Monday, December 13, 2004
Then yesterday I read Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. I don't think I've read a bad Pratchett book. Sure, some are funnier or more pointed than others, but I haven't not liked one and this latest entry is no exception. This one focused on big business and communication. In the spirit of "it takes one to know one," a condemned con man is put in charge of revamping the Post Office and ends up taking down the dirty Enron-style board of directors of the faster, newer technology "clacks" service. The romantic interest is, in best Pratchett fashion, smart and no-nonsense and sees right through the hero. I'm less sure about the message - while the satire of big business is entertaining, I'm not sure exactly what he's trying to get at with comparing the post office to what is obviously supposed to be email or the internet. I get the obvious arguments, but has Pratchett only been using AOL on dial-up or something and wrote this to get back at them? I just don't buy that part of it. But he at least showed that both have their place in the community if properly operated, which redeemed him.
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