Except that he isn't. He awakes in the office of Lord Vetinari, supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork. Vetinari has a proposition for Moist von Lipwig, a.k.a the late Alfred Spangler, take the job of Postmaster and get the out-of-date and irrelevant Postal Service running again. Moist, really in no position to bargain, agrees. What he finds is a postal service that hasn't delivered mail in a very long time, due to the use of the clacks (think a semaphore system). However, they still accept mail, which is piled into mountains within the old Post Office. The clacks system is run by the Grand Trunk, a very greedy, very large organization, that is squeezing every bit of profit out of the system that they are able. At first, Moist is seen as a buffoon in a "can't win" situation by the leaders of Grand Trunk. But then he starts to make some changes at the Post Office, popular changes. wide sweeping changes. Things that make him extremely unpopular with Grand Trunk, enough that it appears someone wants him dead. Again.
Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett, lives in a universe similar to our own, but with vampires, werewolves, large, ancient creatures made of clay, and other assorted fantastical creations. While these creatures may make this book "fantasy," with Pratchett's wonderful writing, it is an incredible adventure in human nature, a social commentary, and, perhaps, a wry look at our culture of "immediacy." One could make the connection that the clacks system is what passes for the internet in Pratchett's world, and you could be right. That connection makes this work even more enjoyable and, dare I say it, satiric. Moist, who is well versed in human nature, leverages his hard won knowledge to manipulate others. Not to his own gain (unless it is to keep himself alive for another day), but for the betterment of the citizens of Ankh-Morpork and the Postal Service. Quite a thought, that a government agency is actually working for an improvement in society as a whole. Heavy stuff. But Going Postal is a highly entertaining novel, one that may cause outbursts of laughter from the reader at inopportune moments, like in public places. Pratchett's wordplay, plotting, and amazing situations keep the pages turning, the entertainment level high, and the characterizations spot on.
I wish I knew what took me so long to crack this novel, Going Postal is one of the best books I've read.
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Obtained from: Book store
Payment: Purchased
Technorati tag: book review Terry Pratchett Going Postal
Comment posted by Christian Tillmanns07/01/2011 03:10:15 AM
Homepage: http://www.informica.ch
... and did you read the other 27 novells, too?
While Going Postal is pretty good, I don't think it is his best. Having read all the novels at least twice (i no english native, must read slow), I like for example "The truth" better, or "Small gods". I like the way the different characters evolve through the different books and get dropped, when they get boring for Pratchet and the reader. Some of them will always come back, like Death - he has good one liners - and "Death of Rats". The Librarian is also omnipresent. Don't forget the guilds and all the laws and rules in Ankh Morepork.
All the characters of our childhood will appear on one time or another. It's fun.
BTW, the second book with Moist is "Making money" and that's it for him.
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