My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Satire
Content: Plenty of double entendre
War has come to Discworld ... again.
And,
to no one's great surprise, the conflict centers around the small,
arrogantly fundamentalist duchy of Borogravia, which has long prided
itself on its unrelenting aggressiveness. A year ago, Polly Perks's
brother marched off to battle, and Polly's willing to resort to drastic
measures to find him. So she cuts off her hair, dons masculine garb, and
-- aided by a well-placed pair of socks -- sets out to join this man's
army. Since a nation in such dire need of cannon fodder can't afford to
be too picky, Polly is eagerly welcomed into the fighting fold—along
with a vampire, a troll, an Igor, a religious fanatic, and two
uncommonly close "friends." It would appear that Polly "Ozzer" Perks
isn't the only grunt with a secret. But duty calls, the battlefield
beckons. And now is the time for all good ... er ... "men" to come to
the aid of their country.
Previously when I read Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, I said it was Monty Python meet Lord of the Rings. Well, Monstrous Regiment is...
Black Adder
meets Sharpe
meets Mulan.
I'm not a huge Discworld fan, but the two books I've read, I found to be clever and funny. I enjoyed the humorous parts of these books, but I don't necessarily get drawn into the story that supports them, even though I do appreciate how Terry Pratchett used some serious subject matter in this one—there was much to think about on war, religion, and women in this book—for some reason I just don't end up loving the overall story. I can however appreciate it and the way it's executed.
For me, I liked the fun satirical feel to this book the most. The socks, the abominations, and the whole cross dressing thing was so very funny! That being said, I've seen quite a few comedic books, monologues, sketches, etc., that I thought would have been great if they had been dialed back just a little, and I think, in the end this book went a little too far.
Overall, I enjoyed this. I didn't love it, but I liked it. I appreciated things about it. It made me think a little and it me laugh, so I consider it a good read.
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