Status
Available
Collection
Publication
HarperTorch (2004), Edition: Reissue, 416 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:War has come to Discworld�?�again. And, to no one's great surprise, the conflict centers around the small, insufferably arrogant, strictly fundamentalist duchy of Borogravia, which has long prided itself on its ability to beat up on its neighbors. This time, however, it's Borogravia that's getting its long-overdue comeuppance, which has left the country severely drained of young men. Ever since her brother Paul marched off to battle a year ago, Polly Perks has been running The Duchess, her family's inn - even though the revered national deity, Nuggan, has decreed that female ownership of a business is an Abomination. To keep The Duchess in the family, Polly must find her missing sibling. So she cuts off her hair, dons masculine garb, and sets out to join him in this man's army. Polly is afraid that someone will see through her disguise; a fear that proves groundless when the legendary Sergeant Jackrum accepts her without question. Or perhaps the sergeant is too desperate to discriminate - which would explain why a vampire, a troll, a zombie, a religious fanatic, and two uncommonly close "friends�?� are also eagerly welcomed into the fighting fold. Soon, Polly finds herself wondering about the myriad peculiarities of her new brothers-in-arms. It would appear that Polly "Ozzer�?� Perks is not the only grunt with a sec… (more)
Media reviews
Like all of Pratchett's best work, this book bridges its classical sources to the present day, bringing feminist and trans themes to light along with contemporary ideas about religious wars, militarism, mercantilism and geopolitics.
And all of that in a novel that flies along with such
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sprightliness that you'd never suspect it was pulling such heavy freight. Show Less
''Monstrous Regiment'' is most often spirited and shambolic, but it has some serious heft. Pratchett is on the side of those who make very little fuss, which means he gets to shiv those who do.
User reviews
LibraryThing member RobertDay
Pratchett's novels keep getting more and more serious; 'Monstrous regiment' is no exception. Taking the old folk trope of the woman who disguises herself as a man to follow her sweetheart/brother into the army, Pratchett pushes this idea as far as it will go (and then some), on the way examining
As with many recent Pratchett novels, the magical elements of the Discworld are receding as the society develops - here we are roughly in the earrly 19th century in Earth terms. True, there are the fantastic characters - the trolls, goblins, werewolves and vampires (who have signed the Pledge), and some magical apparatus such as the iconograph are still used. And there are supernatural elements to the story. But this is essentially Pratchett holding a mirror up to our own times.
(In case no-one else has spotted it, the title is a reference to Charles I's best-seller, "The first blast of the trumpet against the monstrous regiment of women". Quite apposite in many ways. Look it up.)
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war, peace, the nature of women's reactions to these states, gender identity, class and stereotyping. Oh, and socks, too.As with many recent Pratchett novels, the magical elements of the Discworld are receding as the society develops - here we are roughly in the earrly 19th century in Earth terms. True, there are the fantastic characters - the trolls, goblins, werewolves and vampires (who have signed the Pledge), and some magical apparatus such as the iconograph are still used. And there are supernatural elements to the story. But this is essentially Pratchett holding a mirror up to our own times.
(In case no-one else has spotted it, the title is a reference to Charles I's best-seller, "The first blast of the trumpet against the monstrous regiment of women". Quite apposite in many ways. Look it up.)
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LibraryThing member pwaites
Monstrous Regiment was the first book in the Discworld series I ever read. This stand alone Discworld novel got me hooked on the series and has been a beloved favorite of mine for many years.
Monstrous Regiment takes the classic trope of a girl disguising herself as a man to join the army and runs
She joins a squad of the last few recruits Borogravia could scrape up, led by the legendary Sergeant Jackrum. This unusual band soon finds out Borogravia is on the edge of collapse and the war is not even close to being won.
“The little countries here fought because of the river, because of idiot treaties, because of royal rows, but mostly they fought because they had always fought.”
What I love about Monstrous Regiment is that it takes the Polly Oliver trope and uses it to create a confounding situation full of reversals and reveals that both questions and criticizes gender roles. A highlight of the book is when Polly disguises herself as a washerwoman and isn’t believed to be a woman by male guards because she doesn’t fit the stereotypes and expectations they have of what a woman is.
“Besides, she thought as she watched Wazzer drink, you only thought the world would be better if it was run by women if you didn’t actually know many women. Or old women, at least… Whenever there was an execution, and especially when there was a whipping, you always found the grannies in the front row, sucking on peppermints.”
Monstrous Regiment also destroys the myth of the “exceptional woman” who “isn’t like those other girls.” Polly may very well be awesome, but this is a book filled with amazing women of all sorts.
Of course, I do really love Polly Perks. She’s brave and smart, and most of her success comes from her from her logic and planning and ability to think on her feet. She’s funny and capable, and she’s one of the few female protagonists I’ve come across who does not even have a trace of a romance plot.
“A credit to the women of your country. We’re proud of you. Somehow those words locked you away, put you in your place, patted you on the head and dismissed you with a sweetie.”
In short, Monstrous Regiment is a truly great and hilarious book that explores war, religion, and gender roles with a cast of tremendously amazing female characters. I cannot recommend it enough.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Monstrous Regiment takes the classic trope of a girl disguising herself as a man to join the army and runs
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wild with it. The nation of Borogravia has been at war for as long as anyone can remember. The country is falling to pieces, but the army is still soldering on. Polly Perks’ brother has disappeared into the war, and she’s determined to find him and bring him home. To do so, she’ll need to masquerade as Oliver “Ozzer,” a disguise completed by a well placed pair of socks.She joins a squad of the last few recruits Borogravia could scrape up, led by the legendary Sergeant Jackrum. This unusual band soon finds out Borogravia is on the edge of collapse and the war is not even close to being won.
“The little countries here fought because of the river, because of idiot treaties, because of royal rows, but mostly they fought because they had always fought.”
What I love about Monstrous Regiment is that it takes the Polly Oliver trope and uses it to create a confounding situation full of reversals and reveals that both questions and criticizes gender roles. A highlight of the book is when Polly disguises herself as a washerwoman and isn’t believed to be a woman by male guards because she doesn’t fit the stereotypes and expectations they have of what a woman is.
“Besides, she thought as she watched Wazzer drink, you only thought the world would be better if it was run by women if you didn’t actually know many women. Or old women, at least… Whenever there was an execution, and especially when there was a whipping, you always found the grannies in the front row, sucking on peppermints.”
Monstrous Regiment also destroys the myth of the “exceptional woman” who “isn’t like those other girls.” Polly may very well be awesome, but this is a book filled with amazing women of all sorts.
Of course, I do really love Polly Perks. She’s brave and smart, and most of her success comes from her from her logic and planning and ability to think on her feet. She’s funny and capable, and she’s one of the few female protagonists I’ve come across who does not even have a trace of a romance plot.
“A credit to the women of your country. We’re proud of you. Somehow those words locked you away, put you in your place, patted you on the head and dismissed you with a sweetie.”
In short, Monstrous Regiment is a truly great and hilarious book that explores war, religion, and gender roles with a cast of tremendously amazing female characters. I cannot recommend it enough.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member iayork
Not a Discworld Classic: There are those who will buy this book simply to have it in their Pratchett collection (I did). Fair enough. It is written by Terry Pratchett so it is guaranteed to be smoothly written with wry humour, mild satire and a tragic yet fondly deprecating look at what passes for
Unfortunately the underlying message and sermon here is delivered with all the integrity of a multi-millionaire pop star protesting about world poverty and the chokingly politically-correct message is as embarrassing as your father dancing at a wedding. As a whole the book is not funny enough to be engaging, with weak slapstick taking the place of the usual witty humour and the characters too thin for you to care about. The plot is just silly, devoid of believability (is that a word?) and barely has enough substance for a short story let alone a novel. The book then ends on a decidedly jingoistic note in complete contrast to the rest of the story and leaves you feeling completely depressed and like you've wasted your time reading it at all.
All in all this book feels awkward and rushed, with the bare bones of an idea but with way too little thought or planning for the standard we expect from this author. Sadly, when you produce such a high quality for so long expectations will rise and Monstrous Regiment fails to reach them.
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humanity. Unfortunately the underlying message and sermon here is delivered with all the integrity of a multi-millionaire pop star protesting about world poverty and the chokingly politically-correct message is as embarrassing as your father dancing at a wedding. As a whole the book is not funny enough to be engaging, with weak slapstick taking the place of the usual witty humour and the characters too thin for you to care about. The plot is just silly, devoid of believability (is that a word?) and barely has enough substance for a short story let alone a novel. The book then ends on a decidedly jingoistic note in complete contrast to the rest of the story and leaves you feeling completely depressed and like you've wasted your time reading it at all.
All in all this book feels awkward and rushed, with the bare bones of an idea but with way too little thought or planning for the standard we expect from this author. Sadly, when you produce such a high quality for so long expectations will rise and Monstrous Regiment fails to reach them.
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LibraryThing member passion4reading
Polly Perks cuts off her hair and disguises herself as a man to join the Borogravian army in order to find her brother Paul (Borogravia is yet again locked in a war of attrition with its neighbouring country Zlobenia). Along the way she meets Colonel Strappi, Sergeant Jackrum and Lieutenant Blouse,
I agree with one reviewer that this is a relatively dark book for Discworld standards, Terry Pratchett seems to have poured a lot of anger and resentment into this offering. I admire him for his lightness of touch and his effortless ability to hold up a mirror to society, as well as his eye for the absurdities of life, but this tale dragged in comparison, the satire and irony were often heavy-handed in my opinion, the little injections of humour forced. I will go back to some of his earlier novels (Guards! Guards!, Reaper Man) to remind me what Pratchett and the Discworld are all about.
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several human recruits as well as a vampire, an Igor and a troll; but not everyone is what they appear to be.I agree with one reviewer that this is a relatively dark book for Discworld standards, Terry Pratchett seems to have poured a lot of anger and resentment into this offering. I admire him for his lightness of touch and his effortless ability to hold up a mirror to society, as well as his eye for the absurdities of life, but this tale dragged in comparison, the satire and irony were often heavy-handed in my opinion, the little injections of humour forced. I will go back to some of his earlier novels (Guards! Guards!, Reaper Man) to remind me what Pratchett and the Discworld are all about.
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LibraryThing member SatansParakeet
This book is quite excellent. It is highly amusing, like most of the Discworld books are and it has an insidiously amazing message if your looking for it. The obvious messages seem to be that discrimination against women is bad and that blindly following religious writings doesn't get you very far.
Even without that message, though, Pratchett does some of his best work in this novel. The characters are interesting, their conundrums are believable, and the conclusion is exciting. Anyone who likes the Discworld series should pick up this book.
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Both of these are good, but it is interesting that the theme of the book also applies so well to homosexualtity and the common "don't ask, don't tell" policy that is expected and even enforced in the US military. I can only assume that Pratchett was not unaware of this reading of his novel. I really don't know what his views are on the subject, but I find it extremely hard to believe that he is against homosexuals in the military after reading this book. Even without that message, though, Pratchett does some of his best work in this novel. The characters are interesting, their conundrums are believable, and the conclusion is exciting. Anyone who likes the Discworld series should pick up this book.
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LibraryThing member Narilka
Polly Perks had to become a man in a hurry. Cutting her hair and donning men's clothes was easy. Learning fart and swear in public and to walk with a certain gait took a little longer. And all so she can find her brother Paul, who had gone to war a year ago and never returned. Aided by a pair of
Monstrous Regiment is the 31st Discworld novel and the 3rd in the Industrial Revolution theme. This time around Pratchett tackles the ideas of gender roles, war, religious intolerance, the use of well placed socks and whether an entire nation could, in fact, be insane. Borogravia is an extremely backwater place. Their god, Nuggin, has increasingly come out with odder and odder "abominations". They have become so odd that the population has given up worshiping him and direct their prayers to the Duchess instead. They are also constantly at war with someone. This time it happens to be the neighboring country of Zlobenia. With the constant war, their economy is falling apart and there is a food shortage. Most recruiting parties leave villages empty handed. That is until Polly and the others decide to enlist. All of the "lads" join the army for various reasons, none of which have to do with patriotism.
We are introduced to some terrific new characters. Polly "Ozzer" Perks is a highly capable and resourceful young lady. She's smart, likable and a very fast learner in this mans army. Sargent Jackrum is an old time campaigner and manages to forge his group of little lads into a formidable fighting machine. Maladict the vampire has sworn off blood and transferred his addiction to coffee. Igor is out to prove he's a capable surgeon. There is also a troll, a religious fanatic and a pair of very close "friends", one of which has a fascination with matches. And each one of them has a secret.
It was a great read, highly entertaining. There are plenty of laugh out loud funny parts that blend seamlessly with more serious topics in only the way Pratchett can. This one will also make you think. There are even some great action scenes. While Monstrous Regiment could be read as a stand alone novel, if you would like to be "in" on the character cameos and extra references that always appear in Discworld novels I would recommend reading at least one Watch book and [The Truth]. It will not hurt the story at all if you don't though, it just adds that little something.
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well placed socks Polly joins the army. After all, there is a war on. There's always war. The nation is in dire straights, willing to take just about anyone for the war effort. Next thing she knows Polly's squad is thrown into the thick of it, without any training, heading into the heart of the enemy. All they have on their side is a vampire, a troll, an Igor and a few other lads that joined up at the same time. It would also appear that Polly "Ozzer" Perks isn't the only one with a secret.Monstrous Regiment is the 31st Discworld novel and the 3rd in the Industrial Revolution theme. This time around Pratchett tackles the ideas of gender roles, war, religious intolerance, the use of well placed socks and whether an entire nation could, in fact, be insane. Borogravia is an extremely backwater place. Their god, Nuggin, has increasingly come out with odder and odder "abominations". They have become so odd that the population has given up worshiping him and direct their prayers to the Duchess instead. They are also constantly at war with someone. This time it happens to be the neighboring country of Zlobenia. With the constant war, their economy is falling apart and there is a food shortage. Most recruiting parties leave villages empty handed. That is until Polly and the others decide to enlist. All of the "lads" join the army for various reasons, none of which have to do with patriotism.
We are introduced to some terrific new characters. Polly "Ozzer" Perks is a highly capable and resourceful young lady. She's smart, likable and a very fast learner in this mans army. Sargent Jackrum is an old time campaigner and manages to forge his group of little lads into a formidable fighting machine. Maladict the vampire has sworn off blood and transferred his addiction to coffee. Igor is out to prove he's a capable surgeon. There is also a troll, a religious fanatic and a pair of very close "friends", one of which has a fascination with matches. And each one of them has a secret.
It was a great read, highly entertaining. There are plenty of laugh out loud funny parts that blend seamlessly with more serious topics in only the way Pratchett can. This one will also make you think. There are even some great action scenes. While Monstrous Regiment could be read as a stand alone novel, if you would like to be "in" on the character cameos and extra references that always appear in Discworld novels I would recommend reading at least one Watch book and [The Truth]. It will not hurt the story at all if you don't though, it just adds that little something.
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LibraryThing member electrascaife
Polly disguises herself as a young man and joins the army in order to find her brother, who she thinks must have been captured. Gradually she finds out that she's not the only recruit with such an idea...
Pratchett mixes Private Benjamin, Viola from Twelfth Night, and a bit of All Quiet on the
Pratchett mixes Private Benjamin, Viola from Twelfth Night, and a bit of All Quiet on the
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Western Front, and serves it up on Discworld. Clever, extremely funny, and quite touching as well. I had a great time with this one, and loved all the little twists, and the guest appearance by Vimes, too. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
A favourite of mine, although some of the puns are fairly obvious they are still very funny - all the military clothing jokes featuring everybody except Lord Cardigan! It is also a collossal farce, with women dressed as men dressing as women etc etc ad absurdum.
The obvious storyline being the
The underlying thems though are far deeper and less explict. A simple parallel in names of the complicated conflict in eastern Europe is obvious, but can quickly be extended to the Middle East - Ankh-Morpock features as Polly's conflict has distroyed the clacks towers. Vimes is sent in to restore order along with the imfamous Lord Rust. The symbolism between oil and clacks can be made - the outcome contrasts with the way America has handled the Gulf. Also featuring are comparative religion, pacifism, and gender issues.
A thoughtful and movning book on many levels, whilst maintaining the typical humour so beloved of Pratchett this book is one of his best works - even though it only fleetingly mentions some of his most popular characters.
The obvious storyline being the
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ability of women to be men as well as men can be, is carried through the book very well. Polly aka oliver, ozzer, parts, Perks - joins the army disguised as a boy in order to look for her slightly simple brother Paul, this allows the gag Private Parts to be repeated several times. By dint of luck and the tender care of Seargent Jackorum, her small patrol makes it though enemy lines to the keep. Gradually Polly becomes aware that other memebers of her patrol are also women in disguise, much hilarity ensues. The underlying thems though are far deeper and less explict. A simple parallel in names of the complicated conflict in eastern Europe is obvious, but can quickly be extended to the Middle East - Ankh-Morpock features as Polly's conflict has distroyed the clacks towers. Vimes is sent in to restore order along with the imfamous Lord Rust. The symbolism between oil and clacks can be made - the outcome contrasts with the way America has handled the Gulf. Also featuring are comparative religion, pacifism, and gender issues.
A thoughtful and movning book on many levels, whilst maintaining the typical humour so beloved of Pratchett this book is one of his best works - even though it only fleetingly mentions some of his most popular characters.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
I quite enjoyed this book. It was not as side-splittingly funny as some of the other Discworld novels, but it had quite a few humerous situations and some fine characters.
The issues brought up in this story were quite serious. Whether or not one should hide their true selves to get along in
The issues brought up in this story were quite serious. Whether or not one should hide their true selves to get along in
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society, the fact that people's greed, stubbornness and pride will continue to lead them into senseless wars with one another, patriotism, women's roles, rights and abilities. Yet the author manages to bring these up for thought without pushing his own answers at you. Show Less
LibraryThing member salimbol
Another gem from Pratchett, gleefully skewering gender norms and militarism. As always, there's real substance behind the (many) laugh-out-loud moments.
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
Monstrous Regiment has the distinction of being the first Pratchett book I just fell into. No fighting with the narrative, no initial struggle to follow what was going on. It all just worked from the start.
In spite of this, something … wasn’t missing so much as, I suppose, this was a different
Between this book and Carpe Jugulum I learned something about myself: I love good satire about the ‘smaller’ things in life, like politics, academia, and social mores, but I struggle to embrace satire about the ‘big’ things like religion and world politics. I think there are some things that are too big or too complex, to be effectively satirised, no matter that they make themselves such easy targets with their outsized human fallacies. Of course I’m not an advocate for war, nor am I an advocate for religion-for-profit, or religion-for-power, but I don’t believe that all, or even most, governments eagerly search out reasons to go to war, nor most followers or seekers of faith and guidance are less than sincere – though I’ve met more than a few of the latter in my life.
Now that I’ve said that, though, I want to give all the credit to Pratchett for what I felt was his attempt to be brutally, objectively, honest about his satire in Monstrous Regiment. A cynical reader might start reading this book and think ah, here’s the sop to feminism just about every bestselling male author writes anymore. A cynical reader would be wrong — which delights this cynical reader to no end. Truely, this is a book about how women can do anything men can do – and do it better. Pratchett’s just honest enough to point out that isn’t always something to be proud of, and he does it in the most extraordinary way.
His bitterness towards organised religion is as apparent, and almost as scathing, here as it was in Carpe Jugulum, but there’s also what feels like a newfound acknowledgment of the power of faith. Towards the end, it feels as though the author is wrestling with himself through his characters about the importance of belief in something greater than oneself.
This internal debate felt apparent to me not just in matters of faith, but in matters of politics and government. Polly’s realisation that she must play an ongoing, active part in her country’s fate, that lasting change doesn’t just happen because people want it to, that it’s a process that is forever going forward and backwards, feels like it’s a truth that’s only starting to be considered, rather than a wisdom being imparted to readers.
Then again, what do I know? Maybe I was just seeing zebras instead of horses, and disappointed by the lack of ginger root and oxen. What matters is that it’s a damn good story, and a more obviously philosophical one than any other discworld book I’ve read so far.
In spite of this, something … wasn’t missing so much as, I suppose, this was a different
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kind of story than I was expecting, based on my one Sam Vimes book so far. This was much more satiric than my first City Watch, and really, much more blatant a satire than any of the Discworld books I’ve read so far.Between this book and Carpe Jugulum I learned something about myself: I love good satire about the ‘smaller’ things in life, like politics, academia, and social mores, but I struggle to embrace satire about the ‘big’ things like religion and world politics. I think there are some things that are too big or too complex, to be effectively satirised, no matter that they make themselves such easy targets with their outsized human fallacies. Of course I’m not an advocate for war, nor am I an advocate for religion-for-profit, or religion-for-power, but I don’t believe that all, or even most, governments eagerly search out reasons to go to war, nor most followers or seekers of faith and guidance are less than sincere – though I’ve met more than a few of the latter in my life.
Now that I’ve said that, though, I want to give all the credit to Pratchett for what I felt was his attempt to be brutally, objectively, honest about his satire in Monstrous Regiment. A cynical reader might start reading this book and think ah, here’s the sop to feminism just about every bestselling male author writes anymore. A cynical reader would be wrong — which delights this cynical reader to no end. Truely, this is a book about how women can do anything men can do – and do it better. Pratchett’s just honest enough to point out that isn’t always something to be proud of, and he does it in the most extraordinary way.
His bitterness towards organised religion is as apparent, and almost as scathing, here as it was in Carpe Jugulum, but there’s also what feels like a newfound acknowledgment of the power of faith. Towards the end, it feels as though the author is wrestling with himself through his characters about the importance of belief in something greater than oneself.
This internal debate felt apparent to me not just in matters of faith, but in matters of politics and government. Polly’s realisation that she must play an ongoing, active part in her country’s fate, that lasting change doesn’t just happen because people want it to, that it’s a process that is forever going forward and backwards, feels like it’s a truth that’s only starting to be considered, rather than a wisdom being imparted to readers.
Then again, what do I know? Maybe I was just seeing zebras instead of horses, and disappointed by the lack of ginger root and oxen. What matters is that it’s a damn good story, and a more obviously philosophical one than any other discworld book I’ve read so far.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
Tiny Borogravia is a plagued nuisance to her neighbors and has been for generations - border wars, poor weather, a god that abominates everything from the color blue to beets... But that's a country's rite, right? Sure it is - right up until the abomination and subsequent burning of the clax towers
For Polly, international politics aren't even on the radar. All she wants to do is find her brother Paul, seasons gone for a soldier, and bring him home. Joining up seems the thing to do - all she needs is a haircut, a swagger, and a strategically placed roll of socks...
What happens when a group of raw recruits square off against the might of Ankh-Morpork? That's nothing compared to what happens when a group of women in disguise join the army. Funny from cover to cover.
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draws the attention of the powers that be in Ankh-Morpork. Obviously one little upstart country can't be allowed to pinch the transfer of news!For Polly, international politics aren't even on the radar. All she wants to do is find her brother Paul, seasons gone for a soldier, and bring him home. Joining up seems the thing to do - all she needs is a haircut, a swagger, and a strategically placed roll of socks...
What happens when a group of raw recruits square off against the might of Ankh-Morpork? That's nothing compared to what happens when a group of women in disguise join the army. Funny from cover to cover.
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LibraryThing member benfulton
Avoid the temptation to race through this one. There are a lot of bits that are totally predictable, and it's hard not to just roll through the text, assuming that you already know everything that's going to happen. There are surprisingly few typical Pratchett topsy-turvy twists, even though the
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tale of a girl dressing up in boy's clothes to join the army isn't too unusual. But take it slow and read with an eye more on the characters and the social commentary; pay a little less attention to the pace and the action; and you won't be disappointed. Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
Polly Perks runs off to join the army, disguised as a boy, in an attempt to find her brother. Her country of Borogravia has been at war since nobody knows when and appears to be on its last leg when this group of recruits starts its journey. Pratchett explores serious subjects of war and gender
I enjoyed the story in all its goofiness even when I could see where things were going. This seems to be a standalone in the Discworld series. Stephen Briggs does an excellent job of narrating the audio version I listened to.
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relations while telling a story with his trademark humor and wit.I enjoyed the story in all its goofiness even when I could see where things were going. This seems to be a standalone in the Discworld series. Stephen Briggs does an excellent job of narrating the audio version I listened to.
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LibraryThing member ds_61_12
Based on pb cover:
Polly Perks had to become a boy in a hurry. Cutting of her hair and wearing trousers was easy. Learning to fart and belch in public and walk like an ape took more time...
And now she's enlisted in the army, and is searching for her brother.
But there's a war on. There's always awar
All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee. Well... They have the Secret. And as they take the war to the heart of the enemy, they have to use all the resources of... the Monstrous Regiment.
You get all this and it is still funny. At the same time it is a book that questions pacifism, war, religious fanaticism and gender. It is satire of a serious kind, at times you laugh out loud, at times you frown at the similarities with the real world.
Great book and definitly recommended.
Polly Perks had to become a boy in a hurry. Cutting of her hair and wearing trousers was easy. Learning to fart and belch in public and walk like an ape took more time...
And now she's enlisted in the army, and is searching for her brother.
But there's a war on. There's always awar
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on. And Polly and her fellow recruits are suddenly in the thick of it, without any training, and the enemy is hunting them.All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee. Well... They have the Secret. And as they take the war to the heart of the enemy, they have to use all the resources of... the Monstrous Regiment.
You get all this and it is still funny. At the same time it is a book that questions pacifism, war, religious fanaticism and gender. It is satire of a serious kind, at times you laugh out loud, at times you frown at the similarities with the real world.
Great book and definitly recommended.
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LibraryThing member tundranocaps
This book is not as funny as other Discworld books, in fact, it's not funny at all.Still a good book.Second time reading it.
LibraryThing member meersan
Girl disguises herself as a boy and joins the army to defend her war-torn country. And proves that cliches get that way for a reason.
LibraryThing member SimonW11
Not the world best plot but good characters and the authors humanity
do their work.
do their work.
LibraryThing member gercmbyrne
Terry Pratchett is a god who walks among men. The entire Discworld series is a joy and only a strange mad creature cursed by gods and man would refuse to read and love these books!
One of the more "one off" novels, with Vimes and CO making an appearance.
One of the more "one off" novels, with Vimes and CO making an appearance.
LibraryThing member fastfinge
This book is one of the darker discworld novels. However, it does serve as a brilliant twist on the girl-as-boy standard plot, poking fun at societies and
the plot device itself. That's all I can say about that and still honestly keep this review no spoilers. The discworld series is one of those
with age. If you haven't yet read this book, even if you've never read any discworld book before, I think you'll enjoy it.
the plot device itself. That's all I can say about that and still honestly keep this review no spoilers. The discworld series is one of those
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that is improvingwith age. If you haven't yet read this book, even if you've never read any discworld book before, I think you'll enjoy it.
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LibraryThing member VioletDelirium
My most favorite Discworld novel is forever changing. However this one, ranks up among the top. It was refreshing to read. With the same wit that Pratchett writes his other novels, yet in a new setting (for all the it's the same world) and fabulous new characters.
LibraryThing member altivo
As frequently has happened in its history, the Duchy of Borogravia is embroiled in war with its neighbors over vague points of fundamentalist belief and jingoistic patriotism. The war has gone on too long, the young men of the nation are depleted, and for various reasons, young women begin to
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surreptitiously take their places. The reaction to this as it is gradually discovered is both hilarious and realistic. Show Less
LibraryThing member polarbear123
One of the better Pratchett books however it still suffers from the same Pratchett problems namely - over reliance on the one joke and an overblown confused and just too far drawn out ending.
LibraryThing member verenka
One of the books starring Sam Vimes, although he doesn't play a main character in the story. It's a book about two countries on the disc world forever at war with one another. I don't want to give anthing away - it's a funny but also serious book about war and feminism and I liked it.
LibraryThing member IAmAndyPieters
This is one of the most enjoyable Discworld adventures I have read so far, second only to Going Postal.
In a country far far away where even the thought of a girl wearing trousers is an abomination, Poly, a girl last time she looked, decides to enlist to search for her brother Paul. The country is
In a country far far away where even the thought of a girl wearing trousers is an abomination, Poly, a girl last time she looked, decides to enlist to search for her brother Paul. The country is
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currently waging war with one of its neighbours and Poly and her squad experience many adventures and the plot thickens and twists and turns with every page you get closer to the beautiful ending Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2004)
SF Site Editor's Choice (2003)
Otherwise Award (Long list — 2004)
Locus Recommended Reading (2003)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2003-10
ISBN
0060013168 / 9780060013165