Going Postal
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Going Postal  | ||||||
Series information
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Going Postal and its sequel Making Money are novels in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. They center on con man Moist von Lipwig who, after being "hanged" under one of his many pseudonyms, is given the chance at a new life as Postmaster of the city of Ankh-Morpork. In his new occupation, Moist has to use his skills and cunning toward the public good in rebuilding the Post Office.
Series
The Going Postal series consists of the following two novels:
- Going Postal (2004)
- Making Money (2007)
In order of publication, these are respectively the 33rd and 36th novels in the larger Discworld series. However, they form a largely self-contained storyline referred to as the "Moist von Lipwig" subseries, that can be read independently from other Discworld books. Note that a third book, Raising Steam (2013), is normally also included in this subseries, but it's being omitted here due to having a wider focus on the broader Discworld setting, converging characters and storylines from multiple books, rather than focusing the spotlight primarily on Moist.
In 2010, a two-part television film adapting the first book, titled Terry Pratchett's Going Postal, aired on British television network Sky One.
Characters
See also: List of Going Postal characters
- Moist von Lipwig (Lead Mastermind): A con man who is rescued from hanging by Lord Vetinari and assigned to oversee the Ankh-Morpork Post Office. He is described as having a perfectly nondescript face, which came in handy in his previous job as a charlatan.
- Havelock Vetinari (Mastermind): The Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, and the most terrifyingly skilled political player in all of Discworld. A Mastermind if there ever was one, he was single-handedly responsible for making Ankh-Morpork the world power that it is today, and continues to do so, for example by assigning sentenced criminals to public offices.
- Pump 19 (Specialist): A golem tasked by Vetinari with keeping an eye on Moist and preventing him from running away.
- Reacher Gilt (Rival Mastermind): An unscrupulous businessman heading the Grand Trunk, a company that runs a modern semaphore-based communication system called the Clacks. Although he acts superficially polite, he feels no shame in advertising his lack of morals by dressing like a pirate, complete with talking parrot, especially since people seem to love him all the more for it.
- Adora Belle Dearheart (Specialist): A cynical and chain-smoking golem-rights advocate, who is just dangerous enough to attract Moist's romantic attention.
