Going Postal

I love Terry Pratchetts books, all of them but part of the fun is the absurd footnotes that run through the book. Unfortunately, the Kindle version doesn’t permit access to the footnotes in Going Postal. I know it can be done because the Kindle version of Guards Guards allows you to read the footnotes as you go. Going Postal is a great book in the hard copy. Whoever was responsible for putting out this edition should be ashamed of themselves for presenting this as the full work by Terry Pratchett!

One of Pratchett’s best Discworld books, imho! Moist von Lipwig, aka Albert Spangler, has been snatched from the jaws of death at the gallows and given one last chance: reopen the post office, or face certain death. It has been out of business for years, and the last 4 postmasters before him have died under suspicious circumstances. His parole officer, a golem named Pump 19, is relentless in forcing him to do his duty. Another snag is the evil new owner of the Clacks, Reacher Gilt, who is determined to see that Moist becomes Dead Postmaster #5. Along the way, Moist has to reckon with his past. The ripple effects of what he thought were “victimless cons” extended far from the center, including to Adora Belle Dearheart, the woman he loved. Her pursued her despite the fact that she usually met him with a crossbow aimed at his head. When he discovered that his fake bond scheme had been the ruin of the Dearheart family and caused Adora’s father’s suicide, he began to feel like he deserved that crossbow arrow.

Does Moist succeed in resurrecting the post office? Does Adora fall for him? Does Reacher Gilt get his comeuppance? I won’t spoil it for you, but this is Discworld, so you can pretty well guess. Finding out how it happens is the fun part.

If you’re not familiar with Discworld, you should know that the overall series can be broken down into different sub-series (e.g. Witches, Guards, DEATH…). Going Postal is the first Moist Von Lipwig book, sometimes considered part of the industrial revolution series. Meaning? You can absolutely read this as your first Discworld book, where the only drawback is that a couple of the supporting characters started off in different sub-series. (Personally, I’d probably recommend Guards, Guards as your first book instead.)

Discworld is a humorous fantasy setting and is so good that it was the 2nd best selling book series in the U.K., after Harry Potter. (The author has since passed away.) Many of the books are set in the city (or twin cities, now combined) of Ankh-Morpork.

(warning: spoilers for first couple chapters)
Moist is a con man who is caught and pressed into service to re-open Ankh-Morpork’s postal service. Well, after he’s failed to escape prison, and was sent to the gallows to be publicly executed, that is. If I tell much more about the story, I’d be revealing serious spoilers, so I won’t do so.

This is one of the best books in the later Discworld books, and Moist is one of the better characters. Great supporting cast, and the Moist books really help the city advance as a civilization.

Pratchett never fails to amaze me with the breadth of his ability to create characters that live and breathe in their own way. After falling in love with the paradoxically humane and ethical character of Death, I immediately moved onto the street-smart, doggedly decent Sam Vimes of the City Watch, and was hooked. The hero of this book, Moist Von Lipwig, adds a brilliant and charming rogue to the cast, with the same depth of personality and fine touch for compassionate humanity that Pratchett delivers in all of his work. You can read this book on its own and be well satisfied, but reading the other Discworld books reveals a depth to the background that will reward you when you see that cameos of other characters – cigar-chomping Commander Vimes; the more or less benevolent tyrant of Ankh-Morpork, Havelock Vetinari; Angua Von Uberwald, the city watch’s first female (and werewolf) constable, and all the rest,

If I were to suggest the first book for someone dipping their toe into the Discworld, I would be hard pressed to find a better choice than Going Postal. Humor, drama, thrills, and insight – it’s the whole package.

Moist von Lipwig, that is. Pratchett brings another cast of misfits, weirdos, con men and several golems to life in this Discworld book. Lipwig is given the choice between dying and resurrecting the Ankh-Morpork post office. He chooses, for obvious reasons, to become Postmaster, hoping to be able to escape at some point. Not with a golem as a parole officer. So Lipwig puts his clever mind to work on the Post Office. There’s so much to do! But he manages to not only bring the Post Office back but to make it better than ever. Even with the clacks as competitor.

Pratchett has never not delivered on a Discworld premise. This book is one of my favorites. It’s not easily classified in the Discworld sub-genres, however, as the Watch and Wizards both appear. Lipwig is a new character who reappears a few more times. As his introduction, “Going Postal” fires on all cylinders. Highly recommended.

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