Going Postal
Discworld was actually on my radar when Going Postal
came out. I hadn't started reading the series yet, but I do remember
being vaguely aware that this book had been released. It may have even
been what prompted me to head to the library and look for the earlier Discworld book. I ended up picking up Good Omens instead, but the thought was there.
This really means that I am quickly approaching the end of the series. There are only size more books after this (until Pratchett decides to release another one, anyway). But even this late in the series, Pratchett is able to keep things fresh (in fact a lot of people enjoy his later books much more than his earlier books).
Going Postal kicks off the Moist von Lipwig arc, which continues in Making Money and the rumored Raising Taxes. Moist is a conman who finally got caught. But instead of killing him, Ventinari decides to put him in charge of Ankh-Morpork's failing post office. It doesn't take Moist long to realize that this may very well be a death sentence - the past four postmasters were killed within days of accepting the job.
I really enjoyed Moist as a character, almost despite myself. He's in the process of reforming himself, even though he's not really sure he wants to. But he just keeps going, like he always has, and before he knows it he's saving the day. His methods may be unorthodox, but they sure were fun to read about.
It was also fun to see the City Watch from a different perspective. In their books, they're always the good guys. They do their best to solve crimes and put the criminals in jail. But Moist has been on the wrong side of the law too many times and doesn't trust them an inch. His interaction with Carrot was especially fun to read.
The biggest change about this book is that it's divided into chapters. No other Discworld book has chapters, with the exception of Tiffany Aching books which are aimed at a younger audience. In fact, Pratchett has come out against chapters in the past:
This really means that I am quickly approaching the end of the series. There are only size more books after this (until Pratchett decides to release another one, anyway). But even this late in the series, Pratchett is able to keep things fresh (in fact a lot of people enjoy his later books much more than his earlier books).
Going Postal kicks off the Moist von Lipwig arc, which continues in Making Money and the rumored Raising Taxes. Moist is a conman who finally got caught. But instead of killing him, Ventinari decides to put him in charge of Ankh-Morpork's failing post office. It doesn't take Moist long to realize that this may very well be a death sentence - the past four postmasters were killed within days of accepting the job.
I really enjoyed Moist as a character, almost despite myself. He's in the process of reforming himself, even though he's not really sure he wants to. But he just keeps going, like he always has, and before he knows it he's saving the day. His methods may be unorthodox, but they sure were fun to read about.
It was also fun to see the City Watch from a different perspective. In their books, they're always the good guys. They do their best to solve crimes and put the criminals in jail. But Moist has been on the wrong side of the law too many times and doesn't trust them an inch. His interaction with Carrot was especially fun to read.
The biggest change about this book is that it's divided into chapters. No other Discworld book has chapters, with the exception of Tiffany Aching books which are aimed at a younger audience. In fact, Pratchett has come out against chapters in the past:
Life doesn't happen in chapters - at least, not regular ones. Nor do movies. Homer didn't write in chapters. I can see what their purpose is in children's book ("I'll read to the end of the chapter, and then you must go to sleep") but I'm blessed if I know what function they serve in books for adults.I'm not sure if this is just a Moist von Lipwig thing, if it will continue for the remaining Discworld books, or if it's a side effect from Pratchett's then-recent work on YA novels. Regardless, it threw me off until I reached chapter 7A and the world regained some balance. It's nice to know that even if Pratchett decides to start using chapters, he'll at least play with them a bit.
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