Making Money (Discworld Novels) (original 2007; edition 2008)

To much story and not enough jokes. ( )

I love Stephen Briggs. So good. ( )

Moist von Lipwig has been running the Post office, and has turned it round such that it is running smoothly - and as a result he's bored. He shortly after this becomes un-bored when he inherits a dog called Mr Fusspot, who, it just so happens, has been bequeathed 51% of the Bank and it's associated mint.



Moist has an interesting time changing the manner of banking for the majority of the people from a sock under the matress to an actual bank. This meets with opposition from several sources - there's the Lavish family, who have owned the bank, and now own less than half of it - there's Mr Bent, the chief Clerk, who has a dark secret and doesn't "do" humour, or fun or words, or any of the things that Moist excels at - and there's the issues with the gold standard and weaning people off gold coins and onto notes. Unfortunately the person he wants to design his money is currently in jail, about to be hanged, after Moist testified against him for forging stamps. It all gets very complicated, not helped by the arrival of a fair number of Golems and Adora Belle Dearheart. ( )

Equally as delightful as Going Postal. Moist never fails to amuse, monetary policy is inherently farcical, and the bit characters are as good as ever. And there's a puppy! ( )

I really enjoy Stephen Briggs narration and of course love Terry Pratchett, so put em together and its all happy. This particular outing has a small dog of great importance, several insane bankers, "wind up items of an intimate nature," a golem who has read too many womens magazines, and many more delights. ( )

Moist van Lipwig is back. If you have not read Going Postal then you may not know him, so I suggest you start with Going Postal to get to know Moist, but even if you do not, this book is quite fun.

Banking in Ankh-Morpork is in a pitiful state. Heavily antiquated and outdated, accessible only to old money. When the chairwoman embraces the inevitability of her existence, she appoints Moist as her replacement, and it falls upon Moist to work his magic again. But should you really trust a notorious (ex) conman with your money, let alone your bank? ( )

Hilarious. Clever. Unusual. Did I mention hilarious? 'Making Money' is the sequel to 'Going Postal' and is an excellent read that you wont be able to put down. I know I couldn't! ( )

The Post Office is running at peak efficiency, he ( )

Not one of my favorites, but then Moist doesn't appeal to me much. The story on the whole seemed a bit mechanical, and parts of the resolution were unsatisfying. I don't think I'll reread this one, but it was a reasonable distraction at the time. ( )

A real cracker... especially if you've ever worked in marketing. ( )

In an attempt to make a dent in the to-read pile (which is gaining terrifying proportions) while Mike is reading the most recent Pratchett I've gone back a few in order to catch up on the ones which (almost embarrassingly) I haven't actually read yet.

I enjoyed this one, although it did feel perhaps too much like a straight *sequel* to Going Postal, and very much on the same lines in places. The chapters, and in particular the brief chapter summaries at the top of each, worked rather well. I'm looking forward to catching up with the rest too. ( )

Making Money is the 36th novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, and the 2nd book featuring Moist von Lipwig as the protogonist. In this novel, the Patrician tasks Lipwig with reforming the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpokh and increasing its customer base. Beautifully crafted with loads of humor, the story does tend to drag a bit at places. Overall, a great book to read. ( )

I've enjoyed it immensly. Not only because of the fact that it was a very good and entertaining story, the story has a firm basis in reality. The 'making' of paper money in our real world didn't go very smoothly either, because people didn't trust the fact that it wasn't real gold, silver, copper or any other kind of precious metal.The figure of Moist in intriuging. He is supposed to be very plain and inconspicuous, with a flambuoyant character that has lots to say and always finds people to listen, ready to laugh. I adored Gladys the she-golem, who really couldn't be a she-golem because there are no he- or she-golems, there are just golems. She seemed so cute, taking everything she had read almost literally. And last but not least Mr Fusspot, our little chairman, has forever taken a place in my heart. (Or I'd better say, the image of him bobbing around with the 'unnamed' toy of his former owner in his mouth vibrating, is burned into my retina!) ( )

usual rousing parody of things earthly

I can always tell when I really like a book, because as soon as I finish it, I re-read the ending. Sure enough, Terry Prachett has done it again. His mix of satire and slapstick really hits a nerve on my funny bone, and I laughed out loud several times while reading Making Money.

As usual, the book is not just some fantasy set in a fantasy world, but rather a sharp satirical look at economics, economic modeling, and monetary theory. Prachett's fraudster-turned-reluctant troubleshooter, Moist Van Lipwig, is once again at the center of the novel, but more and more I think that the true star of the series is the redoubtable Lord Vetinari.

I'm happy to add this book to my collection. Someday, I will re-read the entire series from start to finish. ( )

Another Discworld offering - perfect antidote for the stresses of daily life. Moist von Lipwig, Postmaster General, has got the postal system up and running, and is getting a bit bored. Lord Vetinari has just the right job for him: running the Royal Mint and the Ankh-Morpork Bank. Moist would rather refuse, but when Vetinari has set his mind on something...
Not Pratchett's best book ever, but still more than good enough for me. Glad to say there is no sign of Alzheimer here. ( )

My initial fears that the story in Making Money might be too similar to Going Postal were completely unfounded. A very enjoyable second outing for the character of Moist von Lipwig. ( )

My initial fears that the story in Making Money might be too similar to Going Postal were completely unfounded. A very enjoyable second outing for the character of Moist von Lipwig. ( )

This made me laugh, a lot. The Hero, the delightfully name Moist Lipwig, is the Ferris Bueller of his day, escaping hanging to become postmaster and then, much against his will, master of the ill-fate bank of Ankh-Morpork. There are delighfully vicious Vetinari bits, too.

Moist Von Lipwig, Ankh Morpork's Postmaster General, is tasked by Lord V to take over the Royal Mint. Stand by for chaos, humor, golems, crafty planning, Igors, and unveiled secrets...Very enjoyable entry! ( )

In many ways Making Money is more about Vetinari than about Moist. Who is this man who can exercise such effective control over a vast city like Ankh-Morpork, and how does he do it? ... http://icantstopreading.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/making-money-by-terry-pratchett...

The first time I read Making Money, I wasn't super thrilled with it (especially compared to Going Postal, which I personally feel is one of Mr. Pratchett's best books). This second time around, though, it grew on me. I really liked the new characters - Cosmo, Mr. Fusspot, and the regrettably short-lived Topsy. There isn't quite as much pizazz as Going Postal, but Moist is just such a great character and all of his adventures are an absolute pleasure to read. ( )

In the very entertaining previous Discworld novel, Going Postal, Moist Von Lipwig was strong-armed to take on the the Ankh Morpork postal service, and the ingenuity he used to employ as a con-artist allowed him to turn this senile, shrivelled bureaucratic edifice into a slick, dynamic, unbelievably successful empire. Now the job is largely done, though, and Lipwig is literally climbing up the walls in boredom. So Vetinari strong-arms him into the main Ankh Morpork bank, to turn this powerhouse of government around as well. I was hoping and expecting that the plot would follow a similar arc of Lipwig innovating within a tense, dangerous environment and again turning an administration on its knees into one that was standing proud. There are indeed flashes of this, but instead the plot mainly revolves around the clashes between Lipwig and the mad, hideous family that owns the bank.

This was another very strong bow in the quiver of discworld novels, with the usual combination of wonderful wit, colourful characters, funny, semi-satirical plots, and an a style that seems to strengthen with each novel. It was so entertaining as usual, but perhaps because I'm close to catching up with all the novels, and know that there won't be many more with Pratchett's Alzheimer's, I was wishing unusually that the novel would go on for longer, and particularly that the plot surrounding Lipwig's revolutionising of the bank was expanded far more. ( )

This follows on nicely from Going Postal. Moist von Lipwig returns with a new challenge. He has been getting bored running the post office as things are running very smoothly. He has even taking to breaking in when darkness falls! Vertinari gives Moist the chance to work running the bank. He has to defer to a dog though when the former owner dies and the dog has the majority shares. The problem is the members of the great banking family the Lavishes all want to be in charge and Moist is definitely in their way.

Meanwhile Adore Belle Dearheart is off looking for the fabled golden golems and things take a very interesting turn when the results of her diggings arrive in Ankh Morpork. The usual side characters make small cameo’s like Angua, Carrot, CMOT Dibbler and DEATH. It is mostly led by new characters though apart from the wonderful Vetinari who I still think deserves his own novel.

This was lots of fun and sees Pratchett on fine form. I like Moist and Adora as characters and it was good to see someone else besides me want to emulate Vetinari! I loved how Cosmo’s story wrapped up and it will be fun to see which characters are in the next Discworld book. Plus the new Tiffany Aching novel is out soon. I wonder if this will be the next one to be made into a television adaptation. ( )

Spoilers for Making Money

I love Terry Pratchett. Love, love, love him. He's funny, which in my book is one of the most important qualities an author can have. He's warm and he's smart, which makes his humour smart and his books smart as well. Prior to reading Making Money, I'd read Mort and Reaper Man. Then I stopped, I was attracted to other shiny books but I already knew Pratchett and I were in for the long run. You don't forget such impeccable writing - it's like coming home.

So Making Money isn't about Death (though Death has a cameo), it's about Moist, who's much more down to earth. Moist is a thief who was hanged, well, almost hanged and who almost died. He was hanged but he survived and so people think he must be special and must have something to accomplish. Destiny, signs and all that jazz. He's made Postmaster General, that is he's put in charge of the Post Office (I don't know but I'm guessing all this happens in Going Postal, which I have yet to read, one of the many good things about Terry's books is that you can pick them up in any order, you'll miss some jokes but you'll laugh all the same). And then when this is not enough, he's put in charge of the Bank. Hence, Making Money.
The Bank is owned by an unforgettable woman, Mrs Lavish, who then proceeds to die. She leaves her share of the bank (51%) to a dog called Mr Fusspot. Moist must then manage the bank with Mr Fusspot while fighting the influence of every Lavish who wants their share of the bank. Moist is also still a thief at heart and can't help taking advantage of his new position (so yes, destiny my foot). There's also something going on with Golems, which I thought provided with an interesting parallel regarding racism in our world (it's not just me, look at that sentence: 'This march was against the employment of golems, who uncomplainingly did the dirtiest jobs, worked around the clock, and were so honest they paid their taxes. But they weren't human and they had glowing eyes, and people could get touchy about that sort of thing.')

The cast of characters is colourful and fully developed and the humour is flawless and effortless. What I like most about Pratchett is that he delivers extremely funny lines while making incredibly spot-on comments on the nature of humanity and on society. It's this clever blend of wit and wisdom (and wisdom through wit) that I adore and the reason why I keep coming back to Pratchett. He gets it. Making Money is an incredibly entertaining read and if you read it carefully, it's an incredibly thought-provoking read.
Terry tackles everything from the making of a society and what money is worth (very very interesting philosophical concepts here when Moist introduces paper money and keeps being quizzed about its value as compared to gold) to how institutions are made are thrive (Apparently, to get a job in the Mint, you had to wait until someone died; it was a case of Dead Man's Sheds. Illuminating the bright side, however, was the fact that when your prospective vacancy became available you got the job even if you were only slightly less dead than the previous incumbent. BUT ALSO the following genius quote: When he got back to the Post Office, Moist looked up the Lavish family in Whom's Whom. They were indeed what was known as 'old money', which meant that it had been made so long ago that the black deeds which had originally filled the coffers were now historically irrelevant. Funny, that: a brigand for a father was something you kept quiet about, but a slave-taking pirate for a great-great-great-grandfather was something to boast of over the port. Time turned the evil bastards into rogues, and rogue was a word with a twinkle in its eye and nothing to be ashamed of.)

I love, love, love Pratchett. And I loved, loved, loved Making Money. Have you read it? If you've reviewed it on your journal I'd love to read your thoughts and I'll link to them here so don't hesitate to drop me a comment. If you have yet to discover it, I envy you for you're in for a treat. ( )