Back at it again with ye old irregular late night post-Discworld re-read post.
I cannot BELIEVE that it took me FIVE re-reads to notice this, but. In Night Watch, we have only two significant povs that we return to and that is the pov following Vimes, and the one following Vetinari. Now. The Vimes pov is in the streets, doing the job that’s in front of him as he has always done and always will do, even if he IS looking at a much bigger picture than he should be looking at, given the time and space he is in. He’s working for the city, the only one to be doing so.
Vetinari, on the other hand, is dealing with politics. He ALLOWS Vimes to work the streets, saves him from an assassin. And he Also kills Winder. Vimes leads the revolution and Vetinari does the work at the top. Vetinari IS the city, grabbing Winder into its cogs and crushing him, whilst giving Vimes the ability to do what needs to be done without obstruction.
Of course, the fact that they MADE each other is acknowledged even in the books. But my personal favourite is the way the events make them appreciate each other a lot more than before. Vimes looks at the city and sees the machine, notes that Vetinari sees it all the time and thinks of every Single cog with deadly precision. Vetinari looks at Keel and sees someone making history. Sees someone who knows of the machine and moves within it so flawlessly, better than all those people at the top, this man has IMPACT. And he knows that the city needs someone like Keel.
I am in love with the dynamic between Vimes and Vetinari, before AND after Night Watch. They are THE balance of power, counterweights making sure the city runs. Vetinari is the architect, the Master builder, who knows of every cog, knows when to apply a little grease, when to rearange the order, how to expand it. He works in meticulous detail. And then there’s Vimes, Who’s there for maitainance. Whether that be cleaning the cogs off from the grime or the big, on the spot repairs when all is going to shit. Ugh, this book series has me in a fucking chokehold.
Can you tell Night Watch is my favourite book?
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