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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, War
adventurous
funny
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My God!!! These Bitches Transgender!!!!
4.5. My favourite Pratchett yet. Just stunningly good.
4.5. My favourite Pratchett yet. Just stunningly good.
Absolutely lovely writing, wry in an attaching and emotionally impactful way without lightening too much such topics as war, religious dogmatism, widespread misogyny…
Very gender & queer!
Snippets of my favorite parts: Flaming cheese insignia, my beloved.
Maladict being the most iconic vampire, held together by spit and coffee.
Women always having half an onion!
Blouse being an all around trouper - everyone’s expectations were so low, but he went above and beyond, especially with the secret genius bits, the theater, Delphine and the Amazon bits.
Vimes’s view of war as « another crime, like murder », trying to knock some sense into both sides so they can all finally just go home.
Wazzer as a Joan of Arc figure!
Very gender & queer!
Snippets of my favorite parts: Flaming cheese insignia, my beloved.
Maladict being the most iconic vampire, held together by spit and coffee.
Women always having half an onion!
Blouse being an all around trouper - everyone’s expectations were so low, but he went above and beyond, especially with the secret genius bits, the theater, Delphine and the Amazon bits.
Vimes’s view of war as « another crime, like murder », trying to knock some sense into both sides so they can all finally just go home.
Wazzer as a Joan of Arc figure!
So that's what people meant when they said that the later ones become darker. Huh. But a good, impressed kind of "huh".
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A re-read, probably twenty years after the first time. I found it much more moving, and engaging this time around. Perhaps because there's very few Pterry books I haven't read more than once, but also this feels more important now. At this time, in this place...
A genuine joy, with fabulous cameos from Vimes, Angus, and de Worde. Reader, I laughed, I cried (as per usual...)
A genuine joy, with fabulous cameos from Vimes, Angus, and de Worde. Reader, I laughed, I cried (as per usual...)
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My goal for this Spring Break was to read three whole Terry Pratchetts before it was over, and this book didn't make it hard. It started with a pretty basic plot: girl joins the army as a man. In some ways, it stuck to the general flow of "girl joins army," but definitely also diverged to discuss war, gender roles... Magically worked into the very-not-seriousness of this book fit other layers that made you think. Quick read.
Do not let the long reading span fool you, I actually approached the novel two times. I didn't finish reading it the first time because of time constraints, and this year, I went back to it to read it properly.
Monstrous Regiment was my second book in the Discworld series, and I enjoyed it far more than I did Carpe Jugulum, which is a huge compliment, as I quite enjoyed the latter. It tells the tale of Polly, a girl who, in the hopes of finding her lost brother, disguises herself as a man and joins her country's army. As the story unfolds, we find out that perhaps Polly wasn't the only one to have thought of the ruse.
I think Pratchett did a better job explaining the performativity of gender with this book than Judith Butler did. Butler did, of course, coin the term, but only when I read this book did I truly understand what was meant by that term. Pratchett shows really well how the way we dress and the way we behave influences the way we are viewed by other people, and how all of this influences what is expected of us. Moreover, the satire on gender roles in this book is just *chef's kiss*. All of this comes together with the title, Monstrous Regiment, being a direct reference to a pamphlet written when Elisabeth I was just about to ascend to the throne, a pamphlet about how women are not fit to rule. Yet here, in a book with the same title, we have a military regiment consisting entirely of women that proves to be the most effective regiment in the entire army.
The satire and queer theory aside, I absolutely loved the characters. Jackrum was gruff but lovable, Polly was amazing, and I became the biggest Maladicta fan (I could write a whole essay on gender in vampires based on this novel, which was the topic of my MA, but I did not read the entire book in time to reference it, which I will regret to the end of my days). What is more, the reveal at the end was unexpected and could have been easily predicted, but it was extremely fun none the less.
I would recommend this book to anyone without hesitation. The amount of fun you get while reading it should, frankly, be illegal, and I will definitely revisit this book, as well as read the rest of the Discworld series, maybe in order this time.
Monstrous Regiment was my second book in the Discworld series, and I enjoyed it far more than I did Carpe Jugulum, which is a huge compliment, as I quite enjoyed the latter. It tells the tale of Polly, a girl who, in the hopes of finding her lost brother, disguises herself as a man and joins her country's army. As the story unfolds, we find out that perhaps Polly wasn't the only one to have thought of the ruse.
I think Pratchett did a better job explaining the performativity of gender with this book than Judith Butler did. Butler did, of course, coin the term, but only when I read this book did I truly understand what was meant by that term. Pratchett shows really well how the way we dress and the way we behave influences the way we are viewed by other people, and how all of this influences what is expected of us. Moreover, the satire on gender roles in this book is just *chef's kiss*. All of this comes together with the title, Monstrous Regiment, being a direct reference to a pamphlet written when Elisabeth I was just about to ascend to the throne, a pamphlet about how women are not fit to rule. Yet here, in a book with the same title, we have a military regiment consisting entirely of women that proves to be the most effective regiment in the entire army.
The satire and queer theory aside, I absolutely loved the characters. Jackrum was gruff but lovable, Polly was amazing, and I became the biggest Maladicta fan (I could write a whole essay on gender in vampires based on this novel, which was the topic of my MA, but I did not read the entire book in time to reference it, which I will regret to the end of my days). What is more, the reveal at the end was unexpected and could have been easily predicted, but it was extremely fun none the less.
I would recommend this book to anyone without hesitation. The amount of fun you get while reading it should, frankly, be illegal, and I will definitely revisit this book, as well as read the rest of the Discworld series, maybe in order this time.