Monstrous Regiment: A Discworld Novel

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Son söz olarak; Kademe kademe açılan, her parçasında da yeni yerlere uzanan, harika bir kitaptı Canavar Alayı. Beni en çok etkileyen, en sevdiğim Disk kitaplarından biri oldu ve üzerinde yazabilecek kadar sindirmem biraz vakit aldı. Ama Tereddütsüz tavsiye ediyorum ve değişim için pantolon içine çorap tıkılması gerekmeyen bir dünyada (veya adına) Terry dedemin hayal gücüne bir kez daha şapka çıkarıyorum. This line is a reference to a famous 1963 speech by US President John F. Kennedy, speaking in West Berlin where he famously declared: "Ich bin ein Berliner" -- "I am a citizen of Berlin". Since a 'Berliner' is also a kind of jam-filled pastry, the press tried to make a big deal about Kennedy's words as if he had made a big language blunder and called himself a jelly donut, similar to the blunder Vimes makes here. This so-called mis-speaking, became a bit of an urban legend, including the canard that his audience laughed at the statement. In fact Kennedy's words were correct, the meaning he intended was clear and it is considered to be one of if not the best speech of the cold war and the Berlin people who were feeling trapped in their enclave in the east were greatly relieved to get this support.

Commander Vimes said that there is going to be no first use of magic in this war". This is a reference to the constant theme during the Cold War of "First use of nuclear weapons". Maladict, in her coffee withdrawal hallucinations, is apparently starting to channel Vietnam War era images reminiscent of Apocalypse Now. The 'whup whup whup' of rotor blades is the obvious sound of the choppers patrolling over the jungles of Vietnam as portrayed in many movies of the era. Like we have learned to expect from Sir Terry's novels, this book is witty and has plenty of funny moments. But, as many of his more recent novels, it is also sad, angry and frustrated with the events in Discworld clearly paralleling the things that make us angry in the "Roundworld". The author manages to hit the pain points very specifically and very often, but still makes the reader laugh out loud.Die junge Polly verkleidet sich als Junge und geht zur Armee, um ihren verschollenen Bruder zu suchen. Die Abenteuer von Polly auf ihrem Weg beschreibt Pratchett in seiner so humorvollen und mit Absurditäten angereicherten Art, wobei er für den Leser auch ganz viele Themen zum Nachdenken anbietet. As far as I can tell, this installment of the Discworld series was published after the start of the second Iraq war. But while that might have been the reason for him writing this book, Sir Terry is settling the account with humanity's overall history of war. Thus, the story has elements from the Bosnian war, the two World Wars, perhaps even the Falkland wars as well. To give this book an additional edge (because that is how the author rolled), the story is also about gender roles, religious fanatism and the concepts of honour and freedom. For a country that’s incredibly sexist, it’s ironically being led by a woman. The Duchess hasn’t been seen in a very long time. So long, that people are starting to suspect that she might not even be alive anymore. But nobody wants to say this aloud, because the Duchess is pretty much worshipped like a god. And yet they still continue to obey her commands blindly. Charlie was the standard derogatory name for the Viet Cong. It came from the Viet Cong being shortened to VC which in the international phonetic alphabet is Victor Charlie which in turn was shortened to Charlie. The Night Watch goes to War! Or, at least, that was my expectation before I started the novel. Only thing is, this Discworld novel is not exactly about the Night Watch, even if Sam Vimes, Angua and a couple of others do participate in the conflict. The theme chosen by Sir Terry is indeed the lampooning of martial mentality, but the main actors are a bunch of fresh recruits in the army of Borogravia. Each of these recruits harbors a secret identity, and I guess it is not much of a spoiler to mention that for some of them that identity has to do with gender roles.

Once upon a time I considered myself a feminist. That was before husband and children came along and biology reminded me that I had a certain role to play (instinct is like that). I take pride in being female, I respect and adore men for what they are. Both genders are equal- equal here meaning 'having gifts deserving of identical weight', NOT equal-meaning-the-same. I love that about us. And it means I can appreciate how men and women can be the yin and yang of society. Both different, both important. And I'll add a dirty little secret: I really don't mind reading books with a male lead. It honestly doesn't make me feel victimized. Maybe that affected my reading. the Girls Working School had burned down, on on the same day two slim masked figures had robbed a bank." Clearly Tonker and Lofty made good on their promise utilizing Lofty's skill with matches. Robbing the bank is an obvious reference to Thelma and Louise type characters and one Pratchett used before in The Last Hero. The other character mentioned above is Captain Wrigglesworth, a schoolmate of Lieutenant Blouses who, as several characters mention was “Keen on, er—” “Amateur dramatics,”. Here, again, the novel nods to the tradition of drag in the Army, but there are also a few moments where Lt. Blouse, for example, stops and seems to have second thoughts about whether “amateur dramatics” are the only explanation of Wrigglesworth’s talent at passing for a woman. This is never elaborated further, so while one can read this as a hint at a possible trans character in this universe, it fell…..a bit short. For me, Terry Pratchett's main themes in this book are the futility of war and gender justice, and as so often, religion gets its just deserts.

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The keep was shooting at itself, in the finest traditions of the circular firing squad" - The reference to a firing squad shooting inward from the circle is obviously suicidal but the term also refers to a group that is so focused on in-fighting that they self-destruct. The troll who charges extra if crossing his bridge with a billy goat is an obvious reference to the fairy tale, "The Three Billy goats Gruff". Pratchett uses this reference often in his books; trolls being a natural for guarding bridges and not being big fans of billy goats butting them off bridges. Shufti says after the explosion, "I think I can manage the screaming ....This is not a very nurturing experience." - Since Shufti is pregnant,this line is a reference to creating a nurturing experience for the child in the womb to give it the best possible start to its life in the world.

The line " I'm lonesome since I crossed the hill" is another reference to one of the songs Polly learned from her father and friends as a child mentioned before - 'The Girl I Left Behind Me'. Ve o Borogravia, bu sefer komşusu Zlobenia ile savaşıyor. "dünyanın her yerinde özgürlük aşığı halkların dostu olan Ankh-Morpork" da ekonomik sebeplerle tamamen ilgisiz bir biçimde özgürlük ve demokrasi getirmek adına bu savaşa müdahil oluyor. The Sergeant says, "Give him the shilling, corporal." In the English army, taking the King's or Queen's Shilling was a ritual of induction; upon taking a shilling coin as enlistment bounty, the inductee was legally considered a soldier. Tatsız bir diyar burası uzun lafın kısası. Ve dünyamıza benzeyen ama benzemeyen bu fantastik diyarda savaş, cinsiyet rolleri, din, mizojini ve değişim hakkında bir kitap Canavar Alayı.That night, Polly encounters an unknown supporter whilst answering a call of nature, who assures her that although they know that Polly is a girl, they won't give her away. Ich empfinde dieses Buch als einen der besonders herausragenden Romane Pratchetts (natürlich auch weil er sehr stark auf mir persönlich wichtige Themen eingeht) und vergebe 5 Sterne.

Vimes says to Polly, " Ze chzy Brogocia proztfik!" to which she replies "'But why did you say you were a cherry pancake?" The Four Lesser Horsemen; Panic, Bewilderment, Ignorance and Shouting are take offs on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; Death, Famine, War and Conquest (or Pestilence - Pratchett uses Pestilence). Pratchett's mention of "Lord Rust's regiment" gives the reader a good clue as to what is happening with and to the Ankh-Morport troops. His style is described very unflatteringly thoroughly in Jingo and Night Watch so the reader knows his troops are going to fare badly. Every single guy in Polly’s regiment is a woman! What a cool way to point out how stupid sexism is. And the brilliant thing is, this revelation actually comes quite early in the story. This revelation could have so easily been the climax of a really strong satire on sexism and traditional gender roles. And it would have been awesome. Especially if you add some Terry Pratchett comedy magic to the mix. But the story doesn’t end there, it’s only just beginning at that point. Lieutenant Blouse has several volumes of miltary strategy in his room. "The Craft of War" is based on Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War which is the standard text of military philosophy.Polly sorgulayan gözlerin kendisine saplandığını hissetti. Utanıyordu elbette. Ama aşikar sebepten dolayı değil. diğer sebepten utanıyordu, hayatın bazen döve döve öğrettiği küçük dersten dolayı: Dünyayı izleyen tek kişi sen değilsin. Başkaları da var; sen onları izlerken onlar da seni izliyor ve sen onlar hakkında düşünürken onlar da senin hakkında düşünüyor. Dünyada önemli olan tek kişi sen değilsin. The Line, "Don't ask, don't tell." is a reference to the United States military's policy regarding homosexuals. The long-standing prohibition on homosexuals serving in the armed forces was re-examined in the 1990s, however social conservatives were strongly opposed to any softening of the prohibition. The compromise that was eventually reached was labelled "don't ask, don't tell". The administration of the military was not allowed to ask a recruit or soldier his or her sexual orientation, but revealing it to be homosexual (or bisexual) was still grounds for discharge. The compromise was widely ridiculed by all sides, but has been upheld five times in the federal court.