Hello, it is Reviewsday Tuesday and it's time for a new episode of Discworld Discourses.
Today I am going to be talking about Going Postal
Which is the 33rd book in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, first published in 2004.
Going Postal is the first Moist von Lipwig book
And we meet our con artist hero when he is about to be hanged for his crimes.
He is given an alternative by Lord Vetinari, the Patrician,
Who wants him to take over Ankh-Morpork's crumbling postal service.
I was really looking forward to rereading this book, it's one of my favourites,
And the Moist von Lipwig series generally is just one of my favourite little series within the Discworld.
It's one of the earliest books that I read which got me into the Discworld.
I think I've said this before but the way I got into the Discworld was through
Reading The Truth, and then Going Postal, and then Making Money, and then I was hooked.
And it was so much fun reading Going Postal this time round.
The book has so much pace, I think it's one of the paciest Discworld books, it just zips along.
It's exciting to read.
And a lot of that is due to Moist von Lipwig as our main character, as the voice of the book,
Who never stops because he doesn't want anyone to catch up with him.
Moist is one of my favourite characters that we come across in the Discworld series.
He has quite a refreshing way of thinking and of seeing the world
And it gives all of the Moist von Lipwig books a bit of a boost.
There are also some other great characters in Going Postal.
This book of course sees the introduction of Adora Belle Dearheart
Who is such a fun interesting character.
We have post office employees like Groat and Stanley to meet.
And I'm a big fan of the golems generally in the Discworld and this is a good book for golems.
I especially like Moist and Mr. Pump's relationship.
Similarly I think it's a good book for Vetinari.
I would say that Reacher Gilt is not one of my favourite Discworld villains.
I like the role that the character plays in this book
In that we see the similarities and the differences between him and Moist von Lipwig,
I like the contrast and also the understanding between the two characters,
But I think that as a character himself I was never personally that scared or angry at him,
I think he seems more to me like a supporting character as opposed to an antagonist.
I love when a Discworld book very closely mirrors our world
And Going Postal is a good example of one of these books.
You know, we have the post office, stamps, workers rights, bureaucracy, the government.
All of these things make Going Postal a good reading experience.
And I find a very rewarding read as well.
You are willing Moist von Lipwig to succeed
And every little win he has, every time he makes progress,
It feels rewarding and somewhat therapeutic almost.
Going Postal is, as you would expect, a funny book as well.
Full of great quotes and great ideas and great details,
Li ke green grocers and their random apostrophes,
And the brief but important contribution of Unseen University.
As you may be able to tell, I really enjoyed this book. I really recommend it,
And I also think it's a very good first Discworld book to read
Because not only is a good example of a Discworld book I think in terms of story and humour,
You know, it gives you a bit of a taste of what the Discworld is like,
It's also one of those books in which you are following new characters
But you're also introduced to a lot of concepts and characters from the other books
Without you actually needing prior knowledge of them to get full enjoyment of the book,
From the City Watch, to the wizards,
To other regions of the Disc like Sto Lat and Pseudopolis.
I will give Going Postal by Terry Pratchett 4.8 out of 5.
I think that makes it my second highest score so far after Night Watch.
The only things that drop that 0.2 for me are, as I said before, Reacher Gilt as the main villain,
And also that the book had such pace generally that whenever things were not resolved immediately
I could get a bit frustrated.
For instance, it takes a while for the Smoking Gnu to become a thing.
We learn about the mysterious people on top of the post office very early on,
But it takes a long time for Moist to find them.
But overall I think they're Going Postal is an outstanding book.
If you liked Going Postal, what should you read next?
I mean I would definitely recommend Making Money, the next Moist von Lipwig book.
I think that is a very safe place to go if you liked Going Postal.
If you didn't like Going Postal so much then the next Discworld book is Thud! so you could maybe try that,
That is a City Watch book though so if you want to get away from Ankh-Morpork
I'd say maybe try one of the Lancre books like The Wyrd Sisters of the Tiffany Aching series.
Some facts about Going Postal.
This is one of the Discworld books to be adapted into a two-part TV film by Sky.
It was on in 2010 and it starred Richard Coyle as Moist
With Claire Foy as Adora Belle Dearheart, Charles Dance as Vetinari,
And David Suchet as Reacher Gilt.
It's worth a look, I liked that adaptation quite a lot.
And Going Postal was also adapted by Stephen Briggs into a stage play in 2005.
The Moist von Lipwig books are the only ones in the Discworld series for adults that have chapters,
And they also have the sort of Victorian novel style
Of including a short synopsis of what is coming in the chapter at the start.
The book was shortlisted for the Nebula Award for Best Novel,
The first time Pratchett was shortlisted for that award.
And it would have been shortlisted for the Hugo Award but Pratchett withdrew it from the running.
The post office building is modeled on New York's post office building
With its inscription "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night
"Stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
That is it for today, I would love to know what you think about Going Postal if you have read it,
Do you feel similarly to me?
My next Discworld Discourses will be on 2nd June and I will be talking about Thud!
And the full list of Discworld books and when I'm planning on viewing them
Will be linked in the description below.
Thank you so much for watching, let's move across to the end screen.
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