Discworld musings.
May. 19th, 2004 05:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ldhensonYou know, I read Monstrous Regiment a month or two ago, and looking back on it I have to say: I really didn't like it. Next to Eric, it may well be my least favorite Discworld novel ever.
Keep in mind I still haven't read Wyrd Sisters, Small Gods, The Last Continent, or any of the "Discworld for younger readers" novels. Not avoiding 'em...just haven't gotten my hands on 'em.
Generally, I've found I'm not particularly fond of those DW novels that transplant 20th-century concepts wholesale (Moving Pictures, Soul Music, The Truth), because they don't seem to sit very comfortably or organically on the DW setting. Nor am I a big fan of Rincewind, though sometimes I can be persuaded otherwise.
But MR doesn't fall into any of these categories, nor is it as strainedly-unfunny as Eric. So what's the problem?
I came out of the story feeling like I hadn't connected with any of the characters, which is a shame, and in fact seems quite improbable, considering the story gets off to a snappy start with the introduction of Polly. She's a great character, gawky and inexperienced, but determined and believably smart. Add in her nearly-hopeless mission, and that's a winning combination.
But once everyone left and right starts to be revealed as female, the story starts to unravel. DW wouldn't be DW without its over-the-top goings-on, but outrageous as the plots usually are, they still flow and make a strange sort of sense. Here, it just seems excessive and clunky, like I'm being beaten over the head with a two-by-four. Some of the reveals are rather pointless (unless I'm just missing them): why make Maladict a girl? or Jade? What do they add to the story? I have to say, though, it's quite interesting that the lesson that the upper brass need to learn is not (to oversimplify it) "women can make great soldiers" but rather "be yourself."
In a way, I see why: otherwise it'd be a retread of Equal Rites. And I think the book makes a good try at heading in a direction very different from ER. I'm just not sure it's very successful once it gets there.
In the midst of all this, I lose track of Polly. All the "wow, so-and-so's a girl!" moments seem to detract from her "screentime," so that her development into a clever soldier feels rushed and uneven...or, to borrow a phrase from the folks at Jabootu, IITS (It's In The Script). As a result, I admire her quick wit, but only from a distance, because I don't feel as if I've really gotten to know her or the road she's been on. I'm able to get my head around the other characters even less.
Even the welcome presence of Vimes and some of his crew didn't do much against the book leaving me cold by the end. Which is too bad, because I think the novel has a great premise and I would love to have enjoyed it.
Keep in mind I still haven't read Wyrd Sisters, Small Gods, The Last Continent, or any of the "Discworld for younger readers" novels. Not avoiding 'em...just haven't gotten my hands on 'em.
Generally, I've found I'm not particularly fond of those DW novels that transplant 20th-century concepts wholesale (Moving Pictures, Soul Music, The Truth), because they don't seem to sit very comfortably or organically on the DW setting. Nor am I a big fan of Rincewind, though sometimes I can be persuaded otherwise.
But MR doesn't fall into any of these categories, nor is it as strainedly-unfunny as Eric. So what's the problem?
I came out of the story feeling like I hadn't connected with any of the characters, which is a shame, and in fact seems quite improbable, considering the story gets off to a snappy start with the introduction of Polly. She's a great character, gawky and inexperienced, but determined and believably smart. Add in her nearly-hopeless mission, and that's a winning combination.
But once everyone left and right starts to be revealed as female, the story starts to unravel. DW wouldn't be DW without its over-the-top goings-on, but outrageous as the plots usually are, they still flow and make a strange sort of sense. Here, it just seems excessive and clunky, like I'm being beaten over the head with a two-by-four. Some of the reveals are rather pointless (unless I'm just missing them): why make Maladict a girl? or Jade? What do they add to the story? I have to say, though, it's quite interesting that the lesson that the upper brass need to learn is not (to oversimplify it) "women can make great soldiers" but rather "be yourself."
In a way, I see why: otherwise it'd be a retread of Equal Rites. And I think the book makes a good try at heading in a direction very different from ER. I'm just not sure it's very successful once it gets there.
In the midst of all this, I lose track of Polly. All the "wow, so-and-so's a girl!" moments seem to detract from her "screentime," so that her development into a clever soldier feels rushed and uneven...or, to borrow a phrase from the folks at Jabootu, IITS (It's In The Script). As a result, I admire her quick wit, but only from a distance, because I don't feel as if I've really gotten to know her or the road she's been on. I'm able to get my head around the other characters even less.
Even the welcome presence of Vimes and some of his crew didn't do much against the book leaving me cold by the end. Which is too bad, because I think the novel has a great premise and I would love to have enjoyed it.
