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A review by trin
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
3.0
I didn't fully click with this particular Pratchett when it first came out, and I still can't count it among my favorites now. This is in spite of Polly being a wonderful and relatable character. But this novel suffers from of the structural problems that plague a few of Pratchett's books -- there's a fun opening, and often an exciting climax, but the middle just sort of meanders aimlessly, dependent on the quality of the witticism and shenanigans, and this book does not contain my favorite examples of either.
Also it's amazing to me, in 2022, how queer this book doesn't feel -- how many opportunities for queerness seem to slide right off the page and vanish. I, being elderly, am well aware that the world was very different in 2003, and I don't think Pratchett would write it this same way now. To paraphrase his pal Neil Gaiman, I am still glad he wrote it then. But age has sadly not improved it for me.
Also it's amazing to me, in 2022, how queer this book doesn't feel -- how many opportunities for queerness seem to slide right off the page and vanish. I, being elderly, am well aware that the world was very different in 2003, and I don't think Pratchett would write it this same way now. To paraphrase his pal Neil Gaiman, I am still glad he wrote it then. But age has sadly not improved it for me.