Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but not as good as others
Review: I've found every book in this series to be funny, entertaining, and an enjoyable read. That said, if I had to rank this book compared to the others in the series, I'd have to put it on the low end. Pratchett generally keeps the stories fresh by cycling between his large cast of Discworld characters from one book to the next, but this book had too much of a "been there, done that" feel to it.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't compare him to Douglas Adams
Review: The only thing that is alike about Pratchett and Adams is the fact that they're both English... okay and funny. I think this novel, the first of the series I have read, is highly entertaining, funny, and a pretty clear opinion of our own little western civilization. It doesn't take a harty philosophical view of why we exist in this planet, but puts a rather antique twist to modern complexities. Pratchett's talent, I believe, is his ability to not take all of our politics, traditions, and prejudices too seriously--he simply points out that we don't all agree, and no matter where you go, there is going to be someone who just doesn't like you for whatever reason. And the book is really is entertaining on top of that! The dialogue comes very naturally, and the characters are extremely likeable (especially the Igor clan). From other reviews I have read about this book, some of these characters pop up in the other Discworld novels and that's incentive enough for me to enjoy another one or two of thix. Sorry, I had to.
Rating: 
Summary: Great
Review: Simply one of the best books I've ever read. A mystery, a comedy, a drama, and sci-fi all rolled into one. Pratchett out did himself with this one. Fantasy can often take itself too seriously (or not seriously enough). This book doesn't even bother except in regards to storyline which stays compeling throughout every page. Pratchett is a craftman, not just a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Funny - in a Monty Python sort of way
Review: Funny and fast read. Very entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Possibly the Best of Discworld
Review: For those of you who aren't familiar with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, you have been missing quite a bit. Not only has he managed to keep the humor and overall quality of his writing at a high level through the years, but he manages to get a new book out every eight months or so. A big plus if you follow his work.
The Fifth Elephant is part the "Watch" series within the Discworld collection. It follows the exploits of Commander Vimes(recently promoted to Duke), Captain Carrot, and the rest of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. This book is the follow-up to "Jingo", and Vimes is currently adjusting to his new role as a nobleman in the city. One of his newly appointed duties is to travel to the neighboring land of Uberwald, where the dwarves are about to crown a new king. Vimes reluctantly agrees to go, despite his general loathing for the nobility in general. The ironic part being that he is now a part of that same nobility, which is a constant source of irritation for him, and a source of amusement for the reader. Of course, this being a Pratchett book, nothing goes according to plan and Vimes finds himself thwarting an assassination plot and uncovering a conspiracy among the dwarf and vampire clans in addition to being forced to "rub elbows" with the werewolves, vampires, and dwarfs of Uberwald.
This is one of the rare books you will read that is as funny as it is well written. For those of you collecting the series, this falls between Jingo and Night Watch and is my personal favorite of the series.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Once an author is turning out a novel a year in a growing series he can be forgiven for getting rather stale. That isn't really a problem with Terry Pratchett: his output can be a bit uneven but overall the Discworld fantasies just seem to be getting better, and "The Fifth Elephant" is one of the best.
The wonderful Sam Vimes - clever, upwardly mobile but basically honest and down-to-earth chief of police of Ankh-Morpork - is sent with his aristocratic wife on a diplomatic mission to troubled realm of Uberwald. Why did the city's ruler Lord Vetinari, a man who could give Machiavelli lessons in deviousness, chose Vimes of all people for this delicate task? What exactly is going on in Uberwald, where the uneasy balance of power between dwarves, werewolves, and vampires seems to be breaking down? All is revealed in a book that is both dark and humorous, engrossing and highly entertaining.
Many of the usual characters we have come to know from the Discworld novels are here, and trying to make the best of an unfamiliar and threatening place and understand the peoples and their politics.
Once again Pratchett is the master not only of plot and character but also of the little aside, the fascinating but not overdone individual, the sly and amusing reference. We learn, for instance, that it is a social blunder to use the word "bath" to an upper-class werewolf when he is in human form, it makes him uncomfortable. We are introduced to a vampire equivalent of AA where members help each other keep off the human blood and get through "vun night at a time". We discover that the Low King of the Dwarves must be crowned sitting on a large, hard item called the great Scone of Stone - a clever one this, referring not only to the durability and lethal solidity of dwarfish bread as explained in previous novels but also to the Stone of Scone (pronounced "Skoon") on which for centuries the kings of Scotland were crowned. And much more...
If you know the characters you will enjoy the book even more, but Pratchett newbies could find a worse place to start than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Vimes goes to Uberwald!
Review: While this book is a "Watch" book, it seemed almost a kind of weird continuation from "Carpe Jugulum." Yes, there were vampires here, but more so in the background and more of a good type - on the side of justice so to speak (a rare sight before). Here we see also the beginnings the vampire equivalent of AA and other support groups (this is even better developed in a later book "The Truth"). But this book focuses more on the Uberwald dwarves and werewolves. This book is good, too. Even better than Carpe Jugulum because of one good point: Igors. Igors are seemingly everywhere and as quiet and nonchalant and funny as ever. I would recommend reading this book if only to read about Igor and his "family." They are the best of the new characters. Unfortunately, while Igors and Lady MArgolotta the vampire were good characters, the dwarves and werewolves were not my favorites. The Ankh-Morpork dwarves can be funny even in their obsessions, like gold, the Uberwald dwarves were fairly mean and humorless and not likeable at all. I wouldn't miss not hearing about them for a long time. The same goes for the werewolves - they are a match for the elves as my least favorite type of species (except Angua, of course). What have they to recommend them? They are not devoid of humor like the dwarves, just morals. Enough with the Game and the killing - it got a bit old. How strong are they, and why? They seemed to have even vampires beat. Even the real wolf Gavin was a better character (OK, he was pretty good). Vimes was his usual interesting self as was his wife Sibyl. The scenery was good, as were the political repartees and the way Vimes gets his "revenge" of a sort with unexpected "help" from unexpected quarters. But, though he outsmarts Wolf, why do all the humans keep stupidly throwing themselves at werewolves? I suppose Carrot had to do it to give Gavin a chance to jump in and help, but why does Vimes not use Detritus more? A troll can resist a werewolf. Why didn't Vimes just send in Detritus with his bow and blow up the werewolf castle? It's not as if that would really killed anyone? Maybe, because of the prejudice against trolls there? Or maybe that would have upstaged Vimes too much? I am sure there was a reason, but I would have just gone for a frontal assault. But I suppose that is the point - Vimes keeps us guessing, and, in the end, even Wolf couldn't keep up with his devious plans. Hey! That's why Vimes is a commander and diplomat. Lastly, let us not forget the fat mining. That was a funny addition, too: Vimes telling the Low King that all he wanted for Ankh-Morporkh was fat. A very good book - thanks mostly to Vimes and the Igors.
Rating:
Summary: Dwarves.. Excellent!
Review: I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is really good. Although this episode was a bit... different than I had expected, it still was very entertaining. When I picked this book up, and read a bit of it before purchasing, I was hoping that it'd be a hilarious look into the lives of the dwarves, their customs, and their life as almost a religion itself. What it turned out to be was a story about a crime, and the man to solve it was, as expected, Vimes. With several "sidekicks," Vimes sets off to solve a murder case in Ankh-Morpork, and ends up being an ambassador for the whole of the city when he is forced to go to Bonk to attend the coronation of the new dwarf king, and serve as secret detective to try to find the missing Dwarf relic, the Scone of Stone. While there, he runs into several other problems, mostly concerning werewolves... Quite tough werewolves. You can never forget Igors, too. There are plenty Igor sections, and they are all like you'd expect an Igor; helpful, loyal, and full of stitches. Excellent.. This story may not be his funniest, but is still very entertaining and full of imagery. I enjoyed every aspect of this story, although some werewolf moments near the end were a tad drawn out, and the ending is pretty good, too, except for the very last line. (I don't understand what it now relates to, but oh well..) You should probably go pick this one up now, if you haven't already.
Rating:
Summary: Yet Another Excellent Book of the Watch
Review: This is the 24th of Pratchett's Discworld series. In this one, Pratchett uproots the Watch and has it visit Uberwald. While there, Mr. Vimes meets and old friend of the Patrician and the family of Angua. Like most of the other Watch books, this one's far more "serious" and deeper than standard Discword fare. It reads more like a romantic adventure mystery than a comedy and has a very emotionally satisfying ending. An excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: I admit that this is one book that probably doesn't need another review to praise it, but it is just so hard *not* to recommend The 5th Elephant. If you carry it around (esp the hardcover edition) you'll get strange looks from people wondering what kind of weird book you're reading, saying, "Isn't that the Fifth *Element* with Bruce Willis?"
But nothing could be farther from the truth. With its colorful characters, nonstop action, and zany settings Pratchett has once again made Ankh-Morpork and Discworld a wonderful place to get away to. Sometimes the British humor is a little odd for American readers to get used to, but nevertheless is always amusing. A wonderful way to get to know a wonderful fantasy series.
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