**edited 01/18/14 
 Before reading the book, my emotions were a perfect mix of trepidation and excitement. I love Vimes books. Love them. Night Watch is probably my favorite fantasy book ever written. At the same time, wWith the author's declining health, I was afraid a Vimes book might lose its quintessential Vimesness. 
 After reading, my feelings are mixed. It was wonderful to see the characters again, to see Sam with his little son, to again walk in Discworld. The book has heart. It fairly drips with earnestness. At the same time, it is practically festooned in platitudes and aphorisms. I suppose the clearest way I can put this is that it felt rather more like reading a fanfiction of Discworld rather than a real novel. 
 ... 
 Due to my disapproval of GR's new and highly subjective review deletion policy, I am no longer posting full reviews here. 
 The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.