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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Libby/audio
Again a great installment in the series.
Again a great installment in the series.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Handles themes around gender exceptionally well while delivering a witty and satirical view on wars.
I realize that it may become tiresome seeing my reviews for Discworld all begin with a reflection on my reread (well for one thing that will stop soon because I've hardly read any of the 30-40ish)
But Monstrous Regimen was SUPER interesting. It's a little funny to me because I've always been a fan of Pratchett's darker elements in his books, yet I didn't actually like Monstrous Regiment when I first read it and it is DARK.
It's a little odd, in that I think many Discworld novels are very 'zoomy' frantic magical races, almost always covering wide areas and usually linking characters through humour as much as typical character arcs. Whereas the YA Discworld novels are notably more grounded.
Monstrous Regimen seems to combine the two. Compared to other Discworld novels MR is downright gritty and realistic. There is very little magic, and the majority of the story is set in a hostile no-man's land of the battlefield.
My suspicion is when I first read this is I was distracted by the ongoing motif of the gender reveal(s) and thought is was just a running joke that IMO had outstayed its welcome. On a reread I think there is something much deeper going on. Yes some of the reveals are played for laughs at times, but the actual underlying themes are, as mentioned, quite bleak and actually quite heart-wrenching. Especially the penultimate scene.
But aside from that plot element there is a lot captured in this novel, the terrible crucible of stubborn patriotism and religious fervor, the weird tensions of war internal and external and so on.
I really took my time reading Monstrous Regiment and don't regret it. Pratchett is often credited with slipping a lot of commentary and insight in all his books, but something about this one makes me feel like Pratchett had a lot to say and really leant into saying it.
But Monstrous Regimen was SUPER interesting. It's a little funny to me because I've always been a fan of Pratchett's darker elements in his books, yet I didn't actually like Monstrous Regiment when I first read it and it is DARK.
It's a little odd, in that I think many Discworld novels are very 'zoomy' frantic magical races, almost always covering wide areas and usually linking characters through humour as much as typical character arcs. Whereas the YA Discworld novels are notably more grounded.
Monstrous Regimen seems to combine the two. Compared to other Discworld novels MR is downright gritty and realistic. There is very little magic, and the majority of the story is set in a hostile no-man's land of the battlefield.
My suspicion is when I first read this is I was distracted by the ongoing motif of the gender reveal(s) and thought is was just a running joke that IMO had outstayed its welcome. On a reread I think there is something much deeper going on. Yes some of the reveals are played for laughs at times, but the actual underlying themes are, as mentioned, quite bleak and actually quite heart-wrenching. Especially the penultimate scene.
But aside from that plot element there is a lot captured in this novel, the terrible crucible of stubborn patriotism and religious fervor, the weird tensions of war internal and external and so on.
I really took my time reading Monstrous Regiment and don't regret it. Pratchett is often credited with slipping a lot of commentary and insight in all his books, but something about this one makes me feel like Pratchett had a lot to say and really leant into saying it.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
For some reason I thought this was going to be a different than was it was, I was pleasantly surprised and then stunned. Polly might be my favorite protagonist after Tiffany Aching. I'm reading all these books out of order, mind you, because I can. Yes, that's allowed. I'll probably read his first book last and then have a good cry because there aren't any more to read. Then I can start rereading. Sounds like a solid plan.
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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
"The First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Women" - John Knox.
I bet he was fun at parties. What a horrible, horrible man.
Apparently Pratchett thinks so too, as this magnificent book depicts women who have been deeply wronged in one way or another, and yet are absolutely brilliant.
Polly runs off to the army to find her brother, Paul, who signed up and then disappeared. Shenanigans ensue. Most of them entertaining. I found myself giggling quite a bit, with some outright bursts of laughter here and there.
The book starts good, gets better, then sort of tapers off at the end. Honestly, while the end was fine it was more sort of...well, boring, actually. You know how you're watching LotR and you think the film's done but then there's another half hour of scenes? This feels like that. What I *wanted* was a Vimes-heavy ending. What I got was...well it was a fizzle.
Nevertheless, despite all that, the first 3/4 was absolutely excellent. And the ending wasn't bad.
Also, I was reading this late at night so my brain might not have been working...but what was with the werewolf thing? Why does Pratchett mention there's a werewolf in the company but no-one was outed as one? And it sort of became not a thing? Was it a mistake the papers made and they thought Angua was part of the company? Even so, that makes no sense at all. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and for it to be revealed but it never was. That's part of the pfffft fizzle at the end.
Despite the Pfft, I highly recommend this book. It's fantastic.
I bet he was fun at parties. What a horrible, horrible man.
Apparently Pratchett thinks so too, as this magnificent book depicts women who have been deeply wronged in one way or another, and yet are absolutely brilliant.
Polly runs off to the army to find her brother, Paul, who signed up and then disappeared. Shenanigans ensue. Most of them entertaining. I found myself giggling quite a bit, with some outright bursts of laughter here and there.
The book starts good, gets better, then sort of tapers off at the end. Honestly, while the end was fine it was more sort of...well, boring, actually. You know how you're watching LotR and you think the film's done but then there's another half hour of scenes? This feels like that. What I *wanted* was a Vimes-heavy ending. What I got was...well it was a fizzle.
Nevertheless, despite all that, the first 3/4 was absolutely excellent. And the ending wasn't bad.
Also, I was reading this late at night so my brain might not have been working...but what was with the werewolf thing? Why does Pratchett mention there's a werewolf in the company but no-one was outed as one? And it sort of became not a thing? Was it a mistake the papers made and they thought Angua was part of the company? Even so, that makes no sense at all. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and for it to be revealed but it never was. That's part of the pfffft fizzle at the end.
Despite the Pfft, I highly recommend this book. It's fantastic.