Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

by Chriss Cornish published: November 28, 2007 No Comments

This Book Is About

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’ 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.

My Thoughts On This Book

Monstrous Regiment takes place in Terry Pratchett’s famous, pun-heavy Discworld setting and has the popular Night Watch involved in the edges of the central plot. The title itself is a pun off a famous quote from a 19th century British writer who referred to the females of the species as “…the monstrous regiment of women…” And the army regiment Polly/Ozzer joins goes from figuratively to literally ‘monstrous’ with the addition of a troll and a vampire.

This is a fun book, full of surprises, laughs and well developed characters. The plot begins simple but gains in complexity as social issues become introduced. The pacing is good and realism is well maintained. I like the ending, it was satisfying and had a good twist.

I did find certain elements, like the Joan d’Arc style development of one character, predictable but that didn’t really detract from the story. I suspect that those things I felt were predictable were supposed to be.

Overall, I enjoyed Monstrous Regiment (a friend of mine really enjoyed it). I’ll probably re-read this book and I’m likely to pick up other novels set in the comic fantasy universe of Discworld.

Rating & Levels For This Book

I Give This Book
three Vikings out of five

Violence Level
two Burning Hut out of five

Romance Level
zero Hearts out of five

# of actual vikings in book: 0

What do these levels mean? ”

Humor Level
three Smiles out of five

Lust Level
two Kisses out of five

Author and Publishing Information For This Book

Author & Book Details

Title: Monstrous Regiment
Author(s): Terry Pratchett
ISBN#: 0060013168
Genre(s): comic fantasy
Edition Reviewed: first paperback printing
Illustrations: N/A
Page Count: 389
Part of a Series: No & yes; these characters aren’t part of a series but their story occurs in the Discworld setting, which is in itself considered a series