Raising Steam

This book is boring. It plods. There are none of the breath-taking “zings” that lurk on every page in previous books. Characters bear no resemblance to their established personas. It's “Snuff” all over again. I did not laugh out loud even once while reading this book. I doubt I'll read any more of Sir Terry's novels; luckily the earlier ones stand up to infinite re-reads. I think his agents/publishers are doing him no favors. This is not a dignified way to end a brilliant writing career.

I liked this better than Snuff, though that may be largely because I listened to the audiobook which allows me to get through books I would otherwise lem.
This was an ode to trains and I don't have much interest in trains. There was a sense throughout the book of times changing/ a new era beginning which makes me wonder about the discworld itself.

Terry Pratchett had a way of taking a delightful comic adventure and wrapping it around a vitally important social issue in a way that makes a perfect point. Raising Steam is absolutely no stranger to this and is an almost direct continuation of the plight of the goblins from “Snuff.” In this novel, Pratchett not only looked at how railways altered the culture of continents, but also at terrorism. Of course, Pratchett's terrorists are dwarfs, but a select subset of dwarfs clinging to the ways of the deep down mines. Of course, not all dwarfs clinging to the ways of the deep down mines are terrorists either. Some of them hate modern society and still believe that destroying it is a bad thing. And of course others are feminists who believe dwarf women should be proud of their gender and wear modern fashions. And others are monarchists who believe that what the Low King says goes. And others think that tradition has a great deal of value but that doesn't mean we ignore the present. The list goes on as Pratchett's dwarves fill out a complete culture better than many authors fill out actual human cultures.

Then let's add in our cast of returning favorites. This novel fits into the Moist von Lipwig arc neatly with cameos from Vimes and company. The Moist series is one of the most recents, but also one of my favorites (I say that about every series, yes I know) and I maintain that Nathan Fillion should play him should there ever be a movie adaptation (I say that about every smarmy male character, yes I know). We also learn a lot more about goblin society and spend a good deal more time with the Patrician han usual. If you're a Discworld fan, you won't be disappointed.

I admit I've put off reading this book because there just isn't a lot more Discworld left for me to read, but I'm glad I read it now. It's a good time for people to read this book. It's more enjoyable if you're read Thud, Making Money, and Snuff, but as is usual, it's easy to catch up if you haven't.

I liked it, it was Pratchett. It just wasn't Pratchett at his finest – both Going Postal and Making Money were far superior Moist von Lipwig books, and the dwarven politics were much better dealt with in The Fifth Elephant and Thud. Also some spoilery bits at the end annoyed me greatly. Probably not a reread book, which is strange for a Discworld book.

Moist Von Lipwig is back, and still working hard to keep his neck free from Vetinari's noose. This time he is made responsible for the public safety (and the city's financial stake) regarding a radically new form of transportation: steam powered locomotives. Along the way he has to manage the growing ingenuousness of goblins, help stave off a Dwarfish civil war, and keep an increasing amount of, well, change from getting out of hand. And at it's heart it is “change” that is the subject of this novel, and how people deal with change. Some embrace it, some fear it, and some see it as a way to profit. It's not a “laugh out loud” Discworld book, which will be a disappointment for some, but I quite enjoyed it.

An absolute joy. Very glad I took my time finishing what I suspect may be the last of my personal list of unread  ‘serious' Discworld books. The last of those featuring Lipwig and/or Vimes as the lead character, which all deal with more adult themes - in this case, more of the political tensions with the dwarves, fueled by one faction's prejudices and fanatical following of antiquated traditions.

Pratchett has an amazing ability to write those twisted by hate so that you feel more heartache than anger for the way they've damned themselves before they go around damning/destroying other people, because it is so fucking sad when that happens to a being. 

Sidebar: I can't remember the last time I found a map in the front of a book so helpful! 

Truly a marvellous adventure, with such an optimistic outlook for the future of innovation. I understand the modern tendency to look with a jaundiced eye at the miracles of the industrial revolution, the time of the steam engine, given the pollution and poor working conditions, and the first steps towards mass/over production heralded, but the solar punk future of my dreams is also all about people tinkering, in a healthy way. Innovation doesn't need to be an evil. It's not simply progress for the sake of progress if it can help people, save lives. The best of the Discworld books leave you with hope, and this one did.