- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (25 Sep 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385603401
- ISBN-13: 978-0385603409
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.4 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 134,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Monstrous Regiment (Discworld Novel)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Monstrous Regiment in question is made up of a vampire, a troll, Igor, a collection of misfits and a young woman who shoves a pair of socks down her pants to join the army. Here you have the characteristically charming novel by Terry Pratchett.
Polly becomes Private Oliver Perks, who is on a quest to find her older brother, who's recently MIA in one of the innumerable wars the tiny nation of Borogravia has a habit of starting with its neighbors. This peevish tendency has all but expended Borogravia's ranks of cannon fodder. Whether Sergeant Jackrum knows her secret or not, he can't afford to be choosy as Perks and her/his comrades are among the last able-bodied recruits left in Borogravia. This collection of misfits includes the aforementioned vampire (reformed and off the blood, thank you), troll, and macabre Igor, who is only too happy to sew you a new leg if you aren't too particular about previous ownership. Off to war, Polly/Oliver learns that having a pair of, um, socks is a good way to open up doors in this man's army.
For those who haven't made this underrated author's acquaintance, Monstrous Regiment is as good a place to start as any. Readers will encounter Pratchett's subtle and disarming wit, his trademark footnoted asides along with a not-too-shabby tale of honor, courage and duty in the face of absurd circumstances. --Jeremy Pugh, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'You take a bunch of people who don't seem any different from you and me, but when you add them all together you get this sort of huge raving maniac with national borders and an anthem.' So says a character in Pratchett's latest Discworld novel, which follows one Polly Perks on her adventures subsequent to joining up, disguised as a boy, to fight for her country. Pratchett being Pratchett, of course, this is no ordinary war, but it does allow him to reflect upon the actual conduct and nature of war through his distorting lens of fantasy, satire and irreverent humour, in a way which is almost topical. The humour may be as broad as a barn door, but at its best it is also hilariously sharp - Tolkien as rewritten by the Pythons.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A slow start, but another winner,
By
This review is from: Monstrous Regiment (Discworld Novels) (Hardcover)
The premise of this book is a simple one using the familiar story of a girl dressing as a boy. In Monstrous Regiment the heroine sets out to join the army to discover what has happened to her brother. The story looks at her induction into her regiment and their activities in the war.If that doesn't sounds much like a Terry Pratchett novel, that's what I was beginning to think by a third of the way through the book. Up to that point, although the story was told with a great deal of wit and humour, it just didn't have the Pratchett magic. However, the latter two thirds of the book are just what I have come to expect from the master of comic fantasy. While there are very few of the old, favourite characters here, new ones are introduced which I hope will appear again. Pratchett neatly sidesteps the trap of creating a "war is hell" homily, instead giving us an extremely funny look at women in a mans world. On the way, he pastiches the angst of the Vietnam films and I'm sure it is no coincidence that the book spotlights a country which just can't seem to stop from picking fights with all its neighbours (the timing of the book after the activities of the last year is superb).
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellant read,
By
This review is from: Monstrous Regiment: A Discworld Novel (Paperback)
After a period of reading increasing amounts of technical books it comes as no suprise that it is a Discworld Novel that brings me back to the realms of fiction.
Monsterous Regiment is filled with excitement, twists, and of course humour. Pratchett carefully manipulates what the reader knows, and you love every minute of it as he creates yet another skillful yarn. The plot centres around a warring and unstable country in a remote area. It is slowly tearing itself apart on the inside because of its insane god, Nuggan, and being torn up on the outside because all of its former enemies have allied against them. The time is ripe for a Pratchian hero to save the day. For me the the best part of the book was the number of twists, almost impeccably executed until the very end. My only criticism is that towards the end the twists begin to become formulaic and it's hard not to expect some of them. To sum up: the Kneck River may change its course every season in a random fashion, unlike the plot which is guided by Pratchett's own hand. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Too Monstrous,
By Steve James "steve2731" (cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Monstrous Regiment (Discworld Novels) (Hardcover)
In fact it's pretty good. This book has a very different setting from other Discworld novels although there are quite a few old favourites smattered throughout - such as Vimes and Angua.Whilst it is a good read - well written with a solid plot and characters - it is not quite so witty as many of the earlier books. I think that this is really intended to be a kind of fill-in book, rather than the introduction of a new character set, and, as such, it is perfectly enjoyable. As with most of Pratchetts books, there is an underlying theme or two (in this case the stupidity of war) and he deals with it well. Previous reviewers have mentioned that this is a darker book than the norm for Discworld and I would agree with that. It makes for variety but hopefully the next will be a return to some of the older characters that have not been visited for awhile. Buy it and enjoy it but don't expect another Witches Abroad.
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