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Making Money: A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett
01/03/2008 . Source: Phil Jones 
Pub: Doubleday/Transworld Publishers. 349 page hardback. Price: £18.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-385-61101-5. Buy Making Money in the USA - or Buy Making Money in the UK  check out website: www.transworld-publishers.co.uk and www.terrypratchett.co.uk
Moist von Lipwig, as Discworld fans will recall from 'Going Postal', successfully turned around the fortunes of the Discworld or more precisely the Ankh Morpork Postal Service. Comfortable in his position as postmaster general, his world is some what shaken again by the somewhat omnipresent Lord Vetinari. This time, though, it's not post that concerns him but money. His success at turning round the fumbling disorganised postal service into a streamlined well-oiled machine has got him noticed along with his somewhat dubious past.
It is now the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork which our attention is turned to. Through a series of events, of which the Lord Vetinari cannot be directly linked to but has obviously got his fingers well and truly stuck into, Moist ends up in charge of the bank. Well more precisely, the dog Mr. Fusspot is in charge with the majority share but through a will, threats by the Assassin's Guild and the feuding Lavish family who have had always fought over and owned the bank, Moist has very little choice in the matter. It is up to Moist to be guardian of Mr. Fusspot and thus in charge of the bank. The Lavishs want either the dog or Moist dead so the bank returns to them but if the dog dies the Assassins Guild have instructions to dispatch Moist.
The bank itself is headed up by a chief cashier, Mr. Bent, who has somewhat strangely almost vampiric tendencies. Moist's new drives and ideas for the bank unsettle Mr Bent's traditional ideals. This includes the idea of abandoning gold and replacing coinage with beautifully printed slips of paper. There's Hubbert in the basement who is assisted by his own lisping, hunchbacked Igor. Between them, they have built a simulation of the financial system in Ankh Morpork in which money is replaced by water.
There is a lot of sub-plots which you come to expect in a Pratchett novel such as the attempt to assassinate and replace Lord Vetinari. Things spiral out of control with the Lavishs trying to regain control of the bank. The climatic resolve is to my eyes, even for a Terry Pratchett novel, a bit of a cop out. Toward the end of the book, there is so much going on that some of the sub-plots get a wee bit muddled and confused as does the writing occasionally losing clarity and structure. The only thing that concerns me a bit is that Lord Vetinari has somewhat lost his menacing edge. He just doesn't quite seem as well menacing which is a pity as this is what gives his character depth. The book also takes its time to get going as there is a lot to set up for the on coming chaos.
There is though plenty to smile about. Long expanded jokes, Wonderful characters make an appearance such as the Watch members Carrot, Nobby and Colon. Glady, Moist's golem maid is just excellent. It's not in the same league though as 'Going Postal' or some of Pratchett's other finest 'Discworld' novels. The bank scenes especially have the feel of a Terry Gilliam film (oh if only he would direct a 'Discworld' film). The financial institutions are a fine target for Pratchett's humour. Overall, a good book just not his best.
Phil Jones
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