Books : Making Money (Discworld)

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by: Terry Pratchett

: Making Money (Discworld)

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780061161643
ISBN: 0061161640
Label: Harper
Manufacturer: Harper
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: September 18, 2007
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: September 18, 2007
Sales Rank: 194003
Studio: Harper



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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. . . .





Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Pratchett RULES!
But you know that. If you've read any Diskworld novels, you're familiar with the insane cast of characters, the wonderful convoluted plots, the comedic pace of six or seven quotables a page* (when other funny writers are lucky to get one every page or two at best), and the meticulously crafted backstory that chugs along with its own peculiar but consistent causality.

The lovely thing about Diskworld novels is that you don't need to read them in order, to Get It. You can read them in any order you want, and they'll make sense. Making Money features one of my favorite characters, Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, making the most sinister, terrifying threat that this colossal tyrant has ever done. He really went over the top with it this time. (Snarf). Yep. His scariest threat yet.

*And the footnotes. Don't forget the footnotes. Those are some of the best quotables!

I started building up my savings by a personal promise to get a Pratchett book any month that I've made my savings goal... and last month when I got Making Money, that was so worth it that I'm doing it again this month. Terry Pratchett is good for my budget and good for my soul.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - "You get a wonderful view from the point of no return."
Mr. Lipwig did so well with that last dirty thankless job, repairing the moribund mail system, that Lord Vetinari has another for him: repairing the moribund banking system. When he interviews with the soon-to-be-late head of the bank, Mrs. Lavish, she declares him a thief, trickster, bunco artist, and liar. The perceptive old lady understands that these traits qualify him perfectly to create an economy from essentially nothing - which is what generations of self-serving bank directors have left in the coffers.

It all rolls forward from there. In the usual Pratchettic logic, engaging an Assassin's guild contract on someone turns out to be a great kindness, a dog finds a remarkable chew-toy, and the bank takes on the best forger around. The reasoning for that last seems to be that, if he's the best, then none of the others will be able to forge his banknotes.

This book's energy comes from Lipwig thinking mostly with his adrenal glands and Vetinari thinking with everyone else's - plenty to ensure lots of engaging action with lopsided logic.

-- wiredweird


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Very Entertaining!
Terry Pratchett is absolutely fabulous, and "Making Money" is an excellent follow-up to Moist Von Lipwig's adventures. A must read for any Pratchett fan.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Good potential & still worth reading, but not his best (3 1/2 stars)
Terry Pratchett has slowly but surely been bringing Discworld in general and Ankh-Morpork in particular up to the "real" world (or at least a Victorian equivalent) and in Making Money takes on one of the few remaining barriers: the economic system. Since most cynics will agree that money-driven economy is a scam, who better to do this than one of Discworld's premier con artists, Moist Von Lipwig (previously seen in the excellent 'Going Postal')?

Alas, something doesn't quite click in this book, which may make it a disappointment to hardcore Pratchett fans: the ending is especially contrived, and rather than Moist using one of his ingenious schemes to get uot of the conundrum he's in, the book pulls a loose deux ex machina.

As usual, there's lots of sarcastic social commentary, and some wry dialogue and narrative snarking -- we expect no less from Pratchett. Probably my favorite aspect of this was one of the villains. My favorite character in the series is Lord Vetinari, and the villain of this is blatantly (and literally) a Vetinari "wanna-be" so it was fun to see someone trying to emulate my hero so BADLY.

Others might not be as forgiving as I am with this, and there's every chance that they will be disappointed if they go into this expecting the 5-star quality of many of his other, better works. Keep your expectations reasonable, though, and it's worth reading once.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Chuckle double effect!
Making Money is a Discworld novel and features the Man in the Golden Suit, Ankh-Morpork's Postmaster Moist von Lipwig.

Moist is bored. He misses his old, more adventurous life, back when he was Albert Spangler the con artist. So when he's not running the Post Office, he likes climbing to its roof at night, and has already picked all its locks.

But when Mrs Topsy Lavish, chairwoman and owner of 50% of the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork, but owner also of Mr. Fusspot the dog who owns 1%, dies and leaves her shares to her dog and bequeaths Mr. Fusspot to Moist... he has no choice but try and make it work again.

It starts with the Mint, which actually runs at a loss. Since making coins costs too much and people are already using stamps as currency, Moist devises the first bank notes, which soon have the same success as his stamps.

In the meantime, Cosmo Lavish tries to take Vetinari's identity and Moist's girlfriend Adora Belle Dearheart uncovers ancient golems buried in the desert. And all the while the Glooper gloops.

I really like the character of Moist von Lipwig and was glad to read about him again. The book is of course filled with references that make you chuckle twice: when you get them, and when you find yourself clever because to got them... it's the Discworld double effect!

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