Neither Rain Nor Snow Nor Gloom of Night... (Going Postal - Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: English Lady

Product:	Going Postal - Terry Pratchett
Date:	15/02/06 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: funny, beautiful Characterisation,easy to read, hard to put down.

Disadvantages: Not quite enough Death.

My Father in law is a postman, so it's a surprise that I've only just read Terry Pratchett's "Going Postal" but it probably added a whole extra dimension of funny to the book that I've just read in a weekend. Yep, it's that good.

Albert Spangler was a thief, a swindler and an all round con-man. He hanged to within an inch of his life. Then he woke up and he was Moist Van Lipwig, Postmaster general of Ankh Morpork's Post office. When he arrives for his first day of work he is greeted by graffiti, vandalism, a huge building stuffed full of undelivered mail, a cat, a Mr Groat (and his smell) and a Stanley, complete with Pin collecting obsession. He began to wish he'd stayed hanged. However, with the aid of a band of Golem's , the old post office families and the Smoking Gnu, Moist Von Lipwig not only gets the postal service moving again, he challenges the new fangled Clacks towers at every turn. The post will get through!

Pratchett's novels of late have been a bit hit and miss. "The Truth" completely missed the spot where as "The Thief of Time" and "Night Watch" were a joy to read. It feels to me like he is now such a famous author that he is expected to churn out books on demand and therefore his soul isn't in every one of them. Pratchett's soul is in "Going Postal."

His writing style is very easy going. He has a very rare talent in that he can make you feel really connected with the characters in his book without writing in first person to do it. Also you find yourself relating to werewolves, tyrants, swindlers and golems, not just heroes of the piece. I think the golems are one of his masterworks. He's used them in "Feet of clay." and re-introduces them here. They're clay figures with writing in their heads that makes them go. They've been used for dull, boring jobs for years and they have no concept of time. It's amazing how he brings personality to a whole race of beings that are not sure what it is to own a personality.


You don't bump into many well known Discworld characters in this book, a few wizards a mention for Mrs Cake and a few moments with the watch and that's it. I didn't miss them though, I was too busy warming to these new characters. However, there wasn't as much Death as I'd like, he's my favourite Pratchett character.

The pace of the action is not quick, the plot not immediately recognisable, yet Pratchett does not fall into the trap that Robert Jordan does, he actually tells a story that is packed with happenings. You want to carry on reading. I love the way he splits this work into chapters and at the beginning of each one gives a brief summary of what you will find therein. It encouraged me on several occasions to read just one chapter more…avid book fans know exactly what that means!

I found it very hard to put this book down. It is compelling. It's all about the under dog and I, like many Britons, love an under dog. Pratchett's big villain of the piece is a big company that gets what it wants by cheating, lying and killing those who get in it's way. At times his humour becomes satirical, and everything written has political under and overtones, which are not difficult to miss.

He pokes fun at modern day life using the dark -age like Discworld. I especially like his translation of E-mail on the Disc, the Clacks are massive semaphore towers that send messages the world over. He even has people that are addicted to making the clacks work, just like the computer geeks we all know and love. I believe no other author is as adept at doing this as Pratchett himself.

There are pretenders to the throne, but the authors I think of keep there feet in the real world, Robert Rankin and Tom Holt, for example. Piers Anthony is the only other author I can think of who comes close to Pratchett in translating real world issues into fantasy world farce.

If you love Pratchett, the post office or you are just a fan of the under dog, then read this book, you'll love it. Paperback copies start at 50p on eBay(remember that posting and packaging will bump up the price a bit) and £3.99 at Amazon.co.uk. It's not a lot for a really, really good read.

Summary: Terry Pratchett's book about the Discworld Post Office.