supposed change or decline in quality for the last few books, but personally, I don't see it. Start with "Guards! Guards!" and enjoy!
“Terry Pratchett's *Discworld* is perfect for this. His books are very accessible to teens but don't talk down to them at all, and their satirical nature makes them run both funny and deep. If you're not familiar with it, *Discworld* can be very intimidating since it's a collection of over 40 books, …
“This might be a _few_ more than ten. J. R. R. Tolkien's {{The Hobbit}} and {{The Lord of the Rings}} essentially created the modern genre of fantasy. There's a reason for that: they're incredible books. {{Bridge of Birds}} by Barry Hughart is the first of three books in that series, and it won the…
“The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett! They have everything! Sci-fi, fantasy, murder, mystery, drama, comedy, parody, deep discussions on morals, ethics, religion, gender and politics, YA, love stories, fables, bad dad puns and so much more! The only thing they don’t really have is spicy sex s…
“> They may be called the Palace Guard, the City Guard, or the Patrol. Whatever the name, their purpose in any work of heroic fantasy is identical: it is, round about Chapter Three (or ten minutes into the film) to rush into the room, attack the hero one at a time, and be slaughtered. No one ever ask…
“Astonished no one has yet mentioned Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards! This is its dedication: They may be called the Palace Guard, the City Guard, or the Patrol. Whatever the name, their purpose in any work of heroic fantasy is identical: it is, round about Chapter Three (or ten minutes into the fi…
Convinced? Pick up Guards! Guards!
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Guards! Guards! — counted from the comments, not curated.
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Mort
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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Kings of the Wyld
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Guards! Guards! — frequently asked
Is Guards! Guards! the best place to start reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld?+
Yes, per repeated r/Fantasy recommendation. One thread (↑252) says explicitly: 'Start with Guards! Guards! and enjoy,' dismissing complaints about later Discworld decline as overstated. Given the series runs past 40 books (↑247), this is the low-intimidation entry point Reddit keeps pointing to.
Is Guards! Guards! appropriate for teenage readers?+
Yes. One comment (↑247) says Discworld is 'very accessible to teens but don't talk down to them at all,' crediting the satire with staying 'funny and deep' regardless of the reader's age. That same comment warns the wider series can feel intimidating past 40 books, but Guards! Guards! itself isn't the barrier.
What is Guards! Guards! actually satirizing?+
The disposable-guard trope in heroic fantasy. A widely quoted dedication (↑152, ↑144) mocks how palace or city guards exist in most fantasy just to 'rush into the room... attack the hero one at a time, and be slaughtered,' Guards! Guards! makes that joke the premise.
Are the guards in Guards! Guards! actually competent heroes?+
No, and that's the point. One comment (↑301) describes them as 'fairly incompetent city guards' who are mostly 'collecting a paycheck,' a long way from 'Stormlight Archive heroes,' even though they end up mattering anyway.