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Aug. 13th, 2012 04:39 pmI enjoyed Jingo! It's certainly not a bad book. It is absolutely a much better book about racism than Men at Arms was; I mean, it is certainly not a perfect book about racism, but it's trying hard in a much better direction than Men at Arms was. It's also just about as subtle as a pile of bricks to the head.
Here is a brief summary of the experience of reading Jingo:
NATIONALISM IS STUPID
NATIONALISM IS STUPID
*pause for some wacky comedy Nobby and Colon*
BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN: NATIONALISM, STILL STUPID
*pause for Carrot to do something ambiguously too-perfect-to-be-true in a way that is terrifying*
NATIONALISM IS STUPID AND LEADS TO WAR, WHICH IS ALSO STUPID, NOT TO MENTION SCARY
*pause for some more wacky comedy with Nobby and Colon and Leonard of Quirm*
HEY GUYS SO ABOUT WAR: IT INVOLVES PEOPLE DYING
IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS MESSAGE, HERE IS A SPECIAL ALERT: WAR IS THE BIGGEST CRIME OF ALL
SO HOW ABOUT WE AVOID IT BY NOT BEING STUPID ABOUT NATIONALISM
GUYS?
GUYS . . .?
*time for Vimes to come home and make out with Lady Sybil onscreen*
*this is a big enough deal to merit its own line because this is the first time since Guards, Guards that Sybil has gotten even a glimmering more of a chance to do anything than fill the wife-shaped box in Vimes' story*
PS NATIONALISM IS DUMB
So at this point I feel a little bit like I have a "Nationalism Is Stupid"-shaped bruise on my head from having been hit with it so much over the course of the novel. But, I mean, that's okay! There are certainly much worse messages to have written on your head in bruises. And I enjoyed the process . . . of getting hit in the head . . .? . . . okay this metaphor may be breaking down. But you know what I mean!
(Also I had forgotten that there's a bit in this book where Vimes just flat-out pulls a Granny Weatherwax. "Here is the hot coal I am holding, because I am more badass than you." "Obviously that coal is not ho--OW!" "Yeah. It's hot. HEADOLOGIED. VIMES OUT." And now I want the book where they meet more than ever!)
Here is a brief summary of the experience of reading Jingo:
NATIONALISM IS STUPID
NATIONALISM IS STUPID
*pause for some wacky comedy Nobby and Colon*
BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN: NATIONALISM, STILL STUPID
*pause for Carrot to do something ambiguously too-perfect-to-be-true in a way that is terrifying*
NATIONALISM IS STUPID AND LEADS TO WAR, WHICH IS ALSO STUPID, NOT TO MENTION SCARY
*pause for some more wacky comedy with Nobby and Colon and Leonard of Quirm*
HEY GUYS SO ABOUT WAR: IT INVOLVES PEOPLE DYING
IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS MESSAGE, HERE IS A SPECIAL ALERT: WAR IS THE BIGGEST CRIME OF ALL
SO HOW ABOUT WE AVOID IT BY NOT BEING STUPID ABOUT NATIONALISM
GUYS?
GUYS . . .?
*time for Vimes to come home and make out with Lady Sybil onscreen*
*this is a big enough deal to merit its own line because this is the first time since Guards, Guards that Sybil has gotten even a glimmering more of a chance to do anything than fill the wife-shaped box in Vimes' story*
PS NATIONALISM IS DUMB
So at this point I feel a little bit like I have a "Nationalism Is Stupid"-shaped bruise on my head from having been hit with it so much over the course of the novel. But, I mean, that's okay! There are certainly much worse messages to have written on your head in bruises. And I enjoyed the process . . . of getting hit in the head . . .? . . . okay this metaphor may be breaking down. But you know what I mean!
(Also I had forgotten that there's a bit in this book where Vimes just flat-out pulls a Granny Weatherwax. "Here is the hot coal I am holding, because I am more badass than you." "Obviously that coal is not ho--OW!" "Yeah. It's hot. HEADOLOGIED. VIMES OUT." And now I want the book where they meet more than ever!)
