The Monstrous Regiment Review

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Monstrous RegimentMonstrous Regiment by Stephen Briggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I borrowed the paperback from a friend and it took me several sitting throughout 3 weeks to finish it.

Borogravia is in the midst of war, the country seems to always be at war due to being proud of their...pride. Into the last battle enters a group of new recruits that earned the title Monstrous Regiment. It is lead by a seasoned and well-known veteran of many, many, many wars, Sargeant Jackrum, and comprised of a troll, an igor, a vampire, and girls. Oh, and a nerd.

The theme is a frequent of Pratchett, on how strong, reliable and badasses women are while men are generally only good at being man. Except for Commander Vimes, of course. It also nudges on politics and policies and the tendency of men to burn themselves by being...man.

Another theme that seems to caught my attention the most because it has been a resonance of repeats in my personal life in the last few years, especially the month I read the book, is identity.

No matter how long you hide behind false pretenses, fake identities, some people will take notice. Some will also pretend along with you, because it fits their agenda.

The plotline is interesting, but somehow the final twist is a bit sad. I had the notion that eventhough the book has a happy ending, Pratchett held no optimistic view toward whatever real phenomenons that inspired him to write Monstrous Regiment. I hope I was wrong.


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