2014; 381 pages. New Author? : No. Book #40 of the Discworld Series. Genre : Comedic Fantasy. Overall Rating : 7*/10.
Change
is coming to Discworld. Dick Simnel has
the idea, a working model of something he calls a steam-powered
locomotive. Sir Harry King has the
money, and the business acumen to know how to take Dick’s invention and turn it into
a profitable enterprise. Moist von
Lipwig has the persuasiveness, and he’ll use it to convince all sorts of people that
living near a railroad is a desirable thing.
Of
course, no plan moves in Ankh-Morpork without the blessing of Lord
Vetinari. And although he travels around
Discworld in a carriage, the potholes in the streets (especially those of Ankh-Morpork itself) makes him yearn for a comfortable seat in a plush railcar.
But
not everybody is keen on change. Lately,
someone’s been sabotaging the clacks towers, because that was something new. It is prudent to assume said perpetrators
will also try to derail (pun intended) the plans for a network of
trains. Perhaps Commander Vimes, aka
“The Blackboard Monitor”, should be given the task of providing security.
What’s To Like...
Some
of the book’s formatting is vintage Terry Pratchett. If you’re a Discworld footnote fan, there are
80+ of them for you here. There are no chapter divisions, although a couple maps are included, which is both very unusual and very handy.
I
was delighted to see the Quirmians speaking French. Ditto for Lord Vetinari’s penchant for
crossword puzzles. There are lots of
dwarfs, trolls, and goblins. And some
gnomes pop up, which is a species I don’t recall meeting before.
As
always, Pratchett explores a number of themes in Raising
Steam. First, there’s
Industrialization – with its pros and cons, and the inevitable pushback against
it. Second is the timely topic of
Terrorism – how it operates and
recruits, and how it pushes the buttons of discrimination and religious
zealotry (“Tak
says…”). Finally, there’s the
recurring Discworld theme of racial (species, actually) bigotry.
The
resolution to the main plotline is somewhat anticlimactic, as the highly
anticipated showdown just sort of fizzles out.
But Pratchett throws several little “twists” into the mix that tie up
some of the secondary threads; such as Iron Girder’s true nature Rhys’ true
nature, and Lord Vetinari’s actions. Overall,
the ending is satisfactory, but not stellar.
Kewlest New Word...
Ginnungagap (n.)
: in Norse mythology, the vast, primordial void that existed prior to the
creation of the manifest universe. A Vikingism.
Others
: Purdah; Murrain; Fossick (Aussieism); Bothy (Scottishism).
Excerpts...
“And I see you
are still smiling! Will you be so good as to share ze joke? The well-known so-called Ankh-Morpork sense
of ‘umor does not translate very well here, I’m afraid.”
“Don’t be,” said
Moist. “When the humors were handed out,
Ankh-Morpork got the one for joking and Quirm had to make do with their
expertise in fine dining and lovemaking.”
He held a beat
and said, “Would you fancy a trade?” (loc.
2218)
The town of Big
Cabbage, theoretically the last place any sensible person would want to visit,
was nevertheless popular throughout the summer because of the attractions of
Brassica World and the Cabbage Research Institute, whose students were the
first to get a cabbage to a height of five hundred yards propelled entirely by
its own juices. Nobody asked why they
felt it was necessary to do this, but that was science for you, and, of course,
students. (loc. 4345)
Kindle Details...
Raising
Steam sells for $11.99 at Amazon. That’s to be expected of a recent release
that is only otherwise available for $18.25 in Hardcover. ANAICT, none of the other Discworld books cost
more than $5.99 for the Kindle.
”Any three dwarfs having a sensible conversation will always end up
having four points of view.” (loc.
954)
Sadly,
Raising Steam is another step down the
slippery slope towards mediocrity for the Discworld series. Some of it is inherent for the subject
matter. Industrialization is not a very
exciting topic for a fantasy story, and the first 2/3 of the book just trudges
along step by developmental step.
To
boot, our four main characters – Vetinari, Moist. Harry King, and Dick Simnel –
are all humans. Most devoted Discworld
readers pick up a Pratchett book for the various other sentient creatures. Yes, we meet up with a bunch of “old
Discworld” friends along the way, but they’re all cameo appearances.
The tone is also darker, even more so than the previous book, Snuff,
was. There’s a lot of killing, most of
it told in a decidedly non-humorous way, with only one victim encountering DEATH.
The
storyline finally gets moving around 67%, and for those who have persevered,
the last third of the book is a delightful bit of vintage Pratchett, with Sam Vimes and the
Night Watch getting a lot more ink while saving the day against a determined foe. But
that’s a lot of tedious pages to get through before getting to the
good part.
7 Stars. In a nutshell, Discworld has lost its
sparkle.
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