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The Fifth Elephant

(Discworld Novel 24)

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The Fifth Elephant

By: Terry Pratchett
Narrated by: Jon Culshaw, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
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'Well, he thought, so this is diplomacy. It's lying, only for a better class of people.

They say that diplomacy is a gentle art. That mastering it is a lifetime's work. But you do need a certain inclination in that direction. It's not something you can just pick up on the job.

A few days ago Sam Vimes was a copper - an important copper, true - chief of police - but still, at his core, a policeman. But today he is an ambassador - to the mysterious, fat-rich country of Uberwald. Today, Sam Vimes is also a man on the run.

At some point during his ambassadorship, things went very wrong. It's snowing. It's freezing. And if Vimes can't make it through the forest, with only his wits and the gloomy trousers of Uncle Vanya (don't ask), there's going to be a terrible war.

There are monsters on his trail. They're bright. They're fast. They're werewolves - and they're catching up.

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but The Fifth Elephant is the fifth book in the City Watch series.

'Precisely balanced . . . a cracking comic thriller' The Times

© Terry and Lyn Pratchett 1999 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

 Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Humorous Literature & Fiction Satire
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Critics' reviews

'Precisely balanced...excellent set pieces...a cracking comic thriller' (Peter Ingham)
The twenty-fourth Discworld novel
All stars
Most relevant
As I delve further into the Disc World Series, I am increasingly in awe of Sir Terry Pratchett’s talent for combining so many different storylines - not only from this book but also the ones before and the ones to come - into a coherent and compelling storyline. You care about the characters, they develop and evolve regardless if they are human, dwarf, troll or anything else.
This was not as slapstick as some of the other books, and dealt with some pretty interesting topics in a forward-looking way (given it was written late 1990s): xenophobia, gender issues, the fakeness of politics/ diplomacy.

Fun read with unexpected depth

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Simply wonderful. I love the Discworld series, especially the Watch books and Jon Culshaw delivers an amazing performance! Can highly recommend, even to old fans (like me) who are used to the previous audiobooks.

Brilliant book and brilliant audio adaptation

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