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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
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.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was my first Discworld book, my fiancé and his mom loved this and urged me to read it! That one quiz picked this as my first Discworld book. The universe had me pick it up!
I really liked it! I struggled with the world building, but really loved the characters, especially Maladict and Polly!
I really liked it! I struggled with the world building, but really loved the characters, especially Maladict and Polly!
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
One of the best later Discworld installations, with some interesting gender implications.
3.5 Stars rounded up as it is a Discworld novel after all.
A somewhat unconventional novel in a unconventional series.
We have all the usual characters from a watch novel, Vimes, Otto the vampire, De Word and Angua, but they are not the main story and somehow don’t act according to character.
Set in a small backward country in continuous conflict with all its neighbours and plagued with a very extreme religion forbidden more or less everything, we are following polly who joins the army disguised as a man to find her missing brother.
The main themes in the novel are, war as a political instrument, raising the interesting question “can a whole nation be mad ?” and minorities in the army or other institutions (even though the novel are about women it could easy be seen as a commentary on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding homosexuals )
There are some funny and absurd parts but it’s like the serious topics makes the novel more serious than the other Discworld novels.
A somewhat unconventional novel in a unconventional series.
We have all the usual characters from a watch novel, Vimes, Otto the vampire, De Word and Angua, but they are not the main story and somehow don’t act according to character.
Set in a small backward country in continuous conflict with all its neighbours and plagued with a very extreme religion forbidden more or less everything, we are following polly who joins the army disguised as a man to find her missing brother.
The main themes in the novel are, war as a political instrument, raising the interesting question “can a whole nation be mad ?” and minorities in the army or other institutions (even though the novel are about women it could easy be seen as a commentary on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding homosexuals )
There are some funny and absurd parts but it’s like the serious topics makes the novel more serious than the other Discworld novels.