Rating: 
Summary: Political Disc
Review: The Fifth Elephant is the latest Discworld book that features the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork, a city on the Disc. The City Watch books have always been my favourite Discworld books, mainly because of the characters. There's the wonderful character of Vimes, who is head of the Watch. He's cynical but fair-minded, always thinking the worst of things, but doing his best to make the city the best it can be. Then there's Captain Carrot, a human who was raised by dwarfs and considers himself one. Even the incidental characters have wonderful moments. This fifth book in the series is probably the best since the original, "Guards, Guards." It was wonderfully funny with lots of good character bits. In this book, Commander Vimes (a recent addition to the nobility of the city) is sent to attend the coronation of the new Dwarf "King." Vimes is new to all of this "politics" stuff, as he generally sees himself as a cop first, and a good one. He feels out of his element in this new political arena. Of course, that's why the head of the city, Patrician Vetinari, has sent him on this mission. In going to this coronation, Vimes stumbles upon a plot between a family of werewolves and some of the dwarfs who don't quite like the way society is being liberalized (i.e. dwarfs actually showing that they're female by wearing dresses and jewelry, dwarfs going to the city of Ankh-Morpork to find better lives, etc). They plan to disrupt the coronation, and Vimes finds himself having to stop them. There are two sub plots in the book, one related, and one seeming to be there just to give some characters something to do. The first one involves Carrot and his girl-wolf, Angua. Angua was supposed to go on this mission with Vimes, but she has disappeared. Carrot enlists the aid of the talking dog, Gaspode, to track her. This plot does end up meeting with the main plot, which is a good thing. Carrot is well portrayed, a combination of innocence, grim determination and genuine (if innocent) caring for Angua. You can see in his actions what he thinks of her, even though he generally can't bring himself to say anything. It's a fairly interesting subplot, especially when it ends up dovetailing with the Vimes plot. The same can't be said for the second subplot, though. It's clearly there just to give some of the other characters a chore. Sgt. Colon, one of the founding members of the Watch (but by no means the most intelligent), finds himself left in charge with Vimes and Carrot gone. This authority, along with a looming paranoia, start to degrade the Watch. He starts watching everybody with a growing intensity, alienating everybody. This plot has its funny moments and involves some of the other Watch characters (Shoe, the zombie; Visit, the religious fanatic; Nobby, the weird one). However, it can't help but feel like filler. I don't know whether it was intended to add to the page count or if it was supposed to give the other characters something to do. Either way, it feels wasted and tacked on. Despite that, the book is a great addition to the mythos. It's hilarious, with wonderful character moments (a vampire on AA?) and a great plot. Unlike the previous books, there doesn't appear to be an overall message to the book (Jingo was anti-war, for example), but it doesn't suffer from that. Sometimes, you just have to tell a good story, and this one does. Watching Vimes try to adjust to his new life and mission is worth the price of admission alone. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Detritus, the main troll in the Watch. He is the best character in the series, no matter how much or little he is in it. He doesn't have a very large part in The Fifth Elephant, but he lights up the scene whenever he's in there. This is a great book. It also stands alone pretty well. While it is certainly better to read them in order, you won't be missing anything if this is the first one. You don't want to miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Good book with excelent re-readability
Review: I've owned this book for a while and I recently re-discovered it on my bookshelf and I just could not put it down till I'd re-read it. I certainly think the book deserves a re-read or two. This is a great Discworld book full of details of discworld. The watch is back. Trouble in the Uberwald sends Vimes, Cherry and Detritus to the coronation of the new Dwarf King. Meanwhile Carrot and Agnes are having some problems, which leaves Sergeant Colon next in line for promotion to head of the watch.... This is a great story, full of humor, politics and plot twists. So easy to read I picked up the book and I read it without putting it down. It has more of a political tone compared with the watches last outing (Jingo), which was more of an adventure. The fifth elephant expands the disk word by padding out the dwarfs and giving incite to the Uberwald (expect more books from the Uberwald) It's a good book if your just coming into the disk world books and a Great book if your following the disk world series
Rating: 
Summary: Not all that
Review: I love Discworld, and 5th Elephant was entertaining, but it doesn't stand out as one of his better books. The giggles are few and far between, and you get the feeling the book carried on for a good fifty pages after what seemed like the true ending.
Rating: 
Summary: A return to form in the Discworld series
Review: Better than Carpe Jugulum, which I read at the same time. (It at least has many more footnotes, which is a sign of quality in any Discworld book.) It features Vimes of the Watch being sent on a diplomatic mission to witness the coronation amongst the dwarves and subsequently to solve a crime with vampires and werewolves about. This seemed to be a livelier and more varied book. Vimes is a fairly interesting character that hasn't been overused yet. And there are some good lines. I seem to remember one about Vimes falling asleep among wolves and awaking, surprised to find he still has his arms and legs-the actual phrasing is a typical Pratchett twist that unfortunately I can't recall.
Rating:
Summary: It is very Pratchetty
Review: The Fifth Elephant is Practhett at his best. For the uninitiated, the Discworld is a fantasy world, inhabited by all sorts of creatures--dwarfs, vampires, humans, etc, which all have very "human" traits. Pratchett's novels usually focus on one concept/idea which he disects in a very direct, funny way. The Fifth Elephant is about politics, diplomacy and war. Captain Vimes is sent to Uberwald (the country of the dwarves, werewolves and vampires) for the coronation of the dwarf king. He is supposed to be the ambassador of his city, Ankh-Morpork to make sure that the interests of the city and the Patrician are defended. However, someone is trying to sabotage the coronation by stealing a relic with an enormous symbolic meaning for teh dwarves. Vimes has no choice but to go back to his police work and investigate the "mystery" In a typical Pratchett style, the novel is hilarious, yet quite serios. While Vimes and the guards are recurring character in his novels, new readers will have no problem picking the story up and enjoying it tremendously. It is a good crime novel as well. And last but not least, it is full of briliant observations including: "He'd noticed that sex bore some resemblance to cookery: It fascinated people, they sometimes bought books full of complicated recipies and interesting pictures, and sometimes when they were really hungry they created vast banquets in their imagination--but at the end of the day they'd settle quite happily for egg and chips, if it was well done and maybe had a slice of tomato."
Rating:
Summary: The Fifth Elephant
Review: In order to save a kingdom, Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Mor-Pork guard must go to Uberwald and unite a broken country. But while he is gone, the guard falls apart and unlicensed thieves steal from everyone in town. While Vimes is gone he has some problems of his own concerning ruby studded tights werewolves vampires and the Uberwald hierarchy. I recommend this book to anyone who likes humorous fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the Best!
Review: This book is the best Terry Pratchett book yet! It is realy funny, it has a really good mix of Sherlok Holmes, Lord of the Rings and a huge dollop of humor. A few people I know say that the humor is forced, and there is no good plot, but I don't think so. The plot leaves you guessing right till the end. I have read nearly all the Discworld books, and I have to say this is the best so far!
Rating:
Summary: Beyond the Masks of Lies Lie the Truth
Review: The aford mention title of this review is probably the the closest analogy to Terry Pratchett's "The Fifth Eleplant". This is a commical advanture about the famous Ankh-Morpork's city watch with Vimes, Carrot, Angua, and of course Lady Sybil. Although I have not read some of the newer novels (waiting for the shipping) this is one of the most well developed Guards series of books. The book is enormously humourous, and the character of Vimes is very well developed in this book. In addition, most of the book is about Vimes instead of Carrot and the others. Anyone who find the character of Vimes to be very interesting, then read this book, it is a personal intro that goes deep into the exploration of Vimes. All that is Vimes is revealed here.
As for the storyline, it is typical of pratchett to turn a seemingly simple story of conspiracy, assasination, politics, and fifth elephant into an Epic journey. This is simply a musthave for anyone who is a Pratchett fan.
For those who don't know who Pratchett is, and this is your first book, then buy it. All of Terry Pratchett's book are designed to be read by good readers, and bad readers, by the young and the old, for those looking for a laught and a good story, and those looking for a highly intellectual story. On the backdrop of all of Pratchett's book there is always a few serious issues in human nature and behavior, and he theme his books on those issues brilliantly.
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Summary: I LUV TERRY PRATCHETT - SO SOULD U
Review: If you like books with humour, fantasy, mystery, crime, and even a bit of romance, or any one of the above, The Fifth Elephant is the book for you - u know how they say all books have a begginning, a middle and an end? Well, i'm not sure where the middle of The Fifth Elephant is, becuase so many things are haappening at once. You think you've found the answer to the mystery but then something else happens and it all changes. One of those books u can never put down, however hard you try. It has many plots going at once, so u never get bored, and all of the characters have thier own personal history, sometimes revealed, sometimes hidden, but always there. The beggining starts off merely really, really good, then it gets better and better. And better. And BETTER!
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Summary: The ultimate in Pratchett nonsense
Review: On the subject of writing, Terry Pratchett was once quoted as having said "I can't imagine any way one person on his own can have more fun" or something similar to that. He's been writing since he learned how to hold a pen, and has (apparently) never stopped. The Fifth Elephant is one of the classic Pratchett masterpieces. Wholly, completely, utterly, inventively insane, irreverent, witty and satirical, it shows why Pratchett is King of the genre.
If you've not yet introduced yourself to any Pratchett books, let me give you a quick history of Discworld. Pratchett's crazy world is supported by four elephants standing on the back of a giant tortoise. Once there was a fifth elephant, but it fell off the tortoise's back and crashed onto Discworld, leaving behind rich deposits of minerals and fat and the interesting philosophical question: when millions of tons of angry elephant come spinning through the sky, and there is no one to hear it, does it, philosophically speaking, make a noise? And that's about as philosophical as Discworld ever gets..... or is it? Pratchett, in a quiet, humorous way, poses questions about, and satirizes just about any subject you can imagine. Anything from opera to the meaning of life, from local government to religion. (Oh dear, I do hope those reviewers who insist on denouncing J.K.Rowling and Philip Pullman as the anti-christ aren't reading this. They'll be chipping away at Terry Pratchett next!)
When I tell you that the famous Samuel Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork city watch, is sent to represent the city at the crowning of the new Dwarvish Low King, you won't be surprised to learn that Vimes hates politics and has no talent for diplomacy whatsoever. His idea of dealing with a diplomatic incident is to head-butt his way through it. It doesn't help that his assistants are a werewolf, a troll, and a dwarf. Meanwhile, Captain Carrot has fallen in love with Corporal Angua (also a werewolf), and a duplicate of a Dwarven artifact is stolen (a piece of stale bread).
Can't get much more ridiculous, can it! Oh yes it can. Pratchett loves the ridiculous as he gently mocks everything in sight (always with a great knowledge of and fondness for his fellow primates, even in their more foolish moments). Consider yourself well and truly ordered to GO AND BUY THIS BOOK.
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