Going Postal

Cormic

I have just finished this book and must say that I loved it...

I had kind of lost interest in some of the previous books as I thought that he had gotten too clever for his own good.

What does everyone else think?

Pugsley

Thought it was brilliant, thought it was the closest thing we have to a Vetrinari book, and its left some good possabilities for jokes in future books too, in Thud theres a pretty funny reference to it

Cormic

I look forward to Thud then.

Hrm.

Going Postal was very much a change in style for Terry Pratchetts books. For one he actually used chapters, and had a brief synopsis of each part. I have to say that I think working with Neil Gaiman had an effect on him somehow.

Stonehead

Yeah it was a great book, I really liked Moist in it. It seemed to be more serious than other books, but in a good way.

Apparently there's going to be a sequel called "Making Money"

Cormic

Deleted User wrote:

For one he actually used chapters, and had a brief synopsis of each part.

I only noticed that there were chapters about 100 pages in. I remember thinking "I will read til the end of this chapter and then go to bed. Wait a minute!!!!! Chapters in a Pratchett book" :eek: :eek: :eek:

MagnumForce

How long has it been since there was a book about the Witches, and i think we definitly need another Rincewind book, Going Postel was a good book alright, but does Pratchett really need to invent more caractures, he has plenty already which could be put to good use, not that im really complaining about new caractures, but you know what i mean.

Pugsley

MagnumForce wrote:

How long has it been since there was a book about the Witches, and i think we definitly need another Rincewind book, Going Postel was a good book alright, but does Pratchett really need to invent more caractures, he has plenty already which could be put to good use, not that im really complaining about new caractures, but you know what i mean.

He is probably trying not to get into a rythem of sticking to the same formula again and again, you dont write as many books as Pratchett and still be brilliant by repeating the same jokes, and also most of the new blood he brings in is excellent. However I would love another book about Maurice.

lynski

loved Going Postal, but really really loved Thud, great cultural resonance. Is it not time for a new book?

Splatterly

Hi there, have just "discovered" this Discworld forum. I have to say that I really did enjoy Going Postal, it was a move away from some of his other work. But it still had some nice twists in it and is enjoyable to read over. I did love Thud!

Gizmodeon

I loved going postal, but not as much as his other books, the humour wasn't as frequent, but there was so much more underlying feminist themes

r3nu4l

Almost finished Going Postal (having bought it in 2004!). Will start Thud next!

I think Pratchett has gone a lot more serious over the years. The humour is still sharp but less ridiculous and madcap than in the past. This is a more mature Pratchett methinks but still as loveable and quirky as ever.

Also, I get the impression that Pratchett is much more interested in developing Discworld now. It's not just books about the crazy characters in a slapstick story with Discworld as a sublime backdrop to their antics. We are getting much more insight into how Discworld works, the systems that are in place that the characters use on a daily basis. Discworld is becoming more organized! The watch are efficient, communications are frequent and evolving, the role of magic and the UU seems to have dissipated.

The theme of evolving communications is interesting, mirroring the explosion in the "information" age that we have recently experiences; first we had newspapers, then semaphore and clacks towers, now the postal system has evolved to become efficient

I'm looking forward to the next development in discworld and while I have favourite characters (The City Watch), I found Moist really refreshing and the characters in Monstrous Regiment to be very entertaining

Cormic

I would love to see some of the older characters back. I would say that the Luggage would have great fun in a clacks tower!

perfidiousmonk

I hate to disagree with the sizable chain of comments in favour of Pratchett's work, but I find that he seems to be running out of ideas.
I have'nt read going postal, but I read the first 20 pages of Thud and it just reminded me of every other Vimes novel I have ever read.
Even the plot, related to Dwarf community and it's conservative elements, can trace it's roots to the 5th elephant.
I may be wrong in my assertion, as I have shied away from the Discworld recently, but it seems that even a talent as innovative as Pratchett's can become repetitive.
What's Going Postal about, is it one of the previous series or completely new?

Fysh

Going Postal is "new" characters, although I'd be surprised if they get centre stage in any future books - the development of the characters went about as far as it could without getting dull (there again, that hasn't stopped Carrott being a central protagonist in recent books...).

I'm thinking about re-reading Thud! because my initial impressions were that it didn't do much, that Vimes's development was a bit stretched and that, well, it felt like it was trying to wrap things up too neatly. I'll have to read it again though and see how it stands up after having had a few months for the ideas to percolate around in my head...

r3nu4l

Recently finished Going Postal and liked it a lot. The new characters were interesting but more importantly was the re-development of the Ankh-Morpork postal system.

Going Postal dealt with the dark side of corporations and the dangers of money-driven profit-men (men-in-suits) and administrators becoming excessively involved in an enterprise, bringing about the downfall of something that was working well, in the name of making more money. Most of the jokes are the same as in other books just with a different take. I did like the involvement of Vetrinari in this book, I felt it gave more insight into how he manages to keep the city running and how he recognises and bends a talent to his own will!

In recent years the most enjoyment I have gotten from Pratchetts work has been the evolution of Ankh-Morpork, from the development of the printing press and iconography (photography) to the semaphore, then clacks, then modified high-speed clacks towers and now the re-birth of the postal system. I think with Thud (reading it now!), that the return to the dwarfs etc is neceessary to show that the multi-cultural aspect of the city is not cosy (just as in our world) and that this is an exploration of the issues involved as well as us learning more about that culture. Pratchetts work has become more about the development of rules of the city and the Discworld in general, in much the same way as the Lord of the Rings was the development of a mythology and the exploration of the development of genuinely new linguistics.

Please note, I'm not comparing the writing or depth of work of Tolkien to Pratchett!

MarVeL

Fysh wrote:

Going Postal is "new" characters, although I'd be surprised if they get centre stage in any future books - the development of the characters went about as far as it could without getting dull (there again, that hasn't stopped Carrott being a central protagonist in recent books...).

IIRC Moist is the lead character in the next book where he takes on the job "turned down" by Tiger at the mint