Monstrous Regiment - by Terry Pratchett (Paperback)

About the Book

"In the small country of Borogravia, there are strict rules citizens must follow. Women belong in the kitchen-not in offices, pubs, nor pants. And certainly not on the front lines when war comes to Discworld. Polly Perks took over running her family's humble inn when her brother, Paul, marched off to war. But it's been more than two months since his last letter home, and the news from the front is bad. To find her missing brother, the resourceful Polly cuts off her hair and joins the army as a young man named Oliver. As Polly closely guards her secret, she notices that her fellow recruits seem to be guarding secrets of their own. And before they've learned to properly march, Polly and her fellow raw recruits find themselves in the thick of a losing battle. All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee. No matter, it's time to make a stand. . . . The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Monstrous Regiment is a standalone"--

Book Synopsis

"Wickedly satirical . . . nothing short of brilliant."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett explores the inanity of war, sexual politics, and why the best man for the job is often a woman in this acerbically funny and poignant Discworld novel.

In the small country of Borogravia, there are strict rules citizens must follow. Women belong in the kitchen--not in offices, pubs, nor pants. And certainly not on the front lines when war comes to Discworld.

Polly Perks took over running her family's humble inn when her brother, Paul, marched off to war. But it's been more than two months since his last letter home, and the news from the front is bad. To find her missing brother, the resourceful Polly cuts off her hair and joins the army as a young man named Oliver.

As Polly closely guards her secret, she notices that her fellow recruits seem to be guarding secrets of their own. And before they've learned to properly march, Polly and her fellow raw recruits find themselves in the thick of a losing battle. All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee.

No matter, it's time to make a stand. . . .

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Monstrous Regiment is a standalone.

Review Quotes

"Mate gender politics with geopolitics and you get either a PC nightmare or something very funny. Fortunately, in MONSTROUS REGIMENT it's the latter. Pratchett takes full and unfairly hilarious advantage of the opportunity to skewer everything from miliary court martials to male swagger." -- Washington Post Book World

"As ever, Pratchett revels in pricking pomp and assurance, but it isn't going too far to say that of late his real subject, like Wilfred Owen's, is the pity of war. . . he can move from farce to sadness in seconds . . . MONSTROUS REGIMENT is most often spirited and shambolic, but it has some serious heft. Pratchett is on the side of those who make very little fuss, which means he gets to shiv those who do." -- New York Times Book Review

"Surprisingly meaningful but never short of hilarious: a monstrous success for Pratchett." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Hilarious . . . wickedly satirical . . . nothing short of brilliant." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Extraordinarily amusing . . . Pratchet has outdone himself with MONSTROUS REGIMENT--a feat that might be hard to imagine after so many books. It is fresh, witty as ever, and brings a whole new look to Ankh Morpork." -- Bookreporter.com