I admit it, the title only mentions one Discworld book, but this review is a recommendation for them all. You've probably heard of Discworld, which isn't so much a series as a collection. It's all set on a world shaped like a disc, surprisingly, where magic and gods are resolutely real, to the extent that they are the constant despair of many of the characters. There's about five main groups of these, and most of the books – there are between thirty and forty – deals with one of them. These include wizards, witches, Death (my personal favourite), the city guard and the wonderfully named Moist Von Lipwig, among others. The crossovers are wonderful, I must say. I was so pleased when Esk turned up in 'I Shall Wear Midnight'.

As a place to start in Discworld, I recommend 'The Colour of Magic', which is the first book Prachett wrote about Discworld. It's not my favourite by a long way, however, and the books get much better. The first book I read was 'Wintersmith', which is the third of four in a mini series, about a witch named Tiffany. These start with 'The Wee Free Men', and end with the already mentioned 'I Shall Wear Midnight'. They're written specifically for young people, but are actually a lot darker than many of the adult books, which are more comedic.

'Night Watch', my favourite book so far, combines both the darkness and the humor. It's about the city guards or more specifically, Sam Vimes, and how the city guards came to be what they are. If you haven't read any other books on the city watch, you'll probably be okay. If you have, but you've only read 'Guards Guards', or another of the earlier ones, you probably will get confused. Just a warning.

Basically, Vimes – who is a duke/very important person and has been for a couple of books now – is caught in a magical storm, whilst pursuing a criminal. It is nowhere near as cheesy as it sounds. He is transported back in time, to when he was just starting out in the Night Watch, the most inept of the city watch. The criminal he was chasing is also in the same situation, and kills Vimes' mentor, meaning Vimes has to step in and train himself up to be a proper guard. Along the way, he meets all the people he's known for years, yet they don't know him - I loved the young Vetinari, bless his little assassin's socks - encounters the Sweeper, a mysterious man who looks after time (see Thief Of Time) and has to save the day in a Revolution.

It is, like all Discworld stories, a complicated and potentially grim scenario. In places, it is. But for the most part it is incredibly funny and entertaining, even in the midst of chaos. It's even more brilliant than usual, however, because of the younger versions of all our most loved characters. They add comedic value and background information. It's surprising and emotional. It paints an even more detailed picture of Vimes – who was one of my favourite characters already. Not only does it do that, but is also pokes fun at every time travelling tale there's ever been. Well, that's what it feels like.

The fish-out-of-water storyline, which is the vague premise is turned on its head by the fact Vimes has been here before. But he hasn't. But he has. It sounds cluttered and hard to follow, but it's not. It's truely genius.

And there's a new Discworld book out. I believe it's called 'Snuff' and without having actually read it, I recommend it to you completely. After all, I believe it's about Samuel Vimes.

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