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Making Money

528 pages

A fast-talking, delightfully chaotic romp through the absurdities of economics and the power of a really good con.

What it feels like

Reading this feels like being swept up in a brilliant, high-stakes con where the mark is the entire concept of capitalism. The pace is brisk and breathless, matching the frantic energy of a protagonist who thrives on the edge of disaster. It is a deeply funny, sharply satirical experience that wraps profound observations about human belief and the illusion of money in layers of absurd, joyful chaos. The prose crackles with wit, delivering punchlines and philosophical truths with equal ease. You spend the whole book grinning at the sheer audacity of the schemes unfolding. It is perfect for readers who love their fantasy laced with sharp social commentary, lovable rogues, and a bustling, slightly unhinged atmosphere.

Mood
  • chaotic
  • bustling
  • cheerful
  • unhinged
Tone
  • wry
  • satirical
  • affectionate
  • absurd
  • sharp
Pace
brisk
Themes
the illusion of value · redemption through competence · absurdity of economics · the power of belief · institutional inertia
The writing
Dense with clever wordplay, sharp social observations, and philosophical footnotes, delivered with a conversational and witty flair.
The arc
The journey shifts from restless boredom to frantic, high-stakes problem-solving, culminating in a triumphant and chaotic victory.
Who it's for
Readers who delight in clever satire, economic absurdity, and lovable rogues who use their silver tongues for the greater good.
Content notes
  • mild fantasy peril

About the book

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 haas 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 (nee 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....

Description from Open Library.

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