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Loading... Making Moneyby Terry Pratchett
LibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. RobertDay | Jul 1, 2009 |  1   Real genius. A sarcastic parody on banking. (  )omf | Jun 14, 2009 | This is Pratchett's second outing with the character Moist von Lipwig, and it's not as entertaining as the first one, but still good. Surprisingly good, considering that the basic premise is more or less the same. Some of the things that were new and refreshing in Going Postal aren't new any more, and Making Money does occasionally feel as if it is covering the same ground over again. But for the most part I found it engaging and funny, with the occasional very well-placed barb and the occasional joke that fell flat. I'd say that without any major curveballs, Pratchett could probably squeeze one more decently readable book out of this cast of characters before I lose interest. But then, he makes his living being unpredictable, so who am I to make predictions? Not the best of the Discworld books, but fun and definitely worth reading - after you've read Going Postal. (  )Zathras86 | Jun 13, 2009 | Making Money is the latest of the "industry" or "government" books in Terry Pratchett's Discworld collection, and is a delightful look at the financial institutions that develop in prosperous communities. Following the themes and ideas established in Going Postal, Making Money once again introduces the lovable conman Moist von Lipwig, and he once again finds himself at the mercy of Vetinari's agendas and - most importantly - his own desires to pursue dangerous vocations. And it is truly amazing how exciting a bank can be. Like always, Pratchett's satire is both brilliant and captivating, and his sense of style is unparalleled in modern fiction. ( )Luxx | May 31, 2009 | Now here is something that is unusual. I read this book in April 2009, a little over six months since the banking system almost went in to meltdown, and, weirdly for a Terry Pratchett book, this actually felt almost topical! Not that the world of Discworld's banks need bailing out to the tune of billions of dollars, but being about banking, and trying to make it something that could benefit everyone, not just the already obscenely rich. The story is a sequel to 'Going Postal', an earlier entry in the Discworld canon. This time the central character 'Moist Von Lipwig' has been asked to take over the running of the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork. The reason is that Vetinari, the tyrannical ruler is intent on expanding the city and he needs a banking system that makes that possible. I'm strongly of the opinion that Terry Pratchett's writing has almost continuously improved as the Discworld series has gone on. His ideas, plotting and execution have improved during the time he has been regailing us with his tales. 'Making Money' does nothing to buck that trend in my mind. It is an enjoyable romp full of deft, humourous touches. If you're a fan then I think you'll love it. If you're not and you sneer at fantasy, then this won't be enough to convert you. ( )fieldri1 | May 13, 2009 | 0.093 seconds to build listing
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0061161640, Hardcover)The Ankh-Morpork Post Office is running like . . . well, not at all like a government office. The mail is delivered promptly; meetings start and end on time; five out of six letters relegated to the Blind Letter Office ultimately wend their way to the correct addresses. Postmaster General Moist von Lipwig, former arch-swindler and confidence man, has exceeded all expectations—including his own. So it's somewhat disconcerting when Lord Vetinari summons Moist to the palace and asks, "Tell me, Mr. Lipwig, would you like to make some real money?" Vetinari isn't talking about wages, of course. He's referring, rather, to the Royal Mint of Ankh-Morpork, a venerable institution that haas run for centuries on the hereditary employment of the Men of the Sheds and their loyal outworkers, who do make money in their spare time. Unfortunately, it costs more than a penny to make a penny, so the whole process seems somewhat counterintuitive. Next door, at the Royal Bank, the Glooper, an "analogy machine," has scientifically established that one never has quite as much money at the end of the week as one thinks one should, and the bank's chairman, one elderly Topsy (née Turvy) Lavish, keeps two loaded crossbows at her desk. Oh, and the chief clerk is probably a vampire. But before Moist has time to fully consider Vetinari's question, fate answers it for him. Now he's not only making money, but enemies too; he's got to spring a prisoner from jail, break into his own bank vault, stop the new manager from licking his face, and, above all, find out where all the gold has gone—otherwise, his life in banking, while very exciting, is going to be really, really short. . . . (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:55 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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There are added bonuses. Tha Lavish family are obviously based on the Medicis, though the epilogue with mad Cosmo in the Vetinari ward is as chilling in its own way as the closing pages of Orwell's '1984'. The Igors are revealed as the hidden force behind a likely future industrial and technological revolution in the Discworld. And perhaps one of the oddest things in the book, the Glooper, is completely true. A British economist, in the 1970s and 1980s, built a hydraulic model of the British economy which dealt with 'cashflow' literally. Truth can be stranger than fiction.
If there is a weakness, it is the removal of Cribbins. His comeuppance is too much of a deus ex machina and looks as if it was pitched in at the end to tie up a loose end. I was also a bit unsure about the Mr Bent subplot, but seeing as I read it just after seeing the League of Gentlemen's latest television offering, 'Psychoville', which features a psychotic clown with a disability (his act is called 'The Hundred Hands of Mr Jelly'), I was quite satisfied at the outcome, especially the Guild of Fools. (