Going Postal is the newest book by Terry Pratchett. Terry writes a lot of books, and as time has worn on each book has been better then the last (of course, that depends a bit on your favourite recurring characters). One of the things, however, he has mastered for his genre is message.
Going Postal, like all other Discworld Novels, is funny. There are some amusing lines, and some hilarious situations, and the actual people and objects are always rather silly. But these later books have been gradually moving beyond that. The silliness is still there, in fact it is still the centre of the story, but an observant reader can put together something truly spectacular out of each book.
Now, as he changes characters, the style and feel of the books often change a little. Those stories that take place in Ahnk Morpork, with the City Watch and the Times, and just now the Royal Post, tend to be a bit more grim, but also some of the most enlightening.
This particular book's message is a good, if complicated one. I consider myself a smart person for my age, but I'll be rereading this one again soon trying to piece it together. Despite its' fantasy setting, there's still an incredible amount of modern themes, like corporate greed, second chances, and being a fraud. This is promoted by unique characters, from old favourites like Vetenari (Fictional or not, you could write a book just about trying to understand him, especially in this story) to brand-new ones, such as Moist Von Lipwig, a conman struggling with the fact that he's not a good man, but how much of a not-good man is he?
I would advise this book to many of the members of these boards, as it is written in a way as to actually offer something for everyone. There is comedy laced throughout, there is a carefully crafted suspense that actually makes you honestly wonder as to the conclusion (Too many suspense stories let you know early on just who's going to prevail), there are involving characters which you want to figure out (of course, some are just silly) and it comes together neatly into an excellent read.
Going Postal, like all other Discworld Novels, is funny. There are some amusing lines, and some hilarious situations, and the actual people and objects are always rather silly. But these later books have been gradually moving beyond that. The silliness is still there, in fact it is still the centre of the story, but an observant reader can put together something truly spectacular out of each book.
Now, as he changes characters, the style and feel of the books often change a little. Those stories that take place in Ahnk Morpork, with the City Watch and the Times, and just now the Royal Post, tend to be a bit more grim, but also some of the most enlightening.
This particular book's message is a good, if complicated one. I consider myself a smart person for my age, but I'll be rereading this one again soon trying to piece it together. Despite its' fantasy setting, there's still an incredible amount of modern themes, like corporate greed, second chances, and being a fraud. This is promoted by unique characters, from old favourites like Vetenari (Fictional or not, you could write a book just about trying to understand him, especially in this story) to brand-new ones, such as Moist Von Lipwig, a conman struggling with the fact that he's not a good man, but how much of a not-good man is he?
I would advise this book to many of the members of these boards, as it is written in a way as to actually offer something for everyone. There is comedy laced throughout, there is a carefully crafted suspense that actually makes you honestly wonder as to the conclusion (Too many suspense stories let you know early on just who's going to prevail), there are involving characters which you want to figure out (of course, some are just silly) and it comes together neatly into an excellent read.