{"id":4617,"date":"2018-07-17T05:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4617"},"modified":"2018-07-15T14:29:35","modified_gmt":"2018-07-15T21:29:35","slug":"mark-reads-monstrous-regiment-part-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2018\/07\/mark-reads-monstrous-regiment-part-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads &#8216;Monstrous Regiment&#8217;: Part 22"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the twenty-second and penultimate part of <i>Monstrous Regiment<\/i>, another secret is revealed, and Polly is instrumental in changing Borogravia. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read <i>Discworld<\/i>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so satisfied with this book, LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TALK.<\/p>\n<p><b>Truce<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Jackrum <i>knew<\/i> that Polly would be instrumental in something huge and meaningful, didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he? He was very intentional with his last words to her before she went to wave the white flag and call a truce between Zlobenia and Borogravia:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Jackrum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes twinkled.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u009dI know I can trust you, Perks. Make the most of it, lad. Kissin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t last!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Make the most of it. Polly is handed an opportunity here, and I believe she <i>did<\/i> make the most of it, to the best of her ability, and with the betterment of Borogravia in mind. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t imagine a better person to lead this, and I believe that Jackrum knew that. He watched her grow into a more powerful, knowledgable person over the course of their time together, and he <i>also<\/i> knows that she will stand up for what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right when the time calls for it. The kissing line&#8230; I saw that as a reference to the Duchess, to the ritual they all participated in to join the army. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little vague, but I like the idea that Jackrum was pushing for Polly to find another solution, one that <i>didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> maintain this endless war in Borogravia. Kissing doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t last, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the only resolution available.<\/p>\n<p>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M TRYING, OKAY. I could be wrong, but I loved this interpretation!<\/p>\n<p><b>Another Secret<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I liked that in the presence of Angua, Maladicta finally admitted that she was a woman, too. To me, that suggested that she felt inspired by Angua living proudly as herself, both as a soldier and as a werewolf. Like, I feel as if we could wax poetically about the power of seeing one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s self in other people. Even if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re different supernatural creatures (though I feel like the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153supernatural\u00e2\u20ac\u009d doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really mean anything here; these beings are natural, aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they?), there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a common experience between them. They live in a sexist society, and they live in a society where \u00e2\u20ac\u0153monsters\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are still demonized and stigmatized.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I AM JUST SO HAPPY, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.<\/p>\n<p><b>Vimes<\/b><\/p>\n<p>He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just so goddamn cunning, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he? And of course Pratchett takes the time to point out that all along, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been seeding the little detail that sergeants excel when under specific conditions, that they have skills that involve manipulating and cleverness, and I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THE PARALLEL BETWEEN JACKRUM AND VIMES A LONG TIME AGO. Oh my god, this book is perhaps the most densely plotted\/planned out, and it BREAKS MY BRAIN to think about that.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, Vimes is an important guide for Polly in this big scene, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s <i>only<\/i> a guide. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the one who solves this predicament for her; he simply lets her know that her country needs to consider another way to exist. He does so with some particularly brutal questions, and this exchange had me SHAKING:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What does Borogravia want? Not the country. I mean the people.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Polly opened her mouth to reply, and then shut it again and <i>thought<\/i> about the answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153To be left alone,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153By everybody. For a while, anyway. We can change things.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll accept the food?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are a proud country.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What are you proud of?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>WOW, EVISCERATE HER AND HER COUNTRY\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ILL-FORMED PATRIOTISM WITH <i>ONE QUESTION.<\/i> But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an important point, one that resonated with me because as a teenager, I had to start reckoning with the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pride\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that was instilled in me as an American. A lot of the music I listened to challenged this notion that there was anything that people from my country should be proud of. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an uncomfortable thing to think about as an American, and I imagine there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a similar parallel in those who grew up in the shadow of the British Empire. Vimes, then, suggests that the nationalism that Borogravians practice is flawed because it is prideful of all the wrong things:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153From this desk here,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the only thing your country has to be proud of right now is you women.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Indeed, the people running the country and the military supported a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153dead\u00e2\u20ac\u009d god. They punished people for Abominations that were not real and that targeted the most vulnerable people in society. They were warmongers and war profiteers who kept this conflict going because&#8230; well, it made them feel good. It gave them purpose. It gave them <i>power<\/i>. And they knew nothing else! War was part of the very fabric of Borogravia, and it took radical action for someone to finally suggest that <i>maybe<\/i> they could do something else. Why else do you think that Vimes refused to deal with any of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153important\u00e2\u20ac\u009d people and instead went straight to the young woman who managed to defy the odds, all so she could find her missing brother? Sometimes, it just takes one person to change the world, and that person was Polly. Her distaste for what her world had become had been quietly motivating her the entire time. Oh, sure, Paul was the reason for the journey, but as Polly says:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The end of the journey, Polly thought. But it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, not anymore.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>She got the distinct impression that the man opposite was reading her thoughts.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what all this was about, wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, sir. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just how it started,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Polly.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I liked this acknowledgement. This journey <i>changed<\/i> Polly, and it changed her goals. And now, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to change her country.<\/p>\n<p><b>Tolerance<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Seriously, there was a lot I felt a kinship to in this section of the book. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about this line of Angua\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got secrets they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want known. Werewolves are a bit like vampires that way. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re tolerated&#8230; if we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re careful.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not exactly new to have metaphorical representations of real-world issues in supernatural creatures, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not even the first time we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen this in the <i>Discworld<\/i> series. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sentiment here that rang horribly true for me as someone who is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tolerated\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by society&#8230; right up until I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not careful enough and intolerance rears its ugly head again. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a way I could tie this to the concept of passing, of presenting one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s self as an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153acceptable\u00e2\u20ac\u009d version of a person who is otherwise marginalized person. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had to deal with that as a queer dude, as a Latinx person, as someone with mental illnesses&#8230; WHEW, THERE ARE SO MANY PARALLELS, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. Even here, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Polly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s experience as a woman in a world where she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s seen as a lower person. She was tolerated, but only as long as she performed and behaved as she was told to.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But that never got anything accomplished, did it?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Shufti<\/b><\/p>\n<p>You know, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m happy that Shufti rejected Johnny. I was confused why she would turn down so much money, but in the end, she gets what she wants: Johnny is listed as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153deceased,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and perhaps one day, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get the benefits that come with that. But she gets to demand the sixpence back that Johnny ran away with. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nice little comeuppance, though I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m curious what Shufti is going to do next.<\/p>\n<p><b>De Worde<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The truth is a funny thing, something de Worde is intimately aware of, and the end of this section was so damn good, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. He <i>thought<\/i> he was reporting the truth, but upon finding out that Jackrum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s troops were women, he has to admit that he got his own story wrong. And Polly <i>still<\/i> has to correct it! He writes the news through his own bias, which is why Polly is so bothered by what de Worde passes along from the general. This society still views her as less than others because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a woman. Her accomplishments are still good \u00e2\u20ac\u0153for a woman,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and de Worde can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see why that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s insulting.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But, as Polly notes, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a start. She cherishes the small victories because her country has to start <i>somewhere<\/i>. Like Shufti\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tiny victory, Polly has her own in Prince Heinrich, who she knocks down a bit mentally just by miming the <i>start<\/i> of a kick. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nice reminder of what she did before and how, even though he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a prince, Heinrich still suffered his most humiliating moment at the hands\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor rather, feet\u00e2\u20ac\u201dof someone he sees as beneath him.<\/p>\n<p>And sometimes, those little moments are everything.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/M8OOP4obCjQ<\/p>\n<p><b>Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>My YA contemporary debut, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/AngerIsAGift\">ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now out in the world!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><strong>If you&#8217;d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/ey636\">sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the twenty-second and penultimate part of Monstrous Regiment, another secret is revealed, and Polly is instrumental in changing Borogravia. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[451],"tags":[463,545,248],"class_list":["post-4617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discworld","tag-mark-reads-discworld","tag-monstrous-regiment","tag-terry-pratchett"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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