A slight dip in Pratchett's performance. (Making Money - Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: Vixstar

Product:	Making Money - Terry Pratchett
Date:	05/07/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: New characters

Disadvantages: Secondary storyline

Making Money is the 31st book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, based on the fantastical and flat discworld with its varied people and highly developed locations and history.

Making Money follows the continuing adventures of Moist Von Lipwig who we were first introduced to in Going Postal. At the end of the 29th Pratchett book we left recently hanged, ex-conman Lipwig having successfully saved the Ankh Mopork postal service, reinvigorated a minor goddess and having found Spike the love of his life.

So it is little wonder that at the start of Going Postal that we find Lipwig feeling a little unchallenged - his fiancee is out of town doing something for the golem trust, and he has taken to breaking into the post office and extreme sneezing to get his kicks.

So when Vetinari, the ruler of Ankh Morpork, offers him the chance to run the Ankh Mint and the bank next door you'd have thought he'd jump at it - Lipwig doesn't as this is a slightly more extreme challenge than he wants. Unfortunately for Lipwig matters are taken out oh his hands when the bank's owner passes away and leaves him in charge of the bank's chairman. Maybe making money will be fun - as long as he can survive the attentions of the bank's shareholders, build a working relationship with his differently normal chief cashier, stop a long dead professor from stealing his girlfriend and remember to take the chairman for walkies.

This book has a lot of Discworld's known citizens making cameo appearances throughout it such as Sgt Angua, Commander Vimes, Mr Slant, Ponder Stibbons and the Times journalists. We also meet some new characters the best among them being Gladys the feminist golem - who I'd love to see more of.

I have got the full series of Discworld books and I automatically bought this one when it came out. I really like the character of Moist von Lipwig and enjoyed his adventures in going postal but felt that making money was a bit of a rehash of that story. Maybe my appreciation of the banking system is a bit limited but I did not notice Pratchett's usual plays on words and digs at the British system throughout this book. There was a secondary storyline running throughout the book regarding Spike's rescue of some ancient golems but I felt this was a bit muddled.

Having said all that I did enjoy this book and found some areas very funny. The new characters were well developed, even the bank's chairman. The last few chapters of the book although a little rushed tie up the loose ends and definitely leave me wanting another Lipwig adventure...although not following this formula.

For fans of Terry Pratchett this is a must read; for thos that are new to him I'd suggest starting with another Discworld book first.

Summary: Maybe not a classic Pratchett