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)

Better and Better

Each of TP's books is more complex and rich than the one before it, with the familiar characters, elaborately developed in previous stories, coming on to the stage exactly where they are needed, to do their sctick in such away as to move the current tale exactly where it needs to go.

Man, if I could write like this I would't be sitting here.

Audio review

Weird transitions between chapters and sometimes in the middle of the chapter and I’m pretty sure it cut of the end of the story.

it's really 12.469 stars out of 5

I didn't think even Terry Pratchett could improve on Going Postal. Making Money is wonderfully, truly Pratchett.
The narration (a performance really) was perfect! Stephen Briggs obviously loves the book.

A delight.

Would recommend to anyone who loved Going Postal. Another great romp of the best dry humor by Pratchet .

Great book

Shame the series ended well read and written so fluidly a great read non better

Everything just works

Stephen Briggs brings his excellent comedic timing to Terry Pratchett's second Moist von Lipwig novel, tackling the vagaries of the financial world into more grist for hilarious contemplation.

One of my favorite stories ever!!!

Clever, sarcastic, intellectual, and funny! I love this book, and it's incredibly well-narrated! I just finished probably my sixth listen and did so in about half a week.

Pratchett getting better and better

Supremely entertaining with loads of lovable characters. Though Pratchett is technically working in the realm of light fantasy, he certainly doesn't shy away from complicated ideas. In this book, for instance, someone has built a physical contraption with tubes and liquids that mirrors financial factors at work in the Ankh-Morpork economy -- that pretty much blew my mind! I wish Bernanke had one of those!

interesting ideas in entertaining format

The author's writing style is entertaining. The novel is essentially a discussion of economics topics in the format of a fantasy book that is humorous at times. The narration is excellent and perfectly suited to the work.

A core economic idea of the book is that the value of gold is imaginary. I like this idea because it is true. The value of gold is imaginary and therefore I don't know why humans like to cause environmental destruction to dig it up.

Other ideas went beyond this and I don't know if the author brought these up to be humorous or if he really thinks these things. For example: 100% of rich families got their money by stealing it, if one person does hard work then other people become unemployed, and it is evil for banks to pay interest on deposits and charge interest on loans.

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"

Another marvelous reading!

Stephen Briggs is fantastic, and Terry Pratchett is an outstanding creator. I can't decide who my favorite character is in his Moist von Lipwig stories, but I sure as hell love the lot of them. Briggs' timing and accent give just the right touch to these stories, and the stories themselves keep me listening every chance I can find. I think I've found a new author to collect! Looking forward to the next one!