Pratchett Terry 04

Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

Guards! Guards! The Graphic Novel by Terry Pratchett Illustrated by Graham Higgins, adapted by Stephen Briggs

Guards! Guards! is classic Diskworld. Terry Pratchetts' eighth Diskworld novel is our first introduction to Captain Vimes and the Night Watch. The plot concerns the effects of a large dragon appearing in the middle of Ankh-Morpork, and the attempts by the Night Watch to get rid of it.
I can remember seeing an interview several years ago with an old lady in Scotland who was asked whether she preferred Doctor Finlay's Casebook on the radio or on the television. Her answer was "I prefer it on the radio, because I can see the pictures better". This is essentially the problem I have with graphic novels, and Guards! Guards! is no exception. The pictures of the characters never seem to match up with the way you imagine them when reading the book. Carrot seems to be too Tin-tinish, Vimes too down-trodden, and Nobbs too inhuman. Ironically considering this is a 'comic book', Lupine Wonse appears like a cartoon character almost like Roger in the film Who framed Roger Rabbit. And Lady Ramkin is all wrong.

Inevitably, a second problem lies with the process of converting from continuous dialogue to a series of sequential pictures. A lot has to be left out for space considerations. Guards! Guards! is an excellent novel. But, I would not recommend that anyone new to Pratchett read the graphic novel prior to the book. Where the graphic novel does have a place, is both for the completist (obviously), and also for fans who have not memorised the novel, as an aide memoire to all the gags. Several times, I found myself saying "Oh yes, I had forgotten about that one". In summary, worth a look. You never know the drawings may match your imagination.

Publisher: Victor Gollancz
Date: 2000
Pages: 122
Price: £9.99
Format: Large Paperback
Reviewed by: Rod Cameron
Review Date: June 2001