"In his latest effort, Pratchett skewers the hard-boiled detective novel as effectively as he`s satired fantasy fiction all these years. Set on Discworld, there are a few more gargoyles and exploding dragons than Sam Spade ever had to deal with. But there`s a trail of corpses and a hero named Carrot determined to track down the killer. His partners-the token dwarf, troll and werewolf on the police force-must overcome discrimination as well as the occasional rampaging orangutan. Although Men at Arms isn`t as consistently funny as his earlier novels, the dialogue is hilarious, and Pratchett`s take on affirmative action is a whole lot of fun. There`s not a lot of rational narrative cause-and-effect here, but it doesn`t really matter. As usual, Pratchett provides enough bad-tempered clowns, bloodthirsty trolls and dogs with low self-esteem to keep readers entertained". Reed Business Information, Inc.