SPOILERS Raising Steam *Warning Spoilers*

[One Man Bucket]

Reading your post just resolved something that was bugging me. Vetinari seemed somewhat out of character but I had put this down to a continuation of the development/changes we'd seen in his last appearance but they can all be put down to his double not getting his mannerisms quite right.

I'm glad Terry avoided the nightmare scenario that was the reality of Monstrous Regiment but there's not really any dwarfs for whom being male is all that important to their character or plot with the exception of Cassanunda

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

And it was not only DW books that were referred to, I'm just 6 chapters from the end in the audio book, then a read of the book after that.

 

[JAK]

Just finished reading and overall I liked the book but my initial doubts about the speed of the introduction of steam travel were not really quashed; which is unfortunate because the means to do so were there – there just wasn’t anything written to confirm this had happened. There was the hint of a magical or living element at the start of the book and with the goblins making improvements to the clacks system I would have liked a ‘Tailor of Gloucester’ moment while Girder was just circling Harry’s yard to give credibility to the dramatic advancements that despite great amounts of money would have required much more time to perfect and progress.

I also felt it was written a bit like Dodger in that just about every known cliché, railway (rather than London), was thrown into the story (although I don’t remember the damsel chained to the tracks by her wicked uncle) - not that I mind this. We have the accept all that life throws at us so if there are two lifetimes worth of ideas rattling around in one’s head better they come out in a rush than be lost.

As a model maker I’m sorry that this book was written as it marks the end of the Discworld I know and love. Steam power and an industrial Revolution, as here, will cause major changes to the way people think and act – I liked the fantasy setting of a blend of a little beyond medieval but not quite Victorian. I can see the next book, certainly if set in AM, being closer to the steam punk genera, possibly with Moist explaining to Vetinari why the AM Gas and Electric Co. need to increase their charges by 30% each year and that he should be lowering rather than raising taxes.

Right, now time to read again to see what I missed or didn’t get first time round.

 

[Jack Remillard]

Really loved this one (I listened to the audiobook).

I wish it hadn't been such a sequel to 'Thud' though, as I had had planned to re-listen to the audiobook of that afterwards (as that is one of my favourites), and that ended up not seeming like the right order.

Oh well. Great book.

 

[Bickaxe]

Thoroughly enjoyed it despite not being surprised by some story lines.
Moist, while not hogging the limelight, is always fun to read for me with the things he gets up to when nobody is around. In his shoes, I like to think I would do the same, especially on the train roof
Vimes as a part player did what Vimes does in these situations.
Simnel was a likeable character, a straight down the like tell it like it is person (reminded me of Granny bit)
Vetinari did his thing as did Harry King which was all nice.

The seeds have been planted for other transportation plans but it does make me wonder where we will be going next in AM....

 

[Tonyblack]

I must say that I was pleased that the questions I had about golem horses were answered - after a fashion. It seemed to me that, because golem horse were horse shaped they were treated as domestic beasts rather than the man-shaped golems, who were treated more as people. Of course there was no reason that a golem horse couldn't talk as well as a normal shaped golem. And there's no reason that I can see why a human shaped golem wouldn't be just as fast as a golem horse. I was a little disappointed that Moist seemed to think that he had to tell it to behave like a horse. It's not a horse - it's just horse shaped.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Neigh Lad, get thee to t'other side of room I tell ee.

 

[Hungryjoe]

Is it just me or did he try to get a character from every book into this story. Some of them are quite minor, like the camel philosophers from pyramids, Charlie from the Truth, Queen kali from Mort...but I think he may have got them all

 

[pip]

Getting that feeling myself to be honest .

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Quite a smorgasbord of characters but I liked it, do you think it may be the Swansong for Discworld as we know it. :

 

[pip]

I'm half way through but I'm starting to get that feeling. So many characters have been mentioned or appeared it could be for a reason

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Just Feegled this from Steeljam on the Cunning one's site, an excellent review by Ben Aaronovitch who is going to be a GOH AT DWCon.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/n ... ett-review

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I went into Waterston's today just to have a look, and saw there was a slipcase copy of Raising Steam it was sealed had a look at the bookmark in their standard edition, then went to the desk with it, has this got the bookmark inside young guy said yes but I had to tell him where the price was so I bought it opened it there no bookmark!! them Mr. important came around doubled checked went away (while the young kid looked inside the case) and came back with one. I just hope that whoever gets a standard copy checks as he took one from the other books.
Glad I checked in the shop or I would have left with a refund, I had no intention of buying one.

 

[Slantaholic]

Re: Raising Steam

I found it slightly disgusting, and couldn't finish it in one sitting.

The pink mists of exploding people and that skull (UK hardback page 191) *shudders*. The last time I encountered a high-up placed skull like that, the author had broken out mad, mad purple prose, rather like Terry Pratchett had in Snuff and ISWM. I don't know what history books Terry's been reading lately, but they scan for mad before they publish these days. Methinks, he copied over something... dreadful. But largely, it was about a human skull being boiled clean in a second and sky-rocketed to the rafters that did it.

I liked the golem horse, which talks just as well as biped golems. I liked the troll lawyer, except, er, he was white in imagery and sparkling. I picture all the trolls mostly as grey, black and brick-orange. Sparkling white/diamond ones, especially when they've dropped all the "da, dat" from their language, come across to me as specie-racist. It was nice he was a former engine to Mr Pratchett. Thomas the Tank Engine, anyone?

Also - Drumknott's the wrong introvert personality. He's moved to a machine-lover, not a paperwork/spy device lover, which I hoped he was previously. I half-wanted the new Drumknott to run away from an increasingly murdering Vetinari and become an engine-builder, rather like Moist von Lipwig; they were both together on Iron Girder at the start. Vetinari and Drumknott playing trains and wearing hats later was fun, but I'm worried. Lots of characters appear out of character.

 

[pip]

Finished it and I quite enjoyed it. By no means the best DW book but certainly not the worse.
He did try to squeeze a lot of DW characters and references in all over the place but in general I found them fun to spot.
Story was generally Ok and Moist is undergoing a nice mid life crisis.
Can't see the criticism from people saying Terry didn't write it because it is very similar to all the later books . I'll agree that it differs a lot from the early to mid DW books but Terry's style evolved a lot throughout the series which is why he's interesting to read.
The book is not without issue. Some parts did drag a little and the prose got a little flowery from time to time but these didn't ruin the book for me.
I can see some hardcore longtime readers will cry that its not like the early books but they should take the main point from the story - Move with the times and grow the hell up.

 

[pip]

Also reading amazon reviews I've come to the conclusion that people are looking for the Alzheimers in his writing and are waiting for it to be rubbish

 

[Tonyblack]

Also reading amazon reviews I've come to the conclusion that people are looking for the Alzheimers in his writing and are waiting for it to be rubbish

Yep, me too. It annoys the hell out of me. :hand:

 

[pip]

Actually quite liked what Moist has become in this book. He's a much more interesting character than in making money were he pretty much was the same as Going Postal.

 

[Penfold]

I enjoyed it as well and found the first hundred pages or so reminiscent of his earlier works (that may be to do with the amount of footnotes and references to old characters and places, of course). I did think some of his satirical messages to be unusually heavy-handed though, in a 'hits you in the face and batters it over your head' type of way, rather than with the usual subtlety that I associate with his work.

 

[Tonyblack]

The Fat Controller reference made me laugh out loud.