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A review by readclever
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
4.0
This is the first Pratchett I've finished.
It was a quick purchase a local thrift store for .25 cents and well worth it. I appreciated the characters, especially the distinctions, and the circular finish by the end. The only part that didn't really appeal to me was the sometimes dry descriptions. A bit more show would have improved some of the information overloads about the clacks.
Really loved the Golems and their central focus, not just Mr. Pump. And the clear moral lines about 'owning' a person as property. Seems extremely relevant in today's society where many enslaved people help keep capitalism running. I liked Moist von Lipwig for the most part. His ingenuity and unexpected honesty gave him a real kind of balance. And the postal workers, Mr. Groat and Stanley, really kept the ruins running. Stanley's growth from boy to man definitely made the right points. And Mr. Groat completing a legacy's work offered a look at hope and the future of a new world.
I usually appreciate more women characters to round out. I would have liked at least one to offer a different perspective than Dearheart and Maccalariat's more severe natures. To see the other side of society, a counterpart like Moist. Felt like a spiraling tug would have finished out the mens' lessons on accountability (financial and moral) as the story went round and round. Reacher Gilt's guileless charm and cunning sabotages acted as a great foil to Lord Vetinari (not so much Moist as the story implied). The Patrician picked a great pawn in choosing Moist, though. Tyranny is not held with just violent tendencies but seeing the vulnerabilities of pawns.
Overall, I felt like morality reigned when least expecting it. A positive thing given the nature of the current world. Then again, philosophy and ideology were established early with clear hints of German prosaic philosophers in the names and theory. Pop culture review of what we (the readers) hold dear and why. I'd definitely read more Pratchett, and intend to. Just waiting for the right one to pop up at the shop.
It was a quick purchase a local thrift store for .25 cents and well worth it. I appreciated the characters, especially the distinctions, and the circular finish by the end. The only part that didn't really appeal to me was the sometimes dry descriptions. A bit more show would have improved some of the information overloads about the clacks.
Really loved the Golems and their central focus, not just Mr. Pump. And the clear moral lines about 'owning' a person as property. Seems extremely relevant in today's society where many enslaved people help keep capitalism running. I liked Moist von Lipwig for the most part. His ingenuity and unexpected honesty gave him a real kind of balance. And the postal workers, Mr. Groat and Stanley, really kept the ruins running. Stanley's growth from boy to man definitely made the right points. And Mr. Groat completing a legacy's work offered a look at hope and the future of a new world.
I usually appreciate more women characters to round out. I would have liked at least one to offer a different perspective than Dearheart and Maccalariat's more severe natures. To see the other side of society, a counterpart like Moist. Felt like a spiraling tug would have finished out the mens' lessons on accountability (financial and moral) as the story went round and round. Reacher Gilt's guileless charm and cunning sabotages acted as a great foil to Lord Vetinari (not so much Moist as the story implied). The Patrician picked a great pawn in choosing Moist, though. Tyranny is not held with just violent tendencies but seeing the vulnerabilities of pawns.
Overall, I felt like morality reigned when least expecting it. A positive thing given the nature of the current world. Then again, philosophy and ideology were established early with clear hints of German prosaic philosophers in the names and theory. Pop culture review of what we (the readers) hold dear and why. I'd definitely read more Pratchett, and intend to. Just waiting for the right one to pop up at the shop.