Review of 'Going Postal' a novel by Terry Pratchett
This review is based on the paperback version of the book, ISBN 0-552-14943-8, 474 pages, cover price £7.99.
About The Book
Going Postal is the 29th Disc World novel from the pen of popular fantasy author Terry Pratchett.
I read many ... Read review
Moist von Lipwig is a con artist… … and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be ... more
hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork’s ailing postal service back on its feet. It’s a tough decision. But he’s got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, ...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: in stock
Moist von Lipwig is a con artist… … and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be ... more
hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork’s ailing postal service back on its feet. It’s a tough decision. But he’s got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers’ Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:in stock
Moist von Lipwig is a con artist and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be ... more
hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal service back on its feet. It was a tough decision. But he's got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.
Moist von Lipwig is a con artist ...and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be ... more
hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal service back on its feet. It's a tough decision. But he's got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers' Friendly and Benevolent Society.
Moist von Lipwig was a con artist and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be ... more
hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal service back on its feet. It was a tough decision. Maybe it'll take a criminal to succeed where honest men have failed, or maybe it's a death sentence either way. Perhaps there's a shot at redemption in that mad world...
Advantages: A great Disc World adventure from Sir Terry Pratchett Disadvantages: May not appeal to non Pratchett fans
...The Book==
Going Postal is the 29th Disc World novel from the pen of popular fantasy author Terry Pratchett.
I read many of Pratchett's novel some years ago and enjoyed them very much. They are an acquired taste, Disc World novels draw the reader into a world populated by dwarves, vampires, trolls and werewolves. The humans are all too human in the Disc World and Pratchett manages to take the characteristics of basic human ... ...his stories. The human invariably have daft names and they portray humans in all their glory, fickle, greedy, jealous and infinitely fallible!
==The Plot==
The story line covers the fates of Moist Von Lipwig. He is con-artist, fraudster, cad and bounder, he is due to be executed but is offered a reprieve by the Patrician of the Disc World's capital city Ankh-Morpork. His life will be spared if he takes up the position ... more
Review of 'Going Postal' a novel by Terry Pratchett
This review is based on the paperback version of the book, ISBN 0-552-14943-8, 474 pages, cover price £7.99.
About The Book
Going Postal is the 29th Disc World novel from the pen of popular fantasy author Terry Pratchett.
I read many of Pratchett's novel some years ago and enjoyed them very much. They are an acquired taste, Disc World novels draw the reader into a world populated by dwarves, vampires, trolls and werewolves. The humans are all too human in the Disc World and Pratchett manages to take the characteristics of basic human nature and weave the more ridiculous and amusing elements into his stories. The human invariably have daft names and they portray humans in all their glory, fickle, greedy, jealous and infinitely fallible!
The Plot
The story line covers the fates of Moist Von Lipwig. He is con-artist, fraudster, cad and bounder, he is due to be executed but is offered a reprieve by the Patrician of the Disc World's capital city Ankh-Morpork. His life will be spared if he takes up the position of Postmaster General and steer the Post-Office back to the glory days of yesteryear. The only staff Moist Von Lipwig has to help him are a rather elderly Junior Postman who is obsessed with natural healing and an unstable orphan who was raised in a field by peas and has an obsession for pins.
Moist finds the Post office in a state of disarray, bird droppings, cobwebs and a air of despondency hang over the once great Post Office premises. Previous postmasters have tried and failed to re-vamp the service, some met with unfortunate endings such as being swamped by undelivered mail, others fell to their death from the unstable building.
Moist is designated a kind of probation officer in the shape of Mr Pump, a troll, who takes his duties very seriously as he follows Moist into adventures and the resurrection of the Postal Service. Moist's endeavours are thwarted by the owners of the new communications system, the 'Clacks' and he despairs of ever achieving his goal, a new and modern Postal Service for Ankh-Morpork.
As with many Pratchett books the plot is actually made up of side stories which cleverly become a tale of life in a make believe world.
I won't say more here for fear of spoiling the novel for other readers.
The Author
I could go on and on about this author but I will resist the temptation!
Terry Pratchett was born on 28th April 1948 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. He is a tireless campaigner for research into Alzhiemer's disease. Terry released a press statement in 2007 to inform the public that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of early on set Alzhiemer's disease. For further information about Terry Pratchett and his works visit his website at www.terrypratchett.co.uk
Terry Pratchett's novels are not everyone's cup of tea, however he is an extremely popular author who was included in the 2009 New Years honours list for 'services to literature'. Well done, Sir Terry Pratchett.
Availability and Cost
The cover price on my copy is £7.99. The novel is available from www.amazon.co.uk for £4.99 new and from 0.50p used.
My Thoughts and Conclusion
This novel is definitely an acquired taste. Pratchett fans will love it and I'd recommend the book to anyone who enjoys Terry Pratchett's unique blend of psychology and humour, I must admit that I found some of his earlier books far more amusing than the later novels, but that said do not let this put you off 'Going Postal'. It is interesting to note that since 'going Postal' was published a whole new set of Disc World stamps were issued, a major marketing success for the author.
Advantages: very funny, wonderful characters Disadvantages: might be less funny to those unfamiliar with discworld
...years he's been writing the Discworld series. After so long you almost expect him to start losing his touch, but if anything "Going Postal" seems to show that he's going the other way, still finding more wonderful characters and coming up with more and more interesting stories for them. ...
Neftoon_Zamora 14.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Going Postal - Terry Pratchett
This book is hilariously funny. I view this as one of Terry Pratchett's best novels. In this book we follow the unfortunate life of the master thief 'Moist Von Lipwig' or one of his other many names. We follow him through his supposed death and then his introduction into being the 'Postmaster'. He finds Lord Vetinari's proposal hard to accept to begin with and simply attempts to escape the city but when he finds out that there is a Golem after him ... ...discovers that it is just easier to go with Lord Vetinari's Wishes. But the Post office isn't quite what he was expecting and he has a much harder job than he though ahead of him. This book is very good and makes a brilliant time filler so if you need something to read or just want to relax after a hard day at work then this is the book for you! ...
antbaker123 09.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Going Postal - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Inventive and Witty. Great for readers of ages 12+ Disadvantages: If you do not like Pratchett's writing style, this book may not appeal
This book follows Moist von Lipwig as he carries out the task set upon him by Lord Vetinari, to rejuvinate the failed, Ankh Morpork Post Office. Written in Terry Pratchett's usual, clever and funny style, it will keep all readers fascinated and amazed until the last word. If you are already a Pratchett fan, and you haven't read "Going Postal", then you are missing out; if you are not a Pratchett fan, then you are missing out even more. This book ...
Womble147 20.10.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Going Postal - Terry Pratchett
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Advantages: Comparisons to the real world, excellent supporting characters. Disadvantages: Lack of empathy for lead, missing one-liners.
?GoingPostal? is TerryPratchett?s twenty-ninth novel set on the magical Discworld. This world were trolls, dwarves, vampires and werewolves rub shoulders with humans in polite society bares a bizarre, yet frightening resemblance to our own be it in its racial intolerance?s or its political structure.
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Advantages: Beautiful characterisation, funny, easy to read. Disadvantages: Not enough Death.
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Albert Spangler was a thief, a swindler and an all round con-man. He hanged to within an inch of his life. Then he woke up and he was Moist Van Lipwig, Postmaster general of Ankh Morpork's Post office. When he arrives for his first day of work he is greeted by graffiti, vandalism, a huge building stuffed full of undelivered mail, a cat, a Mr Groat (and his smell) and a Stanley, complete with Pin collecting obsession. He began to wish he'd stayed hanged. However, with the aid of a band of Golem's , the old post office families and the Smoking Gnu, Moist Von Lipwig not only gets the postal service ...
Advantages: Just gets better and better... Disadvantages: ... after a slow start.
GoingPostal is yet another novel in the Discworld series by TerryPratchett. For those of you that have never read a Discworld novel before, the Disc is a place of magic and mayhem, not so unlike our own world. But when elements of our world enter it, the result is usually more mayhem than usual? This is one of the novels that really doesn't need a particular knowledge of the series.
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Product Information for "Going Postal - Terry Pratchett" »
Product details
EAN
9780385603423
Type
Fiction
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Title
Going Postal
Author
Terry Pratchett
ISBN
0385603428
Manufacturer's product description
Moist von Lipwig is a con artist and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal service back on its feet. Is there a shot at redemption waiting in the mad world of the mail for a man who's prepared to push the envelope?
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