Rating: 
Summary: Weak
Review: I'm a big fan of Terry Pratchett, but found this one to be a somewhat weak effort on his part. The book had its funny moments, but was far from TP's normal hilarity. Also, TP usually mixes in biting social commentary with his stories, but it never quite connects here. At times, he seems to be condemning war as a testosterone driven exercise, but then at other times he shies away from that, and the last chapter actually argues for war!No, this is just not a good book. If you are a fan of TPs, you will want to buy it, just to complete your collection. But, if you aren't a fan, you will find this to be a book, weak on humor and weak on social commentary - a cute story that goes from A to B without making a point.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Tiresomely tendentious and not very funny. There are some good bits -- Pratchett is incapable of writing a _whole_ bad book -- but a great disappointment for Pratchett fans.
Rating:
Summary: Just not that funny (very minor spoilers)
Review: A review for previous reader of Pratchett (very minor spoilers, but nothing that I would've been upset to learn before I read it): Monstrous Regiment is written in Pratchett's "new style." As compared to his earlier work, it is more focused on a single character and generally has a more serious plotline. In some cases (The Truth), this can be just as funny as more lighthearted wroks like The Last Continent. Monstrous Regiment is not one of those cases. To put it bluntly, Pratchett just doesn't joke very much. Teh classic word plays are gone completely. Some of the characters have humor potential, but a lot is repetitive from other books(There are only so many Igor jokes you can make). Other characters are spoiled by being taken to seriously. Its one thing to laugh at a coffee-dependant vampire, its another thing when lack of coffee becomes a serious life-or-death issue.
The same goes for the satire. Pratchett has a distinguished history of making fun of fanstasy cliches, but when he takes his own cliches too seriously he ruins the humor. Pratchett takes the woman-dressed-up-as-a-soldier yarn and stretches it far beyond the limits of serious fiction. Unfortunately, he tries to treat this ridiculousness as real important issues, which never works. Satire without humor is just cliche, and that's how this book ends up feeling.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so science fiction ... but incredibly funny!
Review: Terry Pratchett's latest book has to be one of the funniest i have read! It doesnt deal so much with fantastical creatures such as witches and the the constantly-popping-up Death (although there is a vampire and a troll involved) but instead follows the journey of a young girl entering the army as a man and all the adventures and many surprises she finds along the way.
This book is never boring and moves along at a fast and funny pace with so many twists youll get totally lost in the storyline. I reccomend it to all Terry Pratchett fans (although you'll probably already have it by now!) and also to anyone who loves a good laugh when reading. It's a book for all ages!
Rating:
Summary: Disguises and surprises
Review: Nothing is quite what it seems in this latest Discworld offering. Even the Discworld is not quite what Pratchett fans can identify. Magic is only like a whiff or shadow appearing from time to time. We encounter few of the regular heroes or places. Borogravia is not a major spot on the Discworld map. The small country is embattled in apparently never-ending wars with its neighbours about who knows what. Its rulers claim it to be a peace-loving place - thus it's always somebody else's fault. With so many battles, the army is running out of recruits so that a troll, a "reformed" vampire (having replaced his craving for blood with one for coffee), an "Igor" (known for his ability to stitch severed limbs and other missing parts back on people), a couple of lost youths with nothing better to do, and one following a religious calling, are enlisted. And, above all, a girl, disguised as one of the boys, wants to join the fun: Polly Perks or "Private Parts". Polly is young, smart and courageous. With her hair cut short, in men's clothes and imitating some "typical" male habits, she easily fools the recruiting officers. Or does she? Polly has several reasons to join the war effort - she needs to find her soldier brother who has not been writing home. Also, she has not really much to look forward to in this country. Borogravia is run by a Duchess who may or not be alive, and Nuggan, the local deity, who issues strict rules for his followers, reflected in an ever expanding list of "Abominations". These become stranger as time moves on. They include a ban on the colour blue, having your picture taken, newspapers, or the use of garlic. Women's lives are especially restricted: not only should girls not wear trousers, they cannot own land, houses or run a business. The story follows Polly, a skillful observer, who always asks pertinent questions. What is the purpose of the war, the upcoming battle, the enemy and the truth in all she hears and sees: "We are still winning this war, aren't we?!" Sergeant Jackrum, an old hand in the business of war, guides the motley crew of new recruits towards the battlefield. There is no time for training, really, but as the archetypical military father figure, he intends to "look after my lads". He maneuvers around Lieutenant Blouse, who knows everything about all the historical wars - from books. Blouse is more successful at redesigning filing systems than at giving orders to the squad. Then again, he shows surprising qualities when things get really tight. Humour and irony in this story operate at various levels. So also does the social and political commentary. The daily military confusions of the recruits and personal interactions between them are often hilarious. Secrets are discovered, shared and hidden again. Sometimes it is not even clear who is fighting whom. William de Worde, the editor of the Ankh-Morpork Times and well known to Discworld fans, has his own assessment of the situation: "sometimes a country's system is so out of date that it's only outsiders that can see the need for wholesale change". The news business is also no longer what it was either... There are many perfect one-liners and satirical gems that Pratchett has scattered throughout the book. From "shock and awe" to female tactics in close combat, you can smile, giggle or laugh out loud. But then again, the latter may get stuck in your throat when you think about the timely and topical messages being conveyed. This is, despite the Discworld fantasyland and its ludicrous conflicts, a serious book for serious people in serious times - and "no one has the right to be stupid." Questions remain at the end of the book and one wonders where Pratchett will go from here. Monstrous Regiment is recommended for Discworld beginners or newcomers; fans will find some familiar territory and will broaden their horizons of the "mirror of worlds". [Friederike Knabe, Ottawa Canada]
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book - POSSIBLE SPOILER
Review: I liked this book. It definately a Pratchett novel- clever, funny, and having a point. I didn't like it as much as Night Watch, but that would be a difficult accomplishment indeed.
the plot is simple- Polly Perks, a young women, cuts her hair and dons men's clothes to go search for her brother, a soldier currently at the front fighting the neighbouring country of Zlobenia. See, Polly lives in Borogravia, a tiny nation which has a tendancy to war with its neighbors, and who also is ruled by a God who considers such things as cats, babies, rocks, puzzles, crop rotation, and yes, women dressing up as men an Abomination. But Polly needs Paul, or else she may lose the family pub (Nuggan, the god, is also not that hot on women owning property). She gets put in the last bunch of recruits that is likely to come to the front in the war, a ragtag bunch that includes a troll ("Carborundum"); a cofee-addicted vampire(Maladict); an "angry person"(Tonker); a pyromaniac (Lofty); a youngster who talks to the Duchess, a religious figure (Wazzer); a large recruit (Shufti); a bigot(Strappi): and commanded by the legendary Sergeant Jackrum, a legend of a man who has been involved with most military encounters in Borogravia for a long time. then they get to the village of Plotz, and the fun really begins. Strappi disappears, they gain a "rupert", or commanding officer who might be kindly described as a fop, Polly learns that several of her comrades are also females in disguise, and the regiment starts to become a political figure. This is a great book, and I particularly liked Maladict and Jackrum, but I got uncomfortable when character after character gets unmasked as female. It gets ridicolous after a while. My discomfort could be because I'm a guy and this is probably Pratchett's most militantly feminest book since Equal Rites. Another thing I disliked was the ending. There's nothing wrong with it, it just goes from a good 'happily ever after" ending to a cliffhanger type ending in the last six pages. Oh well, maybe there's going to be a sequel...
Rating:
Summary: TEN'SHUN!
Review: Pratchett's 31st (inc Maurice & Last Hero) Discworld novel still delivers although it took me a little while to get into and care about the new characters. Usually he will set up various circumstances that force cross species to work together; this time they are just dumped on the page and you have to accept it.
A few guest appearances from Vimes and guards offer nothing much more than a bit of familiar territory.
As per usual, though, once I was a good way into it I felt compelled to see what next and was not disappointed at any point - plenty of laughs and originality. Not his best but certainly an indication that this series has a long way to go yet.
Rating:
Summary: READ IT AND LAUGH !
Review: It pains me to say this but - Monstrous Regiment is not quite up to Pratchett's usual standard of excellence. It is however, far and away better than any other work of comedy/fiction that you are likely to see on bookshelves this year. The characters are interesting, the dialogue is funny and the plot could only have come from the warped mind of Terry Pratchett. I have read all his novels, and in my opinion, Soul Music, Men at Arms and Intersting Times are the best. So go read those, if you haven't read them yet.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and thought provoking. Excellent
Review: Borogravia has declared war on all of its neighbors, depopulated its land, and its last army is now bottled up and waiting to starve. Even mighty Ankh-Morpork has been drawn in when Borogravia's god declares the Ankh-Morpork telegraph system an abomination (just about everything, from stones to the color blue have been declared abominations by Borogravia's god). Worse for Borogravia's hopes of winning, Ankh-Morpork has sent Lord Vimes to oversee its operations. But Borogravia isn't prepared to give up. It's recruiters are scouring the country for anyone to fill the uniform and be thrown into service. So, when a woman, a vampire, an igor, a woman who talks to the supposedly long-dead Duchess, and a troll try to enlist, Sergeant Jackrum signs them up. Jackrum's company is about the most unlikely group of heros ever to enlist, but Borogravia doesn't really need heros--heros have gotten them into the problems they have. Instead they need practical. And Jackrum and his group are exactly that--and something that Vimes sees as an opportunity to solve some of his problems as well. Through a series of misadventures and very good reporting, Jackrum's group become famous, get a chance to kick a prince in the uh, socks, and generally change the history of Discworld. Author Terry Pratchett delivers a wonderfully funny, thoughtful, and timely story. MONSTROUS REGIMENT combines laugh-out-loud humor with a thoughtful commentary on war and the human condition (with human being defined broadly, of course). If you aren't already a Pratchett fan, MONSTROUS REGIMENT will make you one. If you are, you're probably already looking for an excuse to sit down and read it. Well, don't wait any longer, soldier. Get it done.
Rating:
Summary: The Female Is Deadlier Than the Male
Review: Monstrous Regiment is the thirty-first novel in the Discworld series, following The Wee Free Men. This novel is set in the Grand Duchy of Borogravia. The national god, Nuggan, has a holy book, like most gods, but HE issues frequent and direct updates to the Abominations appendix in each copy of his book within Borogravia, so that it is a "living testament". Among other things that are an Abomination unto Nuggan are chocolate, garlic, cats, dwarfs, the color blue, and women wearing men's clothing. These Abominations have led to the Borogravians tearing down the clacker towers through the region, which greatly annoys Ankh-Morpork and the surrounding countries. Lord Vetinari sends Sam Vimes as his special envoy to the Alliance of nations invading Borogravia. His first priority is ending the war. In this novel, Polly Perks decides to go look for her older brother, who had enlisted in the Tenth Foot, his father's old unit, and hasn't written home for much too long. Paul is a bit simple, so Polly has been minding him since she was very young and she sees no reason to stop doing so. Polly cuts her hair short and dresses as a young man -- an Abomination unto Nuggan -- and travels to a small town where she is not known. She enlists as Oliver Perks in the Tenth Foot, the Ins-and-Outs, and several others enlist right after her, including a vampire, a Troll, and an Igor. Sergeant Jackrum cheerfully signs them up, has them kiss the Duchess' picture, and gives them an IOU for their shilling. Corporal Strappi, however, has misgivings about the whole thing. When the recruits reach Plotz, they discover that they are the very last to join up, so there is a shortage of uniforms and equipment and the available materiel has been scrounged from the dead and wounded. Moreover, their new officer, Lieutenant Blouse, informs them that they will be skipping arms training and going directly into battle. Strappi thinks this is funny until he learns that he will be accompanying them. Then the Lieutenant gives Sergeant Jackrum his discharge papers. At this point, the real fun begins. Strappi goes AWOL, Jackrum manages to nullify his discharge, the enemy sends a cavalry patrol to intercept them, and an Ankh-Morpork reporter shows up to cover their capture. Along the way, Polly learns that she isn't the only woman in the army under false pretenses. This novel satires the usual targets -- aristocrats, petty gods, snoops and busybodies, etc. -- but also takes aim at warfare and at the role of women therein. Although he exaggerates for effect, the author points out that it is a little too late to protect women from the horrors of war, for women have been just as much involved in war as men since time immemorial and some have even disguised themselves as men and served in the armies. As Polly observes, at least she gets to carry weapons and get some respect as a man. While military communal showers would probably make it difficult for women to successfully pass as men nowadays, the barrier has already been broken many times. This novel is not as farcical as many previous works, but it does have its moments, particularly when the women disguised as men pose as washerwomen. The Lieutenant provides a fair amount of comedy just by his romantic notions of warfare and dreams of glory, as contrasted to Sergeant Jackrum's pragmatic cynicism. The title of this novel apparently alludes to a misogynist pamphlet by John Knox, The Monstrous Regiment of Women; this disparaging view of women seems to be the main target of this satire. The ending of this novel is not really a termination, for the cycle of warfare continues and Polly is off on another mission. Possibly there will be a sequel! Recommended for Pratchett fans and anyone else who enjoys social satire and ironical comments in a fantasy setting.
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