Going Postal by Terry Pratchett Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Going Postal
Book Review: Can I give it more that 5 stars?
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the best of the best. Terry Pratchett is a great satirist, funny, extremely clever, just brillliant! And he makes it look so easy!Book Review: Catch Me If You Can!
Summary: 5 Stars
Going Postal is Terry Pratchett's 29th book. A professional and generally shady con man Moist Van Lipwig has been caught, and is sentenced to die by hanging. But surprisingly, after the hanging, he wakes up in the chamber of Lord Havelock Vetinari, self-proclaimed tyrant of Ankh-Morpork. He is told he will live if he decides to take over the operation of the Ankh-Morpork post office. He says he'll take the job, but runs off. Found by a golem, he is dragged back once more to Lord Vetinari. So, he accepts the assignment. He gets helped by the exact same golem, Mr. Pump, to clear up the post office. The post office has stopped delivering mail for a long time, and the whole place is filled with undelivered mail. Gradually, Moist feels compelled to actually re-start the mail service with the help of Stanley, a pin-obsessed boy, and "Junior" Postman Groat (he's been stuck there for quite a long time.) Moist begins to put a lot of effort in, and invents the first stamp. The news of the post office reaches the ears of Reacher Gilt, the owner of the semaphore towers, the Discworld equivalent of a telegraph. Gilt doesn't want to be put out of business by the extremely low-priced post service run by Moist, and starts sabotaging the post office. Thus begins the war between clacks and the post!Book Review: Classic Pratchett
Summary: 4 Stars
Very enjoyable read. Moist is a superb character, and the plot, rebuilding of the Post Office service and competition against "The Grand Trunk", is a work of genius. Great humour, great characters and great fun.Book Review: Discworld
Summary: 5 Stars
I've decided he's too good and too prolific for me to write a brand new review every single time I read one of his books. Discworld currently has 34 titles and every one of them will probably knock your socks off. His mind bubbles and flashes like a boiling pot of electric eels, and I simply can't get enough of his writing.
A reviewer has compared him to Geoffrey Chaucer. He reminds me more of Douglas Adams, or perhaps S Morgenstern. Great company, isn't it? He's an extremely skillful and imaginative writer, damn funny, clever and observant to boot. He's also very easy to read. A master of characterization, and if there's anything else you like about reading that I didn't mention here, assume I simply forgot. He's awesome.
Another reviewer mentioned Jonathan Swift and PG Wodehouse. Why such hallowed company? Because Pratchett belongs there! Truly, I'm enjoying my quest to read every book in the series. You should do the same, and begin your quest at the library because he's got to be there. He's awesome!
Yet another reviewer said Jerome K Jerome meets Lord of the Rings. Yeah, that works too.
Why do we, as reviewers, compare authors to other authors? Because it's easier than thinking. In the case of Terry Pratchett, it's probably because we'd otherwise wind up quoting the guy. He's so unique that we just don't know how else to cope with his greatness. Even this paragraph sounds like foamy drool raving, doesn't it? That's how all readers react to Pratchett. Reviewers simply don't have the good sense to keep it to themselves.
I could call his writing fantasy, but I could likewise call what Douglas Adams wrote science fiction. In both cases, I wouldn't be wrong, but I'd be neglecting so much and just totally missing the point. A rare few authors transcend a genre to such a degree that you know they're shouting out, loud and proud, a big fat "Bite me!"
I love Terry Pratchett's writing, and I completely understand why some folks refer to him as their favorite author. Or favourite, I should say, since we're being British. He's one of those authors that makes you want to grab whoever's in hearing range and start reading passages aloud. I'm simply thrilled that there's such an extremely talented and prolific author who's been working for years without me being aware of him. Now I have much catching up to do, and I will love it.
Book Review: Discworld, nice place to visit but...
Summary: 4 Stars
My boss at work introduced me to Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series. Most all of the books are enjoyable. All of them are humorous. And on more than one occasion, Pratchett manages to make a striking point with a character in his books.
This was my first introduction to Discworld. After this I borrowed book after book. Two months and a dozen books later, I was a little burnt-out. I still love most of these books, but I'll need some time away.
This book is responsible for getting me into light fantasy. Vetinari is a great character, as is Lip Vig (probably spelled both those wrong). Going Postal is still my favorite of all the Discworld books. Well worth the read.