Making Money (Discworld Novels)

I really enjoyed this book and finished it within a couple of days because I couldn't put it down. The plot is ingenious if farcical, and has uncomfrtable resonances with what's been happening in the real world economy. There were a couple of duff jokes but this was in general the sort of romp we've come to love from TP.

Tell me that was just an old rubber bone... (0/0 people found this helpful)

Terry Pratchett's first novel, "The Carpet People", appeared in 1971. "Making Money" is the thirty-sixth book in his hugely popular Discworld series and was first published in 2007. It's also the second book, after "Going Postal", to feature Moist van Lipwig.

Moist was once a very gifted con-artist and, understandably, had a number of aliases. Unfortunately, one of his aliases - Albert Spangler - got caught and was sent to the gallows. Luckily, and deliberately, he was only hung to within an inch of his life and came round in Lord Vetinari's office. Vetinari, Ankh-Morpork's Patrician, is incredibly resourceful and fantastically well-informed...and, as a graduate of the Guild of Assassins, not somebody you want to make an enemy of. He knew Moist's real name, his profession and had identified Moist as a fraudster by vocation, a habitual liar and totally untrustworthy. As such, Vetinari knew that Moist was ideally suited for a job in government and offered him the position of Postmaster General. Things have since gone amazingly well : the post office is running smoothly, it no longer has any serious rivals, stamp collecting is hugely popular and Moist is tipped for the top post at the Merchants' Guild. However, there is one small problem...with things running so well, Moist is getting bored. (Old habits die hard : despite the fact he has all the keys, Moist enjoys trying to break into the post office after dark to keep himself entertained. He'd even felt treacherous for testifying against Owlswick Jenkins, a hugely talented forger who'd been making his own stamps. Moist is devastated that Jenkins is now on death row).

Vetinari has obviously spotted Moist twitching, and comes up with a solution : he offers Moist a new position, as Master of the Royal Mint. Moist, claiming that he's happy at the Post Office, initially turns it down - though Vetinari knows that it'll only take a little prodding to make him change his mind. Moist eventually buckles, and agrees to take a look around - though promises nothing. It's Mrs "Topsy" Lavish, the bank's Chairman, who plays the biggest role in persuading Moist to join the financial sector. She also has Moist pegged as a con-artist straight away - which doesn't bother her in the slightest, as she views him as something of a kindred spirit. Topsy's late husband had been the bank's chairman before his death, and had left her 50% of the bank's shares when he died. (He'd also left the bank in a precarious position, financially). Since her dog, Mr Fusspot, had been left a further 1%, she was in total control of the bank. Neither of her stepchildren, Cosmo and Pucci, are even remotely pleased about this and Mrs Lavish suspects they're both trying to have her "permanently removed". It's possible she is just a paranoid old woman, and it may be just a coincidence that she dies shortly after meeting Moist, but there's no doubt that the Vetinari-obsessed Cosmo and the egotistical Pucci are the book's main villains. Unfortunately for Moist, they soon have him in their sights. Topsy changed her will shortly before she died : she left Mr Fusspot her share of the bank...and then left Mr Fusspot to Moist. On other words, whether he likes it or not, Moist is now a banker.

There is a fairly large supporting cast - Moist's girlfriend, Adora Belle Dearheart, also returns. She's still working with the Golem Trust, though spends the early part of the book running a mining operation close to Chimeria. Nobody's too sure what she's up to, least of all the dwarves who own the land she's working on...but it presumably has something to do with golems. In her absence, the closest thing to female company Moist has is Gladys. Unfortunately, she happens a 7ft golem. (Gladys is a little unusual...golems have no actual 'bits' carved, and had always defaulted to 'male'. However, Gladys had started wearing dresses when objections were raised to a 'male' Golem cleaning the ladies' privvy and she now quotes religiously from various ladies' magazines). Mr Bent, the bank's Chief Cashier, is possibly even more off-putting. He is devoted to gold, particularly the 10 tonnes that rest in the bank's vaults, and his powers of mental arithmetic are absolutely amazing. However, he is somewhat lacking in the charm department and there is something worryingly vampire-esque about him. Then there's Hubert and his Igor, a pair of scientists who live in the cellar with a Glooper. (The Glooper is, apparently, an accurate model of the city's economy).

Pratchett's books are always excellent - he's one of the few authors out there that can practically guarantee laughs. This one is no different, and he has set up a possible third book featuring Moist. However, I'd prefer to see him turn his attentions elsewhere in the short-term - another book about the City Guard or Death would be ideal. (While he "aten't dead yet", the short term is a little more important for Pratchett than it is for many others). Even so, much funnier than your average bear.

Value (0/0 people found this helpful)

I really like Moist von Lipwig as a character and thought that he'd be back after sorting out (sorry) the Post Office. I also enjoy the relationship between Vetinari and the individuals he uses/sees potential in. I wonder whether he recognises a potential successor in Moist? Does Ankh Morpork allow foreigners to be Patrician or is there a USA birth requirement? Anyway this book is topical and educational (in a Terry Pratchett way) even if there is no suggestion of Moist getting a multi million Ankh Morpork dollar bonus! Perhaps our former conman/thief is too honest to be a real banker. I don't want to give too much of the plot away but this book is an exceedingly good and easy to read. Where else can you find a femanist Golem called Gladys, salvation by false teeth and a water driven model of a city state economy?

Enjoyable but without spark (0/0 people found this helpful)

An enjoyable Discworld novel that doesn't quite have the spark they used to. Moist is an interesting returns for his second installment and makes an interesting lead character although to be honest I couldn't remember much of what had happened in Going Postal. There seemed to be a lot going on and I'm not sure I really followed all of it. Usually with Discworld books I find them very hard to put down, this one though I was happy to read in short installments on tubes and I think it suffered for that. I'd like to find time at some point to go back and re-read the last 1/2 dozen books as I think they'll be better in bulk.

Not the best (0/0 people found this helpful)

I find the Moist stories some of the worst in the discworld series. This one feels like a very rehashed copy of going postal without the great nemises that Gilt was in Postal. If your a dedicated fan of the series then you will like it if your new to the discworld I would recommencd either Guards Guards or Men at Arms to introduce to the twin cities of Glorious Ank and rotting Morkpork.

Making Money (Discworld Novels)

Terry Pratchett

Reader Reviews:

as entertaining and witty as ever (0/0 people found this helpful)

Tell me that was just an old rubber bone... (0/0 people found this helpful)

Value (0/0 people found this helpful)

Enjoyable but without spark (0/0 people found this helpful)

Not the best (0/0 people found this helpful)

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