{"id":4560,"date":"2018-06-01T05:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4560"},"modified":"2018-07-17T17:25:09","modified_gmt":"2018-07-18T00:25:09","slug":"mark-reads-monstrous-regiment-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2018\/06\/mark-reads-monstrous-regiment-part-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Monstrous Regiment’: Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sixth part of Monstrous Regiment<\/i>, Polly must immediately prove herself, and Jackrum surprises everyone. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For talk of warfare<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, shit<\/i>. What the HELL??? This took a turn, and in hindsight, this now feels like something Jackrum orchestrated intentionally. Well, not the actual presence of the Zlobenian troops who arrive at the inn, or the theft that Polly discovered when she woke up. Did Jackrum basically realize he had an opportunity he could take advantage of? He clearly appeared to know that Polly could handle himself, and then he exploited loopholes in military law so he could get back<\/i> in the army after his discharge.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So what the hell is going on in this book?<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back up a bit and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll start with Blouse\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s letter to his wife. As I said on video, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like every new detail is meant just to prove to us how things can get worse, even when we think they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. Blouse\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s letter seems so joyous until<\/i> you have context, and then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a disaster. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an unqualified man who sees his promotion as a positive, despite that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s literally one of the only surviving officers remaining. His promotion is desperation, not a victory. The only way all of this happens is if the Borogravians are<\/i> losing the war.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is made worse (AS ALL THINGS ARE) by Pratchett\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s late reveal of Polly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivation. See, before, I had just assumed that she wanted to find her mission brother. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivation enough, right? But in another bit of commentary about Borogravia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s conservative society, we discover that Polly needs her brother Paul or else she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never get to work in the family tavern. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll go to a distant cousin because women can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t inherit anything that matters due to Borogravian law. I like that Polly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivation is selfish in this manner, too, because it adds a texture to this story that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there. Plus, it gives new meaning to her decision to dress as a boy. This is the only means by which she can access any sort of power within this world.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, it becomes upsetting to Polly when Jackrum abandons her to the Zlobenian soldiers who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve come for the recruits. (Which totally confuses me, by the way. Why the recruits specifically<\/i>? Why not take more experienced solders as prisoners of war? I AM LOST.) In a moment of panic, she decides that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s best if she plays a helpless barmaid rather than a young soldier boy. She uses that sense of helplessness to her own advantage, but it still makes her feel weird, you know? She doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like<\/i> feeling helpless, and in fact, she wanted to escape<\/i> that. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s expected to be in Borogravia.<\/p>\n

So\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 is that what everyone else<\/i> wanted to escape, too? BECAUSE TONKER IS A GIRL, TOO, AND I AM JUST GOING TO ACCEPT MY JOKE THEORY FROM LAST TIME THAT THESE ARE ALL WOMEN IN DISGUISE. Holy shit, does this also<\/i> mean that Lofty and Tonker are\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. could it be??? AN ACTUAL CANONICAL QUEER COUPLE IN DISCWORLD<\/i>? (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not holding my breath; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a long, long time in the making, but I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually<\/i> get excited until it happens on the page.) And is Maladict just teasing Polly, or did he figure her out, too?<\/p>\n

And then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jackrum. After being discharged, he fully quits the military and then IMMEDIATELY RECRUITS HIMSELF so that he can take charge of matters. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gonna interrogate Captain \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Horentz.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s his name either. POLLY IS RIGHT, HE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S LYING.) But he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trying to control the chaos, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? There HAS to be a reason these men came for the recruits, and I feel like this was all Jackrum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way of saying that he was going to get to the bottom of this his own<\/i> way.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M NOT READY.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/sAocGAskMDc<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now available for pre-order!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"