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    Making Money: A Discworld Novel
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    Making Money: A Discworld Novel
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    Making Money: A Discworld Novel
    Ebook460 pages7 hours

    Making Money: A Discworld Novel

    By Terry Pratchett

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    "Outlandish fun. . . . Making Money balances satire, knockabout farce and close observation of human — and non-human — foibles with impressive dexterity and deceptive ease. The result is another ingenious entertainment from the preeminent comic fantasist of our time.” — Washington Post

    The hero of Going Postal returns in the 36th installment of Sir Terry Pratchett's beloved Discworld series! Moist von Lipwig, condemned prisoner turned postal worker extraordinaire, is now in charge of a different branch of the government: overseeing the printing of Ankh-Morpork’s first paper currency.

    Amazingly, former arch-swindler-turned-Postmaster General Moist von Lipwig has somehow managed to get the woefully inefficient Ankh-Morpork Post Office running like . . . well, not like a government office at all. Now the supreme despot Lord Vetinari is asking Moist if he'd like to make some real money. Vetinari wants Moist to resuscitate the venerable Royal Mint—so that perhaps it will no longer cost considerably more than a penny to make a penny.

    Moist doesn't want the job. However, a request from Ankh-Morpork's current ruling tyrant isn't a "request" per se, more like a "once-in-a-lifetime-offer-you-can-certainly-refuse-if-you-feel-you've-lived-quite-long-enough." So Moist will just have to learn to deal with elderly Royal Bank chairman Topsy (née Turvy) Lavish and her two loaded crossbows, a face-lapping Mint manager, and a chief clerk who's probably a vampire. But he'll soon be making lethal enemies as well as money, especially if he can't figure out where all the gold has gone.

    The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Making Money is the second book in the Moist von Lipwig series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061795893
    Author

    Terry Pratchett

    Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

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    Reviews for Making Money

    4/5

    179 ratings104 reviews

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    • 4/5
      pretty good, standard pratchett
    • 5/5
      Real genius.A sarcastic parody on banking.
    • 2/5
      This is the latest Discworld book. I'm a big Pratchett fan and have spent many happy hours in Discworld, but I wasn't as enamored of this book as I'd hoped to be. I think it's just that I was hoping Pratchett would take it in a different direction. At the beginning, I was sure he was going to take off on the gold standard and fiat money and inflation, but that wasn't really the focus of the story at all. Maybe I'd have liked it more if I'd gone into it with no preconceived notions. Anyway, it didn't put me off Pratchett at all, and I'll still be first in line to buy his next book. But this one wasn't my favorite.
    • 5/5
      Moist isn't as good as Going Postal, but this is definitely still a great Pratchett novel.
    • 4/5
      Equally as delightful as Going Postal. Moist never fails to amuse, monetary policy is inherently farcical, and the bit characters are as good as ever. And there's a puppy!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoy Stephen Briggs narration and of course love Terry Pratchett, so put em together and its all happy. This particular outing has a small dog of great importance, several insane bankers, "wind up items of an intimate nature," a golem who has read too many womens magazines, and many more delights.
    • 5/5
      Hilarious. Clever. Unusual. Did I mention hilarious? 'Making Money' is the sequel to 'Going Postal' and is an excellent read that you wont be able to put down. I know I couldn't!
    • 4/5
      Moist van Lipwig is back. If you have not read Going Postal then you may not know him, so I suggest you start with Going Postal to get to know Moist, but even if you do not, this book is quite fun.Banking in Ankh-Morpork is in a pitiful state. Heavily antiquated and outdated, accessible only to old money. When the chairwoman embraces the inevitability of her existence, she appoints Moist as her replacement, and it falls upon Moist to work his magic again. But should you really trust a notorious (ex) conman with your money, let alone your bank?
    • 5/5
      I love Stephen Briggs. So good.
    • 3/5
      Yeah, not one of Pratchett's best. The second Moist von Lipwig story comes across much the same as the first; it almost seems as though Terry got interested in reading about economics and decided he would try to work it into a Discworld novel. As such, I highly recommend it to teenagers taking their first economics classes! As a book, it's pretty much up to Pratchett's standard. The characters are interesting, especially Mr. Bent, the pace is good, and it will keep you absorbed. But we've all come to expect an awful lot from Terry, and there is, frankly, no new ground being broken here. Von Lipwig's second government office ends up being run much the same as his first. The Watch barely has to interfere at all. Yes, the tragedy of being a golem continues. What's interesting is, with Terry's medical condition, it's really time to wind the series down. We don't need to go on and on with books that read like histories long after every interesting twist has been wrung out of them, a la Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. But we do need to know what happens. How will Tiffany end up? Will Carrot ever be named king? These are the questions we need answered. It appears that Terry's newest book is not even an entry in the Discworld series. I certainly don't blame him, but I sure hope we have some final wrapup books in the Discworld before we shut everything down. Because, in the last analysis, Terry Pratchett is the finest comic writer alive, and along with everyone else, I do not want the great Discworld ride to end.
    • 2/5
      To much story and not enough jokes.
    • 5/5
      Author: Terry Pratchett
      Title: Making Money
      Format: eBook
      Rating: 5/5

      I love Terry Pratchett. Love, love, love him. He's funny, which in my book is one of the most important qualities an author can have. He's warm and he's smart, which makes his humour smart and his books smart as well. Prior to reading Making Money, I'd read Mort and Reaper Man. Then I stopped, I was attracted to other shiny books but I already knew Pratchett and I were in for the long run. You don't forget such impeccable writing - it's like coming home.

      So Making Money isn't about Death (though Death has a cameo), it's about Moist, who's much more down to earth. Moist is a thief who was hanged, well, almost hanged and who almost died. He was hanged but he survived and so people think he must be special and must have something to accomplish. Destiny, signs and all that jazz. He's made Postmaster General, that is he's put in charge of the Post Office (I don't know but I'm guessing all this happens in Going Postal, which I have yet to read, one of the many good things about Terry's books is that you can pick them up in any order, you'll miss some jokes but you'll laugh all the same). And then when this is not enough, he's put in charge of the Bank. Hence, Making Money.
      The Bank is owned by an unforgettable woman, Mrs Lavish, who then proceeds to die. She leaves her share of the bank (51%) to a dog called Mr Fusspot. Moist must then manage the bank with Mr Fusspot while fighting the influence of every Lavish who wants their share of the bank. Moist is also still a thief at heart and can't help taking advantage of his new position (so yes, destiny my foot). There's also something going on with Golems, which I thought provided with an interesting parallel regarding racism in our world (it's not just me, look at that sentence: 'This march was against the employment of golems, who uncomplainingly did the dirtiest jobs, worked around the clock, and were so honest they paid their taxes. But they weren't human and they had glowing eyes, and people could get touchy about that sort of thing.')

      The cast of characters is colourful and fully developed and the humour is flawless and effortless. What I like most about Pratchett is that he delivers extremely funny lines while making incredibly spot-on comments on the nature of humanity and on society. It's this clever blend of wit and wisdom (and wisdom through wit) that I adore and the reason why I keep coming back to Pratchett. He gets it. Making Money is an incredibly entertaining read and if you read it carefully, it's an incredibly thought-provoking read.
      Terry tackles everything from the making of a society and what money is worth (very very interesting philosophical concepts here when Moist introduces paper money and keeps being quizzed about its value as compared to gold) to how institutions are made are thrive (Apparently, to get a job in the Mint, you had to wait until someone died; it was a case of Dead Man's Sheds. Illuminating the bright side, however, was the fact that when your prospective vacancy became available you got the job even if you were only slightly less dead than the previous incumbent. BUT ALSO the following genius quote: When he got back to the Post Office, Moist looked up the Lavish family in Whom's Whom. They were indeed what was known as 'old money', which meant that it had been made so long ago that the black deeds which had originally filled the coffers were now historically irrelevant. Funny, that: a brigand for a father was something you kept quiet about, but a slave-taking pirate for a great-great-great-grandfather was something to boast of over the port. Time turned the evil bastards into rogues, and rogue was a word with a twinkle in its eye and nothing to be ashamed of.)

      I love, love, love Pratchett. And I loved, loved, loved Making Money. Have you read it? If you've reviewed it on your journal I'd love to read your thoughts and I'll link to them here so don't hesitate to drop me a comment. If you have yet to discover it, I envy you for you're in for a treat.
    • 3/5
      Another episode in the Discworld series, full of the humor and interesting characters that we've all come to expect from this series. No matter which book I read from this collection, it never fails to entertain. However, if you're considering reading this book, I highly recommend reading Going Postal first, as this book follows many of the same characters and Going Postal takes place first chronologically.
    • 5/5
      Classic Pratchett - I loved it, especially a couple of the twists.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed "Going Postal," my introduction to the Discworld, and while I enjoyed "Making Money," it did not feel as strong as its predecessor. I expected to see more about how the bank was run, the changes Moist von Lipwig implements, and the impact they have on the populace, but this seems skimmed over a bit in favor of more immediate backstabbing and hijinks, not the least of which involves a golem discovering femininity, the introduction of new golems from under the sea, a lecherous ghost, a man from Moist's past with dental problems, and a man who thinks he's Venitari. So it's a lot of fun, but might have benefited from being more heavily edited or perhaps having the material used for another book involving Moist.
    • 5/5
      Making Money by Terry Pratchett is the 36th Discworld book and the second of the Moist von Lipwig books. He's done such a great job at restarting the Ankh-Morpork post office. Along the way he's accidentally invented a new form of currencyÑthe postage stamp. And that's caught Lord Vetinari's attention. See, there's this little problem with the Royal Mint...The head of the Mint is dead and the Mint's now been left to a pug. While the Post Office was stuffed full of letters it was failing to deliver, the Mint is oddly empty. And so Lipwig is cajoled into doing his magic again.But what I really enjoyed was seeing the continuing relationship of Lipwig and Spike. She is a much more interesting person in the books than in the miniseries. She is as much a con-man as Lipwig but she does it all in the name of workers rights.And where there's Spike, there are Golems, including one who is now calling into question gender norms and I suppose is the first transgender golem, although before her no one seemed to think that golems had a gender.There is so much going on in this book and so many ideas tossed about that a short review like this one can't do Making Money justice.
    • 3/5
       Moist von Lipwig has been running the Post office, and has turned it round such that it is running smoothly - and as a result he's bored. He shortly after this becomes un-bored when he inherits a dog called Mr Fusspot, who, it just so happens, has been bequeathed 51% of the Bank and it's associated mint.



      Moist has an interesting time changing the manner of banking for the majority of the people from a sock under the matress to an actual bank. This meets with opposition from several sources - there's the Lavish family, who have owned the bank, and now own less than half of it - there's Mr Bent, the chief Clerk, who has a dark secret and doesn't "do" humour, or fun or words, or any of the things that Moist excels at - and there's the issues with the gold standard and weaning people off gold coins and onto notes. Unfortunately the person he wants to design his money is currently in jail, about to be hanged, after Moist testified against him for forging stamps. It all gets very complicated, not helped by the arrival of a fair number of Golems and Adora Belle Dearheart.
    • 5/5
      I'm a huge fan of Pratchett's to begin with, so it's probably no surprise that I really enjoyed this book. It has a few things that seem a wee bit off, as though Pterry is picking the low-hanging fruit rather than reaching for the better, higher stuff (a recurring bit about a dog playing with a sex toy got a little old for me, for example), but I love Moist von Lipwig and I absolutely adore Vetinari and both have big parts in the book, so I was happy.This is basically a sequel to Going Postal, but you don't have to have read that to get what's going on. Semi-reformed conman Moist is hemmed in until he takes over the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork, and he completely revolutionizes the banking system. Good stuff. I know only a wee bit about how banking actually works, but I understood what was going on and enjoyed the read.
    • 4/5
      Every year Pratchett writes a book, and every year I get it for Christmas and then read it while I'm camping. It's like seeing an old friend again. Making Money continues the adventures of one of his most recently-introduced characters, Moist von Lipwig, a conman-turned-entrepreneur who was responsible for re-establishing the Ankh-Morpork Post Office in previous novel Going Postal. In Making Money, he is appointed head of both the city's largest bank and the royal mint, and oversees a switch from gold standard to fiat currency (I had to look both those words up).It's not really Pratchett's best work, largely because it lacked the dramatic climax most other Discworld books have. This is one of my favourite aspects about the Discworld series; while the books are satirical, usually zany and always funny, they also have serious plots underpinning them, which always come to a head in matters of life and death (most noticeable in the City Watch books). Much like the average sitcom, they reflect real life - or perhaps my own view of life - in a far more accurate way than stories that are purely drama: amusing and funny most of the time, sobering up into seriousness when the situation demands. While still present to a degree in Making Money, this trend is still diminished somewhat, and the conclusion was disappointingly abrupt.Nonetheless, even when Pratchett's major plot is weak his writing remains excellent, brimming with awful puns and dry observations on every aspect of society. Perhaps I'm just prejudiced against his fresher characters.
    • 4/5
      If you enjoyed Going Postal, you should also enjoy Making Money. Moist von Lipwig is back and at his old tricks. Only this time his job is to make the Bank and Royal Mint work, just like he did for the Post Office. He continues to be wily, clever and almost too smart for his own good. As usual, Terry Pratchett has populated this book with interesting, bizarre characters with weird names. The plot is witty and the pace is brisk. The typical satire is there in all of it's usual glory. Pratchett succeeds once again in writing a unique tale that amuses while it also gently lambasts the foibles of human nature. This is truly an enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      As usual, enjoyable and timely but I definitely see signs that he was becoming ill and also, sort of like he might be concsiously or unconsciously planning to wrap up certain character arcs (not to spoil things but I think Vetinari's found his successor).
    • 3/5
      I didn't like Making Money. The plot is okay, but parts of it seemed extraneous (the whole thing with Cribbens seemed like it was only there to set up Lipwig admitting to being Spangler, which could have been handled more efficiently) and the ending seemed rushed. Bent was a disappointment; I was convinced he was going to turn out to be an Auditor, which would have been a Crowning Moment of Awesome despite being highly unlikely. I just don't care for Moist or Adora, and especially not for their relationship.The Cosmo-as-Vetinari subplot was frankly bizarre. It almost, almost redeemed itself with the Epilogue, but not quite. I think I've realized what's wrong with it- it's not funny. Pterry does do serious, even scary plots very well; Carcer comes to mind, but Night Watch was a serious, sometimes creepy book with jokes in. This is a silly book with creepy in, and it doesn't work that way (that scene with Gladys cooking? What was that?).I just can't stand Vetinari in general in the Lipwig novels. The reason Vetinari is interesting is because of his interaction with Vimes. All the books where he's most effective are Watch books, because his game of cat and also cat with Vimes is fascinating. We're seeing a side of Vetinari that's always been there- but not a very interesting one. In the Watch books, he's a tyrant without really being a tyrant, but in the Lipwig stories, he's just a regular tyrant. This character decay is one of the reasons the Cosmo plotline falls flat; new!Vetinari just doesn't seem that special.I feel really bad, because if I didn't know that Terry Pratchett had Alzheimer's, I'd think he was just off his game with the Lipwig modernisation storyline; since I do, I have to wonder if he's starting to slip, and that makes me feel like a horrible person.I still hold out hope for the series in general, but I'm just not a fan of this arc.
    • 4/5
      Yet another great one from the world of Discworld and Terry Pratchett. It wasn't one of my favorites, but Pratchett's edge still is there. Anyone who can continue to embellish Moist Von Lipwig's character to a state of greater flamboyanantness than the Lipwig of Going Postal gets props from me. I liked Going Postal better than this one, but only marginally moreso. Overall not a disappointment at all, and very enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      Even though Moist's adventure as deputy chairman of the Bank of Ankh-Morpork is a very enjoyable read, it lacks the brilliance of Terry's earlier work.
    • 5/5
      I'm a big fan of Terry Pratchett, recently converted, and this really was a great book!! The story was great, the characters were hysterical, and the whole concept was riveting. A definite must-read for anybody looking for some entertainment!
    • 3/5
      This starts very well, with some sparkling repartee between Vetinari and Moist von Lipwig, but tails off into a disappointing ending, with poor use made of the [spoiler] discovered by Adora Belle Dearheart. Moist has never established himself as a convincing character, IMHO; he still seems very one-dimensional. Also, Vetinari is becoming a problem; rather like the Superman of the Golden Age of DC Comics, he has become effectively invincible, and the plotting suffers as a result. Kryptonite is needed.
    • 4/5
      Not one oof Pratchet's best - maybe because the arcane would of economics wasn't fully understood by him, or maybe because it just isn't funny.Featuring again our stars from Going Postal the improbably named Moist von Lipwig and the Adora Belle Dearheart, this is rather a sudden hotchpotch of ideas thrown together. Vetinari s concerned about Moist in Dearheart's absense and so transfers him to the Royal Mint. This raises the hackles of the various Lavis family members who seek to retain control.Unfortunetly although reasonably well packed with jokes - and the clowns feature again so some of them are visual which is a good trick in a book! - none of the biting satire and undertones that enhance previous works for an adult, really comes through. There isn't much to be said other than a very superficial overview of the banking industry, which was issued in dribs and drabs by Moist musing to hinmself rather than in any groundbreaking speaches. The only other theme of note was international politics by intimidation, but again this only get s short shrift. Perhaps the most noteworthy comments are further insights inot the working of Vetinari.Fun but much lighter than his best work.
    • 4/5
      Before I start in earnest, may I just mention that carrying around a book with such an eye-catching title is a minor problem. My first surprise, (having not read Going Postal before this book) was that it had chapters - Terry having voiced many times his belief that chapters does not make sense unless in children's books. It is a change I much welcome! Like most other Pratchett books, however, you feel as though he's sidling over to you at a pub to share with you (an ignorant customer that is happy to just lets things work itself out) an inner joke at the many facades of life - this time his subjects are the institutions of life's most traded commodity. I find that his books of late reads easier - they are much more unified, less maze-y, but though Moist is our protagonist, Vetinari steals a lot of the show. & you can't help but laugh how it's true that sometimes, the best person for a trustworthy job, is a crook.
    • 4/5
      Another well-structured novel from Pratchett that relies more on humourous phrasing than it does no jokes. Here the main plot about the establishment of a fiduciary banking system in Ankh-Morpork is wrapped with several subplots that explore the nature of identity and perception.
    • 5/5
      Ankh-Morpork's greatest conman is put in charge of the money supply.