At last my Pratchett reread comes to the only Discworld mini-series that rivals the Witches - that of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. Or should I say the only character... It's not the Witches that I love, it's Granny Weatherwax. Similarly Vimes, who is the only character in Discworld that matches Granny for depth and complexity. It's not fully realised in Guards!, of course, but one can see it on the horizon.

Also doing well in this book is the Patrician. His speech to Vimes about how there's no good and evil, only varying shades of evil, is what pushes this book into four star territory for me. Vimes is the most cynical of the Discworld characters, and simultaneously the most idealistic, I think. The first time I read these books I might have said Carrot, but as the books go on it becomes clear - to me at least - that Carrot knows what he is and what he can do, and uses that knowledge ruthlessly. He can be idealistic because the universe wraps around him. Vimes is idealistic almost out of spite towards the things that hurt. That takes more effort, I think.