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Rating: Summary: The ignoble hero accomplishes an impossible task Review: "Going Postal" presents a wonderful picture of a condemned criminal who, given a second chance at life, uses every (unsavoury) skill at his command to survive till he can escape back to his wicked habits--er, do some good in the world after all.This should be read back-to-back with Pratchett's "Night Watch," which features a NOBLE hero accomplishing an impossible task. I will warn you, however, that for a certain type of mind, Pratchett's writings can quickly become addictive.
Rating: Summary: Another Favorite! Review: "This is by far, my favorite one," is what I almost always seem to say whenever I finish a novel by Terry Pratchett, and this time I think I really do mean it. You know a book is going to be wonderful when it has both a 9000 year prolog and a one month prolog. Moist Von Lipwig, a con man extraordinaire is "hired" by Lord Vetinari to reopen the failed postal service. The only option is the noose, but there are always options, and this gives Moist hope of one day escaping from his fate. The postal workers are a bit off the beaten path, there is a machine in the basement built by Bloody Stupid Johnson (using an incorrect value of pi, which broke down the reality around the machine) which sorts mail, bends time and space, and dices up people, and there is fierce and deadly competition between the Grand Trunk Clacks Company and the post office. There are lots of moments of great human insight in this book, a bit of humor any techie will find pleasing, and the Times makes yet another appearance. Could this signal the next leg of our journey with Pratchett? It seems like he is setting up new groups and locales, pumping new blood into a series that already has so much life that the rocks (trolls) and the dead (zombies) are commonplace citizens. As Lord Vetinari would say, "Well done Mr. Pratchett, well done indeed."
Rating: Summary: Best book in a while Review: I didn't really enjoy Night Watch; it was a little bit too dark for me. For some reason my sister loved it though. This book on the other hand really captured me. I love the characters (in particular Moist's chain smoking girlfriend, and her golem friends), the places, the weird technology that the discworld engineers fabricate, and even the wizards who should NEVER be trifled with. This is a wonderful book for pretty much anyone. I would highly recommend it. Especially if you collect stamps;).
Rating: Summary: Going Postal is going places. Review: I place Going Postal in the same class as The Truth. Books that can stand alone in the Disc World universe and be enjoyable for someone who has not read some of the other novels. Both are very enjoyable books with great characters and situations.
Some people say that the book lacks the humour of other Disc World novels and that may be the case but the story is enjoyable non the less. I just love how Terry Pratchett can take a modern situation like the Post Ofice versus faster and more exciting ways of communication and puts a little tweak and drops it into the Disc World to be experienced by the characters. The challenge of a con man to turn around a hugh lumbering entity like the post office and how he goes about getting the job done with the distractions that the Disc World universe throws into the mix.
Every Pratchett fan already has the book and enjoyed it very much. I do suggest that if you have never read Pratchett you may want to start with one of the paperbacks because the books are different from anything else I have found so far.
Rating: Summary: Only one laugh? Review: I wasn't even aware of it until the lack was betrayed by the one. For me it was the least humorous of the series, possibly my having become inured after having read so many. I might mention that whatever literary references were residing within were completely lost on me. Not a bother, though, the plot development is cleverly managed and the usual fun is afoot. The stamp images throughout the book are part of the enjoyment - the one of the tower, Ha!
Rating: Summary: fantastic - back in his "A" game Review: I'm a long-time, old-school Terry fan ... but his last few books have fallen a little shy of the mark for me. The endings have been very pat, and the themes were treated with more panache in his earlier tomes. But even so, I'd heartily recommend them because really -- a bad Terry P. book is like a bad day off work. It's still pretty damn good.
So I say all that to say this: *Going Postal* is a step back in the right direction. Multi-layered, multi-themed, and funny as hell, GP is a real stand-out -- a return to Pratchett's masterful treatment of serious subjects handled lightly but thoroughly. I was glad to see a more in-depth treatment of golem subculture (my first Pratchett read was *Feet of Clay*), and I was delighted by the socio-economic dissection of the Clacks. I was overjoyed by the terribly fine lines that separate the villains and the heroes, and I was once again impressed with Pratchett's command of satire.
Even if you've skipped the last few Discworld novels or were let down by the "easiness" of *Monstrous Regiment*, pick this one up. It doesn't disappoint.
Rating: Summary: A standalone Diskworld, similar to The Truth Review: Is there such a thing as a bad Discworld novel? Not by Terry Pratchett, or at least not in my book (or in any of his). This is not my favorite, but it was fun to read and quick. It's true there's nothing as funny in it as sapient pearwood luggage, but the general story is amusing, and I enjoyed the characters.
Lord Vetinari sets a scoundrel the task of reopening the Ankh Morpork postal service, and much treachery ensues. Lots of golems in this one. This book is sort of a take-off on corporate corruption, and it's fun to see how Lord Vetinari handles the problem. Recommended.
Rating: Summary: Neither snow nor rain... Review: Terry Pratchett's latest Ankh-Morpork effort had me thinking `Kevin Costner' for considerable time, dealing as it does with the Discworld's attempts to gets its failed postal service back in action and one man's forced heroic efforts to do so. Nevertheless, it proves to be another sharp satire from the pen of this iconic author and, whilst perhaps not as exciting as many other previous efforts, is the first step in making the continuing industrial revolution that seems to have gripped Ankh-Morpork over recent novels a firm fact.
The thirty-fifth novel introduces a new character to us, the shady Moist von Lipwig, con artiste extraordinaire who has reached the hiatus of his career and is about to hang. One swift resurrection later he finds himself on the receiving end of a proposal from the excellent tyrant, Lord Vetinari, Namely, to resurrect the Ankh-Morpork Post Office or take a plunge to his death.
Having taken up the only option available (though Reacher Gilt at the end chooses the wrong option) our crooked hero finds himself in a building filled with undelivered letters and an inability to escape destiny (rapidly enforced by the Golem Pump 19). With a Costner-esque growing sense of moral righteousness he warms firstly to his task, then to Adora Bell Dearheart and proceeds, with his firm side kicks - the pin-loving Stanley and the ancient Junior Postmaster Mr Groat - to rebuild the Postal Service. In the meantime the privately run clacks service under a conglomerate headed by Reacher Gilt does its best to undermine his efforts (though the Brotherhood of the Order of the Post nearly manages to do that by itself) and the two end up in competition with an eventual much trumpeted race to deliver a message to Genua making the climax of the story.
Amongst it all we have stamps, Sane Alex, Undecided Al, Mad Al, the Grand Trunk and it's malfunctioning Watch Towers, Mr Pony, The Smoking Gnu, Tiddles the post office cat, Miss Maccalariat, Boris the horse (with his kidney rupturing ride to Sto Lat), and Sacharissa Cripslock all watching the mayhem unfold with untold disdain and extreme good humour until Moist saves the day, becomes a hero and breathes life into the Post Office adage that "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
As usual another delight from Pratchett's pen. Read it.
Rating: Summary: Great! Review: This is the thirty-fourth (if I counted correctly!) book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld - a flat world, supported on the backs of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle. Anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does.
In this book, Moist von Lipwig, a small-time grifter, is given an offer from Lord Vetinari that he cannot refuse - become the new postmaster general of Ankh-Morpork. Well, how hard can that be? Sadly, the last four postmasters general all died within the last five weeks. There's something strange going on here, but it just might be that Moist von Lipwig is the man to get the post off its deathbed and back into service. It would take a miracle...and Mr. Lipwig might just have one or two up his sleeve.
This is another great Discworld book. As with many of the later Terry Pratchett books, this one is not laugh-out-loud funny like the early ones were. I mean, it is quite funny, but even more so, this is a suspenseful book that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are fascinating, and the plot is great!
So, if you like the Discworld books in general, then be assured that this is one of the greats. I highly recommend this book!
Rating: Summary: One of the good ones, this Review: This review is for fans only.
Although not as brilliant as "Nightwatch", pterry is back from the ocean of mediocrity of "Monstrous Regiment". (By mediocrity, I of course mean relative to himself, not relative to other books out there.) "Going Postal" won't disappoint.
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