Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett.Publisher's blurb:
Here there be dragons...and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all...).
This was another "shared read" with Donald. I never seem to have as much to say about those as about books I've read on my own. (I'm less likely to take notes and it takes longer to get through a book-- both of which lead to my forgetting anything I'd ordinarily comment upon. ...Which is probably just as well, really.)
My general impression is one of enjoyment. It took me a little while to warm to some of the characters (particularly Vimes, who seemed to be just a drunkard at the beginning)-- and I've never really cared much about dragons, so that aspect didn't hold any special, innate charm for me, either-- but Vimes quickly turned out to be a decent chap. ;o)... And the book's not really "about" dragons (even though it kinda is). Anyway, overall, it's an amusing novel with some laugh-out-loud moments. (That's the benefit of reading with someone else; I'm much more likely to actually laugh than when I read alone.)
Spoilery bit to follow:
I suspected that Carrot would turn out to be the king-- which would be revealed after he'd killed the dragon-- and that he would then be welcomed back with open arms by the dwarfs, be crowned their king (though I guess they already had a king, come to think of it...), and marry Minty. Well, at least I got the "Carrot would turn out to be the king" part right. (g)
(That's it. The spoilery bit is over!)
...And that's about it. Like the other Discworld stories I've read or seen (film adaptation)-- despite the occasional dragon or what-have-you-- this is much less "Fantasy" than a tale of humor that just happens to be set in a land where nearly anything might possibly happen.
