Timbré (2004)

fiction - standalone story in the Discworld series

enjoyable adventure in which a former criminal is forced to take over a long-neglected, somewhat magical post office and finds that he enjoys turning it into a success. Plus: pinheads turn into stamp collectors, several kisses with an ashtray, and beating the real villains at their own game. ( )

I love Pratchett, and can't believe that a novel about the post office could be so entertaining. ( )

It's been almost 15 years since Terry Pratchett was first recommended to me. For various reasons I never bothered. However, in keeping with my recent rule of 3 trustable recommendations, it was recently recommended to me for the 4th time, and it was available online (crucial point #COVID19) so I picked it up.

Moist (yes) von Lipwig is in a tough spot. He has, unwillingly, been instated as the head of a defunct postal system, in a town where the current mechanical communication system is monopolized by a crime syndicate. His only assistants are a man with an intense fear of doctors and a love of his own home remedies, a pin aficionado named Stanley, and a cat named Mr. Tiddles. He is being monitored by Pump, a Golem under contract to make sure he fulfills his duties. And he's also got a case of mild attraction to a cigarette-smoking, quip-spitting woman unfortunately named Adora Belle Dearheart.

Pratchett does a fantastic job of showing not telling that is so often missing in books these days. I'm still not quite sure what his whole world entails because, unlike other fantasy writers, he doesn't bother with money systems, clothing styles, and 80 years of back-story upfront. And that is a beautiful thing. Also, don't make the mistake I did and realize, more than halfway through, that there are delightful asides after the asterisks. Somehow I missed them... one of the dangerous downsides of the online format.

His pacing is nonchalant, giving you enough time to appreciate the refreshingly clever humor, that includes a couple of unnecessary swears. But, on the whole, it's an admirable book. Worth checking out a sequel. Really a 4.5. ( )

This book was my first foray into Pratchett's Discworld, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were fun and convincing, as were the plot and the world. The social commentary was, with one or two exceptions, spot-on and masterfully done, and it never takes precedence over or gets in the way of the story being told.

Pratchett's prose is very stylized, but it works for me and adds to the fun of reading his work; likewise his humor.

I will note that if you find either off-putting, you probably won't enjoy this. This is definitely not the sort of book where the authorial/narrative voice fades into the background as you get into it; the voice is definitely front-and-center.

I'm not quite sure how to classify the tone of the novel - there are certainly comedic parts, and the book as a whole could even be classified as comedic, but there are also very serious and important themes, ideas, and social issues being discussed, and the book takes them seriously even at the most comedic moments.

None of the main characters are flat or only there for the joke. They never break characterization for a joke (or to move the plot along, either, for that matter), and the relationships they form with one another are well-rounded and genuine.

And to top it all off, it has a good ending. I won't spoil, but I will say that not only does the ending make sense from the characters, it also acknowledges the complexities of the issues at hand in a way that felt really refreshing.

It wasn't the sort of breathtaking, near-perfect read that I give 5 stars - almost nothing is - but Going Postal was very, very good, and I look forward to returning to the Discworld again sometime soon. ( )

Excellent. I can see why Moist is a beloved character. I really really liked all the golems stuff.

This book did also have a bit of the "only one female character" vibe that was a problem in The Truth, despite I suppose technically having several female characters.

This felt like one of the most SF of the Discworld books, what with the clacks and the mail sorting machine. I'd go ahead and say the clacks are one of Pratchett's most ingenious inventions (along with headology, the Dis-organiser, the Hiver, and the great Disc itself). I wish we'd gotten to spend more time in Tower 181.

GNU Terry Pratchett ( )