Raising Steam

The Discworld's first train comes steaming into town and causes Moist von Lipwig all sorts of problems in this, the final, glorious adult novel in Terry Pratchett's legendary, multi-million-selling sequence.A special hardback gift edition of classic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the third book in the Industrial Revolution series, part of the Discworld novels.'One of the most consistently funny writers around' Ben Aaronovitch, The Guardian'Truly a classic novel from the master of meaningful comic fantasy' 5-star reader review'The world lives between those who say it cannot be done and those who say that it can . . . it's just a matter of thinking creatively.'Moist von Lipwig is a con man turned civil servant.As head of the Royal Bank and Post Office of Ankh-Morpork, he doesn't really want or need another job. But when the Patrician, Lord Vetinari, gives you a task, you do it or suffer the consequences. In Moist's case, death.A brand-new invention has come to the city- a steam locomotive named Iron Girder, to be precise. With the railway's introduction and rapid expansion, Vetinari enlists Moist to represent the government and keep things on track.But as with all new technology, some people have objections, and Moist will have to use every trick in his arsenal to keep the trains running . . .Raising Steam is the third and final book in the Industrial Revolution series, but the Discworld novels can be read in any order.Praise for the Discworld series-' Pratchett's spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on Sunday'Pratchett is a master storyteller' Guardian'One of our greatest fantasists, and beyond a doubt the funniest' George R.R. Martin'One of those rare writers who appeals to everyone' Daily Express'One of the most consistently funny writers around' Ben Aaronovitch'Masterful and brilliant' Fantasy & Science Fiction'Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own... he is a satirist of enormous talent ... incredibly funny ... compulsively readable' The Times'The best humorous English author since P.G. Wodehouse' The Sunday Telegraph'Nothing short of magical' Chicago Tribune'Consistently funny, consistently clever and consistently surprising in its twists and turns' SFX' Discworld is compulsively readable, fantastically inventive, surprisingly serious exploration in story form of just about any aspect of our world...There's never been anything quite like it' Evening Standard

“"Consistently funny, wise and clever. . . . Rewarding to both longtime readers and novices, filled with characters who leap off the page and metaphors that make you laugh out loud. . . . Pratchett''s appeal isn''t just his roller-coaster plots but the depth of his ideas." --Sam Thielman, Newsday "Salted among all the treacle miners and nascent trainspotters are some serious ideas about technology and the irrevocable changes it brings. . . . While exploring questions about the unintended consequences of technology, Pratchett also blasts fundamentalists who resist all progress. But mostly he seems to be having fun with words in the very British strain of absurdist humor that he has made his own. And 40 books in, why not?" --Sara Sklaroff, The Washington Post "A delightful fantasy send-up of politics, economics and finance, as the Discworld gets a railway and complications ensue. . . . A lovely homage to the courage at the core of technological advance. . . . Pratchett melds politics, finance and the occasional dark turn with his fantasy and humor, and as ever his footnotes are not to be missed. . . . How many writers are more fun to spend time with?" --Ken Armstrong, The Seattle Times "A spectacular novel, and a gift from a beloved writer to his millions of fans. . . . A tremendous synthesis of everything that makes Pratchett one of the world''s most delightful writers." --Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing "What began with a farcical satire of pseudomedieval fantasy has become a Dickensian mirror of contemporary western society. . . . Raising Steam is the latest transformation of a remarkable fictional world that has evolved and grown with its creator--and it shows how, in the way of many things invested with devotion on the Disc itself, the Discworld has taken on a life of its own." --Karin L. Kross, Tor.com "From the first, the novels demonstrated Pratchett''s eye for telling detail and the absurdities of the human condition. . . . He remains one of the most consistently funny writers around; a master of the stealth simile, the time-delay pun and the deflationary three-part list. . . . I could tell which of my fellow tube passengers had downloaded it to their e-readers by the bouts of spontaneous laughter." --Ben Aaronovitch, The Guardian "Terry Pratchett''s creation is still going strong after 30 years. . . . Most aficionados, however, will be on the look-out for in-jokes and references from previous novels--of which there is no shortage. Discworld''s success, like that of Wodehouse''s Jeeves and Wooster stories, has never been driven by the plots. . . . It is at the level of the sentence that Pratchett wins his fans." --Andrew McKie, The Times (London) "A brash new invention brings social upheaval, deadly intrigues, and plenty of wry humor to the 40th installment of Pratchett''s best-selling Discworld fantasy series. . . . As always, Pratchett''s unforgettable characters and lively story mirror the best, the worst, and the oddest bits of our own world, entertaining readers while skewering social and political foibles in a melting pot of humanity, dwarfs, trolls, goblins, vampires, and a werewolf or two." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Brimming with Pratchett''s trademark wit, a yarn with a serious point made with style and elegance." -- Kirkus Reviews "Leavened with Pratchett''s usual puns, philosophical quips, and Discworld in-jokes, the story offers an amusing allegory of Earthly technology''s many seductions." -- Booklist Praise for Terry Pratchett "Terry Pratchett may still be pegged as a comic novelist, but . . . he''s a lot more. In his range of invented characters, his adroit storytelling, and his clear-eyed acceptance of humankind''s foibles, he reminds me of no one in English literature as much as Geoffrey Chaucer. No kidding." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World "Given his prolificacy and breezy style, it''s easy to underestimate Pratchett. . . . He''s far more than a talented jokesmith, though. His books are almost always better than they have to be." --Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle "Nonstop wit. . . . Pratchett is a master of juggling multiple plotlines and multiplying punchlines." --Ken Barnes, USA Today”

Laugh-out-loud funny...A chuffing wonderful book. SFX
Terry Pratchett’s creation is still going strong after 30 years as Ankh-Morpork branches into the railway age…There are sly nods to the history of railways and a cheeky reference to The Railway Children. Most aficionados, however, will be on the look-out for in-jokes and references from previous novels – of which there is no shortage…It is at the level of the sentence that Pratchett wins his fans. The Times
The genius of Pratchett is that he never goes for the straight allegory. . .he remains one of the most consistently funny writers around; a master of the stealth simile, the time-delay pun and the deflationary three-part list. . .I could tell which of my fellow tube passengers had downloaded it to their e-readers by the bouts of spontaneous laughter. -- Ben Aaronovitch The Guardian

Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

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