Monstrous Regiment

Discworld #31

by Terry Pratchett

Polly Perks joins the Discworld army to find her brother Paul. "Ozzer" cuts off her blonde braids, dons male garb, belches, scratches, and masters macho habits - aided by well-placed pair of socks. The legendary and seemingly ageless Sergeant Jackrum accepts her plus a vampire, troll, zombie, religious fanatic, and two close "friends". The best man for the job may be a woman.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Audiobook, Comedy, Science Fiction Fantasy, War

496 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2003

About the author

Sir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 of Borogravia, which is constantly at war with someone - this time it's with Zlobenia. Ankh-Morpork is expected to intervene, since, as Commander Sam Vimes points out in his cameo appearance, "the interests of Ankh-Morpork are the interests of all money-lov... oops, sorry, all freedom-loving people everywhere."

"Borogravia was a peace-loving country in the midst of treacherous, devious, warlike enemies. They had to be treacherous, devious, and warlike, otherwise we wouldn't be fighting them, eh? There was always a war."

Borogravia's economy is on the verge of collapse, and the country has pretty much run out of eligible soldiers. But this does not stop the little country, governed by a "probably dead" Duchess, the country that follows the ever-expanding ring-bound (makes it easier to add pages) gospel of the god Nuggan, who seems to spend his time coming up with new Abominations - recently, we've had garlic, chocolate, dwarfs, cats, oysters and the color blue join the ranks.

"So what we have here is a country that tries to run itself on the commandments of a god, who, the people feel, may be wearing his underpants on his head. Has he Abomined underpants?"
"No, sir. [...] But it's probably only a matter of time."

Polly Perks does not care about war, money, or patriotism. What she cares about is saving her not-too-bright brother who has disappeared in the war. So, of course, she chops her hair off and joins the army disguised as a boy. (Did I mention that lots of Nuggan's Abominations have something to do with women acting "non-womanlike"?) A mysterious unseen benefactor advises her on the benefits of a well-placed pair of socks in the 'nether regions'. And given that the title of the book comes from the infamous The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, the readers can easily guess the true nature of Polly's war comrades.

Like we have learned to expect from Sir Terry's novels, this book is witty and has plenty of funny moments. But, as many of his more recent novels, it is also sad, angry and frustrated with the events in Discworld clearly paralleling the things that make us angry in the "Roundworld".

I love that this book, like the rest of Pratchett's creations, makes me think. Some may complain that the message of this book is on the heavy-handed side, but I love it. I love that Pratchett is not shy or subtle about getting the message across about the evils and pitfalls of bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, and so-called patriotism bordering on jingoism. He is not subtle about the things that people should NOT be subtle about, and I love it. He is open about asking uncomfortable questions and stirring up trouble, and love this as well.

“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.”

Another thing I love about Pratchett's writing is that he is one of the (regrettably) few male fantasy authors who can portray a woman as not a stereotype or a caricature or a mystery or an adorable nuisance or a far-fetched ideal but as a normal (well, normal for Discworld), real, and believable human being.

“This was not a fairy-tale castle and there was no such thing as a fairy-tale ending, but sometimes you could threaten to kick the handsome prince in the ham-and-eggs.”

As it's becoming common in Pratchett's novels, the ending is not happy but has bittersweet undertones. There is an understanding that it takes a lot to change the world, to change people's beliefs and prejudices, that anything that is won is only a small step on a long road. "And now it wasn't that good things were happening, it was just that bad things had stopped." Pratchett is not reluctant to show that the world's ways of dealing with things that are uncomfortable, that challenge the status quo is to pretend that they never happened, pretend that they are the exception rather than the rule, pretend that ignoring things would make them go away.

"We weren't soldiers, she decided. We were girls in uniform. We were like a lucky charm. We were mascots. We weren't real, we were always a symbol of something. We'd done very well, for women. And we were temporary."

************************************************
This is now one of my favorite Discworld novels. Five stars is not enough to describe how much I loved it. And I adored the little cameos from the other Discworld characters, especially Vimes (I am a true Vimes girl, why'd you ask?)

"The enemy wasn't men, or women, or the old, or even the dead. It was just bleedin' stupid people, who came in all varieties. And no one had the right to be stupid."

————
My ever-expanding collection of Pratchett’s Discworld reviews:
- Guards! Guards!
- Men at Arms
- Thud!
- Lords and Ladies
- The Wee Free Men
- Hogfather
- Monstrous Regiment

[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Discworld books -- a fun take on sexism in the military

Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.

This book will go down as one of my favorite Discworld novels, and really surprised me as I really didn't know what to expect from this one. What I got was a fascinating story about a girl who pretends to be a boy and signs up for the military, and the hijinks that go into keeping it a secret. I don't want to spoil anything, but the twists in this book are equal parts hilarious and shocking.

Discworld books are pretty hit-or-miss for me, but I was constantly smiling and giggling while reading this book, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It wasn't quite as funny as the best that Discworld has to offer, but it was certainly one of the funnier ones. I did think the ending dragged on too far, and could have been successfully ended 30 pages earlier than it did, but that wasn't a major problem.

I strongly recommend this book to any fan of Discworld, it will not disappoint.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars really aren't enough.

I think this might be my favorite Terry Pratchett book. I've read it at least 3-4 times, and re-reading it today, I'm delighted to discover that it's every bit as good as before.

As an added bonus, this book would be easier for new readers of Pratchett to pick up. There are a few characters from previous books, but they only have very brief cameo appearances. Other than that the book is pretty much self contained....

pat

[L.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second most-frequently read of my favorite Terry Pratchett books, the first being Night Watch, which helped get me through the death of my mother. My latest copy of Monstrous Regiment is so battered and dog-eared that it’s falling apart. From sentence number one I was riveted and if you are wondering whether you should read this book, the short answer is yes, turn your cursor right now to a new tab and order it, or even better jog out to your local (probably half an hour away) bookstore (they’re an endangered species) and support them by buying it there.

It’s that good. Sir Terry is that good a writer. Read the book before finishing this review; you’ll thank me for the advice, and if you haven’t already devoured the Discworld series you are in for the rollercoaster ride and treat of your life.

By the way, Sir Terry is a personal hero of mine. When he died last March I cried for days. He went leaving the bravest self-written epitaph I have ever read: "Terry took Death's arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.
The End."

I was so stricken and devastated when I read this that I wrote a short response to it, which I kept to myself because I realized that I had no right to besmirch Sir Terry’s courage by imposing my own end-of-life beliefs on his in public. I get choked up just trying to write about this wonderful man and I ardently look forward to the day when we can cure Alzheimer’s disease and save the minds of other brilliant people like him.

And guess what? Monstrous Regiment is a “gender-bending” book, meaning that it’s about a girl who dresses up as a boy to get into the army of an extremely misogynistic and backward country so she can try to rescue her older brother Paul, whom she has taken care of since she was a child. That’s not a spoiler, by the way: that’s on the back cover. The entire story is about female and male roles, and whether or not they should change. Ahem. More about that later. But the point is, this is an extremely appropriate book for the first of my new reviews. It’s also a book that will probably make you think a few new thoughts, especially if female equality isn’t an obsession of yours, and therefore obviously worth reading.

Monstrous Regiment will also make you think about war. There is enough about realistic fighting in it to make you freeze in shock at points. Like Night Watch, like all of Sir Terry’s best writing, it deals with a serious subject in a loopy way, and the loopiness in turn has a deadly serious razor edge to it. Yes, yes, war is bad and grass is green (except in drought-stricken California, where it’s dun) but Monstrous Regiment will make you feel up close and personal what it’s like to be a soldier. And heaven only knows they know what war is really like. If you don’t feel some wheels turning in your head as you re-evaluate your position on whether anybody should fight anybody with anything after reading this book you are either smarter than everyone else left here in the world (and maybe a bodhisattva) or dumber than a pigeon.
The third subject Monstrous Regiment takes on is religion. Yes, organized religion and heavenly religion, too. And, once again, the book will probably surprise you. It astounded and amazed me by its bravery in handling this particular hot potato. I won’t go into the subject at length here because there are some spoilers that are pretty important to the discussion, but suffice it to say that new thoughts may well rocket back and forth in your head at the speed of a light clacks’ signals, which is to say at c for celeritas. Sir Terry is a genius when it comes to turning established “truths” on their heads and then turning them back over again . . . and back upside-down just for good measure.

So definitely, without doubt, read the book. There are some terrific characters introduced here. The protagonist, Polly Oliver Ozzer Perks, is a very likeable girl, and the question of whether she is a lovable girl—a hero to adore and/or emulate—doesn’t really even arise. I’d be entirely happy to have Polly on my team any day, and I’d not hesitate to call on her in time of need. She’s smart and solid. That’s high praise from me.

Overall: The action in the book is fast and furious, the humor is hilarious, the writing is fresh and vibrant, the ideas breathtaking, and there are even a few brief appearances by Samuel Vimes, who is my favorite of all Sir Terry’s characters, male or female. That is my conventional review of Monstrous Regiment, and I give it a conventional five out of five stars.

See the comments below for the rest of my review.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yer mom wears army boots!

Men and women, women and men. Men without women, women doing just fine without men.

Terry Pratchett’s 31st Discworld novel, first published in 2003, is somewhat of a departure from the other series. We see Sam Vimes and some members of his watch and there are distant grumblings about Ankh-Morpork, but this is for the most part a stand alone about the small, proud truculent nation of Borogravia.

This struggling nation state is foundering after decades or centuries of warfare, attacking and “defending” against the aggression of its neighbors. But Pratchett draws a picture of a population and culture bent and warped by a ridiculous religion and the near worship of a monarch. Blind faith and mistaken loyalties are two of the elements that Sir Terry has fun with in this very well done novel.

Told in a more lineal manner than many of his eclectic stories, this one has more a more somber tone than most, this being about war, but it also had some of the most laugh out loud scenes of any of his books. Perhaps Pratchett, taking on a serious subject, realized the need for some uproarious comic relief. His sense of timing is impeccable.

I always like it, whether in a film or a book, when a supporting character takes over and steals the show. While the protagonist here is a young girl who cuts her hair and surreptitiously joins the army, Sergeant Jackrum takes over and is by far the most interesting player.

This one took a while to get moving for me but then it really took over and I thoroughly enjoyed this. Pratchett asks some serious questions – in his enjoyably non-serious way – and leaves the reader with some thought provoking ideas about war and peace, about ourselves, and the value of tradition against common sense.

*** 2024 reread -

A ubiquitous theme in Pratchett’s work is women acting in ways that are not “woman” like. Terry’s description of Dwarf culture is the most obvious in this category but there are others, namely with the witches, but really throughout his canon.

But here’s the thing, this is not just about feminism and how that can positively effect our world, but more than that, it’s about humanism and the primacy of the individual. Sir Terry was himself a member of and a prominent supporter of the British Humanist Association. From the writings of another of my favorite writers, Kurt Vonnegut, we can see that humanism is all about individualism, promoting the agency of individuals over the external and arbitrary rules from institutions that would diminish the importance of everyone’s self governance. Whether it is from a church, a system of government, the traditions of a country or region, or a domineering philosophy or ideology, Pratchett reminds us to be vigilant against what would undermine our intrinsic value and autonomy.

There were scenes that reminded me of Bertold Brecht’s 1939 play Mother Courage and Her Children. We have women surreptitiously standing against a corrupt and hostile system of war that chews up children and societies and is kept alive by perpetual indignation and propped up patriotism. While Pratchett is a comedic virtuoso, he follows the vision of Brecht to rightly vilify what is villainous.

This also made me think about China Mieville’s The City & The City for its absurdist but provocative tone. Pratchett pokes wicked fun at the hypocrisy in such a scenario and there are some scenes that were golden.

The forced perspective influence of government propaganda also made me think of the writings of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. One quote that kept coming up while I read this was the old one that goes something like, “They Lie To Us, We Know They’re Lying, They Know We Know They’re Lying But They Keep Lying Anyway, and We Keep Pretending To Believe Them”

### - Apparently this is not attributed to Solzhenitsyn but rather Elena Gorokhova. However it is consistent with his writings.

“Do you think it's possible for an entire nation to be insane?” 

Pratchett describes the Discworld country of Borogravia where they are in perpetual war. Orwell wrote, “we were at war with East Asia, we had always been at war with East Asia” except Winston remembered that they had once been at war with Eurasia. But to question this simple fact is seen as treasonous, or blasphemous. The citizens of Borogravia are stuck in a ridiculous, farcical dystopia that is unsustainable but no one can question or fight against the nonsensical and murderous regime for fear of retaliation from not just the ruling Duchy but generations of Borogravians who worship an executive and a system that they mostly know is false. The prevarication is further supported by an informal system of enforcement of patriotism. There is a scene where a non-commissioned officer begins to sing the national anthem and everyone dutifully and minimalistically joins in for no other reason than they are supposed to join in and there is the suggestion that to not publicly sing along will get them in trouble.

While I considered that this could also be an allegory poking fun at the North Korean regime, this could be satirically applied to any oppressive system.

While this is treated by Pratchett in humorous tones, this is one of his most plaintive admonitions and one of his most scathing satires. Many of my favorite Goodreads reviewers have gushed over this book, and I get it, this novel is not just one of the best Discworld books, but a demonstration of some of his most potent writing.

I knew that Sargent Jackrum had stolen the show when I read this the first time and even though this is Jackrum’s sole entry in the Discworld chronicles, Jackrum is a great character.

Finally, all my musings aside, the surface story is about women in the military. Let me say here and now for any and all to see that I am a retired Veteran and I know for a fact that women can be and frequently are excellent soldiers.

Perhaps not a good introduction to his writing for new readers, this is still excellent and I cannot recommend this higher.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 5 out of 5]

Polly is a barmaid whose brother has gone missing in action. Her country is at war and is always looking for new recruits. So she wants to join the army, to look for her brother. But the tiny country she lives in is very conservative, they will only accept male applicants. This isn’t a problem for Polly though. She cuts her hair, puts on her brother’s clothes and pretends to be a man. She quickly gets enlisted and sent to a regiment. She does her best to keep her gender a secret, but it turns out there are others who share her secret.


Every single guy in Polly’s regiment is a woman! What a cool way to point out how stupid sexism is. And the brilliant thing is, this revelation actually comes quite early in the story. This revelation could have so easily been the climax of a really strong satire on sexism and traditional gender roles. And it would have been awesome. Especially if you add some Terry Pratchett comedy magic to the mix. But the story doesn’t end there, it’s only just beginning at that point.


Polly lives in a very small country that’s at war. And the only thing the people know about the war, is what they’re told via propaganda. They know that they have the best army in the whole world. And that they’re winning the war. But that’s pretty much it. As soon as Polly’s enlisted in the army, she’s immediately sent to the front. Her regiment doesn’t get any training whatsoever because the army’s so desperately in need of more soldiers. Their equipment is like a handful of bent swords and a few bloody shirts with holes in them. They quickly grow suspicious of the war in general. And when they get their hands on some newspapers from the other side, where there is free press, they realize they’ve been lied to.


For a country that’s incredibly sexist, it’s ironically being led by a woman. The Duchess hasn’t been seen in a very long time. So long, that people are starting to suspect that she might not even be alive anymore. But nobody wants to say this aloud, because the Duchess is pretty much worshipped like a god. And yet they still continue to obey her commands blindly.


This is a standalone novel in the legendary Discworld series, and it is without a doubt absolutely brilliant. It delivers on so many levels and tackles so many important themes in such an entertaining and satisfying way. This novel just without a doubt knocks it out of the park. One of Pratchett’s best. Can’t recommend this enough.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-Read 12/10/19:

A delightful Discworld read that dives head first into a little country's war problem. Well, it's not really a problem, per se... in fact, it's almost done. As in fini. Kaput. With them the ultimate losers.

So you'd think, with all the men being dead and all, they'd be more welcoming of a bit of some added support. And I'm not talking bras... or AM I?

A very funny book. There are a few coffee drinking beasties here, a troll, and even an Igor(ina). It turns into a kinda Hogan's Heroes. Or rather, Heroines. And ooooh the abominations! Cross-Dressing Everywhere!

[Xabi1990 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leído en 2009. Re-lectura en 2024

Para mí de lo mejor de Mundodisco. Aunque es un volumen independiente te enamoras de ese regimiento de Polly, vampiros, trolls e Igors. Emotivo, divertido, antibelicista, con mil mensajes subliminales.

Una gozada total.

***********

En la re-lectura no cambio ni una coma de lo anterior. El final es un poco moñas pero no le quita ninguna estrella.

[Algernon (Darth Anyan) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was always a war. Usually they were border disputes, the national equivalent of complaining that the neighbor was letting their hedge grow too long. Sometimes they were bigger. Borogravia was a peace-loving country in the midst of treacherous, devious, warlike enemies. They had to be treacherous, devious, and war-like, otherwise we wouldn't be fighting them, eh? There was always a war.

The Night Watch goes to War! Or, at least, that was my expectation before I started the novel. Only thing is, this Discworld novel is not exactly about the Night Watch, even if Sam Vimes, Angua and a couple of others do participate in the conflict. The theme chosen by Sir Terry is indeed the lampooning of martial mentality, but the main actors are a bunch of fresh recruits in the army of Borogravia. Each of these recruits harbors a secret identity, and I guess it is not much of a spoiler to mention that for some of them that identity has to do with gender roles.

A long history of open conflict with all its neighbors, in particular a recent attack on Ankh-Morpork clack towers has brought Vimes and the imperial forces to fight on the side of Zlobenia and has left Borogravia deprived of fresh blood to send to the slaughter. Recruiting parties are chased out of the impoverished villages empty handed, until Polly decides to switch genres and enroll. All it takes, apparently is a pair of socks, shorn hair and a lifetime of observing the habits of the opposite sex.

You might pick your nose a bit more often. Just a tip. Few things interest a young man more than the contents of his nostrils.

The new platoon that Polly joins is heading for the front, where a defeated Borogravian army is dug in under the battlements of a massive fortress they just lost due to the deviousness of Vimes. Under the fierce tutelage of veteran sergeant Jackrum, a ragtag collection of losers and misfits is welded together into a formidable fighting machine, in the best tradition of war movies that Pratchett sets out to subvert with an energy and a self-assurance that proves the Discworld treasure chest of ideas is far for reaching its bottom. I spotted some clear references to Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, but there are probably more barbed arrows that I missed along the way. 

I joined t'see exciting forrin places and meet erotic people! declares Carborundum, a rumbling troll in search of adventure who probably means exotic people. The platoon also includes an Igor, an abstinent vampire, a pyromaniac, a pregnant girl, a religious zealot modelled after Jeanne d'Arc, a couple of runaways from a correction house, etc. Together they will become famous as the Monstrous Regiment and they will change the course of history.

This would have been one of my favorite Discworld novels, given the mastery of plot, comedy and pathos that I have come to expect from every new Pratchett novel, but for a small bother. I enjoyed the reversal of gender roles, but I believe the joke was taken too far by the end of the novel, with almost everybody being a woman in disguise.

An added attraction in the story is the second main avenue of attack for the author: religious intolerance. Borogravian military problems are compounded by their peculiar branch of belief in a living holy scripture, whose Book of Nuggan addendum is much longer than the main text and is updated weekly with new interdictions and sins, like red hair, pickles or singing. 

The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it . may not be the most original dictum written by Pratchett, but it is one I could subscribe to without reservations.

Time to say goodbye to Pollyand wish her all the best of luck trying to revolutionaze the Borogravian rigid ways, while I add to my TBR the next Discworld issue.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Borogravia.
It is currently at war with Szlobenia. Well, Borogravia is always at war with someone. It has been at war with every single one of its neighours and with some of them even more than once. Why? Because they consider it their patriotic duty. Just like never giving up even if the only reason for their survival is that their enemy doesn't want to just senselessly slaughter them where they stand.
One Borogravian doesn't really care about the war. All she cares about is finding her brother. To do that, she cuts her hair, stuffs some socks into her trousers and marches off as a soldier in the army. She is surprised to find she is not the only woman/girl who had reason to disguise herself and enlist. Amongst the comrades in her regiment are a vampire, a troll and an Igor. To say nothing of the apparently legendary Sergeant Jackrum.
On the periphery, we get a few glimpses at this mess from the POV of Commander Vimes and deWord as this business is involving Ankh-Morpork, too (so long as they can help an underdog against a royal without having to spend too much money).
 
Sir Terry obviously had quite a few things to say about war and patriotism, corporate and state interests in wars and general soldiering. It might very well be that he and I had quite different opinions on the matter(s). Then again, it's entirely possible that we might have agreed at least on some of the things. It's hard to say since Sir Terry isn't just repeating old jokes and snide remarks (the ones about soldiers being too stupid to be doing any other job, or the ones of officers vs. grunts etc). That would be too one-sided and narrow-minded. Instead, he was aware of and also showed (commended even) the other, more sensible aspects (the camaraderie for example). And that is what I love so bloody much about the author: no matter his personal stance, he always gives a 360°-view. This is important since nothing, especially not something as complex as state politics and wars, is black-or-white. It's not just one thing or another either. To get to the bottom of it, to be able to form an informed opinion, you need all available information and he didn't just want to make you agree with him - he wanted to make you think for yourself.
 
As far as I can tell, this installment of the Discworld series was published after the start of the second Iraq war. But while that might have been the reason for him writing this book, Sir Terry is settling the account with humanity's overall history of war. Thus, the story has elements from the Bosnian war, the two World Wars, perhaps even the Falkland wars as well. To give this book an additional edge (because that is how the author rolled), the story is also about gender roles, religious fanatism and the concepts of honour and freedom.
 
Delivering the necessary comic relief are the quirks of all the different races in the titular Monstrous Regiment - including but not limited to the vampire's coffee obsession - and the general absurdity of many a situation. The most endearing bit (to me) was the heart-warming sisterbrotherhood of the regiment.
 
Not the strongest installment of the series but seriously good in its own right.
 

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

That'd been almost a year ago, when any recruiting party that came past went away with the best part of a battalion, and there had been people waving them off with flags and music. Sometimes, now, smaller parties of men came back. The lucky ones were missing only one arm or one leg. There were no flags.

It's hard finding soldiers when you're always at war. Especially when you're fighting a war that you may not be winning.

Eventually, you end up taking whatever you can get...trolls, vampires, even...GASP!...women!

The horror, the horror!

The newest recruits to This Man's Army (snicker!) are a mixed bunch and they're quickly discovering that war is not all it's cracked up to be. They find themselves ill-equipped with only hand-me-downs from dead soldiers and no rations.

"We have to steal our food?" said Maladict.

"No, you can starve if that takes your fancy," said the corporal. "I've starved a few times. There's no future in it."

Things can only get worse. Then, they do.

"Men, I have good news," he added, but in the voice of one who hasn't. "You were probably expecting a week or two in the training camp in Crotz, yes? But I'm glad to be able to tell you that the, the war is progressing so, so well that you are to go directly to the front."

Soon, reality sets in and the realization of their dire predicament descends like a fog.

They were losing the war. Everyone knew that, but nobody would say it. It was as if they felt that if the words weren't said out loud then it wasn't really happening. They were losing the war and this squad, untrained and untried, fighting in dead men's boots, could only help them lose it faster.

I have a problem when it comes to some Pratchett novels, particularly those lacking in witches. I'm reading along like gangbusters, then about halfway through, I lose all interest. I begin eyeing up that stack of unread, perhaps, more interesting books by the bed. I call this "The Discworld Doldrums." Luckily, my attention bounced back with this one, though I honestly believe a pared down version might have been funnier. So, this was definitely not a high point in the series for me. HOWEVER - Pratchett does a fantastic job of summing up the folly of war.

"We are a proud country."

"What are you proud of?"

It came swiftly, like a blow, and Polly realized how wars happened. You took that shock that had run through her and let it boil.

...it may be corrupt, benighted, and stupid, but it's ours...
We have our pride. And that's what we're proud of. We're proud of being proud...

[Theo Logos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always read the one star reviews first. They often tell you more about a book than the five star ones. A well articulated one star review (as opposed to the “this sucks!” variety) is usually information rich. This rule holds true for Monstrous Regiment. I liked the top couple one star reviews for this book. I thought they made good points. I still gave Monstrous Regiment five stars.

This is a one shot Disc World book. Sam Vines appears, but only in a supporting role, not much more than a cameo. So Monstrous Regiment has the handicap of being a Disc World orphan. And it is predictable. From page one. It goes on longish, seemingly having at least a couple more twists than such a predictable book needs. And yes, it’s Grrl Power theme didn’t manage any serious blow against sexism, as the book’s satire spiraled into farce.

Yet Monstrous Regiment still worked for me. Polly, the first person narrator, is perfectly drawn. Her combined confidence and confusion, bravado and self doubt, skepticism and hope made her a brilliantly fleshed out, three dimensional character, and I adored her narrative voice. Sergeant Jackrum was a great side character, worthy of being a Disc World regular. Even Lieutenant Blouse, the mostly clueless “Rupert” (officer) is more than a simple joke, has satisfying depth, and adds to the tale.

Pratchett skewered many of his usual suspects in Monstrous Regiment. Nationalism/Patriotism, religious fundamentalism, sexism and the patriarchy all take their licks from Pratchett’s satirical pen. At first glance, the edge of his satire appears to dull as progressively revealed secret identities transform satire into farce. Yet even here, I think Pratchett stayed two step ahead of the rest of us. Despite our best intentions and efforts, many of these worst abuses continue to survive, leaving us, in the end, either dying of bitterness or laughing at the farce. Pratchett’s darkly honest humor encourages us to do the latter.

[Володимир Демченко · Rating 4 out of 5]

Рецепт будь-якої книги Пратчетта: беремо актуальну суспільно-політичну тему, реальне історичне тло, гору літературних штампів і побитих життям сюжетів, переносимо все у Дискосвіт і…отримуємо чергову хорошу книгу. Напевно про жодну з книг Дискосвіту я не можу сказати що вона мені відкрила на щось очі, чи стала аж такою захопливою що я не міг відірватися, але оцей от простяцький (ага, простяцький) гумор , ці фрази-афоризми, ці улюблені вже давно герої….ну, Майстер.

Монстрячий загін ще й про війну. І про жінок. І жінок на війні. А значить про сексизм. Звісно мені весь цей антивоєнний начос чесався і заважав натхненно викрикувати «правда!» бо легко бути антивоєнним командором Ваймзом і стежити за «нерозумними» з високої вежі. Інша справа бути там внизу, в бруді і крові, але Пратчетт у якого все обовʼязково закінчується хеппі-ендом не скотився в якісь сю-сю-му-сю банальності і лишився вірний правді. А правда війни така, що вона ніколи не закінчується і завжди однакова.

А також легко бути чоловіком і читати книгу про несправедливість чоловіків стосовно жінок…ну як легко. Не легко. Але я все таки чоловік і все що мені лишається: не бути мудаком і знову ж, засвідчити правду якою вона є. Бо все написане в «Монстрячому загоні» — сама правдива брехня яка тільки може бути

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal, surprising, and impressive entry, even amongst a string of 5-star Discworld books.

This is easily the bleakest book in the series, and one of the best. It takes experienced Discophiles out of their comfort zone; new characters, new nations, new perspectives. It remains fully plugged into the book universe, with a plot tangential to Ankh-Morpork and the expansion of the Clacks system, and small roles by Sam Vimes as ambassador and select Watch members, but they are seldom seen.

The stars of this show are young, beaten down by an oppressive country, culture, and the worst religion yet seen on the Disc, fighting a losing war with no resources, no support, and no hope. Isn't that hilarious? . . . Fine, maybe not, but the book still manages to showcase Pratchett's trademark humour. It's just that it's never been quite so deeply humanized before, and that's saying something.

I waver on whether this is an acceptable jumping-in point for the series. It technically suits that need because of its low reliance on established characters and setting, but I think its quality would be muted if going in blind. It works much better as a kidney-punch of a book after a long love affair with the series. At a minimum, one should read The Truth first, and that is a good jump-in point in my estimation. Really, the best way to experience Discworld is as I am doing it now; a full series publication-order reading (re-reading, in my case). Some of the earlier books were not up to the same quality, but damn are they ever still good in the grand scheme, and if nothing else they establish the podium on which this particular entry stands in full glory.

[Nashelito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Щоразу тішуся, коли мені випадає читати такий роман Террі Пратчетта, якого я не прочитав російською в доісторичні часи. Усі книги про Дискосвіт (навіть ті, які входять до складу певних циклів) написані так, щоби їх міг прочитати буквально хто завгодно, не переймаючись фактом та ступенем власного знайомства з цим Всесвітом. 

"Монстрячий загін", попри яскравий пригодницький і гарно насичений гумором сюжет, експлуатує дві серйозні теми — антивоєнну та фемінізм.

Дія відбувається в Борогравії — не надто великій або потужній, а проте войовничій країні, котра встигла повоювати з усіма своїми сусідами, а також помітно соціально напружена зсередини через психічні проблеми місцевого божка Нуґґана, який щотижня спускає своїм вірянам нові правила та заборони. Все, що Нуґґан перестає сприймати, називають "Гидотами", за той час, поки відбувається події в книзі, до Гидот встигли потрапити зокрема часник, пазли, коти та синій колір.

Борогравія веде оборонну війну проти сусідньої Злобенії, котру підтримують деякі інші сусіди і навіть легендарний Анк-Морпорк. Це місто і один із найяскравіших його персонажів Ваймз, отримали в "Монстрячому загоні" невеличкі, але приємні камео. В епізодичних ролях також можна впізнати таких яскравих представників Дискосвіту, як Смерть, журналіст Вільям де Ворд, фотограф і вампір Отто Крикк та інших.

Але найцікавіша роль дістається дівчинці Поллі Перкс, донці власника таверни "Герцогиня", яка втомилася від розпачу невідомості та чекання свого брата Пола з війни, переодягається чоловіком і також записується добровольцем у військо під іменем Олівер.

З цього моменту воєнна реальність книги Пратчетта набуває настільки актуальних та подібних рис до життя в сучасній Україні, що в деяких місцях, де у нормального читача роману має виникати сміх — мені хотілося заплакати. Я не знайшов жодної інформації (не те щоби я аж надто ретельно шукав) про те, що Террі Пратчетт був на військовій службі, але у нього могли бути друзі а��о знайомці, котрі могли поділитися цим непересічним досвідом погано керованого хаосу та абсурду. Зрештою, завжди є література і сер Террі, швидше за все, читав "Пастку-22" Джозефа Геллера, або трилогію Івліна Во "Клинок честі" і тому чарівно екстраполював чужі антивоєнні переживання в свою тридцять першу книгу про Дискосвіт.

Крім рядового Олівера до новобранців приєднується ціла зграйка персонажів, серед яких є вампір, троль, дуже релігійна особа, котра замість Нуґґана шанує очільницю Борогравії Герцогиню (і вірить, що спілкується з нею в своїй голові). У кожного з новобранців є більш чи менш суттєві причини взяти участь у колективному божевіллі під назвою "війна".

Террі Пратчетт є одним з найдобріших і найбільш світлих письменників, які будь-коли існували, але говорячи про воєнне безглуздя та абсурд він не боїться називати речі їхніми іменами. Для кумедних діалогів та пригод фоном стають зруйновані будинки, пустельні села, спалені поля та ліси, а дорогами країни пересуваються у протилежний від бойових дій бік групи понівечених солдатів, яким суттєво бракує рук, ніг та очей — і це такі, кому пощастило, адже вони, принаймні, поки що, живі. 

Ще одним похмурим аспектом воєнної реальності в цій історії є той факт, що через природній брак чоловіків, серед новобранців маскується під чоловіка не лише Поллі Перкс... Але це той випадок, коли подробиці краще дізнаватися самостійно.

Антивоєнний зміст роману, зокрема і такі гості проблеми, як поводження військових з полоненими та жінками, гарно переплітається із яскравими феміністичними епізодами, коли жінки на практиці виявляються не лише не гіршими за чоловіків вояками, але й у багатьох аспектах — розумнішими і набагато кращими людьми.

"Монстрячий загін" — один з найцікавіших романів про Дискосвіт, а завдяки зображенню війни, як жахливого, божевільного і абсолютно нестерпного явища в історії людської цивілізації — і бентежно актуальний.

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

January 10, 2017
March 22, 2015
January 1, 2004

I'm fond of stories about girls dressing as boys in order to do something they would otherwise be prohibited from. Very funny.

Library copy

[Rygard Battlehammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sanırım bugüne kadar okuduğum en iyi Terry Pratchett kitabı.

Bu sefer Ankh-Morpork'un pek kavgacı komşusu Borogravia'ya gidiyor ve komşularıyla girdikleri savaşın hikayesine, erkek kılığına girerek askere yazılmış, kardeşini arayan bir genç kızın gözünden tanık oluyoruz.

Kimi yönleriyle ilginç, kimi yönleriyle ise istemeyeceğimiz kadar tanıdık, boktan bir ülke Borogravia. Ekonomisi mutlak bir çöküşün arifesinde, artık neredeyse asker olacak sağlıklı bir popülasyonu kalmamış, yöneticisi muhtemelen ölmüş, kafayı üşütmüş tanrı Nuggan'ın zorlu yasakları altında yaşamaya çalışan ve devamlı savaşan bir ülke.

Geleneklerine bağlı ve muhafazakar. Kadınların en fazla sabırsız bir tahammül umabileceği, her şeyin mantıksızlık bir süreklilikte yitip gittiği ama kurallara uymayan kadınları sadece bir inç kalınlığından daha ince sopalarla dövdükleri için gurur duyan ve iç bunaltıcı bir kabullenmişliğe teslim olmuş bir ülke ve topyekün kafayı yemiş bir halkın muhteşem birleşimi. Yani, elbette "uyan anavatanın oğulları" diye başlayan milli marşında bir süre doğa övülen, ardından da nasıl da güzel savaştıklarının anlatıldığı, zor bir ülke.

Ve o Borogravia, bu sefer komşusu Zlobenia ile savaşıyor. "dünyanın her yerinde özgürlük aşığı halkların dostu olan Ankh-Morpork" da ekonomik sebeplerle tamamen ilgisiz bir biçimde özgürlük ve demokrasi getirmek adına bu savaşa müdahil oluyor.

Üstelik Borogravia'nın dandik tanrısı da durumu hiç mi hiç kolaylaştırmıyor. Daha önce Son Kahraman kitabında da gördüğümüz, Nuggan, tepesi dökük saçları, tuhaf bıyığı, kısa boyu ve piknik tüpünü andıran imajı ile açıkçası Dunmanifestin 'in popüler çocuğu değil. Ve Klatch'ın Timsah Tanrısı Offler'ın hakkında "bir tanrının asla böyle bir bıyığı olmamalı" dediğini Nuggan, inananlarının ne yapması gerektiğiyle değil de ne yapmaması gerektiğiyle daha çok ilgilenen bir tanrı. Kutsal kitabını sıklıkla güncelleyen Nugan (kitabın sonunda ayrılmış olan boş sayfalarda yeni günahlar beliriyor) yapbozlar, sarımsak, çikolata, kediler, istiridyeler ve cücelerden sonra bebekler ve mavi rengi de günah ilan ettiğinden beri de kendi halkı tarafından da zorlukla tahammül edilen bir tanrı.

Tatsız bir diyar burası uzun lafın kısası. Ve dünyamıza benzeyen ama benzemeyen bu fantastik diyarda savaş, cinsiyet rolleri, din, mizojini ve değişim hakkında bir kitap Canavar Alayı.


Polly sorgulayan gözlerin kendisine saplandığını hissetti. Utanıyordu elbette. Ama aşikar sebepten dolayı değil. diğer sebepten utanıyordu, hayatın bazen döve döve öğrettiği küçük dersten dolayı: Dünyayı izleyen tek kişi sen değilsin. Başkaları da var; sen onları izlerken onlar da seni izliyor ve sen onlar hakkında düşünürken onlar da senin hakkında düşünüyor. Dünyada önemli olan tek kişi sen değilsin.


Bu dünyanın ortasında ise Polly Perks var. Veya diğer ismiyle Oliver veya mangasındaki adıyla Ozzer veya üstlerinin deyimiyle Perks... Hem bir kargaşa hem de okyanusun ortasındaki demir bir çapa Polly. Adı gibi birçok kimliği de var ve yol boyu ince ince, küçük küçük nasıl değiştiğini, nasıl büyüdüğünü, nasıl bütün olduğunu veya nasıl parçaladığını izliyor an be an.

Aslında ne savaşla, ne vatanseverlikle ilgilenen, sadece savaş sırasında kaybolmuş kardeşini bulmak isteyen bir genç kız. Ve bir gün artık saçlarını kesip, pantolonunun içine bir çorap tıkıştırıp askere yazılmaktan ve bu sanki asla bitmeyecekmiş gibi gözüken savaşın içinde kardeşini aramaktan başka çıkar yolu kalmadığını hissediyor. Çantasını topluyor ve çalıştığı hanın arka penceresinden gecenin karanlığına akıp, Borogravia ordusuna katılmak için civardaki bir diğer köyün hanının yolunu tutuveriyor.

Hızlıca pantolonun içine sokulan çorapların şekillendirdiği bir dünyada buluyor kendini Polly. Önyargılarla, ayrımcılıkla, savaşla, cinsiyetçilikle dolu bir dünyada var olabilmek için, ne olduğunu bulabilmek için, kendini ve çevresini ve belki dünyayı değiştirmek için ama aslında sadece biraz aptal erkek kardeşini bulabilmek için, sadece kendisini saklamanın değil, beyniyle değil çoraplarla da düşünebilmesi gerektiğini fark ediyor büyük bir hızla.

Polly'nin yoldaşları olan diğer acemiler ise tuhaf bir takım oluşturuyor. Tam bir kardeşler takımı olan grup Vampir Maladict, Troll Zımparataş, canavar alayının muharebe doktoru Igor, eşit derecede sessiz ve temkinli çocuklar olan Tonker, Shufti, Wazzer ve Lofty ve hepsinin başında ordunun adeta demirbaşı haline gelmiş Çavuş Jackrum'dan oluşuyor.

Gerçekten tam bir çavuş Jackrum. Orduda sayısı bir türlü tam olarak tespit edilemeyen on yıllar harcamış ama bir şekilde terfi etmemiş, asker tanımının kirli bir tanımı adeta. Emrindeki askerlerin zarar görmemesi için her şeyi yapacak, sonuna gerçekten yolun sonuna kadar "çocuklarını" koruyacak ama aynı zamanda nasıl savaşılacağını bilen, elini kirletmekten zerre kaçınmayan, her durumda gereğini yapan bir karakter. Polly'nin başlangıç olduğu bir hikayede Jackrum adeta bir sonuç. Muazzam bir karakter.

Jackrum'u General Patton'dan ödünç aldığı şu sözü en iyi tanımlıyor belki de: "Ben kitaplardan ve vatan için ölmekten falan hiç hoşlanmamışımdır ama işimin, karşımdaki şeytanın vatanı için ölmesini sağlamak olduğunu biliyorum."

Bu mükemmel kadroyu da akademinin parlak çocuğu, savaş alanı tarafından lekelenmemiş, kimi yönlerden tam bir embesil, kimi yönlerden ise yenilikçi, adeta orta karar bir üniversitenin mühendislik bölümünden yeni mezun Teğmen Bluz tamamlıyor. Ardından Canavar Alayı'nın gerçekliği hem ne kadar az hem de ne kadar çok etkilediğini izliyoruz Terry'nin rehberliğinde.


""Doğam gereği yalancı bir adam değilimdir Perks," dedi Bluz soğuk bir sesle.
"Bunu duyduğuma sevindim efendim. Savaşı kazanıyor muyuz efendim?"
"Hemen şu anda kes şunu Perks!" diye kükredi Jackrum.
"Yalnızca bir soruydu çavuş." dedi Polly paylarcasına."


Kimi eski toprakların da arada kendini gösterdiği hikayede, yine çok güçlü karakterleri var Terry'nin artık alıştığımız üzere. Kan emmeye tövbe etmiş Maladict'in kahve krizleri, halüsinasyonları üzerinden işlenen Savaş travmaları, dinci bir eğitim sisteminin elinde harap edilmiş, kişilikleri param parça edilmiş kadınların hikayeleri, yavaş yavaş, göz göre göre delirerek Jeanne d'arc'a dönüşen bir kadın, düşman işgaline karşın hayatına devam etmek zorunda olanların anlatıları, aşkı için veya beklenmedik hata diye tanımladıkları hareketlerin bedelini ödemek için savrulmuş olanlarla dolu, söyleyecek çok sözü olan bir kitap bu.

Cinsiyet rollerinin diğer taraftan nasıl göründüğü ise kitabın elini güçlü tuttuğu bir başka kısım. Bir taraftan sadece erkeklerin varlığını, kendilerini ortaya koymalarına izin verilen bir dünyada, duyulabilmek için kadınların nasıl bedel ödemesi gerektiğini tartışıyor aslında Terry, bir taraftan da değişimin travmalarını gösteriyor bize. Bu arada Terry'nin ölümünden sonra tüm o "Terry'nin cüceleri aslında trans insanlar mı?" içerikli homo/transfobinin havalarda uçuştuğu tüm o tartışmalarda bu kitaptan asla söz edilmemiş olması da o kadar enteresanmış ki. İnsanların istemediği konuları görmezden gelebilme kapasitesi bir kez daha şaşırttı beni tam burada belirtmek isterim ki.

Canavar Alayı aynı zamanda savaş hakkında bir kitap. Bu sefer kenarından köşesinden de değil, savaşa doğrudan ortasından giren bir kitap üstelik. Kimi zaman rahatsız edicilik sınırına yaklaşan, insanın ellerini soğutan anlar da içeriyor ancak bunu savaş anlatımlarındaki alıştığımız yaklaşımlar olan korku veya iğrençlik üzerinden empati dayatarak yapmıyor. Küçük çaplı canavarlıkların nasıl da kaçınılmaz ve doğal olduğunu gösteriyor Terry bize. Ve bu -en azından benim için-, parçalanan cesetlerden bahseden bir savaş anlatısından çok daha fazla "huzursuzca kıpırdanmaya" neden oluyor.

Asker olmanın nasıl bir his karmaşası olduğunu anlatıyor Terry. İnsanın paylaşmadığı, inanmadığın, hatta kimi zaman umurunda bile olmayan idealler adına nasıl ve neden hayatını feda etmeyi göze alabileceğini tartışıyor.

Disk'in en güzel kitaplarından biri olsa da Canavar Alayı, rahatlıkla söyleyebilirim ki en komiği değil. Onlarca muazzam an ve kıkır kıkır gülmeme neden olan tepecik içermesine rağmen karanlık, üzücü ve bazen öfkelendirici bir kitap bu. Bu arada rahatlıkla tek başına, serilerden bağımsız olarak okunabilecek bir kitap elimizdeki.

Şimdi (her zamankinden biraz uzun olmakla birlikte bu kez) referanslar ve aldığım notlardan bahsetmek istiyorum biraz:


* Hikayenin geçtiği Borogravia ülkesini 40 yıllık D&D'ci olarak Ravenloft'un Barovia'sına gönderme sanmıştım ilk başta. Ancak sonradan öğrendim ki Lewis Carroll'ın gerek İngilizce'ye gerekse Fantazi hikayeciliğine eklediği kelimelerle(bkz: Vorpal, Burble, Slithy vs) pek ünlü şiiri Jabberwocky'daki "Borogoves"dan geliyormuş bu ülkenin adı. Carroll abimizin kokaini çekip çekip yazdığı manyakça şiirinde şöyle geçiyor:

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Bu arada şiiri de 2016 yılında Fatoş Atay Türkçeye çevirmiş, bakarken sinirim bozuldu, elim ayağım titredi. Ya Fatoş ya...
Pişindiydi kayrak tirsukeleler
Dönenip delgilendiler otgelde;
Mızlıydılar tarazlı gubibikler,
Donguzlarsa nezgilendi.


* Kitapta Düşes'in fotoğrafının öpülmesiyle birlikte bahsedilen uygulanan askere alma ritüellerinden bir diğeri Şilinin Getirilmesi, İngiliz Ordusunun uyguladığı bir gelenek aslında. Kralın (veya Kraliçenin, o an kim tahttaysa artık) Şilini diye bilinen gelenek, Birleşik Krallık askeri güçlerinin 18. 19 ve 20. yüzyıllarda uyguladığı bir kabul ritüeliydi. Kökenleri 1600lere (İngiliz İç Savaşı) uzanan geleneğe göre askere alınan kişiye hak edilmiş ödeme olarak bir şilin para verilir ve ancak bu işlemden sonra kişi asker olarak kabul görürdü. (bkz: King's Shilling )


* Tatlı vampirimiz Maladict'in barda "Elbette ben asla... at sidiği içmem" (I, of course, don't drink... horse piss) demesi yine Dracula'nın o pek ünlü "I never drink... Wine." repliğine gönderme. Daha önce aynı şakayı Carpe Jugulum 'da da yapan Terry belli ki seviyor Dracula. Ve Dracula sevgimi artık utanmadan itiraf edebilen (teşekkürler Ezgi) benim yüzümde de her defasında aynı tebessümü oluşturuyor bu. Şuraya da Dracula'nın sinema uyarlamalarından bir never drink wine potpurisi bırakıyorum madem fırsattan istifade.


* Trollerin askere alınmasına karşı Strappi'nin itirazlarına Jackrum'un "Sorma-söyleme politikamız var, biliyorsun" demesi de Clinton ile birlikte anılan don't ask don't tell (sorma söyleme) politikasına bir gönderme. Don't ask, don't tell, 90'ların başında uzun süredir yürürlükte olan homoseksüellerin Amerikan Ordusunda hizmet vermesini engelleyen kanunların tekrar incelenmesi sonrası ortaya çıkan fiili ve enteresan şekilde kanuni bir durumdu. Demokrat ve muhafazakarlar, politika değişimi üzerinde uzlaşamayınca, ordu yönetiminin askerlere cinsel yönelimlerini sormasına izin verilmeyen, ancak halen askerlerin eşcinsel veya bi-seksüel olduğunu beyan etmesi durumunda ordudan uzaklaştırıldığı bir durum oluştu. Popüler kültürde de sıkça dalga konusu olan yasa, nihayet büyük tartışmalarla da olsa 2011'de kaldırıldı.


* Zımparataş'ın içtiği "Elektrikli Yergümleyen" aslında basit bir pil.


* "Strappi'nin karatahtaya tepesine "NEDEN SAVAŞIYORUZ BİZ?" yazmış, sonra da kenara , alt alta "1, 2, 3" rakamlarını eklemişti" Bu göndermemiz ise Country Joe'nun ünlü şarkısı Feel Like I'M Fixing to Die Rag'a. 69 Woodstock'taki pek meşhur kaydını da bırakıyorum buraya hatta.


* Yüzbaşı Bluz'ün mektubundaki "terfi sayesinde de günlüğüm 1 şilin arttı" bilgisinden hareket eden az işli bir arkadaşımız alt.fan.pratchett 'da Sterlin/Borogoravian Paritesi hesaplamış. Aşırı eğlenceli bir şey böyle insanlar olduğunu bilmek, 1 Sterlin 11.16 Borogravia Şilini ediyormuş bu arada.


* Polly'nin "Topraklarımızı ele geçirmek amacıyla ülkemizi işgal etmişti efendim, ben de geçici bir şok ve huşu hücumunun zararının dokunmayacağını düşündüm." diyerek Jackrum'a rapor verirken kullandığı "Shock and Awe", Amerika'nın 2003 Irak İşgali ile birlikte kullanıma soktuğu bir askeri doktrinmiş bu arada. Ben çok daha eski olduğunu sanıyordum oysa.


* Igorina'nın "Yalnızım tepeyi aştığımdan beri, Çayırda ve vadide yürürken..." diye mırıldandığı şarkı, The Girl I Left Behind Me adlı İngiliz Ordusu tarafından sık kullanılan bir folk şarkısı. Kırmızı urbalı yaylalar bir nevir.

* Hikayenin sonlarına doğru karşılaştığımız Lord Rust'ın ne menem bir insan olduğunu ve alayındakilerin neler yaşadığını Jingo 'da çok iyi görmüştük bu arada.


* DeSoze'e(bkz: Gerçek ) "Karikatüristimiz Fizz özel baskı için bunu çizdi" derken Terry'nin referans verdiği karikatürcü aslında Phiz lakaplı Hablot Knight Browne. Phiz 1800lerin sonunda özellikle Dickens karikatürleriyle tanınmış bir çizer (bkz: Hablot Knight Browne )


* DeSoze'un Borogravia birlikleri tarafından durdurulduğunda söylediği "Civis Morporkias sum, efendim. Ben bir Ankh-Morpork vatandaşıyım." Roma'dan alınma bir tabir. Tıpkı 2000 yıl önce dünyanın birçok köşesinde Civis Romanus sum diyen roma vatandaşlarının güvenlik içinde seyahat edebilmesi gibi, Ankh-Morpork da tartışmasız dominantlığıyla kendi vatandaşlarına bu güveni verebiliyor.

Aslında bu söz Roma'da basit bir güvenlik önleminden fazlasını ifade etmişti tarih boyunca. Evet elbette özünde bir şiddet sözü yatıyordu. Roma'nın vatandaşlarına dokunmak demek Roma'nın korkunç gazabını üzerine çekmek demekti aynı zamanda. Ki dönemin adalet anlayışına göre suçun pek de bireysel olmadığını, suçlunun selam vermiş olduğu her canlının enlemesine kesilip de kazıklarda sergilenmesi gibi kimi tatlılıkların vaka-ı adiyeden sayıldığını da unutmamak gerekiyor.

Ancak kökenleri ne olursa olsun Civis, sadece erkeklerin sahip olabildiği (kadınlar vatandaş olarak görülmediği için) kimi Romalılık haklarının(civis Romanus-Roma Vatandaşı) yanı sıra, sum kişilik ekiyle de o kişiyi de yücelten ve statü sağlayan bir söz olarak kullanılmıştı.

Hatta Aziz Paulus yahudiler tarafından şikayet edilip zincire vurduğunda bunu söylemiş ve özgür olmuş, daha sonra hristiyanlığa aktarılan Roma geleneklerinden de biri olmuş, adeta bir medenileşme, Evropalılık bilinci, merkeziyetçilik gibi anlamların odağı haline gelmişti.

Elbette özellikle sanayi devrimi sonrası yaşanan süreç sonrası artık Civis sumculuktan pek söz edemesek de, bugün "I am an American"a dönüşüp dönüşmemiş olduğu da başka bir yazı içinde tartışılmak üzere kalsın burada.


* Bluz'ün Resim gönderebilen klakların çalışma mantığını çözdükten sonra bir sıkıştırma algoritması kullanmayı düşünüp düşünmediğini sorması gerçekten muazzam. Önerdiği kodlama tekniği de hali hazırda resim sıkıştırmasında sıkça kullanılan RLE (bkz: Run-length encoding )


* Bu arada Maladict'in kahve krizlerini dindirmek için kullandığı metotlardan biri de yine tarihsel bir olaya dayanıyor. Amerikan İç Savaşı sırasında Birleşik Devletler ablukası sayesinde Konfederasyon askerleri için kahve neredeyse temin edilmesi imkansız bir hale geldiğinde denedikleri şeylerden biri de meşe palamuduymuş.


* N*ran tarafından, kendisi mental yetenekler açısından dezavantajlı bir insan olduğu için Kaldırım Çiçekleri olarak çevrilen genelevin orijinal adı "The Solid Doves" ve 19. yy'da fahişeler için sıklıkla kullanılan soiled doves (kirli güvercin) teriminden geliyor. N*ran, Fahişeyi görür görmez yapıştırmış kaldırımı ama Soiled dove aynı zamanda tarihi bir savunmanın da adı. 1899'da Oklahoma'da bir fahişe olan Minnie Stacey adına avukat Temple Lea Houston tarafından yapılmış olan savunmanın tam metinini sadece kitap formatında bulabildim ama savunma şöyle başlıyor.


* Vimes'ın kendini tanıtırken "Özel elçi, Büyükelçi gibi bir şey ama altın paketli küçük çikolatalar olmadan." derken bahsettiği çikolatalar pek ünlü Ferrero Rocher çikolataları. Göndermenin kaynağı olan reklam da şuradan görülebilir ki gece vakti fena halde canımın altın paketli top top çikolata çekmesine neden oldu...


Sonu itibariyle de gri bir kitap bu aslında. Çok da spoiler vermeye niyetim yok ama tüm bunların sonunda değişimin mümkün olduğunu ama gerçekten bunun için çok fazla şey gerektiğini söylüyor bir bakıma. Terry'nin de dediği gibi bu bir peri diyarı kalesi değil ve burada geçen hikayeler de sonsuza kadar mutlu yaşadılar diye bitmiyor. Hem hayal kırıklığına uğruyor hem de umutlanıyorsunuz enteresan şekilde aynı anda. Yani bu yönüyle de tanıdık geliyor.

Son söz olarak; Kademe kademe açılan, her parçasında da yeni yerlere uzanan, harika bir kitaptı Canavar Alayı. Beni en çok etkileyen, en sevdiğim Disk kitaplarından biri oldu ve üzerinde yazabilecek kadar sindirmem biraz vakit aldı. Ama Tereddütsüz tavsiye ediyorum ve değişim için pantolon içine çorap tıkılması gerekmeyen bir dünyada (veya adına) Terry dedemin hayal gücüne bir kez daha şapka çıkarıyorum.

"Bir savaşı durdurmak, başlatmaktan çok daha zordur. Başlatmak için "Hücum!" diye bağırmamız yeterliyken durdurmak istediğinizde herkesin meşgul oluverdiğini görürsünüz."

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was newly published when I first started reading Discworld eighteen years ago. I wanted to read it right then but, because I am me, I decided to wait until I could read it in order. Literally half my life later, I made it! And honestly, I'm kind of glad I waited. Eighteen year old me was smart, but I appreciate it more now than I think I would have then. This one has instantly made my top five Discworld books, right up there with a bunch of City Watch books, and Hogfather.

What we've got here is an anti-war book that simultaneously criticizes the pointlessness of nationalism and patriotism, and adherence to gender norms. The central gag that not only is our main character Polly Perks a girl dressed up as a boy so she can fight, but that her entire squadron are also girls dressed up as boys, as is her commander, and eventually we learn that so are all the leaders, never gets old . Pratchett keeps it going for the whole novel, and it gets funnier as it goes.

I am not smart enough to write about this series in depth, and I'm most definitely not funny enough. Terry Pratchett was a genius, so I hope you'll forgive me for just filling up the rest of this review space with quotes.

“The purpose of this lectchoor is to let you know where we are. We are in the deep cack. It couldn't be worse if it was raining arseholes. Any questions?”


“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.”


“I want to eat chocolates in a great big room where the world is a different place.”


"Trousers. That's the secret. Trousers and a pair of socks. I never dreamed it was like this. Put on trousers and the world changes. We walk different. We act different. I see these girls and I think: Idiots, get yourself some trousers!"


"'What does Borogravia want? Not the country. I mean the people.'

Polly opened her mouth and then shut it again, and thought about the answer.

'To be left alone,' she said. 'By everybody. For a while, anyway. We can change things.'

'You'll accept the food?'

'We are a proud country.'

'What are you proud of?'

It came swiftly, like a blow, and Polly realized how wars happened. You took that shock that had run through her, and let it boil.

. . . it may be corrupt, benighted, and stupid, but it's ours . . .

Vimes was watching her face. 'From this desk here,' he said, 'the only thing your country has to be proud of right now is you women.'"

[Tijana]

Akrepski odred mi se čini kao jedan od boljih Pračeta (dobro, za mene uvek odskaču oni Pračeti u kojima ima veštica ili Straže). A čini mi se da je i prevod među našim boljim prevodima Pračeta. Kupio me je već nabrajanjem pesama tipa "Ja sam ja, Džeremaja" i "Rado ide Džoni u vojnike" jer... kako to mislite, krosover Hermanovog stripa i Tozovca može da ne bude smešan?

[Ruxandra Grrr [in a slump :(((((] · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really really good time (with a couple of caveats)!! Been meaning to read this for at least three years, ever since I saw Shaun's video about TERFs trying to hijack Terry Pratchett to their fucking awful and dehumanizing cause. Shaun talks about this book with spoilers, mind you, to kind of prove that TP was actually chill with ideas of transness (also, spoilers don't really diminish the humor of this book at all). Of course, I'm cis, so I can't comment on the representation in-depth, but I found it quite lovely, even if it doesn't use the language we do today.

It's a book about questioning how things are done and questioning 'common sense' authority in a world were 'abominations' are invented all the time - here abominations mean deviations from the norm that someone has trouble with. It explores this idea and the ideas of gender performance and women's labor in very interesting and freaking hilarious, silly and absurd ways. It's the story of Polly, who joins the army and pretends to be a man by noticing said gender performance of men, it's a story of a well-placed pair of socks, and also many more stories of people who reject the assumptions that are made about them and just decide to make different choices for themselves.

There are many lovely, well-realized and funny characters here that I loved for the ways in which they fight the expectations of society and other people. Characters who realize that patriotism is kinda silly and what's also silly is trying to keep up with appearances. And re: gender performance, this was the funniest side of the book for me thanks to the way Pratchett satirizes the way we construct the idea of how a man is supposed to behave and how a woman is supposed to behave. It's still sort of in the binary here, though!

Another interesting theme was womanly labor here, as we get to spend time with washerwomen and servants and the jist of it is: hey, the labor of women is valuable, y'all (shocking!!). But on this theme also comes the biggest missed opportunity of the book, where we also have a chapter spending time with sex workers and the representation didn't feel that great to me - women's labor-wise. The fact that they wanted to rob our soldiers totally excuses the call our soldiers make to like rob the sex workers!! Did not like it that much!

The other critique I have is the sometimes verging-on-the-grotesque portrayal of fat people. There are a couple of instances where it feels like too much. One of the sex workers, for example, is described a bit shittily. And it's kinda strange that immediately after they leave the brothel sargeant Jackrum (who is fat) makes a comment about how people expect him not to be able to fight because he is fat, which is commenting on people's assumptions about fatness, which means TP had a sort of awareness about fatphobia, maybe?! - that was a confusing section for me, lol!

Other than these things that annoyed me at the time, I found a lot of really good stuff here that's explored in fascinating ways. Will definitely continue in the series.

[Cynnamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

English version below

****************

Terry Pratchetts Hauptthemen in diesem Buch sind für mich die Sinnlosigkeit von Kriegen und Geschlechtergerechtigkeit, und wie so häufig kriegt auch die Religion ihr Fett ab.
Dabei schafft der Autor es ganz gezielt und sehr häufig die Schmerzpunkte zu treffen, den Leser aber tortzdem massiv zum Lachen zu bringen.

Die junge Polly verkleidet sich als Junge und geht zur Armee, um ihren verschollenen Bruder zu suchen. Die Abenteuer von Polly auf ihrem Weg beschreibt Pratchett in seiner so humorvollen und mit Absurditäten angereicherten Art, wobei er für den Leser auch ganz viele Themen zum Nachdenken anbietet.

Ich empfinde dieses Buch als einen der besonders herausragenden Romane Pratchetts (natürlich auch weil er sehr stark auf mir persönlich wichtige Themen eingeht) und vergebe 5 Sterne.

----------------

For me, Terry Pratchett's main themes in this book are the futility of war and gender justice, and as so often, religion gets its just deserts.
The author manages to hit the pain points very specifically and very often, but still makes the reader laugh out loud.

Young Polly disguises herself as a boy and joins the army to look for her missing brother. Pratchett describes Polly's adventures along the way in a way that is so humorous and full of absurdities, while also offering a great deal of food for thought for the reader.

I consider this book to be one of Pratchett's particularly outstanding novels (of course also because it deals with topics that are very important to me personally) and award it 5 stars.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Зрялото творчество на Пратчет определено е много добро и Чудовищна команда не прави изключение. Ако се абстрахираме от феминистко-транссексуалния елемент в книгата, който е докаран до практическо невъзможно, но не натрапчиво ниво (все пак е естествена част от сюжета), описанието на международната политика в Европа от Ренесанса до началото на 20 в. е с направо режеща сатира и даже българите могат да припознаят в нея безумния национализъм на периода около Балканските и Първата световна войни, довел до три национални катастрофи.

Особено болезнено звучи подигравката с националния химн на измислената държава Богоравия, който започва с думата "Нащрек!" и че можем да си представим що за държава с що за национални приоритети има подобен химн - при условие че нашият от тогава е "Шуми Марица окървавена, плаче вдовица смъртно ранена. Марш, марш с генерала наш, в бой да летим, враг да победим!"...

[Mareike · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I audibly snorted more times while reading this book than I did during all my other reads this year combined.

Pratchett tackles a lot of things in this book – nationalism, war, religion (including civili religion) and how it can be instrumentalized, the Army, and gender (especially gender equality) and with most of these, especially when tackling war, the Army, and nationalism, his humor and satire are outstanding in the best Pratchett manner.

At the same time, some aspects of the book didn't quite land for me. I'll put the rest of this review under spoiler tags since I'm going to go into detail and will be quoting parts that happen towards the end of the book.

This is a book about women enlisting in the Army for a variety of reasons (finding a brother, running away from dire circumstances, finding a “husband”, looking for a way to prove one’s skills, etc.) and it’s here where the novel sometimes didn’t quite land for me.

I think it is fair to say that when it comes to gender, Pratchett was mostly concerned with gender equality and the structural issues that lead to gender inequality not so much with gender identity (though these two things can of course not be separated completely). The novel is definitely completely on point when, after the reveal that a big part of the Army’s leadership, including the famed General Froc, are actually women, it highlights that an institution like the Military isn’t going to magically transform just because women enter it. Rather, the institutional structures will change the individual – especially if that individual wants to rise in the ranks.

At the same time, the repeated scenes of revelation throughout the book are also where things got a bit sticky for me. I’ve thought long about how to put this into words, but I think the easiest way of saying it is that the book deals with gender from a very cisgender and heterosexual perspective. While there are some passages that deal quite well with gender performativity and the interdependency between presentation and how the world around people will treat them based on that presentation, the book also and with few exceptions, starts to use she/her pronouns (and sometimes the characters former name) as soon as a character is revealed as female. There are a few exceptions, for example Sergeant Jackrum and General Froc and with the latter, the use of “he” and the title often comes with a nudge and a wink after the reveal. All of this drives home that, in the eyes of the narrator, the characters are all really women, no matter for how long they have been living as men.

Mostly, I think, this is due to the position from which Pratchett was writing this and, again, on what is focus usually is. In addition, he is clearly drawing on some well-known stories of women who enlisted in the Armed Forces as men and the reasons that were given in those stories. Deborah Sampson/Robert Shurtlieff is an obvious example from U.S.-American history. In the narrative about Sampson/Shurtlieff’s life – written by Massachusett’s writer Herman Mann – patriotism is highlighted as a motif for enlistment. However, as scholars like Jen Manion (Female Husbands: A Trans History) and Judith Hiltner have pointed out, these kinds of narratives often draw heavily on already existing texts about “female husbands” and “female soldiers” and highlighting patriotism was one way of making the transgression of fairly fixed gender lines palatable to contemporary audiences. It makes sense that Pratchett is drawing on these stories for his characters’ backstories, but in its insistence that all these characters are “really women” the novel also forecloses the possibility that some of them might actually be trans or enby.

This also means that some of the jokes come very close to common transphobic stereotypes. This is especially notable when Lieutenant Blouse (one of the few cisgender men) dresses up as a washerwoman to sneak into a castle. What Pratchett is drawing on in those sections is clearly the tradition of young men playing female characters in Renaissance theater and also the tradition of drag in the Army, but a lot of the humor turns on the “a man in a dress who is badly imitating a woman” trope which also has a decidedly transphobic undercurrent. I think Pratchett was probably not aware of that undercurrent (I wouldn’t have picked up on it had I read this book when it was first published, or even 5 years ago), so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt here. (I wrestled a bit with whether I was too ready to do that for Pratchett compared to some other very famous fantasy author who shall not be named, but since Pratchett didn’t have a habit of making increasingly transphobic statements (afaik) and since some of the issues I had with the book clearly come from his focus on structures of inequality and from him drawing on commonly known historical sources about women in the Army/drag in the Army, and the history of theater, I do feel justified.)

All of this being said, there are two characters, one pivotal, one who is only mentioned in passing a few times, that could be read as trans, so I want to talk about them for a moment.
Sergeant Jackrum is not only the character who reveals that part of the Army’s leadership is female, but also the sergeant of the eponymous regiment. And, as becomes clear during a conversation between Perks and Jackrum is also passing. (There are hints before this moment, but this is when the novel makes it clear.) And while the text does continue using his last name and he/him pronouns afterwards, this only happens after the following exchange:

“Wouldn’t wish meself on him, lad,” said Jackrum firmly. “Wouldn’t dare. My boy’s a well-respected man in the town! What’ve I got to offer? He’ll not want some fat ol’ biddy banging on his back door and gobbing baccy juice all over the place and telling him she’s his mother!”
Polly looked at the fire for a moment, and felt the idea creep into her mind.
“What about a distinguished-looking sergeant major, shiny with braid, loaded with medals, arriving at the front door in a grand coach and telling him he’s his father?” she said.
Jackrum stared.
“Tides of war, and all that,” Polly went on, mind suddenly racing. “Young love. Duty calls. Families scattered. Hopeless searching. Decades pass. Fond memories. Then…oh, an overheard conversation in a bar, yeah, that’d work. Hope springs. A new search. Greasing palms. The recollections of old women. At last, an address—”
“What’re you saying, Perks?”
“You’re a liar, Sarge,” said Polly, leaning forward. “Best I’ve ever heard. One last lie pays for all! Why not? You could show him the locket. You could tell him about the girl you left behind you…”

This exchange, and especially Perks’ insistence that Jackrum is a liar and can continue to live that lie if it means being reunited with family highlights that enlisting in the military while passing as a man, in the world of this novel, is always an act, a lie, never an expression of trans identity. And, again, I can see why Pratchett went this way, but it would have been nice to have at least one trans character.

The other character mentioned above is Captain Wrigglesworth, a schoolmate of Lieutenant Blouses who, as several characters mention was “Keen on, er—” “Amateur dramatics,”. Here, again, the novel nods to the tradition of drag in the Army, but there are also a few moments where Lt. Blouse, for example, stops and seems to have second thoughts about whether “amateur dramatics” are the only explanation of Wrigglesworth’s talent at passing for a woman. This is never elaborated further, so while one can read this as a hint at a possible trans character in this universe, it fell…..a bit short.

TL;DR I enjoyed this novel, but there are some things in terms of how gender identity is represented that I wish Pratchett had done differently. (I’m not saying he’s a bad person because he didn’t, I can see why and how the novel turned out how it did. This is probably mostly a “me thing” thing and not a “him thing”. (Reading novels that are very close to one’s main research area can be tricky in this way.))

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 31st in my re-read of the entire Discworld series has us follow a war between Borogravia and Zlobenia, two countries near Überwald.

One reason why I decided to re-read the series is that I can never just indulge in one of the volumes. The other is that the audiobooks were newly produced and the casts looked amazing.

Reading this 31st book (in chronological order) are:


Borogravia is the kind of country that is always at war with someone. Because war is your patriotic duty. And if it isn't patriotism that dictiates them being at war, it's some fanatical priest or another in the name of their god.
Right now, the enemy is Zlobenia. Actually, it WAS at war, but it has lost - the only problem is that one regiment literally hasn't gotten the message yet.
One Borogravian wants to find her brother, another her fiancée, and there are others. All of them are finding themselves in the same regiment, disguised as males thanks to a new haircut, some strategically placed socks etc.

The reader thus gets a good look at war, patriotism, propaganda, honor, freedom, misinformation, fanatical religious societies and the damage said fanatical religion does to people's minds, and even gender roles.

Smack in the middle of it all, we get a cameo by our favorite Ankh-Morporkian Commander/Lord who sneakily is trying to support the underdog if only because he despises royalty.

Anyway, the book is heavy. Sure, it has wonderful situational humour and a lot of fantastic zingers. Not to mention that the sisterbrotherhood was heart-warming. I mean, the different quirks the vampire, Igor(ina), troll, humans et al displayed were downright hilarious.
However, the subject matter is not for the faint of heart. I do still disagree with some views portrayed here (such as what patriotism is, if only when going by definition), but I adore Sir Terry and the way he addressed certain issues, no matter how heavy-handed they were. Plus, he always looked at one thing from all angles no matter what he himself thought about it.

Wonderful part of the series even though it isn't one of the strongest and belongs to the Industrial Revolution sub-series, which I'm not too much a fan of (if only because, like a cat, I'm not too much a fan of change/modernisation of something as wonderful as the Discworld).

Narrator for this new audiobook was Katherine Parkinson (whom I know form a few movies / TV shows) and she did a good job. I didn't like her Vimes but like I said, his role was a cameo only anyway. She did get the girls right though if you ask me. All of them. In their various disguises. ;)

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sir Pratchett has written better.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

’So where do [gods] come from?’
‘From your fear…They come from the part that hates the Othera, that will not change. They came from the sum of your pettiness and stupidity and dullness. You fear tomorrow, and you’ve made your fear your god. The Duchess knows this.’
P. 258

This was yet another romp with the various denizens of Discworld demonstrating the stupidity of identity politics and the brilliance of Vimes (as per usual). Embracing diversity!

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an amazing coincidence that my 31st Discworld novel is #31 since I have focused on the City Watch series, the Tiffany Aching series, and the recent, more humorous books.

In this one, Sir Terry's prime focus on the follies of war. The aging but much experienced Sergeant Jackrum is recruiting soldiers because most have been captured or killed, even though his side is supposedly winning. Only misfits are left -- those wanting to escape their dreary or worse lives. So, he ends up with a vampire, a troll, an Igor, and a young woman, named Polly, who pretends to be a boy (Private Oliver Perks) so she can find her brother, who is MIA. Leading the group is Lieutenant Blouse, a thinking officer, who is derisively referred to as a Rupert. Against all odds, this group of all women, except Blouse manages to change the course of the war with their bravery, determination and common sense.

Favorite quote: The enemy wasn't men, or women, or the old, or even the dead. It was just bleedin' stupid people, who came in all varieties. And no one had the right to be stupid.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett deals with several of the seven deadly sins, namely pride, greed and wrath. Also "lesser" sins like stupidity, ignorance, misogyny and bigotry. It's a wonderful book!

“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.”

It's also very funny.

"Forget you were ever Polly. Think young male, that was the thing. Fart loudly and with self-satisfaction at a job well done, move like a puppet that’d had a couple of random strings cut, never hug anyone and, if you meet a friend, punch them."

[Igor Mogilnyak · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

Ювілейна 30-та книга українською сера Террі. Історія дуже мілітарі, і спочатку була з норм гумором, далі того всього менше. Але однозначно поза циклові книги всі цікаві і точно підходять для знайомства з автором.