'Men At Arms' by Terry Pratchett (1993)

For a brief synopsis go here.

For me this is the start of what I think of as 'the really good Discworld novels'! Sam Vimes starts to feature prominently and the politics of Ankh-Morpork are now consistent. Carrot is further explained as is his relationship with Angua. Some events in later books are foreshadowed here and we get an insight into the workings of the Assassins Guild....

This is one of my fasvourite Discworld novels. It starts to feel comforting and familiar; the characters are now behaving consistently which allows for the stories to develop more satisfyingly in the next few novels. Both leonard of Quirm and the patrician himself are more satisfyingly fleshed out in this book. Perhaps not a good starting place for Discworld newbies but a very good read all the same.