Other editions of book Jingo: Discworld: The City Watch Collection

A weathercock has risen from the sea of Discworld, and suddenly you can tell which way the wind is blowing. A new land has surfaced, and so have old feuds. And as two armies march, Commander Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch has got just a few hours to deal with a crime so big that there's no law against it. It's called "war". He's facing unpleasant foes that are out to get him...and that's just the people on his side. The world's cleverest inventor and its most devious politician are on their way to the battlefield with a little package that's guaranteed to stop a battle... Discworld goes to war... This is the 21st volume in the Discworld series.

It isn't much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths of the Circle Sea—just a few square miles of silt and some old ruins. Unfortunately, the historically disputed lump of land called Leshp is once again floating directly between Ankh-Morpork and the city of Al-Khali on the coast of Klatch—which is spark enough to ignite that glorious international pastime called "war." Pressed into patriotic service, Commander Sam Vimes thinks he should be leading his loyal watchmen, female watchdwarf, and lady werewolf into battle against local malefactors rather than against uncomfortably well-armed strangers in the Klatchian desert. But war is, after all, simply the greatest of all crimes—and it's Sir Samuel's sworn duty to seek out criminal masterminds wherever they may be hiding and lock them away before they can do any real damage . . . even the ones on his side.

Discworld goes to war!Somewhere in the Circle Sea between Ankh-Morpork and Al-Khali, the Lost Kingdom of Leshp has emerged after hundreds of years beneath the waves. And so with no ships, no army and no money, Ankh-Morpork goes to war against the Klatchian army claiming the rock as their own.Undaunted by the prospect of being tortured to death by vastly superior numbers of enemy troops, a small band of intrepid men and a very thick troll set out under the command of Sir Samuel Vimes of the City Watch.If they can survive long enough, maybe they can arrest an entire army for breach of the peace...

A weathercock has risen from the sea of Discworld, and suddenly you can tell which way the wind is blowing. A new land has surfaced, and so have old feuds.And as two armies march, Commander Ankh-Morpork City Watch has got just a few hours to deal with a crime so big that there's no law against it. It's called "war". He's facing unpleasant foes that are out to get him. . . that's just the people on his side.The world's cleverest inventor and its most devious politician are on their way to the battlefield with a little package that's guaranteed to stop a battle. . . .Discworld goes to war. . . .

Discworld goes to war!Somewhere in the Circle Sea between Ankh-Morpork and Al-Khali, the Lost Kingdom of Leshp has emerged after hundreds of years beneath the waves. And so with no ships, no army and no money, Ankh-Morpork goes to war against the Klatchian army claiming the rock as their own.Undaunted by the prospect of being tortured to death by vastly superior numbers of enemy troops, a small band of intrepid men and a very thick troll set out under the command of Sir Samuel Vimes of the City Watch.If they can survive long enough, maybe they can arrest an entire army for breach of the peace...

It isn't much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths of the Circle Sea -- just a few square miles of silt and some old ruins. Unfortunately, the historically disputed lump of land called Leshp is once again floating directly between Ankh-Morpork and the city of Al-Khali on the coast of Klatch -- which is spark enough to ignite that glorious internationalpastime called "war." Pressed into patriotic service, Commander Sam Vimes thinks he should be leading his loyal watchmen, female watchdwarf, and lady werewolf into battle against local malefactors rather than against uncomfortably well-armed strangers in the Klatchian desert. But war is, after all, simply the greatest of all crimes -- and it's Sir Samuel's sworn duty to seek out criminal masterminds wherever they may be hiding ... and lock them away before they can do any real damage. Even the ones on his own side.

Something new has come up between the Discworld's ancient rival cites of Ankh-Morpork and Al-Khali. Literally It's up island, rising out of Discworld's sea, uninhabited and claimed by both cities. Under International Law this situation clearly falls under the ancient doctrine of Acquiris Quodcumque Rapis ("You Get What You Grab"). And everyone wants to grab. Besides, the Al-Khalians may have invented algebra, astronomy and alcohol, but hey don't have a word for lawyer, and how can you talk to people like that? Since there's no basis for negotiation, it's down to the long-suffering Commander Vimes of the City Watch to deal with a crime as awful that there's no law against it. It's called war. Ankh-Morpork has been at peace for a century, and so has Al-Khali. But now there are people on both sides who think it's time to give was a chance, and will happily help it on its way with a few murders... Modern war needs modern weapons. Unfortunately, Ankh-Morpork got rich making and selling them to Al-Khali. But it's just possible that salvation lies in the hands of the great inventive genius Leonard of Quirm, whose sketchbooks are filled with devices for killing people, flying through the air, and weighing cheese. Maybe it's in his boat tat travels under water--Leonard calls it a "Going Under-The-Water-Safely Device", or "metal sinking fish thing" for short. (Just because he's an inventor doesn't mean he's good at naming stuff.) But this is carrying something else--a device that so powerful that it can finish any war. But don't be alarmed. It's fantasy. It all happens on Discworld, where greed and ignorance influence human behavior, politicians pursue was for selfish ends, and perfectly ordinary people occasionally act like raving idiots. A world, in short, totally unlike our own.

"Neighbours . . . hah. People'd live for ages side by side, nodding at one another amicably on their way to work, and then some trivial thing would happen and someone would be having a garden fork removed from their ear." Throughout history, there's always been a perfectly good reason to start a war. Never more so if it is over a "strategic" piece of old rock in the middle of nowhere. It is after all every citizen's right to bear arms to defend what they consider to be their own—even if it isn't. And in such pressing circumstances, you really shouldn't let small details like the absence of an army or indeed the money to finance one get in the way of a righteous fight with all the attendant benefits of out-and-out nationalism. Jingo is the 20th of Pratchett's Discworld novels, and the fourth to feature the City Guard of Ankh-Morpork.