Jingo (Discworld Novel)

click here for more details, find new or used items	Terry Pratchett Our price £4.99 (£7.99) New from £3.63 Used from £0.85 Pages: 413 (Paperback) ISBN: 055214598X Pub: Corgi Books Pub date: 1998-11-05 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4394

Editorial Review:

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

Reader Reviews:

So well written, you'll never notice how clever it is (1/1 people found this helpful)

Our world has islands that sink; Discworld has an island that rises slowly back from the sea, "like a cat that's been away for a few days and knows you've been worried". And because the citizens of Ankh-Morpork have a fine, entrepreneurial spirit, and the people of Klatch are ruthless and greedy, with an eye for the main chance (or is that the other way around?), blows are soon struck, and, despite its lack of an army, Ankh-Morpork goes to war.

The resulting farce is one of the best things that Terry Prachett has ever written. Sam Vimes as a character goes from strength to strength, ably offset by the just-too-good Captain Carrot and the exceedlingly human werwolf Angua. Perhaps best of all, we get Vetinari out of the Oblong Office and at his scheming, magnificent Macchiavellian best (he'll be Alan Rickman in the film, I know it). And while the book has much to say about war and its pointlessness, honour and justice and the nature of imprisonment, these thoughts are so inextricably woven into the comedy that you'd never notice you were thinking at all. Magnificent.

Jingo review. (3/3 people found this helpful)

Jingo is a political thriller.In Jingo a new continent has risen from the ocean mid-way between Ankh-Morpokian and Klatchian waters and now Sam Vimes as well as the assorted species of the night watch including new constables Shoe and Swires have to stop a crime so big that there are no laws against it:war.If you like reading sci-fi,fantasy then read Jingo by terry pratchett.If you enjoy this book then read books 8,15,19,24,27 and 32.

War - what is it good for? (4/6 people found this helpful)

'Jingo' is Terry Prathett's 21st Discworld novel, and the 4th to feature Sam Vimes and the City Watch as lead characters. The 3 previous City Watch novels - 'Guards! Guards!', 'Men At Arms' and 'Feet Of Clay' ranked amongst the very best of the Discworld novels, but sadly 'Jingo' is a more middling Pratchett work. It's by no means a bad book as such, and contains plenty of good jokes along the way, but compared to the depth of 'Feet of Clay' in terms of plot construction, character building and underlying themes 'Jingo' this is very much a straight-forward romp. The central message of 'Jingo' that racism is bad is a very obvious one, and Pratchett handles it with all the subtlety of a brick, while the plot is basic and uninvolving. Pratchett also goes to great pains to invoke Lovecrafts' 'The Call of Cthulhu' with a story featuring an ancient island raised from the sea complete with weird angles and monstrous octopi murals, then oddly fails to follow through an actually deliver the monster. Read it for the jokes, and some business with Nobby going in drag, but despite it's nautical nature 'Jingo' is a very shallow novel, and something of a disappointment compared to previous delights.

We have met the enemy and he is us (6/6 people found this helpful)

So says Terry Pratchett in his typically funny, absurd and thoughtful "JINGO" as he takes on the absurdity of war and those who have led us into war since time began.

Jingo features Commander Vimes and the men, women, dwarves, trolls and undead members of the Watch. Jingo opens with Ankh-Morpork on the brink of war. The small island of Leshp has risen miraculously from the Circle Sea. Although small and of little value to anyone the good citizens of Ankh-Morpork and their historical protagonists the Klatchcians each claim title to the land. Each claim ownership based on ancient claims of dubious origin. Sound familiar?

In very short order a Klatchian diplomatic mission arrives in Ankh-Morpork. However it it is clear that powerful forces of both nations are striving for the most efficient way to let loose the dogs of war. An assassination attempt is made, one in which Pratchett finds a way to evoke the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. The too simple solution, the "one arrow" theory is quickly lost in a swirl of conspiracy theories. The drums of war beat faster and a war council, led by a cast of characters each of whom could be played by Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, assume control of war planning. In short order Commander Vimes find himsaelf and his men immersed in an invasion while at the same time the Patrician, Lord Vetinari seems bent on following his own secret course of action.

Of course a mere description of the plot of a Discworld book can never quite do it justice. It is impossible in a short review to reference the many asides, jokes, cynical observations and allusions to our own experience here. Captain Carrot find himself immersed in Klatchian culture, learns the language, adjusts to the desert culture (which seems clearly to be located in the Middle east) and ends up bearing a striking resemblance to Lawrence of Arabia. The Ankh-Morpork high command, led by gentlemen soldiers with little knowledge of military affairs and even less common sense reminded me of the British and French high command from WWI days. There are light moments throughout the book. Nobby goes undercover and discovers his softer side. The visual image one gets from that alone is worth the price of admission. Vimes meets his Klatchian counterpart in 71-hour Ahmed and their interplay forms the heart of Jingo. As events race (and events always race in a Discworld book) towards a conclusion we find a pensive Vimes realizing that he can deal with small crimes like murder, but wondering whether a meaningless war isn't the biggest crime of all and one in which his own nation bears as much responsibility for as its enemies:

"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."

Yes, Vimes like Pogo has met the enemy and has realized it is us. Towards the end of the the book 71-hour Ahmed turns to Vimes and says "there's plenty of reasons for fighting Ankh-Morpork. A lie isn't one of them." I'll leave it up to the reader to determine whether such a sentimentis one that has applicability outside of Discworld.

As with his other Discworld books, Pratchett makes you laugh so hard you don't even realize you're thnking and that is a wonderful feat.

We have met the enemy and he is us (6/6 people found this helpful)

So said a character in a U.S. comic-strip about 50 years or so ago. And so says Terry Pratchett in his typically funny, absurd and thoughtful "JINGO" as he takes on the absurdity of war and those who have led us into war since time began.

Jingo features Commander Vimes and the men, women, dwarves, trolls and undead members of the Watch. Jingo opens with Ankh-Morpork on the brink of war. The small island of Leshp has risen miraculously from the Circle Sea. Although small and of little value to anyone the good citizens of Ankh-Morpork and their historical protagonists the Klatchcians each claim title to the land. Each claim ownership based on ancient claims of dubious origin. Sound familiar?

In very short order a Klatchian diplomatic mission arrives in Ankh-Morpork. However it it is clear that powerful forces of both nations are striving for the most efficient way to let loose the dogs of war. An assassination attempt is made, one in which Pratchett finds a way to evoke the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. The too simple solution, the "one arrow" theory is quickly lost in a swirl of conspiracy theories. The drums of war beat faster and a war council, led by a cast of characters each of whom could be played by Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, assume control of war planning. In short order Commander Vimes find himsaelf and his men immersed in an invasion while at the same time the Patrician, Lord Vetinari seems bent on following his own secret course of action.

Of course a mere description of the plot of a Discworld book can never quite do it justice. It is impossible in a short review to reference the many asides, jokes, cynical observations and allusions to our own experience here. Captain Carrot find himself immersed in Klatchian culture, learns the language, adjusts to the desert culture (which seems clearly to be located in the Middle east) and ends up bearing a striking resemblance to Lawrence of Arabia. The Ankh-Morpork high command, led by gentlemen soldiers with little knowledge of military affairs and even less common sense reminded me of the British and French high command from WWI days. There are light moments throughout the book. Nobby goes undercover and discovers his softer side. The visual image one gets from that alone is worth the price of admission. Vimes meets his Klatchian counterpart in 71-hour Ahmed and their interplay forms the heart of Jingo. As events race (and events always race in a Discworld book) towards a conclusion we find a pensive Vimes realizing that he can deal with small crimes like murder, but wondering whether a meaningless war isn't the biggest crime of all and one in which his own nation bears as much responsibility for as its enemies:

"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."

Yes, Vimes like Pogo has met the enemy and has realized it is us. Towards the end of the the book 71-hour Ahmed turns to Vimes and says "there's plenty of reasons for fighting Ankh-Morpork. A lie isn't one of them." I'll leave it up to the reader to determine whether such a sentiment is one that has applicability outside of Discworld.

As with his other Discworld books, Pratchett makes you laugh so hard you don't even realize you're thnking and that is a wonderful feat.

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