NIGHT WATCH

[Editor’s Note: The following is a combined review with THIEF OF TIME.]--Discworld is a world that defies description. The dry wit of Pratchett is apparent in each series installment, and the same characters pop up now and then. The simple is complex (and vice versa), and the humor is dry and smart. THIEF OF TIME, a finalist for the 2002 Audie Award for science fiction, like many books in the series, is reminiscent of theater of the absurd. Pratchett take the idea of time management into Discworld and has fun with it. NIGHT WATCH deals with topics that are a bit more everyday--crime, cops, people up to no good--but in Discworld they’re unlike anything else. Stephen Briggs’s voices add dimension to the characters while avoiding exaggeration. He brings out the satire without compromising the subtlety of the humor. Although the review copy of NIGHT WATCH had phantom voices, the distraction was minimal. This series is meant to be read aloud. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 03]