Freedom, Truth, Justice, Reasonably Priced Love, and a Hard Boiled Egg

All the little angels rise up, rise up,
all the little angels rise up high!
How do they rise up, rise up, rise up,
How do they rise up, rise up high?

They rise heads up, heads up, heads up, they rise heads up, heads up high!

See the little angels rise up, rise up,
see the little angels rise up high!
See how they rise up, rise up, rise up,
see how they rise up, rise up high?

They rise knees up, knees up, knees up, they rise knees up, knees up high!

All the little angels rise up, rise up,
All the little angels rise up high!
How do they rise up, rise up, rise up,
How do they rise up, rise up high?

They rise feet up, feet up, feet up, they rise feet up, feet up high!

See the little angels rise up, rise up,
see the little angels rise up high!
See how they rise up, rise up, rise up,
see how they rise up, rise up high?

They rise arse up, arse up, arse up, they rise arse up, arse up high!

All the little angels rise up, rise up,
All the little angels rise up high!
How do they rise up, rise up, rise up,
How do they rise up, rise up high?

They rise hands up, hands up, hands up, they rise hands up, hands up high!

All the little angels rise up, rise up,
All the little angels rise up high!


So I finished the book.

I liked it, quite a lot. I read it all today. I started a little last night but I read the last 300 pages today. I couldn't put it down, quite literally. It's moved to be one of my favorites of the Discworld series. I have to read them all before I judge which is "best", but it's certainly in the top tier.

It's also much, much darker than his other books. About 1/5th the normal amount of comedic relief or even general humor. and a lot of it relies on you being familiar with the City Watch books. I wouldn't give this to someone who hasn't read at least one other City Watch book in the series. It'd be...wasted on them. So much of the reader's emotional involvement in the story is dependent on knowing Vimes's character and knowing how he's progressed developed over the many books since Guards! Guards!. He's gone through a significant character arc and in many ways Nightwatch is a resolution to the changes his character has endured, and the changes the city watch itself has endured since Carrot's arrival and subsequent influence. This also gives a lot of background for minor characters that I'd almost consider "spoilery" for the other books (I'm thinking Vetinari and Sybill, mostly), though it's hard to say what constitutes a spoiler in a series that spans years (or decades) and jumps so easily over time gaps and locations.

The cynical side of me can't help but think the book is so popular among DW fans because it is so much more dramatic (and bloody) than previous DW books have been. Because the threat is stronger, you care more about the plot and the fate of characters. However, even if that is true-- so what? It's a bloody good book. And when you've read 30 books that are 60/40 humor to drama, it's an exciting change to read one that's 20/80 humor to drama instead. Also, as I mentioned, there's a lot of character development resolution here, so that's probably another reason it's such a beloved choice among fans.

( spoilery content )

So in conclusion...YAY! Also, ::TEAR::.

DN: "Stop wangsting over his name and just go to the kitchen and pick up a knife, man."

This comic pretty much summarizes a lot of my feeling about Death Note.

ETA: Iron Man comic... citrusy enough to be not work safe, but totally funny.

ETA 2: For redbrunja, the "I'm more special!" joke taken to its logical conclusion.