Raising Steam
I almost didn't read this book.
Raising Steam is, at this point, the penultimate book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Though that's perhaps a bit disingenuous with a series like this. Discworld has a loose continuity, but each book stands on its own. It's possible to skip one and not lose your place. The setting is more important than any singular plot line.
So, this is a late Discworld book. It's about Moist von Lipwig, who has never been one of my favorite characters. Most fans of the series regard this book as dispensable. It's not considered a stellar example of Pratchett's work. He was, after all, nearing the end of both his career and his life when he wrote this. And the series has been declining in quality for a while.
But then, as much as I wanted to get to the final book, a Tiffany Aching story, I found myself unable to start it. I'll get in to this in more detail when I do read that book, but the bottom line is that I wasn't ready to be done with this series yet. I've been reading it for over seven years now, and I'm still not ready for it to end (she says, as she's also in the middle of a full re-read).
This brings us to Raising Steam. Which doesn't read like a Discworld novel. From the very beginning something is just off. But I think at least part of that comes from how far Discworld has advanced. It starts as a typical fantasy world, with magic running rampant. But as the series goes on, the magic starts to die. Different species begin to clash. And inventions change the face of society.
This book brings us the steam engine, and trains connecting Ankh-Morpork to Quirm and Sto Helit and far-off Uberwald. It brings us the typical resistance to large societal changes. But more importantly, it brings us a fantastic wealth of cameos from any number of Discworld characters.
So as much as I dislike Moist von Lipwig and felt that a deeper look into Ventinari's psyche was unnecessary, it was fun to get brief glimpses of Angua and Cheery and references to Reg Show and the Librarian. When you start to look at it from this point of view, it becomes very satisfying as the second to last installment in a sprawling series.
And ultimately the plot picked up steam, too. By the time I was halfway through the book, I really did feel as though I was back in the Discworld. A changed Discworld, sure, but isn't that the point?
When all was said and done, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't the greatest Discworld book by any means. But with the amount of memory and nostalgia I brought to it, and with Pratchett's characteristic wit and social insight, it was a fantastic ride nonetheless. Proof that even a bad Discworld book is better than most other books.
Raising Steam is, at this point, the penultimate book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Though that's perhaps a bit disingenuous with a series like this. Discworld has a loose continuity, but each book stands on its own. It's possible to skip one and not lose your place. The setting is more important than any singular plot line.
So, this is a late Discworld book. It's about Moist von Lipwig, who has never been one of my favorite characters. Most fans of the series regard this book as dispensable. It's not considered a stellar example of Pratchett's work. He was, after all, nearing the end of both his career and his life when he wrote this. And the series has been declining in quality for a while.
But then, as much as I wanted to get to the final book, a Tiffany Aching story, I found myself unable to start it. I'll get in to this in more detail when I do read that book, but the bottom line is that I wasn't ready to be done with this series yet. I've been reading it for over seven years now, and I'm still not ready for it to end (she says, as she's also in the middle of a full re-read).
This brings us to Raising Steam. Which doesn't read like a Discworld novel. From the very beginning something is just off. But I think at least part of that comes from how far Discworld has advanced. It starts as a typical fantasy world, with magic running rampant. But as the series goes on, the magic starts to die. Different species begin to clash. And inventions change the face of society.
This book brings us the steam engine, and trains connecting Ankh-Morpork to Quirm and Sto Helit and far-off Uberwald. It brings us the typical resistance to large societal changes. But more importantly, it brings us a fantastic wealth of cameos from any number of Discworld characters.
So as much as I dislike Moist von Lipwig and felt that a deeper look into Ventinari's psyche was unnecessary, it was fun to get brief glimpses of Angua and Cheery and references to Reg Show and the Librarian. When you start to look at it from this point of view, it becomes very satisfying as the second to last installment in a sprawling series.
And ultimately the plot picked up steam, too. By the time I was halfway through the book, I really did feel as though I was back in the Discworld. A changed Discworld, sure, but isn't that the point?
When all was said and done, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't the greatest Discworld book by any means. But with the amount of memory and nostalgia I brought to it, and with Pratchett's characteristic wit and social insight, it was a fantastic ride nonetheless. Proof that even a bad Discworld book is better than most other books.
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