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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
There is no good entry point to the Discworld. The earliest novels show it at its silliest, blokey-est worst, and the later novels are often confusing and have a lot of cameos from characters in other books. I began my relationship with Discworld with Monstrous Regiment which is not a bad place to begin, but it's still confusing. I didn't realise how much work Pratchett was doing to unpack the sexism in his earlier novels, or how much he was making fun of his own tropes. This book mostly works on its own terms, but it's also subversive in ways a new reader can't appreciate. On my first reading, I found it confusing, and the ending a bit convoluted -- but I did enjoy. On this reread, I realise that I LOVE it -- it's clever, surprising, heart-breaking, and really plays around with gender in interesting and unexpected ways. It also sows the seeds for Pratchett's later heroine, Tiffany Aching, who is like Polly Perks (protagonist of this book) in many ways, in that she's scrappy, angry, and motivated by a deep sense of injustice as well as love. Tiffany is a more developed character because she has four books, but I'm very charmed by Polly and all of the monstrous regiment. All in all, not a bad place to begin, but also hugely worth rereading.
Review from April 2017:
Bergovia is at war. It's been at war for as long as Polly can remember. When she realises her brother, who has joined the army, needs her help, Polly decides to dress as a boy and enlist too. I have read a few Pratchett novels, and often struggled with getting to grips with the complex Discworld universe and the wide cast of characters. This novel stands alone, and it's a wonderful introduction to Pratchett's writing. Polly is a vivid, enjoyable character, and the plot's many twists and turns are engaging and believable. I love how Pratchett writes about women in this novel, and it's a really good anti-war story too.
Review from April 2017:
Bergovia is at war. It's been at war for as long as Polly can remember. When she realises her brother, who has joined the army, needs her help, Polly decides to dress as a boy and enlist too. I have read a few Pratchett novels, and often struggled with getting to grips with the complex Discworld universe and the wide cast of characters. This novel stands alone, and it's a wonderful introduction to Pratchett's writing. Polly is a vivid, enjoyable character, and the plot's many twists and turns are engaging and believable. I love how Pratchett writes about women in this novel, and it's a really good anti-war story too.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not a bad book, but not my favorite of the Discworld books by a long shot. It's an interesting take on the "Girl dresses up as a boy so she can go on an adventure/join the army" trope, and there's some good humor and some interesting characters, and Vimes shows up here and there, which is always good. But I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other stories, and it does look at "What happens when the girl dressing up as a boy actually succeeds and keeps doing it for years" and I don't know how I feel about that.
Pratchett's general understanding of issues within feminism always impresses me, and his articulation of scenarios and explanations to explore and reveal these topics is also always unexpectedly astute. I'll have to remember just how good he gets.
adventurous
funny
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:
Yes
really wanted to enjoy this but the ensemble of characters was too many without many defining traits, and it took far too long for me to get to know and care about the main players
idk about the feminist stuff as well. the main character huffing about being told she’s doing well for a woman is so old-fashioned it’s practically regressive
overall, whatever
idk about the feminist stuff as well. the main character huffing about being told she’s doing well for a woman is so old-fashioned it’s practically regressive
overall, whatever
This is an amazing entry in Discworld and one of my personal favorites. There are a lot of heavy discussions about war and gender in this book, yet the comedy remains strong, and the characters are all loveable. It's honestly nice to see outside of Ankh-Morpork and learn that most of Discworld is as whacky and weird. I loved following Polly and the misfit band of Mulan-coded soldiers, especially as the plot develops and dives deeper into those Pratchett philosophy sections. This one is far less subtle with his messaging, but it's easily one of his better stories. This was my first dive into Pratchett and made me fall in love with his style, remaining one of my favorites even as I enjoy the more popular side of his works.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes