Going Postal by Terry Pratchett Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Going Postal
Book Review: A very fun book, and very accurate portrayal of corporate life
Summary: 5 Stars
_Going Postal_ is an excellent book, and I liked it very much. It has an excellent portrayal of stupid corporate politics, stupid bureaucratic obsessiveness, and the importance of the human touch.
The basic plot of _Going Postal_ is a con man, Moist von Lipwig, is given a parole on his death sentence, but the parole is that he must become postmaster for Ankh-Morpokh and revive the all-but-dead postal service. Opposing him is forty-some years of neglect, some former postal workers who have waited so long to see the post office reborn they are a bit nutty with it, a citizenry who has almost forgotten the post office exists, and the clacks towers (essentially telegraphs, but more complicated).
Moist von Lipwig is and always has been a con man, to the point that he feels "naked" when he has to go out in public without a wig, beard, monocle, or some other type of disguise, plus an associated assumed persona. He carries a diamond ring and a glass ring with him at all times just so he can do a bait-and-switch wherever he is "to keep his hand in". In the postal service, he finds one of the grandest cons that he can ever pull off, and a foe he never expected and shouldn't have had a chance of beating.
Most of Pratchett's books will be built in some way around the satire of an element of real life, and _Going Postal_ satirizes the public relations campaigns of the corporate world, and quite accurately. There is a section where Moist is asked if the postal service "embraces diversity", and his reply is "we don't do that here because we don't what it means. We'll employ anyone who can read and write and reach a letterbox, Miss Maccalariat. I'll hire vampires if they're members of the League of Temperance, trolls if they wipe their feet, and if there're any werewolves out there, I'd *love* to hire postmen who can bite back. Anyone who can do the job, Miss Maccalariat. Our job is moving the mail." (Now, if only most corporate management & HR departments were that clear on what they were trying to accomplish.) There are also comments about how the Grand Trunks cares so little for its employees that it's started an Employee of the Month program just to show how much it doesn't care, and there is a battle of words in the media. "You had to admire the way perfectly innocent words were mugged, ravished, stripped of all true meaning and decency, and sent to walk the gutter for Reacher Gilt, although 'synergistically' had probably been a whore from the start."
A very good book and very fun book to read, it even has a happy and just ending. I would definitely recommend it (and am planning to buy another copy so I can give it to a friend as a late Christmas present).
Book Review: Among the best in the series
Summary: 5 Stars
Any particular Discworld novel is a bit of a hit-or-miss. Some are little more than rehashes of previous books, except, say, with vampires instead of elves. Others, however, are more original. This one falls into the latter category.
Moist von Lipwig is a small-time hustler who is about to be hanged. In fact, to all and sundry, he is hanged. Only he and the Patrician know he wasn't, and the Patrician has a job for him: revive the Ankh-Morpork postal service in order to provide competition to the monopolistic clacks messaging service. Initially cynical, he gradual becomes inspired by the challenge, and ends up cleaning out an ancient building stacked with letters and turning it into something else.
Pratchett shows almost all his gifts here. While his characteristic footnotes are somewhat lacking, his knacks for developing an ingenious plot, developing original characters, and seeing into the essence of things are all in fine form here.
Just the concept should intrigue, but in addition we have letters talking to Lipwig, something mysterious up on the roof, the ruthless clacks company intending to do away with Lipwig, and the postman's guild figuring into the whole thing. As for characters, there's the geriatric but dedicated Groat, who is inspired to greater things whenever Lipwig promotes him, and his young assistant Stanley, who is an anorak of a pin collector until Lipwig invents stamps - and a whole new thing to collect. As for seeing into the essence, the clacks industry is a thinly disguised analogy to certain companies in our own computer industry, and Pratchett manages to show the "I want it all" attitude without having it shade over into bitterness or a political polemic.
Overall, this is one of the best of the Discworld books, ranking in my estimation with Guards! Guards! (my favorite), Witches Abroad, and Reaper Man.
Book Review: Another Hit by Pratchett
Summary: 5 Stars
Another Discworld book that takes place in Ankh-Morpork, Going Postal touches on a few characters we know, but mainly focuses on a new character Moist von Lipwig, who is quite an interesting and dynamic person. The book shows his evolution from petty criminal to honest postmaster very well, with plenty of comedy to smooth the ride. While I enjoy the Discworld books that have the City Watch at center stage the most, this is amongst my favorite of Pratchett's recent works.Book Review: Back in Business
Summary: 4 Stars
Moist von Lipwig is a confidence trickster par excellence. Unfortunately he is also in prison and about to be hanged. But after he drops through the trapdoor of the hangman's platform, he finds himself still alive and being offered a second chance by the Patrician. All Moist has to do is reopen the Post Office and put it back in business. Never mind that the clacks has made the Post Office even more obsolete than when it first closed. Moist decides to take the position thinking that he can run away at any time. A golem bodyguard has different ideas.
But within the massively cluttered shell of the old Post Office, Moist meets characters common to the Diskworld and confronts problems in a unique way that only a master con man could ever hope to pull off. But somewhere along the way Moist discovers that there are bigger games being played and he will have to keep the momentum going. Before he knows it the Post Office is the latest fad and his new ideas are popular indeed. But his success can not be seen as good for the clacks company and the two forces will have to clash very publicly before the story ends.
In this latest Diskworld novel we are introduced to one of the best new characters in a while. Moist von Lipwig is truly memorable. Many old favorites get their cameos and we see the Patrician in greater detail than we have seen him for some time. The action is fast and furious. Unlike most Diskworld books, this one is split into chapters. Each chapter is highlighted with an Ankh-Morpork postage stamp and a synopsis of the chapter. This lent a slightly different feel to the book but still seemed to work well. I would have to rate this volume as one of the best in recent years. Check it out.
Book Review: Best of all I've read
Summary: 5 Stars
I just checked my list and I've read 13 of Terry Pratchett's books so far. And (so far) this is the best of the bunch. Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish with a powerful message and more of a history lesson than you'll get from any history book. Nice job all around.