Men at Arms: A Discworld Novel – A Satirical Fantasy Comedy Where Misfits Guard Ankh-Morpork's Fate

Corporal Carrot, newly promoted, leads a group of recruits in the City Watch tasked with protecting Ankh-Morpork from barbarian tribes, marauders, unlicensed thieves, and other dangers. His charges include Lance-constable Cuddy (a dwarf), Lance-constable Detritus (a troll), Lance-constable Angua (a woman most of the time), and Corporal Nobbs. Carrot himself is an adopted dwarf. Complications arise when someone in Ankh-Morpork begins pursuing ideas about crowns and legendary swords. An ancient document surfaces revealing that Ankh-Morpork has a secret sovereign. Meanwhile, Captain Sam Vimes, who knows the city's streets and criminal underworld better than anyone, announces his marriage and retirement from the Watch. The city's fate depends on Carrot's courage, an ancient sword's magic, and a three-legged poodle's bladder. Men at Arms is the second book in the City Watch series and the fifteenth Discworld novel overall.