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310th out of 331 books
—
149 voters
Monstrous Regiment (Discworld #31)
War has come to Discworld . . . again.
And, to no one's great surprise, the conflict centers on the small, insufferably arrogant, strictly fundamentalist duchy of Borogravia, which has long prided itself on it's ability to beat up on its neighbors for even the tiniest imagined slight. This time, however, it's Borogravia that's getting its long overdue comeuppance, which has...more
And, to no one's great surprise, the conflict centers on the small, insufferably arrogant, strictly fundamentalist duchy of Borogravia, which has long prided itself on it's ability to beat up on its neighbors for even the tiniest imagined slight. This time, however, it's Borogravia that's getting its long overdue comeuppance, which has...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
September 30th 2003
by Harper
(first published 2003)
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Pratchett addresses two questions here: (1)
“Do you think it's possible for an entire nation to be insane?”
and (2) Does - and, more importantly, should - a well-placed pair of socks (for 'certain' sort of padding) make a difference?
“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.”As far as Discworld series is concerned, this book can be easily read as a standalone novel. It brings us to the little backwards country...more
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It seems that every genre fan worth the name should read at least one Pratchett novel. I find the large body of works devoted to Discworld rather intimidating, which is why Monstrous Regiment is one of the few Discworld novels that I have read. With the exception of a few preexisting characters, this novel stands well on it’s own. Above and beyond that, I was drawn to this book because it is about women disguising themselves as men--and I have a weakness for stories about crossdressing heroines....more
Except for the frontspiece satirical political cartoon, I put most of the characters in the default description. I know womanly shaped females won't identify, but I was a scrawny flat kid, got mistaken for a boy even as a long haired teen. I think the extensive eccentric cast and their interaction hold my interest over so many pages, and catch my curiosity, what could they do next, more than the name-dropping Sam Vimes cameo, and basic girl as boy grows up going to war. For an old guy, Pratchett...more
This is a fantastic book by Terry Pratchett (well, most books by Pratchett are fantastic), but this is one that I reread fairly often when I find myself between library books. The small country of Borogravia has been eternally at war with its neighbors & Polly becomes a Private in the army in order to find her older brother, who joined & is now MIA. The problem is that women wearing men's clothing is an Abomination unto Nuggin. As are babies, barking dogs, and the color blue. Caught betw...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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When a war breaks out on a backwater part of the Discworld, a young woman poses as a boy so she can enlist in the military to look for her brother.
As much as I like Terry Pratchett and his brilliant Discworld series, this book does come across as one of his ever-so-slightly less inspired efforts.
The jokes are still funny, but seem just a little more obvious than usual. The themes Pratchett addresses are relevant and worth exploring, yet he seems to venturing more into straight up “[….] is bad,...more
As much as I like Terry Pratchett and his brilliant Discworld series, this book does come across as one of his ever-so-slightly less inspired efforts.
The jokes are still funny, but seem just a little more obvious than usual. The themes Pratchett addresses are relevant and worth exploring, yet he seems to venturing more into straight up “[….] is bad,...more
My favorite Pratchett so far, except forA Hat Full of Sky. While this story shares much with the rest of the Discworld, including characters, running gags, and elaborate puns, it felt like a very different kind of story to me. Beneath the humor, this story takes itself seriously and entertains a few serious themes.
Monstrous Regiment takes a common trope (the Mulan story) and makes the very natural extension that an idea that occurs to one person may likely occur to another. The tropes pile onto...more
Monstrous Regiment takes a common trope (the Mulan story) and makes the very natural extension that an idea that occurs to one person may likely occur to another. The tropes pile onto...more
Terry Pratchett's take on the "girl pretending to be boy in the army" genre is yet another masterful and entertaining ride through Discworld. His ability to weave absurd comedy and biting social satire is at its finest here. The squad of unlikely war heroes comes alive, but at the same time we're given a scathing attack on British Colonialism.
Pratchett goes beyond merely criticising absurdity of 19th Century colonial spirit and its quaint notions of patriotism (with the "Duchess" standing in for...more
Pratchett goes beyond merely criticising absurdity of 19th Century colonial spirit and its quaint notions of patriotism (with the "Duchess" standing in for...more
I'm always a sucker for cross-dressing stories. This one takes the cake out of all the ones I've read. Brilliant and hilarious. Though once you know the main joke, you can pretty much guess the final punchlines, I really didn't mind.
A friend recommended that I try this book, since I've been needing humorous stories and I'd been wanting to try another Pratchett audiobook. This actually may be my favorite Pratchett book ever. It certainly is my favorite so far!
Also, Sgt. Jackram (or however you s...more
A friend recommended that I try this book, since I've been needing humorous stories and I'd been wanting to try another Pratchett audiobook. This actually may be my favorite Pratchett book ever. It certainly is my favorite so far!
Also, Sgt. Jackram (or however you s...more
Monstrous Regiment has many of the best qualities of Pratchett's successes with the Discworld multiverse. It made me laugh out loud time and again, particularly in the footnote asides. Polly, Lt. Blouse, Sgt. Jackrum, Maladict, and the rest of the odd squad virtually climb out from between the pages. As far as that goes, they have more substance than many of his earlier-developed characters. It's no wonder: this book, like many of Pratchett's more recent works, also contains much of his darker m...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I gave Terry Pratchett another chance. Friends who say he's brilliant told me I made a mistake by starting with his first book, the Color of Magic. They said skip the first three and all others are great. Well, I saw one in the library from 2005--the 31st Discworld novel. I actually thought Color of Magic was better.
This book opens in a regime on the edge of collapse, which is in perpetual war with every other state. For various reasons, a unit of misfits is the last one to enlist. It includes a...more
This book opens in a regime on the edge of collapse, which is in perpetual war with every other state. For various reasons, a unit of misfits is the last one to enlist. It includes a...more
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I usually don't like war stories, but this one, being one of the best Pratchetts I've read so far, is so clever and funny - I loved it!
Some great quotations (possibly SPOILERS):
The sergeant turned to Polly and grinned, which made his scars move oddly and caused a tremor to shake all his chins. The word ‘fat’ could not honestly be applied to him, not when the word ‘gross’ was lumbering forward to catch your attention. He was one of those people who didn’t have a waist. He had an equator. He had g...more
Some great quotations (possibly SPOILERS):
The sergeant turned to Polly and grinned, which made his scars move oddly and caused a tremor to shake all his chins. The word ‘fat’ could not honestly be applied to him, not when the word ‘gross’ was lumbering forward to catch your attention. He was one of those people who didn’t have a waist. He had an equator. He had g...more
I love Terry Pratchett, but I've had a great difficulty trying to obtain the entire Discworld series in chronological order. However, friends assures me that it was all right if I read out of sequence, sort of like Honoré de Balzac, where there is a chronological order which is not essential to follow.
So, I started with Book 31 of Discworld, which had the concept I was most keen about. Needless to say, I was absolutely charmed by the wit and characterisation.
The only thing that really prevents m...more
So, I started with Book 31 of Discworld, which had the concept I was most keen about. Needless to say, I was absolutely charmed by the wit and characterisation.
The only thing that really prevents m...more
I want to give this book five stars, but have to restrain myself.
A small overview is needed to explain my difficulty.
A young girl named Polly girds her loins cough and decides that in order to find her brother, she needs to follow him... into the army. See, he recently decided to do his duty to the Duchess of the land and joined the army.
She dearly loves her brother, who isn't as sharp as her, and has always looked out for him.
But then Polly hears that he has been captured and there is only one...more
A small overview is needed to explain my difficulty.
A young girl named Polly girds her loins cough and decides that in order to find her brother, she needs to follow him... into the army. See, he recently decided to do his duty to the Duchess of the land and joined the army.
She dearly loves her brother, who isn't as sharp as her, and has always looked out for him.
But then Polly hears that he has been captured and there is only one...more
Plot: This story will most likely remind you of Disney's Mulan. It's the story of a young women growing up in a waring fundamentalist religious country who decides to enlist in the army. Most of the action takes place on the road as Polly and her other army "buddies" experience adventures. The plot was a little slow at times.
Characterization: The best thing about this book is that you get a whole new set of characters. Vimes and Angua barely show up in the story. Polly is probably not one of Pra...more
Characterization: The best thing about this book is that you get a whole new set of characters. Vimes and Angua barely show up in the story. Polly is probably not one of Pra...more
I love all of the Discworld series. Terry Pratchett makes serious points about life, the universe and everything through the creation of a totally believable parallel universe. He comes across as a man of great integrity who yet never becomes preachy, but laugh-out-loud funny! My particular favourites in the series are the books featuring the witches and those featuring the City Watch. 'Monstrous regiment' follows the fortunes of Polly, who joins the army disguised as a boy. Pratchett neatly sid...more
Polly decides to run away to join the army so that she can search for her brother who has gone missing. Since girls aren’t allowed in the armed forces, she changes her name to “Oliver” and disguises her lady bits. Their nation has been involved in various skirmishes and wars for a long time now, and they’ve basically exhausted their supply of new recruits, which is why Polly/Oliver finds her/himself in a most unusual regiment – comprised of several other girls masquerading as young men, a reform...more
Monstrous Regiment is a good deal darker than is normal for Pratchett. Set in Borogravia, a small, warlike nation on the Discworld, it follows Polly Oliver as she dresses as a boy and goes as a soldier. There's a lot of folk songs out there in which girls do this, following lovers, looking for lost people, seeking revenge, or death, or just because they want to do the things gender excluded them from doing.
Between the feminist reference in the title, and the folk, it's not entirely difficult to...more
Between the feminist reference in the title, and the folk, it's not entirely difficult to...more
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday 2003) Humor/fantasy
Readers claim they can't read a page of Pratchett without laughing aloud. He does it again with Discworld's thirty-first installment, Monstrous Regiment - a cross between Mulan and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment explores the myth of honor and glory in battle. Soldiers of Sergeant Jackrum's regiment aren't who they pretend to be. In fact, none of them even enlisted because they wanted to figh...more
Readers claim they can't read a page of Pratchett without laughing aloud. He does it again with Discworld's thirty-first installment, Monstrous Regiment - a cross between Mulan and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment explores the myth of honor and glory in battle. Soldiers of Sergeant Jackrum's regiment aren't who they pretend to be. In fact, none of them even enlisted because they wanted to figh...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I am not a reader of fantasy books. I much prefer my fiction to take place in this world, not somewhere new thank you very much. However, this book was the book club's selection for this month. I think that's the reason I like my new book club so much. I have been challenged to read outside my comfort zone per se and I am loving it!
Polly is a girl living in a country called Borogravia. Her brother has gone off to war and she hasn't heard from him in a while. In Borogravia it is an "Abomination u...more
Polly is a girl living in a country called Borogravia. Her brother has gone off to war and she hasn't heard from him in a while. In Borogravia it is an "Abomination u...more
Another fantastic installment in the Discworld universe :)
A band of likely lads goes out to join the war, for Duchess and country. But it turns out that, however likely they may be, there's less of the "lad" about them. But, being a lady in trousers is an Abomonation unto the local god of custom. So in addition to doing their part for the war and seeking their own personal goals (One seeks her brother, another her young man, some just to get away) they also have to avoid being found out at all c...more
A band of likely lads goes out to join the war, for Duchess and country. But it turns out that, however likely they may be, there's less of the "lad" about them. But, being a lady in trousers is an Abomonation unto the local god of custom. So in addition to doing their part for the war and seeking their own personal goals (One seeks her brother, another her young man, some just to get away) they also have to avoid being found out at all c...more
Monstrous Regiment is the tale of Polly Perks who dresses like a man and joins the army. Even though it takes the beloved British past-time of cross-dressing and turns it upside down, it's all very serious. Borogravia, the country Polly is fighting for (well, she's really just looking for her brother) isn't a nice place. It's all Eastern-European dilapidation and lacks the magic of the Disc. Plus, Polly's a pretty flat character. I don't get a feel for her at all, other than she's a mouthpiece f...more
The Discworld novels have always been wacky and irreverent, but after first reading Night Watch and now Monstrous Regiment, I think Mr. Pratchett has made a leap forward in how he constructs his stories. I'm not really sure what's changed - it just seems that his latest two books are less about the zany characters being thrown into peculiar and comedic situations, and more about the situations themselves. They feel more "novelly," for lack of a better term. As Mr. Pratchett himself has reportedl...more
At the end of Monstrous Regiment I had that feeling you get when you reach the end of a good book and it comes to a conclusion you admire and one that is not too easy. One that hints that this is only the beginning and it was a brilliant one. Twists, turns and a few pantomime-worthy moments. I'm not sure how a reader, unfamiliar with the Discworld, would take the novel but it's a book I'd recommend wholeheartedly. I want to read it again already. It's the little things, the birds and the 'Oh, Su...more
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Everyone told me that I'd love reading a Terry Pratchett novel. Short of some clever and amusing background to the country of Borogravia I didn't find any redeeming qualities to the book.
I felt like I knew how the story would unfold after the first 20 pages. This isn't always a bad thing because it is often the journey and not the destination. What's more, I wouldn't ever re-read a book if I couldn't get beyond the fact that I already know the ending. HOWEVER, in the case of Monstrous Regiment,...more
I felt like I knew how the story would unfold after the first 20 pages. This isn't always a bad thing because it is often the journey and not the destination. What's more, I wouldn't ever re-read a book if I couldn't get beyond the fact that I already know the ending. HOWEVER, in the case of Monstrous Regiment,...more
Oh, this was kinda disappointing. Whilst there are some excellent critiques of gender roles and perceptions of gender, it just never really... comes to any sort of conclusion. What should end with a bang just kinda flops over and whimpers pathetically. There are sections that go on longer than they should, overly-recycled jokes and it's just a bit blergh, and on top of that as the book went on and things were revealed, it became more and more ridiculous and unbelievable (even within the context...more
May 18, 2011
Shovelmonkey1
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
hardcore Discworld fans but its not for newbies
Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by:
A life long discworld affection
Shelves:
read-in-2011
Normally I would include a Pratchett book on my "clear-unparalled-genius" shelf but this one is not getting a spot on there. I've read everything that Pratchett has written (Discworld, Gaimen collaborations, plus the Diggers/Truckers/Wings books and other discworld spin-offs) and while this book is clever in the trademark Pratchett way, the story is less funny because it is closer to the real world than many of the others in the series. The charm of the Discworld is that normally its like lookin...more
I haven't read any Terry Pratchett before because I'm not generally into genre fiction. But upon a very reliable recommendation, I started with this one and it was fantastic! I've read so many "girl disguises herself as a boy and goes to war" stories, and often I like them. But they so often have this undercurrent narrative that seems to be saying "look at THIS girl, how exceptional she is. she's not like other girls, she can fit in just like one of the boys, and be just as good - maybe even bet...more
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Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel,...more
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“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.”
—
504 people liked it
“Do you think it's possible for an entire nation to be insane?”
—
385 people liked it
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