City Watch #05: The Fifth Elephant

Pratchett cheerfully takes readers on an exuberant tale of mystery and invention. Along the way, he skewers everything from monarchy to fascism, as well as communism and capitalism, oil wealth and ethnic identities, Russian plays, immigration, condoms, and evangelical Christianity—in short, everything worth talking about.” —Publishers Weekly

Elephants, werewolves, and ruby tights (oh my!) collide in this clever Discworld tale rich in mystery, myth, intrigue, and a dollop of diplomacy from the legendary New York Times bestselling author Terry Pratchett.

Everyone knows that the world is flat, and supported on the backs of four elephants. But weren’t there supposed to be five? Indeed there were. So where is the fifth elephant?

Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork constabulary is the man to find out. A copper through and through, he’s been “invited” to attend a royal function as a diplomat, ambassador to the mysterious, fat-rich country of Uberwald—complete with ruby tights.

Of course where cops go, crime follows. An attempted assassination and a theft soon lead to a desperate chase from the low halls of Discworld royalty to the legendary fat mines of Uberwald, where lard is found in underground seams along with tusks and teeth and other precious ivory artifacts. It’s up to the dauntless Vimes to solve the puzzle of the missing pachyderm. After all, that’s what he does.