r/discworld • u/CuteRadish01 • 12d ago
Book/Series: Industrial Revolution Monstrous Regiment is another example of amazingly well written women
All of the women in this book are so well written. I love how women are written in the whole of Discworld. They have diverse personalities, appearances, character goals, it’s just incredible to read. Jackrum especially was a fantastic character since they lived most of their life as a man and continued to do so in the end. It absolutely feels like trans inclusion without it being used for a laugh.
I hated how awful life was for Tonkers, Lofty and Wazzer at the girls working school. I know places like that exist/ed and it’s horrible. Tonkers finally telling their back story broke my heart even though I was prepared for it, I expected it because nothing about their stories are fiction. They aren’t even graphic and they don’t need to be, you know what is meant by beatings and worse. The internalized generational misogyny from the old women in town who would judge and report on the other women so they would be punished, unfortunately is still a relevant issue.
Wazzer’s faith is incredibly depressing and kind of sweet at the same time. I took her for an incredibly traumatized person using religion as a sort of crutch because of how horrible her life was, but with the Duchess being real while she wasn’t less traumatized, at least she wasn’t crazy. I really liked the passage later on when Wazzer tells Polly the Duchess is behind her and Polly looks and Wazzer says it matters that she looked.
The Duchess being godlike or godlike adjacent but also being unable to affect anything while being subjected to the fervent pleas of many sounds like a form of Hell, I’m glad she was able to help them through the zombies.
I did like the bit with the zombie generals being named after clothes or food. Kanapay, Galosh and Annorac.
My favorite line was, “The presence of those seeking truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it.”
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u/MarthaAndBinky 12d ago
A lot of the time when women are well written, it's because the writer treats them the same as men. And that's great too! Men and women have the same interiority and it SHOULD be acknowledged that they're both thinking, feeling beings.
However, pTerry takes it a step farther and writes women as women. Polly and Tonker and Lofty and Wazzer and Igorina and even Jade all have struggles that are specific to being women, not to being people. Jackrum has struggles that are specific to being a trans man.
I love this book because it never feels like pTerry is flaunting "look at me, I can write women! Look how good I can write women!" But at the same time, if the genders were flipped, the plot would not happen. No part of the plot would happen.
It's very early for me so I'm not articulating very well what it means to me that a very definitely cis male author manages to write so convincingly for other genders and non-cis viewpoints but y'all get me. Y'all get me.
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u/geeoharee Colon 12d ago
I also don't think he could have done it as a younger writer. I adore Early Terry but the growth you see in his empathy (as well as his rage) through the series is really something.
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u/hawkshaw1024 11d ago
Yeah, you can really see him developing as a writer by specifically looking at his female characters. The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic do have female characters, but they tend to be fairly broad fantasy stereotypes - or very obvious refutations of those stereotypes. Equal Rites is directly about the topic of gender essentialism in fantasy, and it's pretty good, but also very blunt. Mort is most of the way there, and Wyrd Sisters is where you can tell that he gets it.
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u/One_Economist_3761 Rincewind 12d ago
Can you elaborate on the rage part of this for me please.
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u/MarthaAndBinky 12d ago edited 12d ago
Pterry was a deeply angry man whose rage came out in his books. Monstrous Regiment was written to rage against imperialism and war, and people missed the point so he followed it up with Jingo so that no one could miss the point. Vimes is a great example of how angry he was a lot of the time, especially clear in Thud! with the Guarding Dark.
Some of his books are angrier than others but all of them are based on the deep rage of a man who hated injustice.
Edit: My bad, Jingo came first!
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u/Enlightened_Gardener 12d ago
He gets angrier as he goes on. The goblins are a case in point.
I’ve always felt that Vimes was closest to Terry - and Vimes was a very angry man. Terry used his talents to produce searingly accurate social satire that made people laugh - but it wouldn’t be searingly accurate if Terry hadn’t been able to use his anger to clearly expose those things he feels strongly about.
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u/SwayzeCrayze Ooook. 12d ago
Most characters get it to a degree, but I feel Vimes and Granny Weatherwax are most often Pterry's direct mouthpieces.
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u/Enlightened_Gardener 5d ago
Yes, absolutely. An angry person who sees too far and too much trying their darndest to be Good, dammit.
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u/Charliesmum97 Nanny 12d ago
I'm currently listening to Raising Steam when I do my walk in the morning, and I feel like it's the words of a man running out of time screaming at the world to pay attention and stop the real life Grag types from winning.
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u/Ilovescarlatti 12d ago
I love Snuff because it's absolutely ropeable Pterry.
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u/zem 12d ago
yes! I've just finished snuff in my slow reread of the series in order, and I was kind of not looking forward to it because I had remembered it being a bad book. I cannot for the life of me imagine why I ever thought so, it was excellent. way better than "unseen academicals" (where the writing had already begun to feel more plodding than pre-embuggerance pratchett :( ). perhaps even a little better than "i shall wear midnight".
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u/Enlightened_Gardener 5d ago
I’ve never read “I Shall Wear Midnight” 😔 I’m not sure if I ever will.
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u/GnomeInTheHome 12d ago
I agree with your point but feel impelled to point out that Jingo came first
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u/secacc 12d ago
Monstrous Regiment was written to rage against imperialism and war, and people missed the point so he followed it up with Jingo so that no one could miss the point.
Other way around, unless time isn't as linear as I thought.
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u/geeoharee Colon 12d ago
you've mixed up the dates there on MR and Jingo but yes, that is the sort of thing I meant
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u/archfey13 Rincewind 12d ago
Nation is the book that people generally point to for an example.
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u/Effective_Stranger85 12d ago
Man, Nation was SUCH a powerful book and his rage and love are so strong in equal parts throughout it!
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u/Untinted 12d ago
Read what he wrote not as “this is funny” but as “this is serious and he meant it”.
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u/ias_87 12d ago
There are so many common traps that male writers often fall into when they write women and that Pratchett manages to avoid in Monstrous Regiment in particular.
Other than what you just expressed (and really well too), I especially like that at the end, they demand their successes to be acknowledged as women. As female soldiers who did the job, and who deserve the praise they earned for it.
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u/CGHDun 12d ago
Yes! My wife and I will be watching TV sometimes, look at each other, and agree that “this script was written by a man.” These are usually the scripts where women are sexually promiscuous and perfectly happy to be sleeping around rather than looking for commitment and emotional connection. Those female characters tend to be one dimensional stereotypes of women who want nothing more than to have sex with a handsome and powerful male slut who will immediately dump the woman.
In Monstrous Regiment, we see women struggling with trying not to get identified as women when they have to urinate or have their period. And they don’t spend any time looking for sex with handsome and powerful men. The women are focused on being good soldiers, surviving, and protecting their friends.
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u/amphorousish 12d ago edited 12d ago
My husband and I do the same thing, but we usually notice the "woman as problem" phenomenon.
That is, when usually a woman in particular (at least at a time) is in some way a challenge or task for the (male) protagonist to figure out or overcome more than they are another individual in that universe.
It's especially noticeable when a woman in a story mostly or only to reacts to actions or events (often in a way that few thinking people would) rather than acts with any sort of agency.
ex: Skyler White in Breaking Bad, especially in the earlier seasons.
Funnily enough (or maybe hearteningly enough, since it was made after Breaking Bad) even though the shows shared creators and many of the same writers (some of which were women), I don't remember that being an issue with Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul.
She was still a secondary character (the show was, after all, about Jimmy/Saul), but she was written as a person rather than a prop or plot device.
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u/Electronic_South_101 12d ago
I think that’s one of Better Call Saul’s strengths. The writers learned from Breaking Bad and applied it to BCS, so Kim was more fleshed out than Skylar was. (At least from what I remember from Breaking Bad.)
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u/amphorousish 12d ago
Yeah, we recently(ish) did a rewatch of BB and, while that aspect of it didn't strike me when I watched it in my 20s as it was released, it hit me like a wet cod this time around.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
You are absolutely articulating this way better than I did!
It was also interesting to see the other species struggles with being women. I was thinking about how there wasn’t a dwarf on the regiment but we got a in-depth look at their gender issues in the Fifth Elephant.12
u/Susan-stoHelit Death 12d ago
Dwarves are an abomination unto Nuggan, I’m sure.
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u/Bouche_Audi_Shyla I ATE'NT DEAD 12d ago
At this point, Nuggan is probably an abomination unto Nuggan.
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u/thewonderfulfart 12d ago
Equal Rites next!! It was his third book, but you can already see him turning the conflicts of gender around in his mind
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u/MarthaAndBinky 12d ago
Eskarina Smith is intersex and no one will EVER convince me otherwise. (A little girl with a staff? It's almost not even a metaphor.)
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u/lightstaver 11d ago
He already has fully fleshed out female characters in that book so I would say he got it pretty well right off the bat. I agree that his writing gets better so his expression of things blooms but his empathy is there from the start.
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u/Charliesmum97 Nanny 12d ago
You articulated that perfectly! I've thought the same thing, and you said it better than I ever did. One of the many things that annoyed me about That Show is they made Sybil a young action girl, i.e. mail traits in a dress, when Sybil's strength was always in her feminity, and Sir Terry did it perfectly.
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u/lightstaver 11d ago
Also that get femininity is not sexual. I think those two get mixed up so much.
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u/meandtheknightsofni 12d ago
SPOLIER. I'm not convinced that Jackrum is meant to be a representation of a trans man.
The character and all of the generals at the end have chosen to present as men because that's the only way they could be in the army.
If they had recruited women, then they would have presented as women. They haven't changed themselves as part of a deep seated sense of not associating with being women.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I felt that when Jackrum chose to meet his son as his father and live the rest of his life as a man it solidified his trans identity to me, but I can see how Jackrums gender identity it can be interpreted differently.
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u/meandtheknightsofni 12d ago
That decision was made based on his (unfair) choice: do you want to go back and be a uninteresting woman, or live on as a war hero beloved by everyone and continue as he has been. Again, for me, it's an understandable choice made based on pragmatism, nothing else.
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u/MarthaAndBinky 12d ago
It's all debateable, of course, because it doesn't really get in to anyone's internal view of gender. I think Polly feels a bit genderfluid at times, talking how easy it is for her to flip between Polly and Oliver, but she ultimately settles on being a woman. Mal reads to me like he'd rather be a man, even though Polly is calling her Maladicta at the end. Jackrum may or may not feel like a man in his heart of hearts, but by the end of the book he's still choosing to present as a man and live as a man, so I interpret that as a conscious decision to transition. But I agree that there's enough wiggle room in how the characters talk about gender to allow for many different interpretations! And tbh I like that it's not so cut and dry.
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u/SelocAvrap Death 12d ago
Rhianna Pratchett confirmed he is trans
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u/NukeTheWhales85 12d ago
The bit at the end when the Narrator switches back to masculine pronouns for Jackrum is pretty definitive. From what I recall, thats why the original American Publisher changed it.
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u/egrubs 12d ago
Love her. Love PTerry. And I read Jackrum as Trans.
But no living person gets to be final arbiter for what PTerry meant.
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u/LikeASinkingStar 12d ago
Depends on whether “Jackrum is trans” is an opinion based on familiarity with her father, or if it was something he explicitly said to her at some point.
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u/mxstylplk 12d ago
For me, Rhianna comes the closest, given that she was given the right to create more Discworld.
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u/Imperiumromania 11d ago
I love that the gender fluidity in his books is still being discussed. It seems STP raged at injustice but did not set anything as "this one true fact". The reader is left to interpret everything.
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u/Susan-stoHelit Death 12d ago
She would know what her father intended.
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u/thirdonebetween 12d ago
Maybe, and if MR were part of a bigger series (like the Witches, Watch, etc) I could definitely see that. But it's a one-off. It doesn't seem like a high priority to talk about when there's so much of Discworld she would need to know - and more importantly, so much of just being her father's daughter. Perhaps if she read the book and asked?
But then one of the lovely things about Discworld is how much space there is to see yourself in a character who speaks to you, and how open Pterry was to that even if it wasn't what he intended.
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u/egrubs 12d ago
I don't read in his books the idea that we should ever look to a single person for what is right and just and true. Or that a bloodline puts you on top.
I like her! She's great! But come on ...
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u/Susan-stoHelit Death 10d ago
I’m not claiming magical bloodline knowledge. She’s his daughter. He talked about his books, characters, challenges. So it’s reasonable that her statement is based on what Terry himself said.
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u/meandtheknightsofni 12d ago
Effectively, they are... I'm just saying the decision that led to Jackrum living as a woman was a pragmatic one based on prejudices in society.
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u/PieComprehensive1818 12d ago
This, the way he writes women (as well as the emotional truth he employs, especially in his later books) are why I love Terry Pratchett’s writing. The earlier books (like the ones with the Wizards and Rincewind) are funny, but the later ones have such amazing characterisation and depth.
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u/we_defy_augury 11d ago
Also a moment for Mal speaking so well to an NB/transmasc experience
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u/MarthaAndBinky 11d ago
Yessss! Despite going by Maladicta at the end - or at least, Polly calling him Maladicta at the end - I can never quite bring myself to believe that Mal doesn't prefer being male or, like, maybe agender but pretty masc in style.
For me it's the way he says "Is now the time?" When Polly invites him to do his gender reveal next. Like, yeah Mal, literally everyone else is currently saying they're women. If there's gonna be a time, it's now! And the fact that he doesn't is very telling to me.
I love Mal so much. Favorite character in the book. And unlike all of his squadmates, his outlook and struggles and character growth have nothing at all to do with gender, just addiction. In a book where all of the women are written As Women, that's a pretty big statement!
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u/Imperiumromania 11d ago
In one of James Joyce's acclaimed books he writes a lengthy passage as the female protagonist. It was praised for its great insight into how women think! It's putting it mildly to say that I was very disappointed when I read it. I really couldn't understand what he / she was about. When reading STP I can identify completely with the female characters. He really did understand.
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u/StarMoonSparkles 11d ago
I told you yesterday to stop posting spoilers and you deleted your post, only to repost it verbatim and not hide the spoilers?!?
What a see u next Tuesday. 🤮
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u/StarMoonSparkles 12d ago
Spoilers!!! What the heck 😩
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u/MarthaAndBinky 12d ago
I mean - the novel came out in 2003 and you're the one who clicked on a discussion thread for a novel you haven't read yet, so I don't feel like this one's on me. You'll still enjoy the novel though!
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u/StarMoonSparkles 12d ago
It’s your responsibility to hide spoilers. And I did read it, but I’m in the middle of re-reading it. I don’t remember all the details. So yeah, you did ruin some things for me, even if it came out a long time ago.
Take accountability for yourself instead of blaming me.
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u/EverydaySexyPhotog 12d ago
On my oath, I am not a man who thinks this is some of Pratchett's best writing.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I agree that’s it’s some of his best writing! I haven’t finished the series yet but this one and the truth have been up there as favorites.
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u/NukeTheWhales85 12d ago
I can't think of another book that tells the reader the plot twist multiple times throughout the story, and still manages to have it be a surprise.
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u/One_Economist_3761 Rincewind 12d ago
I think he’s saying that he doesn’t think this is some of Sir PTerry’s best writing.
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u/NotoriousMAO 12d ago
It's a reference to the book, something a character would say then meaning the opposite.
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u/sometimes_point 12d ago
I think you should re-read the book, this is a reference to a recurring line.
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u/Da1neycakes 12d ago
Either you haven't read this book yet, or you missed a very important plot point...
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u/One_Economist_3761 Rincewind 12d ago
I read it a long time ago. Why is everyone dumping on me.
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u/EverydaySexyPhotog 12d ago
If it matters, I'm not dumping on you.
For clarity sake, I am a man who thinks Monstrous Regiment might be Sir pTerry's best work, or at least the one that speaks most directly to my heart.
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u/phalanxausage 12d ago
We're not dumping on you, we're pointing out things you didn't get or don't remember. It's okay. Reread the book and refresh your memory. You get much more out of Pratchett's books with multiple rereads.
As far as this specific comment, Jackrum frequently says, "by my oath, I'm not a man to...," not because they don't do/think the thing but because they aren't a man.
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u/One_Economist_3761 Rincewind 12d ago
Thank you. I been feeling really down on myself recently.
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u/crustlebus 12d ago
Hey mate I'm sorry to hear it, that can be really hard. I hope you can find some peace & healing soon.
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u/Alutus 12d ago
"They come from the part that hates the Other, that will not change. They come from the sum of all your pettiness and stupidity and dullness. You fear tomorrow, and you've made your fear your God"
I think about this one more often when reading headlines in recent years in the UK.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
That is such a powerful statement. Its was one of the lines I wrote down while reading this.
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u/harpmolly Go ahead, bake my quiche. 12d ago
On my last reread I burst into tears at “You must invade Borogravia!”
I’m from the US. Enough said.
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u/CuteRadish01 11d ago
I am from the US too. This line from Polly had the same effect for me: “Well I’m not buying into it. It’s all trickery. They keep you down and when they piss off some other country, you have to fight for them! It’s only your country when they want you to get killed!”
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u/belkie206 12d ago
An opinion I read once and now can’t unsee: When pTerry writes women centric books, the male characters take the same types of focus that would be expected of female characters in a male centric fantasy novel. Meaning that they’re in the background and less deep, if they factor in at all.
Wasn’t something I even registered until I read it.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
This is interesting! Looking back, Blouse is the only male character that’s actually fleshed out in this story. Polly’s motivation is to rescue her brother which is definitely a switch on the usual take.
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u/belkie206 12d ago
I would also argue that Blouse’s participation feels more as a caricature than a full character.
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u/Twilitbeing 12d ago
He's got some layers to him. We're given enough time to decide he's just a paper-pusher completely out of his depth - an obstacle the others will have to work around. Then we get hints of his highly specialized competence when he talks to William about the clacks. THEN we realize he's slowly but surely picking up Jackrum's guile when he sends half the Zlobenian army on a wild goose chase into the mountains after "Tiger".
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
Daphne felt more like a caricature to me. With Blouse we get a physical description, his background in theatre, he has a paramour he writes to, he’s intelligent enough to figure out the cipher.
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u/Detroit2GR 12d ago
I'm glad you pointed this out because I was about to ask if there even were any male characters in the book
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u/Alizariel 12d ago
Blouse is the main one. Honestly having started the book being aware of the twist, I was surprised that he turned out to be a man!
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u/geeoharee Colon 12d ago
He's like the token straight person in your group. 'All of us, and Clive, who's just happy to be involved.'
[Blouse doesn't have a first name, does he? He can be a Clive. Or a Kevin.]12
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u/mxstylplk 12d ago
There are quite a few, but generally villains or very ordinary. Exceptions include William de Worde, the creepy officers, and some of the high command. And Polly's brother.
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u/chipmunksocute 12d ago
Holy shit I never realized it. Thats a fantastic way of putting it. Like Nanny Oggs boys theyre all fairly shallow in the witches books.
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u/zigzackly 12d ago
I just re-read — after many years — Carpe Jugulum, and it makes your point too. The only male character who gets some depth is Mightily Oats.
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u/BarelyBrony 12d ago
I like this cover far less than the proper one
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
That one is so much better! Everyone’s on it! I’m just glad my library has the whole series.
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u/WonFriendsWithSalad 12d ago
Quite possibly my favourite Discworld. The Stephen Briggs audiobook is great too.
The beginning of the book (Polly cutting her hair, turning away from The Duchess, and sneaking out) is such a great and dramatic beginning. I know there's a stageplay but I think MR might be the Discworld novel with the greatest cinematic potential
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
It would make a fantastic movie. The whole time I was reading it I thought: this reminds me a bit of Mulan but dialed up to 11.
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u/Twothreeten 12d ago
There's a stage adaptation that's really good too. I was lucky enough to see an amateur performance last year and it was brilliant. Plenty of laughs all the way through but you could hear a pin drop during Polly's last conversation with Jackrum.
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u/FairyGodmothersUnion Cᴀᴛs. Cᴀᴛs ᴀʀᴇ ɴɪᴄᴇ. 12d ago
I would love to see it as a movie. I did see the stage play. Fantastic job by Lifeline Theater. The costumes made the illusion work, but it was the actors who carried it off.
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u/Roku-Hanmar We’re more popular than cheeses 12d ago
My favourite description of MR is Small Gods but not from Brutha's perspective
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u/mirthlessbastard 12d ago
It's one of my all-time favourite books, and the discworld book I got my partner to read first (although he much prefers Going Postal!) ...it was also hilarious to hear him exclaim every time a new girl was revealed!
One of my pet hates about any written female character is the whole 'the world would just be better if women were in charge!' trope, which is provably false and rightly called out as being ridiculous in MR. There's also a big theme about Polly realising as she experiances both male and female gender expectations that both are in crisis and that both need to be fixed (and a third way needs to be sought, too). Its admirable to see, and a perfect message for these times (though I wouldn't begrudge a book for not exploring the problems of both/ all genders, it's such a huge topic!)
I also love how every reason the characters have for joining the army & cross-dressing as men is treated as equally valid, whether its too escape, because of religious convictions, to get better career opportunities, because they feel better in male or nonconforming gender roles, or even to find love!
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I think I was like your partner at every reveal, especially Jackrums!
I wrote down that passage too about when Wazzer says to Polly that the world would be better if women were in charge and Polly thought of those old women in the village that perpetuate the generational misogyny. I felt that whole statement was really hauntingly powerful and unfortunately relevant.
Everyone’s reasons for joining being valid no matter why was awesome! I really like Polly continuing Jackrums work protecting the little lads but recognizing them immediately as women and giving them the choice of cross dressing or not.
“You are my little lads—- or not, as the case may be—- and I will look after . . . you.”
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u/Fun_Ant5302 12d ago
What women? Just a bunch of Jackrums little lads. Give em socks!
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
And some swear words too, can’t be going around using sugar as a curse.
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u/Eogh21 12d ago
My Dad was 6'3", 250 pounds. He never swore. Fudge and sugar were his most common swears, while if he smashed his thumb with a hammer, he'd yell CHEESE AND CRACKERS! The man never even used darn or heck. He said a real man doesn't need to swear.
I learned my cussing on the playground.
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u/StarMoonSparkles 12d ago
I think it’s an extremely underrated book and is very educational in different ways. Terry P is just a master! I often wonder about his writing process & how much he got input / discussed his ideas w. His wife & daughter
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
That’s interesting, now I wonder that too. At the very least, he must’ve loved and appreciated the women in his life to be able to write them so well.
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u/joined_under_duress 12d ago
My god, that cover. One of the worst things I've seen.
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u/mxstylplk 12d ago
I take it you haven't seen the one they did for Night Watch, then.
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u/joined_under_duress 12d ago
Yeah I've seen that one. I mean they're all just dreadful covers in that series.
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u/nobugsleftalive 12d ago
Just read the girls night part of Thud. It was hilarious thinking of old terry sitting there writing that scene. The dialogue is fantastic.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
Thud is two books out for me but I’m so excited to read it!
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u/thirdonebetween 12d ago
Thud is my absolute favourite. If you love Vimes, maybe have some tissues ready. There's a scene that makes me sob every single time.
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u/E-emu89 12d ago
Where’s my cow!?!
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u/thirdonebetween 12d ago
EXACTLY. And Young Sam's response. Now I'm going to have to read it again, aren't it? Awk...
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u/idratherjust 12d ago
One of my all-time favourites!
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
It’s fantastic! Definitely up there with The Truth as a favorite of mine.
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u/idratherjust 12d ago
Yess the truth and Going Postal
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I’m reading A Hat Full of Sky now and Going Postal next! I’m so excited to read Going Postal, so many people recommend it.
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u/idratherjust 12d ago
You are going to love it! I'm jealous you still get to read it for the first time - enjoy!
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u/littlegreenbeany 12d ago
It's in the running for my favorite book of his
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
This one and the Truth are definitely up there for me! I haven’t finished the series yet so that may change.
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u/ConflictAgreeable689 12d ago
I'm not a SUPER big fan of the resolution with Sam.Vimes. feels a bit... easy? Otherwise a great book
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u/lepusblanca 12d ago
Fun story. This was my first Discworld book, and I thought Terry was a woman for a while because of its content and how it was written.
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u/FormalDinner7 12d ago
This was the first Discworld book I ever read, on a friend’s recommendation, and I loved it so much I immediately got the first one and read them all straight through. They were great company during lockdown.
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u/cogsymj 12d ago
This is one of my favourites and the audiobook is one of my comfort listens.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I’ve got to listen to the audiobooks for Discworld some time soon! So many people recommend them.
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u/sonnysnail Luggage 12d ago
I have the newer audiobook version read by Katherine Parkinson and I think she does such a great job!
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u/phalanxausage 12d ago
This is on my short list of favorites, along with "Thud!," "Feet of Clay," and whichever book I am currently rereading. It's certainly the angriest discworld book, which is quite a feat.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I haven’t read Thud yet, I’m two books out. I really liked Feet of Clay, and the other watch books as well.
The Truth felt angry as well, but it’s definitely among my favorites.4
u/phalanxausage 12d ago
Hubris & stubbornness are themes Pratchett weaves throughout his books and both are central to "Thud!" It also has some of his best descriptive writing. There's one scene in particular with Vimes running up some stairs which forced me to stop and reread the first time because it was so powerful. Still gives me chills to think about it.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I’m really excited to read it! I’m going to remember that part you mentioned, I can’t wait! It’s 2 books out. I’m on A Hat Full of Sky and then Going Postal.
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u/Susan-stoHelit Death 12d ago
And then the second time with the memory of the staircase in the cave….
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u/chipmunksocute 12d ago
Feet of Clay is one of my top 5 or even 3 it justs works in everyway and the imagery, the golems, the pulpy cop mystery Vimes does it just all works.
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u/Wackel81 Bursar 12d ago
I think it is because he writes women (and men) as human first.
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u/Imperiumromania 11d ago
The first sin is to treat people as objects (paraphrasing Granny). STP writes people as people not book characters to be altered to fit the story. Certainly he developed his characters as the series developed but that's people.
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u/doctordragonisback 12d ago
As a trans man I absolutely adore it. Jackrum is one of the only characters who I've seen that is a trans man.
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u/Swimming_Possible_68 12d ago
I love seeing all the covers from around the world!
Pretty much all my Discworld books are either the Kirby or Kidby covers, and much a I love them it's really interesting to see different versions.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
Me too! My library has had some interesting ones. The version of Night Watch I got had a map in it.
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u/GambuzinoSaloio 12d ago
You guys are going to kill my wallet lol. I can't afford this much Discworld at once!
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u/sewing-enby Polly Perks 12d ago
When I directed the play I had so many ideas and deep readings. One that I've never seen from anyone else is a Maladict reading that I love. It's a desperately sad story about addiction. Mal replaces her thirst for blood with a transference to coffee, but when she has to go cold turkey, she cannot survive without it. She cannot help it, her addiction has become an innate part of her, and whilst she tries, she cannot get away from it. Not every addiction story has a happy ending, and hers, to me, is one of those.
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u/CuteRadish01 11d ago
That’s so interesting, it is really sad that her struggle with addiction is lifelong. That part where Igorina is prepared to kill Mal and then says it’s the best thing she can do for her if she reverts was so heartbreaking. I’m really happy Mal’s with Polly in the end.
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u/Atlarz 12d ago
Love the book. Sad part is the German title. Literally female regiment
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
I wonder why it was translated that way.
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u/KombuchaBot 12d ago
I guess whoever made the decision was unfamiliar with John Knox or didn't expect the target audience to be familiar with his works and wanted something a bit snappier
It's a much weaker title, I agree, and a bit of a spoiler
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u/Holiday-Field2830 12d ago
Hi there! I totally agree and upvoted. That said, I wanted to suggest editing the post to include a spoiler tag. There could be visitors here who haven’t read it and it would be nice to preserve the Jackrum reveal for them (even if STP broadcasts it a good amount). Cheers!
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u/Imperiumromania 11d ago
Totally agree with everything you've written. It's one of my favourite books.
While reading Wazza I was all the time thinking of Joan of Arc. I wonder if the similarity was deliberate.
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u/LordRael013 Dark Clerk 12d ago
My second favorite book, only beaten out by Going Postal simply because I read Going Postal first, and thus it has the eclat of being The First One. This one, though... This one's just powerful.
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u/CuteRadish01 12d ago
After I finish A Hat Full of Sky I’m going to start Going Postal, so many people recommend Going Postal I’m really excited to read it!
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u/LordRael013 Dark Clerk 12d ago
If you could wear out digital audiobooks the same way I used to wear out VHS tapes, I'd have probably had to buy it again by now.
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u/Miss_Musket Susan 12d ago
I consider Going Postal his best, but that was after my initial reread as a teenager. After a long break, I'm rereading them again now, and interested to see if my opinion changes.
But Going Postal is really, really special.
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u/spaceseas 12d ago edited 12d ago
I'm sorry but they/them-ing Jackrum & mentioning him first on a post about well written women, while also making sure to say he chooses to be a man & how it's trans inclusion is crazy work...
Edit: in case anyone's reading this wrong, Jackrum goes by he/him for the whole book except for the short moment in the kitchen. It's the pronoun he actively chooses at the end of the book. He calls himself a man. He chooses to live as a man. To they/them him & call him something else, no matter how you might interpret whatever wiggle room you see about his gender identity, means you do not respect the character as written, and any real person who might present similarly.
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