Review of Going Postal

The Discworld series is a fantasy series created by Terry Practchett. The series takes place all over the Discworld, which is a fantasy land in the shape of a disk that is carried on the backs of four elephants that stand upon the shell of a turtle. Going Postal is a novel in the Discworld series, and also happens to be one of the best starting places for anyone who’s interested.

  Going Postal is about Moist Von Lipwig, a skilled criminal  and scammer, falling into a government job at the post office after being hung. While he should be dead Lord Vetinari has another use for his talents. He now has to take on the Grand Trunk communications monopoly all while dealing with the mail seemingly talking and the post office job being harder than he thought. 

  In my opinion Terry Pratchett really did an amazing job with this book. This book is really about redemption, hope, and human nature. This book is also funny and fun. All these elements really add up to a fantastic book and a fun read. Terry Pratchett has a good writing style, and this novel is written a bit differently than his other books in the Discworld series, as this novel has chapters that each begin with a synopsis of philosophical themes. It’s really interesting to see how Terry Pratchett writes the character’s interactions, thoughts, and irony that creates a sorta suspenseful read. It has a good page count being 480 pages. I have heard that there’s a TV show, but I haven’t watched it so I can’t say if it’s any good. 

  A few negatives are that it can feel a little too filled with outrageous situations if you’re not used to any of the Discworld books, a bit slow in a couple of places, and some may not like how Terry Pratchett included his political opinions. All of these weren’t much of an issue for me but for some it maybe. I should also mention that while these novels are very humorous Terry Pratchett was British and the humor is also very British, so a lot of sarcasm, dry wit, and filled with absurdity. Terry Pratchett had very strong political views and those he did incorporate them into his books, I do feel the need to state this again for anyone who does decide to read them and isn’t expecting it. Most of the negatives are just with what some people may have with his work and not with this book specifically, because I really didn’t find any in it that bothered me personally. I feel this is a great read and as stated before a good entrance into the Discworld novels just be prepared for all the things listed above.