Monstrous Regiment was a pleasure to read, it's a very good story -- and the first Pratchett I read in English! Don't know if it's this particular book or reading in the original language, but I didn't get any pun-overdose related headache this time, yay.

The book works very well as a stand-alone, for readers like me who are not exceedingly well versed in the Discworld universe. We follow the story of Polly, as she dresses up as a man and pretends to be one, to go to war and find her brother. Her regiment also includes a vampire and a troll, hence the title. The story sometimes pushes "suspension of disbelief" a bit far but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every page anyway! The feminist thread of the story is incredibly well done, with the related thoughts and internal conflicts beautifully characterised in Polly's head, all along the story.