Now I'm pretty sure we're out of potential spoiler territory, I want to say a few words, mainly directed to Mark and this community.

I want to thank you for what you've given me for the past few years of my life. I've changed greatly (and for the better) as I've now entered my 20s, and a not-insignificant amount of that is because of Mark Reads Discworld. Seeing the people here interact with each other, and seeing Mark's unbridled joy at these books, has inspired me to take a lot of thought into how I conduct myself.

Now that we're past the point of "books I've already read", I'm excited to keep going and for once be as unprepared as Mark is. Hopefully the books we have left are just as good as the rest of them. (Except Interesting Times. Let's maybe not go there again!)

Vg jnf nebhaq guvf cbvag gung V ena vagb fbzrjung bs n uvgpu. Erzrzore gur pbagrag jneavat ng gur fgneg? Lrnu, gung'f eryrinag urer. Guvf jnf nyfb nebhaq gur gvzr gung n ybg bs zl bayvar ivqrb-jngpuvat npgvivgl jnf qbzvangrq ol "Fxrcgvpf" naq bgure ernpgvbanevrf. Naq V'q snyyra uneq sbe gur guvatf gurl fnvq. V sbhaq n ybg bs byq nanylfvf cbfgf jvgu gevttre jneavatf ba gurz, naq V pbhyqa'g uryc ohg fpbss gb zlfrys ng gurfr /FWJf/ jvgu gurve gbgny BIREERNPGVBAF gb guvatf, naq V rira erzrzore srryvat inthryl... natel gung vg nyy qnerq gb rkvfg. Sbyybjvat Znex Ernqf orpnzr fbzrguvat bs n thvygl cyrnfher, ohg V xrcg tbvat. Riraghnyyl V fgnegrq jngpuvat gur ivqrbf naq ernqvat nybat, fvapr abj V unq n Xvaqyr jvgu nyzbfg gur ragver frevrf ba vg, naq (yvxr nabgure pbzzragre fnvq) jngpuvat Znex rawbl gur obbxf vf vasrpgvbhf sha.

Ng gur fnzr gvzr, zl bhgybbx ortna punatvat. Guvatf juvpu V'q arire erzbgryl fgbccrq gb dhrfgvba (fhpu nf Vagrerfgvat Gvzrf'... rirelguvat) jrer orvat punyyratrq guebhtu gur cebterffvir yraf bs guvf erivrj frevrf. Ng svefg V erfvfgrq: "lbh whfg zvfvagrecerg jung ur'f fnlvat! Gurl'er whfg wbxrf!", gung fbegn qrny. Ohg n fznyy frrq bs qvfpbzsbeg gbjneqf guvatf yvxr gung jnf cynagrq gura.

Bire gur cnfg pbhcyr lrnef, V'ir qbar n uhtr 180 va ubj V ivrj gurfr guvatf. Fbzr bs vg vf cerggl uneq-pbaqvgvbarq unovgf (V fgvyy srry jrveq nobhg rira fnlvat gur cuenfr "gevttre jneavatf", gurer'f n fgenatr srne gung V'z tbvat gb or zbpxrq sbe hfvat vg) juvpu V'z pbafgnagyl jbexvat gb oernx, ohg sbe n ybg bs vg V'ir qrsvavgryl punatrq. Va zl bgure bayvar unovgf, V qebccrq gur fxrcgvpf naq ernpgvbanevrf va snibhe bs nyy gur tbbq guvatf ba Oernqghor, naq gevrq zl orfg gb or n avpre crefba va rirel qnl yvsr.

Haqrearngu vg nyy, puhttvat nybat unccvyl, unf orra zl novyvgl gb pbzr onpx gb Znex Ernqf. Ba fbzr yriry, gurer'f nyjnlf orra n frysvfu ryrzrag gb jngpuvat gurfr ivqrbf. Frrvat fbzrbar ryfr ernpg gb gur cybg gjvfgf naq wbxrf gung lbh'ir nyernql frra vf n cyrnfher, nf cebonoyl n ybg bs crbcyr unir rkcrevraprq. Ohg abj, rfcrpvnyyl nf jr zbir vagb gur ynfg srj obbxf bs gur Qvfpjbeyq frevrf, V jnag gb xrrc tbvat orpnhfr V jnag gb rkcrevrapr gurfr guvatf sbe gur svefg gvzr nf jryy. V jnag gb xrrc zl ovnfrf punyyratrq naq znxr fher V'z npgvat va tbbq snvgu jurer cbffvoyr.

Spoilering in case any of the things I talk about here go too far over the line. Not discussing any plot details of future books, but just gonna be safe.

Jryy, guvf frevrf zbirf rire bajneq gbjneqf vgf fbyrza pbapyhfvba, V srry. Guvf pbzzrag vf tbvat gb or irel frys-sbphfrq naq gnyx nobhg zl crefbany rkcrevrapr bs Qvfpjbeyq fb oenpr sbe gung.

Pbagrag jneavat: V'yy cebonoyl tb bire fbzr anfgl fghss, V jnf n jbefr crefba jura V fgnegrq sbyybjvat Znex Ernqf.

Crefbanyyl, jr'ir abj cerggl zhpu oernpurq cnfg zl shegurfg-ernq cbvag (V ernq hc gb gur raq bs Hafrra Npnqrzvpnyf ohg fxvccrq Znxvat Zbarl fbzrjurer, fb guvf jnf n svefg-gvzr ernq ba gung!). Sebz jung V'ir urneq, V xabj gur birenyy nirentr dhnyvgl cerggl zhpu tbrf qbjauvyy urer. Ol abj, Cgreel xarj bs uvf Nymurvzre'f, naq vg unq yvxryl fgnegrq gb nssrpg uvf jbex va zber boivbhf jnlf.

Qvfpjbeyq unf nyjnlf orra, naq jvyy nyjnlf pbagvahr gb or, zl snibhevgr frevrf bs obbxf. Njner nf V nz gung vg unf fbzrjung bs n erchgngvba va yvgrenel pvepyrf sbe orvat gur "boivbhf" pubvpr, V fgvyy fgvpx ol zl bcvavba bs vg. Znal lrnef ntb, V jnf n zber nivq ernqre. V qribherq nyy fbegf bs guvatf nf n lbhatre xvq, nal shaal yvggyr obbx V pbhyq trg zl unaqf ba. V unqa'g ernyyl iragherq vagb nalguvat zber nvzrq ng nqhygf gubhtu. Ng fbzr cbvag whfg orsber zl rneyl grraf, zl zhz tnir zr n obbx pnyyrq Gur Pbybhe bs Zntvp, fnlvat vg jnf tvira gb ure ol /ure/ zhz naq vafvfgrag gung V jbhyq ybir vg. V jnf chg bss ol vg sbe n ybat juvyr. Gur obbx jnf pyrneyl byq, gur sbag nagvdhngrq, naq unq fpnel jbeqf yvxr "ovshepngrq" va gur svefg cntr. Riraghnyyl V chfurq guebhtu naq tnir vg n fubg. Naq xrcg tbvat. Naq genpxrq qbja n pbhcyr bs gur frdhryf (jr unq unys n qbmra be fb bs gur rneyl obbxf onpx gura). Bire gur arkg srj lrnef, jvgu gur nffvfgnapr bs inevbhf choyvp yvoenevrf, V jnf noyr gb qribhe gur infg znwbevgl bs gur Qvfpjbeyq pbyyrpgvba (vapyhqvat fbzr bs Greel'f bgure jbexf, fhpu nf gur Pnecrg Crbcyr gevybtl, gur Wbuaal gevybtl, naq Angvba JUVPU V ERNYYL ARRQ ZNEX GB ERNQ GUNAXF).

Orvat nf V jnf va zl zvq-grraf naq fgvyy abg rira pybfr gb jurer V pheeragyl ynaq vqrbybtvpnyyl, V qvqa'g ernyyl cnl nal nggragvba gb n ybg bs gur fhogrkgf, be nhgube ovnfrf, be nal bs gung nanylgvpny fghss ernyyl. V gubhtug rirel obbx va gur frevrf jnf cerggl zhpu cresrpg, Fbhy Zhfvp orvat zl snibhevgr (V'z abg rira fher jul, nalzber. V unir n ubeevq fhfcvpvba vg jnf fbyryl sbe gur zhfvpny chaf. Gurfr qnlf V qba'g rira guvax V pbhyq ernyyl cvpx n snibhevgr. Znlor Guvrs bs Gvzr?).

Naq, nsgre n juvyr, V thrff V ybfg vagrerfg va fbzr jnlf. Rira gubhtu V pbhyq er-ernq n obbx n qbmra gvzrf, vg fgvyy riraghnyyl trgf gvevat nf bgure yvsr fghss gnxrf cevbevgl. Gura, n srj lrnef onpx, V fghzoyrq hcba guvf irel fvgr. V qba'g erzrzore ubj - V guvax V whfg tbbtyrq fbzrguvat inthryl eryngrq gb Qvfpjbeyq ng gur gvzr. V fnj n thl ernqvat guebhtu Qvfpjbeyq sbe gur irel svefg gvzr, rkcrevrapvat nyy gurfr obbxf jvgu arj, zbqrea, nqhyg rlrf. Ng gur gvzr, V guvax Znex jnf fbzrjurer orgjrra Jleq Fvfgref naq Thneqf! Thneqf!, naq ng svefg V qvqa'g obgure jvgu gur ivqrb cbegvbaf. V'q ernq gur rneyl obbxf rabhtu gung V erzrzorerq gur cybg naq whfg pnhtug hc ba nyy gur byq nanylfvf cbfgf.

Welp, late to the party on this one, but I want to drop some idle thoughts I had (somewhat more related to the last section but also to this book as a whole) regarding the Gladys situation.

Another commenter mentioned that she is effectively a "sapient robot", which got me to thinking; where do we define sapience/sentience? Right now a lot of the difficulty stems from how much humanity we have to assign to golems. Before the Golem Trust made it a point of freeing the golems, it was arguably easier at the time to just think of them as the equivalent of, say, a Roomba. Admittedly, a Roomba which traditionally takes either male/neutral pronouns, but still basically a robot designed (instructed) to do a single job, which they then do with ruthless efficiency. Prior to Feet of Clay, they weren't even capable of speech, simply writing on walls.

Fast forward, and they're still following instructions in their head, but now the instructions tell them they're free. In a way, they've started undergoing similar development to that of characters like Death, in that suddenly they're taking on human traits while not really being human (and all the comical misunderstandings that come with it, har-har). So the question is raised: is this some form of sentience now? Are they *living* beings in the sense of humans, animals, plants, or just really convincing automatons?

I have to draw some parallel here to the questions posed by the rather thought-provoking game called "The Talos Principle". Now, I haven't really gotten more than about halfway through it, so try not to spoiler me too hard, but one of the central themes is that the player character appears to be an artificially-intelligent robot, one of many put to the task of solving the game's mazes and puzzles. There's some biblical parallel stuff going on, but the point is that the game demonstrates sentience as being a rather tricky concept to pin down and accurately label, since any system you choose seems to have awkward exceptions, to the point where you feel like the only answer you can give to the question "why do you say you're sentient?" is "just because".

I feel like a similar problem is arising with the golems, who appear to be the closest thing the Disc currently has to AI (discounting Hex, since that's more of a plot device made by wizards and wizard stuff is never really consistent with the rest of the universe). The golems are now able to learn. They are able, albeit often too literally, to understand new concepts, ones that are unrelated necessarily to their design as autonomous tools. Does Gladys understand that Moist is referring to her with the "wrong" pronouns out of habit? Do the golems think of themselves as necessarily approaching or reaching human-like sentience? And what does it imply for a world filled with systems clearly designed with sentient, individual people in mind?

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, just some thoughts I was having. Also, I realise that a lot of the time "human" gets used a little awkwardly regarding the Discworld since there's more than one dominant sentient lifeform.

This is a minor nitpick, but I think Mark misinterpreted the end of Going Postal in a somewhat-significant way. Even though Gilt spends much of the book manipulating, scheming and scamming, it's heavily implied that his arrogance eventually gets the best of him, and he genuinely assumed Vetinari had offered him a free pass to simply leave. Whether because of narcissism or the mistaken belief that his wealth mattered. Either way, a man like Gilt would never have chosen to die.

(ciphered just in case it's a spoiler)

V'ir orra yvfgravat gb guvf nyohz sbe cebonoyl avtu ba gjb lrnef ng guvf cbvag, naq V erpragyl sbhaq bhg gung gur fcbxra-jbeq frpgvba ng gur raq bs "Gur Tbbq Jvgpu" vf aneengrq ol abar bgure guna Cengpurgg uvzfrys. Gur jbeqf frrz gb pbzr sebz Sevqnl'f frpgvba, naq (fvapr V hfhnyyl jngpu gur ivqrb erivrjf rirel Fhaqnl) gurer jnf n fgenatr fheernyvgl rffragvnyyl urnevat Cengpurgg aneengr uvf bja obbx. Gur nyohz pbagvahrf gb fhecevfr zr naq qryvtug zr jvgu vgf uvqqra zrnavatf naq fhpuyvxr, gur shegure jr tb vagb Gvssnal'f obbxf. V ernq gurz nyy bapr, lrnef ntb, naq trggvat guvf frpbaq rkcrevrapr unf orra bqq, ohg fngvfslvat ng gur fnzr gvzr. Qb jr xabj vs Znex vf sbyybjvat nybat jvgu gurfr fbatf?

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you on that first point. I think that viewing the pay cuts through a lens of discrimination completely strays away from the actual point being made: the country is running out of money and resources fast. It's shown throughout that Borogravia is slowly being ground into the economic dirt by the war effort, such as how partway through one of the previous sections there isn't even enough metal to create medals, so a piece of paper *claiming* to be a medal is substituted.

The pay cuts are simply another byproduct of this situation. It's hard to say "You're discriminating specifically against disabled people by not giving them more money" when there isn't enough to give in the first place. The war in Borogravia is creating disabled veterans wherever it goes, it's not a problem that is just "being ignored" but arguably one that isn't feasible to fix.

If the text demonstrated Borogravia to be an economically stable region, where the soldiers weren't forced to steal food and boil up horse meat just to survive in place of actual rations, I'd be more inclined to agree with you. But it's pretty clear, short of being beaten over the head with it, that the country and military are in no position to lavishly pay anyone.

Same sort of thing applies to your second point. Nowhere is it even implied that the dwarfs were being discriminated against, but it's much more likely they simply left due to lack of good business and unlikelihood of being able to get paid.

Man, how am I supposed to read the swear words if I can't even figure out what they are? :thonk:

I've filled that gap with every naughty word I can think of. Nothing has the right letter count. Except "cunty" but that's a bit too English and based on your spelling of "favourite" I'm hazarding a guess that you didn't grow up in some rural English village.

Incidentally, (late reply xd) the text on the Russian cover of Jingo reads Патриот as the title, which phonetically and literally translates to "Patriot". Read into that how you will.

In that case, I'm happy to simply agree to disagree. Mostly because it's almost 2 AM here, and I can feel myself about ready to pass out from sleepiness, and also because neither of us is likely to convince the other of their views. It's been an interesting discussion nonetheless.

Have a good evening (I'm presuming you're in the US like most internet users that are active around now).