# Monstrous Regiment - Woo Hoo!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818 "2003-09-15T21:56:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/1 "2003-09-15T21:56:35Z")
My S.O. (manager of a bookstore) just brought home an Advance Readers Copy of **Monstrous Regiment** , the new Terry Pratchett book. I know what I’ll be doing tonight!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/2 "2003-09-16T02:17:21Z")
I feel sorry for poor Vimes. All he wanted was to be a good copper, and now he’s stuck doing _politics_. And he still can’t wear shoddy boots either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@HDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HDS)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/3 "2003-09-16T02:22:45Z")
Ooooo! Can’t wait until it comes to my local bookshop. I’d also like to get the Truckers/Diggers/Wings (can’t spell Bromilad to save my life) trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/4 "2003-09-16T13:44:35Z")
I finished it this morning. It’s good. It’s got the same sort of feel as **Night Watch** , another very good Discworld book. No spoilers here, though. But it’s good… ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/5 "2003-09-16T17:12:38Z")
American cover British cover Brits always get the better covers. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/6 "2003-10-11T17:56:45Z")
It’s kind of cool to read Vimes as a non-central character. Are there any other DW books with him as non-central? I am near the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/7 "2003-10-11T17:57:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by js\_africanus \* > \*\*American cover > > British cover > > Brits always get the better covers. \*\* Why _is_ there a different cover? Is it so that they can have a more American style uniform? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/8 "2003-10-11T19:00:43Z")
That’s not a remotely American-style uniform on the US cover. At any rate, the whole different covers things was discussed in some depth [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=215007&highlight=cover). I do find it a little disappointing that Pratchett wrote this absolutely amazing book, and most of the conversations I’ve seen about it have focused on the smegging _bookcover_, which is like going to see the Mona Lisa and complaining about the picture frame. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/9 "2003-10-11T19:14:50Z")
**Miller** I expect most people don’t want to spoil it. I certainly don’t. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/10 "2003-10-12T01:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > It’s kind of cool to read Vimes as a non-central character. > > Are there any other DW books with him as non-central? **The Truth** has Vimes and the Watch, albeit as supporting characters. ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/11 "2003-10-12T05:48:19Z")
Hmph. Well, I wasn’t going to ressurect a Monstrous Regiment thread for this, but I did want to say that I was pretty disappointed with it. Of course, that didn’t stop me from going to see Pterry in San Diego Thursday night. Please don’t become homicidal with envy. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/12 "2003-10-12T07:03:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\ ***The Truth** has Vimes and the Watch, albeit as supporting characters. \*\* An amazingly hysterical book! ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/13 "2003-10-12T07:38:02Z")
Actually, Pterry talked about how much fun it was to write these characters whom we know so well from someone else’s perspective. Vimes in MR and The Truth and Granny in The Wee Free Men and A Hatful of Sky (Which is going to be great, judging by the one scene he described to us.) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/14 "2003-10-12T10:24:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A wizard song for thee \* > \*\*Hmph. Well, I wasn’t going to ressurect a Monstrous Regiment thread for this, but I did want to say that I was pretty disappointed with it. Of course, that didn’t stop me from going to see Pterry in San Diego Thursday night. Please don’t become homicidal with envy. \*\* At the 1998 Discworld Convention, Pterry personally picked me to serve on his All-Star Discworld Trivia team. Get as envious as you like. 😃 Obligatory plug: if you didn’t already know, next August sees the 2004 Discworld Convention in Hinckley, UK. Pterry will be in attendance, there’ll be at least one reading from an unpublished Discworld book - last year’s Con had readings from Night Watch three months before publication and The Wee Free Men six or eight months before - and all other kinds of lunatic fun. Find details at [www.dwcon.org](http://www.dwcon.org), and I hope to see you there. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/15 "2003-10-12T13:19:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lumpy \* > \*\*I feel sorry for poor Vimes. All he wanted was to be a good copper, and now he’s stuck doing _politics_. And he still can’t wear shoddy boots either. 🙂 \*\* OTOH, he’s sort of becoming a policeman for countries, like there wasn’t in Jingo. I like seeing the Watch and the Times from the outside - you get to see how far they’ve come. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/16 "2003-10-12T13:55:21Z")
> [@](#): > > That’s not a remotely American-style uniform on the US cover. [ultra-pedant] Actually, the uniform on the American cover exactly mirrors that of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps, who wear decently historically accurate replica uniforms. Well, almost exactly. They wear pants. Anyway, I am of the opinion that the cover artist visited Colonial Williamsburg, and the image stuck. [/ultra-pedant] ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/17 "2003-10-13T00:22:42Z")
Pterry was in Santa Clara last night, and I got him to sign the book, but it was so crowded there was no reading and no discussion. Bummer. But he sold a lot of books! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/18 "2003-10-13T00:34:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robertliguori \* > \*\*[ultra-pedant] > Actually, the uniform on the American cover exactly mirrors that of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps, who wear decently historically accurate replica uniforms. Well, almost exactly. They wear pants. Anyway, I am of the opinion that the cover artist visited Colonial Williamsburg, and the image stuck. > [/ultra-pedant] \*\* Alright then, let me amend my comment to “Most Americans are too pig-ignorant to recognize that as an American uniform, and probably assume it’s some frou-frou European outfit from the Olden Days, which would be any time prior to, oh, about 1965 or so.” Or at least, that’s what I thought when I saw the cover. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/19 "2003-10-13T00:39:45Z")
> [@](#): > > _From A wizard song for thee_ > …A Hatful of Sky (Which is going to be great, judging by the one scene he described to us.) Waa?! Any info on it? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818/20 "2003-10-13T00:42:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by js\_africanus \* > \*\*American cover > > British cover > > Brits always get the better covers. \*\* Another trip to Canada is in order, it seems…(It’s what I had to do for Night Watch). Who is designing the American covers and what drugs are they taking that they think the covers aren’t crap? I understand why they’re different. I don’t understand why they’re stupid. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monstrous-regiment-woo-hoo/201818.md?page=2)