Going Postal Discussion *Spoilers*

[Tina a.k.a.SusanSto.Helit]

I thought S&M meant "salmon and Marmite"

oh Dear... um no. There is a club in Rockford called the SM and SF club... it's a very popular club who have charity events all the time and do Fireworks for the 4th of July and all... it is a constant source of enjoyment for children and adults alike, trying to figure out the meaning... Well, I married into a family who belong to it now... it takes all the fun out of it once you know it means "Swedish Music & Sick Friends" Leave it to the Swedes to name a club something like that. Pants Pants Pants Pants

Good club tho, they make drinks which are like "oh you just wanted MORE than a whiff of soda mixed in? well, I shall need a larger glass then." Two of them and I was Wiped out. This is after my retirement from drinking in 1997 after achieving Professional status... though I think back then Chris.ph could have given me a run for my money.

[mystmoon]

This may not have anything to do with ^that^ but I did find Groats first name amusing as there's a shop here with the same name which sells herbal remedies and health food!

[kieray]

alright without judging the characters morals i would just like to say i found this book very entertaining. moist to me is unsympathetic at the beginning but at the end to me he is at least the good guy

[Tonyblack]

I agree - Moist is not a particularly sympathetic character to start with, but he grows during the book and discovers a side of himself that he didn't realise he had. He realises that he can use his 'talents' for good purposes instead of just taking advantage of people.

[raisindot]

I agree - Moist is not a particularly sympathetic character to start with, but he grows during the book and discovers a side of himself that he didn't realise he had. He realises that he can use his 'talents' for good purposes instead of just taking advantage of people.

In Going Postal, Moist NEVER stops taking advantage of people. Instead of simply grifting their money and leaving them with nothing of value, he simply grifts their money and leaves them with something of dubious value. After all, do people really need to pay a hard-earned dollar to send a letter to Genua? Not really, but he convinces them that if they don't do it, they'll be left out of something 'big.'

By the end of the story, he may have become a respectable businessesman, but, from a moral point of view, his only major change is that instead of grifting on a small scale for petty self-satisfaction, he grifts on a large scale not because he really cares about the Grand Trunk, but because he wants to pull the ultimate gift on the penultimate grifter, Reacher Gilt. Moist's grift is a personal vendetta, not a righteous crusade, and he's the first to admit it.

J-I-B

[Jan Van Quirm]

I can't stand him either - he's a user and just swaps to more legitimate scams But I said that rather a lot already in here.

[kieray]

I agree - Moist is not a particularly sympathetic character to start with, but he grows during the book and discovers a side of himself that he didn't realise he had. He realises that he can use his 'talents' for good purposes instead of just taking advantage of people.

In Going Postal, Moist NEVER stops taking advantage of people. Instead of simply grifting their money and leaving them with nothing of value, he simply grifts their money and leaves them with something of dubious value. After all, do people really need to pay a hard-earned dollar to send a letter to Genua? Not really, but he convinces them that if they don't do it, they'll be left out of something 'big.'

By the end of the story, he may have become a respectable businessesman, but, from a moral point of view, his only major change is that instead of grifting on a small scale for petty self-satisfaction, he grifts on a large scale not because he really cares about the Grand Trunk, but because he wants to pull the ultimate gift on the penultimate grifter, Reacher Gilt. Moist's grift is a personal vendetta, not a righteous crusade, and he's the first to admit it.

J-I-B

i think thats why i like him he's abit like a skilled and lucky cmot dibbler

[raisindot]

i think thats why i like him he's abit like a skilled and lucky cmot dibbler

Now, THAT'S about the best one-line description of Moist there could be.



J-I-B

[Who's Wee Dug]

I wonder if that is where the politicians went to hone the skills.

[Bascule42]

I thought Moist was brilliant. Despite the vast array of characters from the DW series, Moist is one of my favourites. OK, he is a swindler, a con man, a thief, a habitual liar, he cheats, he robs, (OK, fair enough, I can see why some might find him despicable), and generally takes what he can from the unsuspecting marks he finds. However, one thing that these marks generally do suspect is that they are getting something for nothing. That they may well just be actually getting that nice big fat sausage to go with the sizzle. Moist played on this greed, (Forgery not withstanding of course ), and exploited it. (One of the reasons the BBC series Hustle was so popular).

And of course, in his own words he's not Reacher Gilt. That's important.

[Addams]

Haaa, one of favorite Pratchett book. Moist is such an interesting character, at least we have a real rascal, a scoundrel, a scalawag, a glorious and fantastic bastard.

And what more ideal start for this kind of man than a good old fashioned hanging ?

And of course, in his own words he's not Reacher Gilt

That resumes quite perfectly the character.

[poohcarrot]

Hi Addams

I must say that I tend to agree with you. I like Moist and Carrot, and I too think Sam Vimes is overrated. However, half the people here disagree with me, so don't be surprised if people start to argue with you.

[fords]

a glorious and fantastic bastard.

I love it!

[KevJB]

Here is where I post my unprovable theory that Lipwig is actually Vetinari's illegitimate son from his wild youth in uberwald.

[poohcarrot]

Hi KevJB

Nice theory!

That would mean he's half vampire, assuming Vetinari's lover was Lady Margolotta.