Going Postal

Going Postal (2004) Terry Pratchett

Going Postal is the next Discworld book in line, and like Monstrous Regiment, the primary characters are new ones. Although other characters continue to make an appearence, and Lord Vetinari plays an important part in the story, like Monstrous Regiment, Going Postal requires no previous knowledge of Discworld, which makes it a good entrance if you’ve never read a Discworld book.

Moist von Lipwig’s past has finally caught up with him, and now that he’s been hung, he finds the afterlife quite unexpected–specifically, it’s the before life, and he’s now expected to run the Ankh-Morpork Post office, which hasn’t functioned in decades. To keep Moist from skipping town, Mr Pump, a golem, has been assigned to make sure that he sticks around to complete the job.

What he didn’t expect was that the post office–full to the brim of undelivered letters–would have a life of it’s own.

As with all Terry Pratchett books, Going Postal is part fantasy, part social commentary, and all comedy. Because the underliying theme–financial misconduct–is less dark than that of Monstrous Regiment (war), the story is somewhat lighter, and the comedy is a little easier, i.e. it’s not quite as black. Because Moist as a huckster and charlatan is by definition a likable character, it is relatively easy to deal with his past and the fact that he has done many pretty awful things. He also become more likable when he gets sucked into the idea of the post office, and excited about getting it to work. It’s a challenge, and it’s just the kind of challenge he needed.

However, I have to say that I think my favorite part is how Vetinari fills the ranks of the Civil Service. It’s very a Lord Vetinari thing to do.

The only down side is that this is the second novel in a row with nary an “ook” and really, we need more about the Librarian.

If you are a Discworld fan, then you’ve probably already read Going Postal. If you’ve never read a Discworld book, then this works as a perfect introduction to the series. Many regular characters are here, but you aren’t expected to know anything about them, and you’re introduced to Ankh-Morpork, which is really the heart of Discworld, despite what the other cities say.
Rating: 8/10

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