Making Money: A Novel of Discworld (Discworld, 36)

A few years back I wondered if Terry Pratchett's Discworld series might perhaps be running out of steam, whether the turtle might be slowing to a halt. But then came the excellent novel "Going Postal" and then the even more excellent "Thud!", not to mention the "Tiffany" youth novels. (Oops, wait a minute, I just mentioned them. No, no, you don't have to wait a minute to continue reading on. I was being literary, not literal.) And now comes "Making Money", another strong addition to the Discworld series. This one is pretty much a straight-on sequel to "Going Postal" which really should be read beforehand to fully appreciate the new novel. For that matter, a decent familiarity with Discworld and its inhabitants is also advisable before tackling the new book. (No, no, not wrestling it down to the ground ...) Otherwise, consider the following incident when Moist von Lipwig and his chain-smoking fiancee Spike visit a nonsmoking section of the library of Unseen University: "He felt the swish of the air and got a whiff of rain forest as something heavy swung overhead and disappeared upward into the gloom, now trailing a stream of blue smoke. "'Hey, someone took my ---' Adora Belle began, but Moist pushed her out of the way as the thing swung back again and a banana knocked his hat off. "'They are a bit more definite about things here,' he said, picking up his hat. 'If it's any comfort, the Librarian probably intended to hit me. He can be quite gallant.'" What would a reader make of that scene if he/she did not already know that the Librarian is a 300-pound orangutan? And it is even important for a reader to know something of the nature of golems, as from "Feet of Clay".The Discworld novels are conventionally grouped into various subseries, depending mostly on who are the central characters: the Witches books, the Wizard (or Rincewind) novels, the Death books, the City Watch books. And there are a number of other Discworld novels (such as "Moving Pictures" and "Small Gods") that do not fit those easy categories. It may be that "Making Money" and its predecessor "Going Postal", both of which feature former conman Moist von Lipwig (it could be argued that there is nothing "former" about it), are the start of yet another subseries, sort of an offshoot of the City Watch books (Sam Vimes and other Watch members make appearances but are not at the heart of the stories), but it might equally well be said that these two books and the earlier, pre-Moist "The Truth" and "The Monstrous Regiment" form another group -- tales of Ankh-Morpork which Pratchett uses to examine and satirize various social and cultural phenomenon such as journalism, the military, communications media, and -- now -- financial institutions and monetary theory (Moist von Lipwig is appointed Master of the Royal Mint and de facto chairman of the largest bank in the city).Fans of Lord Vetenari, a tyrant who makes Machiavelli seem like a marshmallow, will be happy to know that "Making Money" presents him front and center perhaps more than any earlier novel. Will there be more Moist von Lipwig books? I don't think I am giving away anything by saying that Pratchett leaves the door open (no, no, not the door that Lord Vetenari offered to Moist in "Going Postal") for the future and provides a hint as to what new position he might occupy in the Ankh-Morporkian city administration.

It seems, after reading Terry Pratchett's latest Discworld novel "Making Money", that money does make the world go `round, even if that world is flat and balanced on the backs of four elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle.In "Making Money", Terry Pratchett and his `hero' Moist von Lipwig do for and to the monetary system exactly what they did for and to the post office in "Going Postal". The result is the same - - - - a Buster Keaton-like romp through the strange and wonderful world of Discworld.It is impossible to detail the plot of this book without giving away spoilers so I think it best just to say that Lord Vetinari has determined that Ankh-Morpork's monetary system is in dire straits and in need of improvement. Vetinari picks, in his inimitable way, Moist von Lipwig to lead the way. In essence, Moist is set-up by Vetinari to become Ankh-Morpork's Alan Greenspan. Unlike Greenspan, however, Moist must deal with a cast of characters that have no idea as to what Moist is up to or trying to achieve. (Well, maybe that isn't so unlike Greenspan!)."Making Money" feature a cast of old but mostly new characters. As to established characters, Vetinari is featured and his is as delightfully Machiavellian as ever. There are cameo appearances by DEATH, the Watch, and CMOT Dibbler. However, new or newer characters play the largest roles. Moist's second appearance is terrific. Pratchett does a very nice job turning him into what I hope is a regular role. Moist's girlfriend the chain-smoking Adore Belle Dearheart makes her presence felt. Mr. Bent, the oh-so serious bank manager plays straight man to Moist's light-hearted con-man character. Bent is tied to the old ways - where money must be based on gold and nothing but gold. There is something very William Jennings Bryan-like about Bent and his straight-laced approach is the perfect foil for Moist's extraordinarily flexible approach to monetary issues. Moist's antagonists are the Lavish family, Cosmo Lavish and his rather large sister Pucci (of whom Pratchett says in a great line, "she had no idea how to handle people and she tried to make self-esteem do the work of self-respect, but the girl could flounce better than a fat turkey on a trampoline".) They make good foils for Moist and Vetinari.As always the plot has many twists and turns and one-liners fly almost as fast as the slings and arrows of the Assassins' Guild. Pratchett has a great way with humor and manages to combine that humor with a good deal of insight into how `things' work in the real world. His look at the monetary system in "Making Money" can now stand with Pratchett's look at rock music  Soul Music , religion  Small Gods , the post office  Going Postal , and movies  Moving Pictures  as some very funny looks at our world through the prism of Discworld."Making Money" was a fun book for me to read. It was typical Pratchett (high praise) and I think most Pratchett fans will enjoy it. I certainly did. L. Fleisig

I enjoy reading stories that are well written with proper grammar and punctuation.. I also Love a story that allows me to laugh out loud Thank You

At Pratchetts usual high standard. Totally enjoyed Von lipids adventures into high finance

Fantastic stories by Terry Pratchett, loved these. Absolutely beautiful editions, pride and joy of my little library. Not as good as going postal but still enjoyable.

One can only speculate on how the sequel to this would have gone had Sir Terry lived on. Nonetheless content yourself with this masterpiece of monetary mayhem. This is Geekanomics! A cast of characters outnumbered only by the Gold on which the story hinges. Classic Pratchett and a ‘must read’ for anyone who thinks they know how the economy runs!

.... Read this after "Going Postal",simply because the main character Moist Von Lipwig was such a hoot. Whilst it was probably better with this background, either way it's a great book - one of Terry's best, and keeps you amused, interested and happy throughout.Highly recommended

Thanks gods he wrote so many of these gaspingly wonderful stories. I'll try to wait before reading another...wish me luck!