Night Watch
Chapters - Terry Pratchett
Section: Thrown Thirty Years Back
Commander Vimes is hunting Carcer, a vicious killer who has been terrorising the city, most recently murdering Sergeant Stronginthearm with a knife outside a pie shop. Captain Carrot, Angua, Sergeant Colon, and Nobby coordinate the search.
Carcer is cornered at Unseen University, and Vimes pursues him across the rooftops. A freak magical storm - generated by the university's unstable temporal equipment - strikes them both. Vimes wakes thirty years in the past, in the Ankh-Morpork of his youth, just days before the Glorious Revolution of the 25th of May.
The real Sergeant John Keel - the man who was supposed to mentor the young Sam Vimes at Treacle Mine Road Watch House - has been murdered by Carcer, who arrived in the past slightly earlier. Vimes, carrying Keel's badge, must now become Keel: training his own younger self, managing the Watch House, and preparing for the revolution he remembers from the other side of the barricades.
In the present day, it is the anniversary. Reg Shoe, Dibbler, and other survivors lay lilac on the graves. Lady Sybil is heavily pregnant.
On page: Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Carcer Dun, Carrot Ironfoundersson, Angua von Uberwald, Fred Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Reg Shoe, Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler, Lady Sybil Ramkin-Vimes, Havelock Vetinari, Detritus, Cheery Littlebottom, Visit-The-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets·Mentioned: John Keel
Section: Becoming Sergeant Keel
Vimes-as-Keel is jailed by Sergeant Knock under Captain Tilden, treated by Dr Mossy Lawn, and taken to the History Monks. He encounters the young versions of Fred Colon and Nobby Nobbs as raw recruits, along with his own younger self. He teaches them to be proper coppers: to walk the beat, know their patch, and protect people rather than bully them.
Captain Swing and his Unmentionables - the secret police - are tightening their grip on the city under Patrician Winder's increasingly paranoid rule. Swing measures skulls with callipers, believing he can identify criminal tendencies from cranial bumps. Vimes must navigate between Swing's thugs, the growing revolutionary movement, and Carcer, who has ingratiated himself with Swing's organisation.
Madam Meserole makes contact with Keel, recognising a fellow player in the city's dangerous political game. Dibbler appears as a young street vendor, already practising his craft. The History Monks, including the Sweeper, are monitoring the temporal anomaly that Vimes's presence represents.
On page: Captain Findthee Swing, Carcer Dun, Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler, Lu-Tze, Mrs Palm, Qu, Snouty, Dr Mossy Lawn, Captain Tilden·Mentioned: John Keel
Section: Winder's Tightening Grip
Tensions in the city escalate as Patrician Winder's regime grows more oppressive. Vimes-as-Keel builds relationships with the people of his beat, proving himself a good copper by protecting citizens from both criminals and the Unmentionables. He inspects the Watch House and uncovers informants planted by Swing.
The revolutionary movement gains momentum. Madam Meserole coordinates between different factions while maintaining her public facade. Reg Shoe appears as a passionate young revolutionary, full of idealistic fervour about the People's Republic, distributing pamphlets and making speeches about liberty.
Young Colon and young Nobby continue their training under Keel's firm hand. The young Vetinari, still a student at the Assassins' Guild, moves through the shadows of the city, observing everything with his characteristic quiet intensity. Carcer rises in Swing's organisation, given free rein to indulge his violent nature.
On page: Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Captain Findthee Swing, Reg Shoe, Fred Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Havelock Vetinari, Carcer Dun, Lu-Tze, Captain Quirke, Mrs Palm, Lord Winder, Sergeant Dickins, Snouty, Sergeant Knock, Dr Mossy Lawn, Captain Tilden, Ned Coates
Section: The Barricades Go Up
The revolution breaks out. Barricades go up across the city as citizens finally rebel against Winder's tyranny. Vimes-as-Keel takes command of the Treacle Mine Road barricade, defending it not for political ideology but to protect the people of his patch. Lord Rust attempts to storm the barricade with soldiers but is driven back by a hail of missiles from the citizenry.
Reg Shoe mans his own barricade at Cable Street, passionately defending the People's Republic with revolutionary zeal - though his rhetoric far outstrips the number of actual republicans. Colon and Nobby serve loyally behind Keel's barricade.
Vimes receives a cigar case inscribed 'To Sam with love from your Sybil' - a temporal paradox that anchors him to his true identity. Madam Meserole orchestrates the political transition behind the scenes, ensuring that the revolution produces a manageable outcome rather than chaos. Young Vetinari moves through the chaos with quiet purpose.
On page: Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Reg Shoe, Fred Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Madam Roberta Meserole, Havelock Vetinari, Carcer Dun, Lu-Tze, Mrs Palm, Lord Winder, Sergeant Dickins, Snouty, Sandra Battye, Dr Mossy Lawn, Captain Tilden, Ned Coates
Section: Carcer's Final Assault
Winder falls and the city tightens under curfew and the barricades hold. But Snapcase proves no better than his predecessor. Madam Meserole negotiates with the new regime, securing amnesties and political settlements. She suggests that 'Sergeant Keel' deserves a promotion.
Carcer launches his final assault on the barricade, attacking during the brief window when the defenders' guard is down. Vimes confronts Carcer in a climactic battle. Reg Shoe is killed during the fighting but his revolutionary fervour is so strong that he simply refuses to stop being dead, becoming the zombie he remains in the present-day Watch.
Colon and Nobby survive the barricades. Several good men do not. Vimes is eventually returned to his own time by the History Monks, arriving just as Lady Sybil gives birth to their son. In the present, Carcer is captured and sentenced. Vimes visits the cemetery to lay lilac on the graves of those who died at the barricade.
On page: Madam Roberta Meserole, Carcer Dun, Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Reg Shoe, Fred Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Lady Sybil Ramkin-Vimes, Lu-Tze, Mrs Palm, Lord Winder, Sergeant Dickins, Snouty, Sandra Battye, Dr Mossy Lawn, Ned Coates
Section: Holding Treacle Mine Road
The final days of the barricade. Vimes holds the line as the political situation in the city shifts beneath everyone's feet. Patrician Snapcase consolidates power and proves just as ruthless as Winder, ordering troops against the remaining barricades. Carcer exploits the chaos, switching allegiances freely and leaving a trail of bodies.
The defenders of Treacle Mine Road face their darkest hours. Colon and Nobby show unexpected courage. Madam Meserole works tirelessly to broker a ceasefire before more blood is shed. The lilac becomes the symbol of those who stood at the barricades - a reminder that some things are worth fighting for.
On page: Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Carcer Dun, Fred Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Madam Roberta Meserole, Havelock Vetinari, Lu-Tze, Lord Winder, Lord Snapcase, Sergeant Dickins, Snouty, Sandra Battye, Dr Mossy Lawn, Ned Coates
Section: Lilac on the Graves
Vimes returns to the present day. The History Monks repair the timeline as best they can, stitching history back together so that everyone remembers Sergeant Keel rather than Vimes. Lady Sybil has given birth to their son, Young Sam. Carrot and the Watch have been holding things together in his absence.
Vimes visits the graves in Small Gods Cemetery. The lilac is in bloom. Colon, Nobby, Reg Shoe, and Dibbler all wear their lilac. The survivors remember. And the world turns towards morning.
On page: Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Lady Sybil Ramkin-Vimes, Carrot Ironfoundersson, Fred Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Reg Shoe, Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler, Carcer Dun, Detritus, Lu-Tze, Captain Quirke, Qu, Lord Snapcase, Sergeant Dickins, Ned Coates·Mentioned: John Keel