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Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

This was my first Discworld novel, way back when, and I still put it forth as a good starting place when the old “which Discworld novel should you start with” debate comes up. Terry Pratchett’s 40+ novel Discworld oeuvre can seem intimidatingly huge, but almost any one of them can be a friendly introduction to the fantasy world. Monstrous Regiment is my favorite though, because it is a great standalone story with a standalone cast, but also features multiple of the recurring Discworld casts (notably, the City Watch.)

If you’ve never read Pratchett before, some things you need to know:

 Get ready to laugh

 He doesn’t do chapters, so remember to take breaks

 Chock full of footnotes, but just to make you laugh more

 The Discworld books are satirical, but that doesn’t mean Pratchett doesn’t have something of his own to say. A master of weaving humor and serious topics together, and truly ahead of his time in terms of social progressiveness

 I can say, from vast experience, that if you are a person with a bit of queerness about you, especially gender queerness, Monstrous Regiment will be up your alley.