Going Postal
The hilarious novel from the fantastically funny Terry Pratchett
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4.6 • 47 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Discover the gloriously inventive and funny fantasy novel from bestselling author Terry Pratchett, the first book in the Industrial Revolution series, part of the Discworld novels.
'One of the best expressions of his unstoppable flow of comic invention' The Times
‘If you only read one Terry Pratchett book, read this one. You WILL be hooked’ 5-star reader review
'Always push your luck because no one else would push it for you.'
Imprisoned in Ankh-Morpork, con artist Moist von Lipwig is offered a choice: to be executed or to accept a job as the city's Postmaster General.
It's a tough decision, but he's already survived one hanging and isn't in the mood to try it again.
The Post Office is down on its luck: beset by mountains of undelivered mail, eccentric employees, and a dangerous secret order. To save his skin, Moist will need to restore the postal service to its former glory, with the help of tough talking activist Adora Belle Dearheart. Who happens to be very attractive, in an 'entire womanful of anger' kind of way.
But there's new technology to compete against and an evil chairman who will stop at nothing to delay Ankh-Morpork's post for good . . .
Going Postal is the first book in the Industrial Revolution series, but you can read the Discworld novels in any order.
Praise for the Discworld series:
'[Pratchett’s] spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on Sunday
‘Pratchett is a master storyteller’ Guardian
'One of our greatest fantasists, and beyond a doubt the funniest' George R.R. Martin
'One of those rare writers who appeals to everyone’ Daily Express
‘One of the most consistently funny writers around’ Ben Aaronovitch
‘Masterful and brilliant’ Fantasy & Science Fiction
‘Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own… he is a satirist of enormous talent ... incredibly funny ... compulsively readable' The Times
‘The best humorous English author since P.G. Wodehouse' The Sunday Telegraph
‘Nothing short of magical’ Chicago Tribune
'Consistently funny, consistently clever and consistently surprising in its twists and turns' SFX
‘[Discworld is] compulsively readable, fantastically inventive, surprisingly serious exploration in story form of just about any aspect of our world…There's never been anything quite like it’ Evening Standard
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
British fantasist Pratchett's latest special-delivery delight, set in his wonderfully crazed city of Ankh-Morpork, hilariously reflects the plight of post offices the world over as they struggle to compete in an era when e-mail has stolen much of the glamour from the postal trade. Soon after Moist von Lipwig (aka Alfred Spangler), Pratchett's not-quite-hapless, accidental hero, barely avoids hanging, Lord Havelock Vetinari, the despotic but pretty cool ruler of Ankh-Morpork, makes him a job offer he can't refuse postmaster general of the Ankh-Morpork Post Office. The post office hasn't been open for 20 years since the advent of the Internet-like clacks communication system. Moist's first impulse is to try to escape, but Mr. Pump, his golem parole officer, quickly catches him. Moist must then deal with the musty mounds of undelivered mail that fill every room of the decaying Post Office building maintained by ancient and smelly Junior Postman Groat and his callow assistant, Apprentice Postman Stanley. The place is also haunted by dead postmen and guarded by Mr. Tiddles, a crafty cat. Readers will cheer Moist on as he eventually finds himself in a race with the dysfunctional clacks system to see whose message can be delivered first. Thanks to the timely subject matter and Pratchett's effervescent wit, this 29th Discworld novel (after 2003's Monstrous Regiment) may capture more of the American audience he deserves.
Customer Reviews
Out of This World
All Terry Pratchett's DiscWorld books enfold you in sheer joy; every page has you smiling, every character reminds you of someone you know. Pratchett's subtle wit is pure delight. As soon as you finish one of his books you reach out frantically for another. I read them again and again, inevitably finding a new source of wonder each time.
Going Postal is one of my personal favourites, together with its sequel, Making Money. I read both before the film of Going Postal hit the big screens. The movie is great, especially with the cameo appearance in the final scene of Sir Terry himself, who evidently helped keep the filmmakers on track.
Nonetheless, the book is even better than the film. Aren't they always? In Going Postal the words come alive. Literally. You dive deeper into the story, revelling in the famous Pratchett footnotes and you emerge after reading it with a huge grin of wonder on your face, wanting more, regretting the canon is now complete.