Making Money

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Stephen Briggs

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

The Ankh-Morpork Post Office is running like...well, not at all like a government office. The mail is delivered promptly; meetings start and end on time; five out of six letters relegated to the Blind Letter Office ultimately wend their way to the correct addresses. Postmaster General Moist von Lipwig, former arch-swindler and confidence man, has exceeded all expectations: including his own. So it's somewhat disconcerting when Lord Vetinari summons Moist to the palace and asks, "Tell me, Mr. Lipwig, would you like to make some real money?"

Vetinari isn't talking about wages, of course. He's referring, rather, to the Royal Mint of Ankh-Morpork, a venerable institution that has run for centuries on the hereditary employment of the Men of the Sheds and their loyal outworkers, who do make money in their spare time. Unfortunately, it costs more than a penny to make a penny, so the whole process seems somewhat counterintuitive.

Next door, at the Royal Bank, the Glooper, an "analogy machine", has scientifically established that one never has quite as much money at the end of the week as one thinks one should, and the bank's chairman, one elderly Topsy (née Turvy) Lavish, keeps two loaded crossbows at her desk. Oh, and the chief clerk is probably a vampire.

But before Moist has time to fully consider Vetinari's question, fate answers it for him. Now he's not only making money, but enemies too; he's got to spring a prisoner from jail, break into his own bank vault, stop the new manager from licking his face, and, above all, find out where all the gold has gone: otherwise, his life in banking, while very exciting, is going to be really, really short.

©2007 Terry and Lyn Pratchett (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Locus Award, Best Fantasy Novel, 2008

"An educational and entertaining mirror of human squabbles and flaws." (Publishers Weekly)

My second Pratchett book...

When I first started reading Terry Pratchett, I began with Moist Von Lipwig and "Going Postal". I chose to listen to these to pick up the story from a different perspective.

Having read many of Terry's books, I can see now why this doesn't come across as strong as past works but it still makes for a very enjoyable listen.

My only production/performance critique is the use of musical intro/outro bits. That is extremely frustrating to listen to as they are often loud off the charts and played over some of the narration. They serve no purpose to the story and only detract from the listening experience.

Tour de Force Performance by Stephen Briggs

Making Money is a typically great Terry Pratchett novel, the second one to feature Moist Von Lipwig. The story is intricate and satisfying as usual. The only thing that prompted my review was the absolutely brilliant performance by Stephen Briggs. Well over a dozen major characters recur throughout the recording, and each has a distinct and recognizable voice. I was quite impressed with the range and consistency of Briggs's performance. Well done!

Hold on for the OST

The music between the chapters is so out of place that I often look around to see where it's coming from.

Excellent listening experience

The only criticism I have about the performance is Adora Belle's inexplicable Irish-ish accent (it was the same in Going Postal). The Vetinari voice was fantastic and made up for it. Overall I could have done without the odd musical interludes, which were at somewhat random times, added nothing, didnt suit the feel of the story, and jolted me out of the immersive experience. Otherwise everything is spot-on and I will be listening again. GNU Terry Prachett.

Another Lipwig Perfection

As usual Stephen Briggs brings a perfect performance. He brings each character to life and his pacing and articulation are perfect.
Making Money is the second of three books that follow Moist Von Lipwig. Personally, one of my favorite characters in literature followed next to Lord Vetinari, who is features heavily.
I also love the character development of Moist from the first to this book.

Quite Nice

I love this book, and the narrator does well at his job. My only complain is the sound effects between some of the chapters. Those don’t fit the story well. But it is nice to hear Moist’s story said aloud.

Another wonderful listen from the Disc World

Stephen Briggs does an excellent job distinguishing between characters and moving the story forward while keeping the sly humor of Pratchett! Highly recommended for a good listen!

Making Money

Everyone has their favorite character(s) and storylines from Discworld. Making Money and Going Postal are mine. Moist von Lipwig is just such a wonderful personality. Always just a step away from execution.

And who doesn’t love the narration of Terry Pratchett’s books by Stephen Briggs. One of the best narrator’s I have listened to.

Thank you for having blessed our mundane world with your imagination Terry. And thank you for introducing me to that world Jay.

Steven Briggs

The older ones are the best blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Great stuff

Pratchett seems to write really good stuff and great stuff, but I'm going to classify this one as excellent! He does all of the little things right.

Stephen Briggs is a one-man show, with voices for everyone. Given that the book features new characters and pulls in the existing City Watch characters, this is pretty stellar. The characters are distinct and colorful and the reading is smooth and engaging. Can't ask for much more.