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Jingo (Discworld, #21) by Terry Pratchett
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Jingo (Discworld, #21) (original 1997; edition 1998)

by Terry Pratchett

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9,466120813 (3.99)182
It isn't much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths of the Circle Sea just a few square miles of silt and some old ruins. Unfortunately, the historically disputed lump of land called Leshp is once again floating directly between Ankh-Morpork and the city of Al-Khali on the coast of Klatch which is spark enough to ignite that glorious international pastime called "war." Pressed into patriotic service, Commander Sam Vimes thinks he should be leading his loyal watchmen, female watchdwarf, and lady werewolf into battle against local malefactors rather than against uncomfortably well-armed strangers in the Klatchian desert. But war is, after all, simply the greatest of all crimes and it's Sir Samuel's sworn duty to seek out criminal masterminds wherever they may be hiding ... and lock them away before they can do any real damage. Even the ones on his own side.… (more)
Member:janne
Title:Jingo (Discworld, #21)
Authors:Terry Pratchett
Info:Corgi, Paperback, 414 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:fantasy, discworld, Goidreadimport

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Jingo by Terry Pratchett (1997)

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English (114)  Spanish (2)  Norwegian (1)  Swedish (1)  Polish (1)  All languages (119)
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Jingo is the #21 book in the Discworld series and is the #4 book in the City Watch sub-series by Sir Terry Pratchett. It's not as great as Guards! Guards! or Men at Arms but is still a thought-provoking, silly, satire of a novel with a few things to say about the nature of war.

Jingo is a long-lost island floating up from the middle of the Circle sea, right smack dab in the middle of Ankh-Morpork and Klatch, and both nations claim ownership of it. This leads, of course, to war. Both nations start plotting and scheming. But this isn't a war book like normal war books. It's a Pratchett book after all.

Jingo focuses on some of my favorite Discworld characters: Commander Vimes; Captain Carrot and the rest of the Ankh-Morpork Watch; and Lord Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork. The plot in particular focuses on Commander Vimes, because after all, isn't war just an excuse for Captain Sam Vimes to get involved. If war is a crime, then who better to go after the criminals and stop it than a copper? And he brings the whole Watch with him. And It's not just war that Pratchett sends up here. He also takes jabs at racism, sexism, nationalism.

Of course, there is a lot more going on than just two nations setting out to wage war. Commander Vimes feels like he's out of touch and losing control of the Watch to Captain Carrot, who has been actively recruiting new guardsmen. Since Carrot joined the Watch, the number of guards has grown from three men to over forty men, or actually, creatures. Thanks to Carrot, the Watch now includes dwarfs, gargoyles, a golem, a troll, a gnome, a werewolf and a zombie. Carrot is, of course, totally oblivious to Vimes's concerns, as his only objective is to uphold the law and protect the citizens of Ankh-Morpork. He has the kind of charisma that lets him organize a football game between two armies poised at the brink of war, and make criminals beg to confess. There's also a subplot about Corporal Nobbs trying to get in touch with his feminine side, which was quite frankly, one of the funniest bits of the books.

The ending is brilliant and quite hilarious (I won't spoil it for you). Let's just say the power of football and Carrots' charisma as well as Vimes' desire to peg war as crime saves the day.

Give a warring crowd sports, a strong leader to unify them, and threaten them with the legal system - if you want to stop war or at least, keep it at bay.

( )
  ryantlaferney87 | Dec 8, 2023 |
One of Prachett's finest, this is a meditation on international politics, racism, war, and humanity delivered through the medium of low fantasy. It shouldn't work, but his astute eye and winning combination of cynicism, optimism, great characterisation, and really good jokes deliver. Perhaps not one for the Pratchett newbie, there might be a little too much backstory required to really appreciate the character development or motivations. ( )
  elahrairah | Oct 20, 2023 |
One of my favorites of the Discworld novels. Always enjoyable to spend time with the Watch, and this time around, an extended visit with Lord Vetinari. While the story itself is very accessible, the reader will appreciate Jingo more if having read the previous City Watch books.

While there's no question about the subject matter (war) and attitudes (the titular jingoism) being addressed, the book manages to escape being preachy by virtue of the strong characters and a wit that skewers both sides in a fabricated conflict between nations. As usual, a Discworld book that remains as relevant today (in some ways, eerily more so) as when it was published. ( )
  TheKroog | Oct 18, 2023 |
4.5* This satire of jingoism is hilarious but also sadly appropriate these days. I wish that the United States had a Lord Vetinari and/or a Commander Vimes to balance out our Lord Rusts...

I loved seeing Carrot (now a captain) in action once again. And Leonard of Quirms made me chuckle to myself several times... ( )
  leslie.98 | Jun 27, 2023 |
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» Add other authors (46 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Terry Pratchettprimary authorall editionscalculated
Culshaw, JonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ittekot, VenugopalanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kirby, JoshCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Matthews, RobinPhotographersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nighy, BillNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Planer, NigelNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sabanosh, MichaelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Serafinowicz, PeterNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To all the fighters for peace
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It was a moonless night, which was good for the purposes of Solid Jackson.
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But...history was full of the bones of good men who'd followed bad orders in the hope that they could soften the blow. Oh yes, there were worse things they could do, but most of them began right when they started following bad orders.
"Taxation, gentlemen, is very much like dairy farming. The task is to extract the maximum amount of milk with the minimum of moo. And I am afraid to say that these days all I get is moo."
It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.
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Please do not combine with either the play or the abridged audio. Thanks.
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It isn't much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths of the Circle Sea just a few square miles of silt and some old ruins. Unfortunately, the historically disputed lump of land called Leshp is once again floating directly between Ankh-Morpork and the city of Al-Khali on the coast of Klatch which is spark enough to ignite that glorious international pastime called "war." Pressed into patriotic service, Commander Sam Vimes thinks he should be leading his loyal watchmen, female watchdwarf, and lady werewolf into battle against local malefactors rather than against uncomfortably well-armed strangers in the Klatchian desert. But war is, after all, simply the greatest of all crimes and it's Sir Samuel's sworn duty to seek out criminal masterminds wherever they may be hiding ... and lock them away before they can do any real damage. Even the ones on his own side.

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Discworld goes to war, with armies of sardines, warriors, fishermen, squid and at least one very camp follower.

As two armies march, Commander Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch faces unpleasant foes who are out to get him…and that’s just the people on his side. The enemy might be even worse.

Jingo, the 21st in Terry Pratchett’s phenomenally successful Discworld series, makes the World Cup look like a friendly five-a-side.
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