 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | Terry Pratchett is a phenomenon unto himself. Never read a Discworld book? The closest comparison might be Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with its uniquely British sense of the absurd, and side-splitting, smart humor. Jingo is the 20th of Pratchett's Discworld novels, and the fourth to feature the City Guard of Ankh-Morpork. As Jingo begins, an island suddenly rises between Ankh-Morpork and Al-Khali, capital of Klatch. Both cities claim it. Lord Vetinari, the Patrician, has failed to convince the Ruling Council that force is a bad idea, despite reminding them that they have no army, and "I believe one of those is generally considered vital to the successful prosecution of a war." Samuel Vimes, Commander of the City Watch, has to find out who shot the Klatchian envoy, Prince Khufurah, and set fire to their embassy, before war breaks out. Pratchett's characters are both sympathetic and outrageously entertaining, from Captain Carrot, who always finds the best in people and puts it to work playing football, to Sergeant Colon and his sidekick, Corporal Nobbs, who have "an ability to get out of their depth on a wet pavement." Then there is the mysterious D'reg, 71-hour Ahmed. What is his part in all this, and why 71 hours? Anyone who doesn't mind laughing themselves silly at the idiocy of people in general and governments in particular will enjoy Jingo. --Nona Vero |
Average Customer Rating:   Veni vermini voomui "Jingo" in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series, was first published in 1997 and is the fourth to focus on Sam Vimes and Ankh-Morpork's City Guard.
Sam is the Commander of the City Guard, and - having married Lady Ramkin - a member of the nobility. It's fair to say he's not your typical hero : he doesn't like the Undead (particularly vampires), Assassins (they keep trying to kill him) and - in keeping with an old family tradition - Kings (not an ideal musketeer then). However, despite being terminally suspicious, he is also a very likeable and fair man. While in the past Sam has dealt with the `small' crimes, Jingo sees him moving in a new environment : war and - even more dangerously - politics. The book opens with a mysterious island called Leshp rising from beneath the sea, exactly halfway between Ankh-Morpork and Klatch. Both, naturally, claim it as their own...
Klatch is a huge, multi-ethnic empire, and rivals Ankh-Morpork commercially. Furthermore, it's far ahead of Ankh-Morpork in terms of technology and scientific knowledge. Yet, the average Morporkian - despite having an enormous appetite for Klatchian curry and kebabs - seems to look down on "Johnny Klatchian" as some sort of primitive coward. Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth : the D'regs, for example, are a terrifying desert tribe who trust no-one and will fight anyone on a matter of principle.
In an attempt to resolve the situation - Klatch's Prince Khufurah arrives in the city for discussions with Vetinari. Depressingly, anti-Klatchian tensions rise in Ankh-Morpork...which naturally makes things very difficult for those of Klatchian extraction living in the city. So, when someone tries to assassinate Khufurah - apparently a lone bowman - nobody seems too surprised. Naturally, this only cranks things up at a `diplomatic' level, and - with the heads of the city's Guilds raising private armies - Sam is really up against it...
Although numbers in the Watch continue to rise, Sam still relies most on those he knows best. His most capable officer is Captain Carrot - who was born human, although raised as a dwarf. Carrot is an incredibly innocent and honest character, though many believe him to be Ankh-Morpork's rightful King. (Sam has - to date - refrained from beheading him). Carrot's girlfriend, Angua, is also a member of the City Guard though - particularly useful, given that she's a werewolf. Sergeant Detritus, a troll, seems a natural and likeable cop...though, unfortunately, he becomes a little more stupid as the temperatures rise. Unfortunately, Sam has to do without his most experienced officers for much of the book - Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs (a confirmed slacker and probably human) are roped into a secret mission... although he has some help from two new recruits : Fred Shoe, a zombie, and Buggy Swires, a gnome.
Another very funny book from Pratchett, with a storyline 'underneath' that would have made cracking thriller. The anti-Klatchian attitude of the average ignorant, bigoted, ill-informed Morporkian was a little depressing at times...even more so, given how attitudes have hardened in the real world in recent years. An excellent book though, and highly recommended. Excellent Political Pratchett Not one of his _very_ best, but as a meditation on the first Gulf War and all subsequent ones, you could hardly find anything more digestible. Vimes and the Patrician are in their elements, and Pratchett's incredibly decent, non-glib humane sympathy for the Other is in good form.
Also it's fun. Leonard of Quirm is delightful. All-encompasing enjoyment What a fun read! This one had everything you'd expect from Pratchett: it's well written, quite funny (especially if you're already familiar with the series) and offers up some interesting insights into various things, especially xenophobic jingoism. I got a hoot out of the parody references to Oswald/JFK, too, so the book gets extra marks.
I will say that if you're looking for a brainless beach-reader, get some SPF20 because Jingo will probably cause you to get sunburned from actually paying attention to it: there are multiple interconnected sub-plots you have to follow. Plus, there's fare to actually *think* about. A couple previous reviewers felt that the anti-militaristic commentary in this was too heavy-handed for their taste, though I kind of suspect said reviewers were jingoists themselves who just didn't *agree* with Pratchett's view. I mention all this mostly as a caveat to potential readers: if you're turned off by such things, you might want to pass on this one. It'll be your loss, though.
Highly recommended. Actually funnier than I expected I have to say... the back of the book didn't do much to raise my hopes on the subject matter addressed in this book... but the book more than did credit to Pratchett... quite funny and decent characters... I think I liked the son the best... but definitely readable and funny. Bingeley-bingeley beep! Among Discworld fans, it's a well-known rule that you musn't read his stuff on the bus. People tend to regard as strange those among their fellow passengers who giggle as they read. Giggling is always a hazard with Pratchett, as is interrupting other people's activities and forcing them to listen to you reading a passage out loud. This one features Commander Sam Vimes and Vetinari the Patrician, two of my favorite recurring characters, as they try to deal (each in his characteristic way) with a territorial dispute that wants to become a war. Klatch, only a short distance across the sea, is a sandy country full of turban-wearing camel-riders who also invented astronomy and vindaloo, which gives the author lots of opportunities to show up rampant nationalism for the insanity it is. (I suspect he was thinking of the First Gulf War here, as well as British attitudes toward immigrant Pakistanis, but there is also considerable relevance to the present war in Iraq.) Vimes vehemently resists being a military man (cops are NOT the same as soldiers) but finds himself involved anyway. And Vetinari has no use for the social and economic waste of war. Plus, there's the political sub-plot, and Corp. Nobbs's search for a lady friend of his own, plus the questionable ability of Leonard of Quirm (inventor and artist extraordinaire) to deal with the so-called Real World. Pratchett is a genius of comedy -- in the sense of the Human Comedy. |  |
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