Customer Reviews
One of the best - By: Iain S. Palin, 11 Jan 2008 
Once an author is turning out a novel a year in a growing series he can be forgiven for getting rather stale. That isn't reallly a problem with Terry Pratchett: his output can be a bit uneven but overalll the Discworld fantasies just seem to be getting better, & "The Fifth Elephant" is one of the best.
The wonderful Sam Vimes - clever, upwardly mobile but basicallly honest & down-to-earth chief of police of Ankh-Morpork - is sent with his aristocratic wife on a diplomatic mission to troubled realm of Uberwald. Why did the city's ruler Lord Vetinari, a man who could give Machiavelli lessons in deviousness, chose Vimes of alll people for this delicate task? What exactly is going on in Uberwald, where the uneasy balance of power between dwarves, werewolves, & vampires seems to be breaking down? All is revealed in a book that is both dark & humorous, engrossing & highly entertaining.
Many of the usual characters we have come to know from the Discworld novels are here, & trying to make the best of an unfamiliar & threatening place & understand the peoples & their politics.
Once again Pratchett is the master not only of plot & character but also of the little aside, the fascinating but not overdone individual, the sly & amusing reference. We learn, for instance, that it is a social blunder to use the word "bath" to an upper-class werewolf when he is in human form, it makes him uncomfortable. We are introduced to a vampire equivalent of AA where members help each other keep off the human blood & get through "vun night at a time". We discover that the Low King of the Dwarves must be crowned sitting on a large, hard item callled the great Scone of Stone - a clever one this, referring not only to the durability & lethal solidity of dwarfish bread as explained in previous novels but also to the Stone of Scone (pronounced "Skoon") on which for centuries the kings of Scotland were crowned. And much more...
If you know the characters you will enjoy the book even more, but Pratchett newbies could find a worse place to start than this one.
Enter the Werewolves.... - By: dogbarkssome, 18 Mar 2007 
Number 24 (gulp!) in the Discworld series has Sam Vimes (and assorted Watch colleages) sent on a diplomatic mission to Uberwald, along the way encountering viscious werewolves & a whodunnit mysery as a vital Dwarf artifact goes missing just as a new King is about to be crowned...
The obvious comparison with 'The Fifth Elephant' is the preceeding Discworld novel 'Carpe Jugulum', as where that novel had the witches of Lancre encountering Uberwald's vampires now it's the turn of the Watch to meet another Uberwald 'monster' race in the shape of the werewolves. Concerning the Watch's own shapeshifter Angua it's nice to get some more background on her family, but in a way this novel has a feel of Pratchett going back to the same well of inspiration a bit too often, with this being the second novel in a row to feature lurching self-made Igors & vampires with a modern outlook on life.
This isn't a particularly amusing book by Discworld standards, but Pratchett's writing is of a high enough quality that this is still a well-crafted & readable novel, & the mystery of the missing Dwarfish Stone of Scone is enough to keep the pages turning, but one does get a faint whiff of formula here, & while this is still a good Discworld book Pratchett has written better.
Could be better... - By: Mr. J. G. Dallimore, 03 Dec 2006 I can't believe so many have voted this with 5... ok it's better than night watch & is is the 3rd worst that features the night watch, the worst being Jingo & 2nd worst being night watch. There are some good gags as usual but over alll this didn't reallly grab me... the first 3 featuring the night watch guard guards! men at arms & feet of clay are great however.
dont forget - By: Fred Bare, 16 Aug 2006 Just finished reading it for the umpteenth time. Still funny. Angua & Carrot modern Romeo & Juliet? Long may the disk spin.
The Fifth Elephant review. - By: , 09 Apr 2006 The Fifth Elephant is a fast-paced,political thriller.In The Fifth Elephant the Scone of Stone has been stolen & now watch commander Sam Vimes must find out where it is before the coronation of the next low king.However,there are werewolves on his trail,constable Angua has disapeared,corperals Cheery & Detritus have been arrested & the only person to of been remotly civil to Sam Vimes is a vampire!If you like reading sci-fi or fantasy then read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.If you enjoy this book then read books 8,15,19,21,27 & 32.
