Monstrous Regiment

Polly Perks cuts her hair, shoves a strategically placed sock in her uniform, and joins the Discworld's army to find her missing brother. What she finds instead is a regiment that hides more secrets than she does — a vampire, a troll, a zombie, a religious zealot, and two very close friends whose relationship everyone is tactfully not discussing. Terry Pratchett's thirty-first Discworld entry is one of his most overtly political, using the cross-dressing army plot to examine gender, identity, and the specific absurdity of military heroism.

Stephen Briggs brings the warmth and comic precision that have made him the voice of Pratchett's more ensemble-driven Discworld entries. His handling of the regiment's secret-keeping — and of Polly's gradual recognition that she is not the most unusual soldier in the unit — is perfectly calibrated. Locus and Audie Award winner. At just over 11 hours, Monstrous Regiment is Pratchett at the height of his ability to use fantasy for genuine social argument.