It would make the stories more interesting: How will the morally aware Vimes deal with the inevitable requirements of being patrician.
Drumknot is definitely a behind-the-scenes sort of person. He supports the Patrician.
Vimes is definitely ruthless enough, he’s just not cynical enough. I don’t believe I just wrote that. OK, he’s cynical. But he’s not Patrician level cynical. He’s not manipulative nor as twisty-minded.
I’m thinking of the time that the Patrician told Vimes that Vimes thought that there were good people and bad people, where he believed that there were only bad people, but not all of the bad people were on the same side.
I could picture Moist being Patrician with Vimes breathing down his neck. Vimes wouldn’t give Moist the same deference that he gives Vetinari. I think that sort of a contest would evolve between the two. It would be enough to keep Moist’s interest.
I’m just wondering what they’re going to end up doing with that pit full of uber-golems that they have now. A certain person is not going to let them just lay there.
Vimes is too good to be Patrician. While A-M cops are generally a short step away from criminal*, Moist is an actual criminal, which, seemingly, is what is needed to keep the city running.
*(or however far it takes to walk to where Nobby is standing)
Actually, it’s implied that the Patrician is elected by the heads of the various guilds, who are also free to dismiss him - as they did at the end of Jingo.
Of course, if Vetinari pushed someone as his heir, he’d probably be a sho-in.
But it won’t be Vimes - Vimes is *not *going to be Patrician. He’s a copper, and he’s right where he’s supposed to be.
I doubt there’ll ever be a changing of the guard in the books. When the last Discworld novel is written, Vetinari will still be Patrician.
Owwww, &#@$ my thumb!
Unfortunately, I think you are right.
Besides, Vimes is too much of a cop to ever make a good Patrician. People who enforce laws should never be the ones to make them, and Vimes will always be a cop.
Pterry hinted at the possibility almost a year ago, but I’ve heard nothing since.
If we ever get Midnight, we’ll see. Right now, it’s not looking all that likely, unless Terry has it finished and is sitting on it.
OK, zombie thread and all that, but some of you might be interested.
Eskarina Smith does, in fact, return in “I Shall Wear Midnight”. I find “Nation” and “Midnight” well upto Pterry’s standard or even better. Looking forward to “Raising Taxes.”