The Fifth Elephant facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Terry Pratchett |
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| Cover artist | Josh Kirby |
| Language | English |
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| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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1999 |
| Awards | Came 153rd in the Big Read. |
| ISBN | 0-385-40995-8 |
| Preceded by | Carpe Jugulum |
| Followed by | The Truth |
The Fifth Elephant is an exciting fantasy novel written by the British author Terry Pratchett in 1999. It's the 24th book in his popular Discworld series. This story also introduces the "clacks," which is like an old-fashioned, long-distance messaging system, similar to a giant signal tower network.
Exploring the Story of The Fifth Elephant
Adventures of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch
The Ankh-Morpork City Watch is growing bigger and busier. They now have a special department for traffic. This team uses new technology, like "iconograph technomancy," for traffic cameras. They also have a team that puts wheel clamps on illegally parked vehicles.
The "clacks" system is also starting to be used. It helps Watch officers communicate much faster. Before, they used homing pigeons for messages. The Watch is also busy investigating two big cases. One is the theft of a special replica "Scone of Stone." This item was taken from the Dwarf Bread Museum. They are also looking into the disappearance of Wallace Sonky.
Commander Vimes's Diplomatic Mission
Samuel Vimes is the Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. He is also known as the Duke of Ankh. Vimes is sent on an important trip to a faraway land called Überwald. His job is to be an ambassador for Ankh-Morpork.
He needs to attend the crowning of the new Low King of the Dwarves. While there, he hopes to make a deal. The goal is to get more fat imported from Überwald. Legend says that a fifth Discworld-supporting elephant crashed there long ago. This event created huge underground fat deposits.
The Werewolf Plot in Überwald
Überwald is the traditional home of the dwarfs. The new Low King, Rhys Rhysson, is a progressive leader. He was elected because different dwarf groups were divided. Also, Ankh-Morpork, with its large dwarf population, was becoming more influential.
A secret group of local werewolves wants to cause trouble. They plan to make the dwarf society even more unstable. They arrange for the real Scone of Stone to seem stolen. This Scone is usually kept very safe in a cave. The werewolves hope this will start a civil war among the dwarfs. They want to isolate the country. Then, the werewolves could take control.
Investigations and Pursuits
As an ambassador, Vimes meets the leaders of the vampires, werewolves, and dwarfs. He starts to investigate the werewolf plot. Meanwhile, back in Ankh-Morpork, Angua gets a message. Her old wolf friend, Gavin, warns her. Angua learns that her werewolf brother, Wolfgang, is leading the conspiracy.
Angua decides to go to Überwald to stop him. Because of this, Carrot also leaves the Watch. He follows Angua across the country. He even gets a talking dog named Gaspode to help track her scent. With these officers gone, Lord Vetinari appoints Sergeant Colon as acting captain. Colon struggles with the extra work.
Challenges for the City Watch
As acting captain, Colon becomes very strict. He starts to punish other Watch members. He might demote, fire, or fine them. Often, this is for small or imagined mistakes. He also tries to act like a very important officer. He makes some unfair comments about troll and dwarf officers. This makes most Watchmen spend all their time patrolling.
Many officers leave the Watch. They go to other cities for better pay and opportunities. The number of Watchmen under Colon drops by two-thirds. The Ankh-Morpork City Watch finds the replica Scone of Stone. It's not damaged. But they think someone might have made a copy of the copy.
Colon refuses to pay the Watchmen. So, Corporal Nobby Nobbs starts the Guild of Watchmen. He becomes its president. Other Watch members join to protest Colon. But eventually, only Nobby, Constable Visit, zombie Constable Reg Shoe, and golem Constable Dorfl remain. Crime actually drops because criminals expect Vimes to return soon.
Vimes's Breakthrough in Überwald
In Überwald, Vimes starts his own unofficial investigation. He looks into the real Scone of Stone's disappearance. He quickly realizes the dwarfs' security system isn't as strong as they believe. He figures out the Scone could have been taken easily.
Later, he concludes that the Scone wasn't stolen at all. Instead, it was destroyed right where it was. Its remains were mixed with the sand on the cave floor. After someone tries to harm the Low King, Vimes is wrongly put in prison by the dwarfs. But he escapes with help from Lady Margolota, a powerful vampire.
In the snowy forest, the conspiring werewolves track him. Wolfgang forces Vimes to play a dangerous "game." Vimes must outrun the werewolves. Luckily, Carrot and Angua arrive just in time. They save Vimes from the dangerous pack.
Saving Lady Sybil and Restoring Order
Vimes's wife, Lady Sybil, has been taken. She is at the castle of Angua's werewolf family. So, Commander Vimes and his friends go to rescue her. They manage to defeat Wolfgang, who is hungry for power. They also manage to get the Scone of Stone back.
It turns out the Scone they recovered is the copy made in Ankh-Morpork. But it's accepted because the Scone is replaced regularly. This Scone is used to make Dee, the Low King's advisor, confess. Dee admits his part in the theft and the assassination attempt. He was jealous that Ankh-Morporkian dwarves were allowed to be openly female.
Back at their embassy, Lady Sybil finally tells Vimes she is pregnant. But Wolfgang attacks the group again. In a final fight, he resists arrest. Commander Vimes uses a Clacks flare to stop him. With the Low King's special items returned, the crowning ceremony finally happens. Vimes gets a great deal for fat imports to Ankh-Morpork. This means he completed his original mission. The Low King also gives him gifts. As the Ankh-Morpork group leaves, the Low King hints that she is actually female.
The book ends with Carrot and Angua returning to Ankh-Morpork. Vimes and Lady Sybil go on a second honeymoon. Carrot takes back his rank as captain. He tells Colon to go back to being a sergeant. Carrot then orders Colon and Nobby to gather the rest of the Watch members.
Key Characters
- Samuel Vimes
- Cheery Littlebottom
- Detritus
- Sybil Ramkin
- Inigo Skimmer
- Lady Margolotta
- Angua von Überwald
- Carrot Ironfoundersson
- Wolfgang von Überwald
- Dee
- Rhys Rhysson
The Book's Inspiration
In an interview from 2000, Terry Pratchett explained how he got the idea for this novel. He said he often found ideas for whole books in small comments from his earlier stories. For example, he thought about Überwald. It was once a huge empire that had fallen apart. Many old political certainties were gone. New alliances were forming. Pratchett realized there were many interesting connections to explore. He hadn't seen them when he first put Überwald on the Discworld map.
