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    Raising Steam
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    Raising Steam
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    Raising Steam
    Audiobook12 hours

    Raising Steam

    Written by Terry Pratchett

    Narrated by Stephen Briggs

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The new Discworld novel, the 40th in the series, sees the Disc's first train come steaming into town.

    Change is afoot in Ankh-Morpork. Discworld's first steam engine has arrived, and once again Moist von Lipwig finds himself with a new and challenging job.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 18, 2014
    ISBN9780804164542
    Unavailable
    Raising Steam
    Author

    Terry Pratchett

    Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred 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 by Queen Elizabeth II for his 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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    Reviews for Raising Steam

    4/5

    602 ratings64 reviews

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    • 3/5
      It just wasn't the same. Is it me? Is something different? It still had wonderful moments, like Moist dancing on top of a moving train, and Vetinari being the most Vetinari of them all, so it was great and I'm still reading. But some of the dialogue seemed stilted and forced, not right for the characters as we're used to knowing them. And Moist felt less Moist-like here, which was weird because a Moist that's settling down, even with Adora Belle, is strange.
    • 3/5
      The last adult Discworld book ever, which is rather sad. Wonderful series, especially earlier on. An engineer has invented the steam train and Vetinari has demanded that Moist von Lipwig organise a line be laid all the way to Uberwald as soon as possible, if not yesterday. Whether to see his ‘friend’ Lady Margoletta or for political reasons is not ever really made clear. There has been a coup deep underground and the Low King of the Dwarves has to speed back to regain his (or her) kingdom. Some derring-doo and fighting on train roofs is involved.
    • 3/5
      The penultimate Discworld book -- the last one published during Pratchett’s lifetime -- is about the development of the railway system. After a meandering beginning, the plot picks up speed and this becomes a story which is eventful, amusing, sharply observant about people and progress, and delightfully surprising.This features Moist von Lipwig, but unlike in Going Postal and Making Money he is more of a facilitator of other people’s goals rather than a protagonist pursuing his own agenda. In terms of the political context, this story follows on from the later City Watch books. Since there aren’t any more books about the City Watch, this was unexpected and satisfying -- as were the appearances made by Sam Vimes.If I were a relative newcomer to Ankh-Morpork, if I was just expecting a sequel to Making Money, I might have felt that this installment was lacking. But as the last book about Ankh-Morpokians who work for Lord Vetinari, it was a very fitting conclusion. “No, it is your kind of thinking that makes dwarfs small, wrapped up in themselves: declaring that any tiny change in what is thought not be dwarf is somehow sacrilege. I can remember the days when even talking to a human was forbidden by idiots such as you. And now you have to understand it’s not about the humans, or the trolls, it’s about the people. In Ankh-Morpork you can be whoever you want to be and sometimes people laugh and sometimes they clap, and mostly and beautifully, they don't really care. Do you understand this? Dwarfs now have seen liberty. And that’s head stuff.”
    • 5/5
      The industrial revolution comes to a fantasy world. Now what? The world starts to move a little faster than Pratchett can keep up with: sentences are given to plots that could take entire books. He knew he was dying by this point, but the genius is clearly there, packed in tighter than ever.
    • 4/5
      I think I tried to hurry through this book too fast. It has everything I want. Moist Von Lipwig. Crazy Morporkians. Vetinari. But I hurried too much and didn't appreciate it. This particular book chronicles the invention of the railway on Discworld. There is, as always, excellent commentary on modern life on round world ad well. Train spotting gets a mention. There's all sorts of discussion of economic policy and patents. Pratchett's insights are always welcome. This book didn't have quite the same Moist Von Lipwig magic of Going Postal, but it was still definitely worth the read.
    • 4/5
      An intelligent, honest, inventive young man has invented the steam engine, and Lord Vetinari has to figure out how to contain and/or exploit it. Naturally this means Moist von Lipwig has a new job--representing the city's modest, but ultimately controlling, ownership share in the new steam engine company. This also means negotiating rights of way for the railway system, as neither the young engineer, Dick Simnel, nor his older and cannier business partner, Sir Harry King, the poop magnate, are well equipped for negotiating for land rights in foreign areas. For instance, Quirm, where the only reasonable route means clearing out bandits and negotiating with goblins.

      When Lord Vetinari insists that a line to Ubervalt must be built very, very quickly, it's a problem. When a major political crisis among the dwarves means that he needs it right now, it's a life-threatening emergency.

      Many old friends from previous books make greater or lesser appearances along the way. Like a few other recent novels, the tone is a little bit darker than typical of earlier Pratchett books, but it's still Pratchett and it's still a lot of fun. Moist in particular finds himself having fun, and even Vimes and Vetinari manage to get out of the usual constraints of their offices briefly.

      This would be a bad place to start reading the wonderful Discworld series, but if you've enjoyed the earlier ones, you will enjoy this one.

      Recommended.
    • 4/5
      In the wonderful Pratchett imaginary world, Discworld, we meet Dick Simnel, an ingenious young man who finds a use for the power of steam, a locomotive. Moist von Lipwig is given the assignment of financing and overseeing the creation of the first rail line to grace the area, allowing fresh seafood to be delivered to the citizens of Ankh-Morpork for the first time. All the benefits and hazards of building such an enterprise are visited, with the added and unforeseen event that the locomotive, Iron Girder, shows signs of sentience. I admit to only sampling this vast trove of wonderful books, but I certainly appreciate Pratchett's sense of humor with his puns and word play in abundance.I listened to this story on my walks and it certainly helped the time pass pleasantly. Stephen Briggs was the wonderful narrator.
    • 5/5
      The usual industrial sub-series of Discworld. Funny and enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      Still finding Pratchett a bit of struggle these days. This book took a long long time to come up to the boil and then it felt anti-climactic when it did. I know I'm in trouble when I'm checking page numbers to see how much further I've got to go.
    • 3/5
      I don't know that I would ever accuse a Discworld book of plodding along, but this comes pretty close. For a book based on a love of steam engines, there is never any serious momentum. There are some bad guys trying to do bad things, but there is more fretting than fear. Many old favorites pop up -- even Rincewind has a cameo mention -- but they just do their usual thing and disappear again.A comfortable read for Discworld fans, but no more.
    • 4/5
      It took me some time to get into this story but once I did I really enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      Not bad overall. The first half was a bit clunky, though still some good bits. The final rail race to get to Uberwald in time is definitely the best part (though the Railway Children pastiche just slowed the pace without adding anything).Although she only has a small role here, Adora Belle Dearheart was the character I enjoyed the most.Time seems very elastic. The rail network grows with unbelievable rapidity and the whole of Ankh Morpork seems to change without Vimes or Vetinari getting any older.I liked the details of the engine and the railway, but I do wish Pratchett didn't need to emancipate a new race with every book.
    • 3/5
      I’m sad that this book doesn’t “fly” as earlier Discworld books have for me, since it reads as if it is cobbled together, rather than growing organically. It places too much reliance on the reader being familiar with characters and their humorous backstories. I know that it’s churlish, but after the often brilliance of previous books, expectations need to be managed.However, it is a mildly enjoyable read, and it is fun to encounter so many characters from the series.
    • 2/5
      Written well after illness would have stopped most of us from trying to write at all, this doesn't come close to living up to his previous work. Hate to say it about one of my favorite authors, but I would recommend skipping it.

      Really, it is largely a rehash of the previous two Moist von Lipwig books, both of which did a much better job with character, humor and story. I wouldn't recommend this one unless you are just a completionist and want to finish it because of the story.
    • 3/5
      For the first 3/4 I was reading for duty and completeness. I did eventually get caught up in the plot. Not up to the usual Discworld standard.
    • 4/5
      Moist von Lipwig teams up with Commander Vimes et al. to use the newly-invented steam engine and resulting railway to get the nearly dethroned dwarf king back to his land to safe his kingdom.Not my favorite Discworld book, but still fairly enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      The railway comes to Ankh-Morpork. As intricate and exciting as most of the Discworld novels, this one also demonstrates a good understanding of the world of steam railways.
    • 3/5
      Raising Steam is the fortieth book in the Discworld series and definitely not one you should start with! While it’s the third following Moist, there’s significant appearances from characters from other arcs, such as Vimes. Raising Steam is a book you’re better off reading if you’re already familiar with the majority of the Discworld series. If you haven’t read any Discworld books but are interested in starting, I would suggest Monstrous Regiment, Guards! Guards!, The Wee Free Men, or Going Postal.The first time I read Raising Steam, I really didn’t like it. On a second read through… it wasn’t completely horrible. It has a few good spots. It suffers in comparison to other Discworld novels, but I also think it’s helped by the inclusion of so many characters I love. Am I forgiving it some failures because of this? Possibly.In Raising Steam, a young engineer invents the steam engine (FYI he’s the son of a character in Reaper Man). He uses the new engine to construct the Disc’s very first train. All around the Sto Plains, people start to become enchanted by the magic of the railway. However, dwarf extremists are reacting violently against the changing world.Raising Steam does have a plot, however it’s a weak one. The plot is not at all well constructed, and Raising Steam doesn’t have the constant humor that helps some of the less plot focused Discworld books.Overall, Raising Steam is way too ambling and wordy. There’s too many little words and clauses like “indeed” and “on the other hand” thrown in constantly. Same goes with exclamation marks. This carries over to the dialogue, which often doesn’t feel discernible from the rest. Dialogue has also gotten longer and more unwieldy. I ended up skimming multiple sections.However, there were a few good lines. I found myself smiling at the scene where Colon and Nobby tried to explain how the steam engine worked to two small children and became even more entrenched in their wrong explanation as the conversation went on. There also some good character moments, and Pratchett retains his gift for creating spot on analogies:“Moist, on the other hand, in the vicinity of the press, was as straightforward as a sackful of kaleidoscopes.”Raising Steam tries to delve into the darkness that some of the later Discworld books have plumbed to well. It tries to do this by expanding on the concept of the small minded grags, who first appeared in Thud!… but it just doesn’t work. It’s too on the nose and over the top. The darkness doesn’t have the palable quality of books like Night Watch or Thud!. If it’s darkness you’re looking for, read one of those novels instead. Although, there was one line in Raising Steam that did work well in this regard:“When you’ve had hatred on your tongue for such a long time, you don’t know how to spit it out.”So, overall, Raising Steam isn’t completely horrible, but it’s still a mess and doesn’t compare well to the other books in the series. I’d only recommend it to Discworld completists.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
    • 5/5
      Re-reread April 2015...

      This is a Discworld novel for Discworld fans, people who have visited the Disc often. Unlike most of the other Discworld books, which are easily comprehensible on their own to a new visitor, this one is not. A good background with the setting and its inhabitants is required to follow and appreciate this story. Many of our favorite characters from past books have walk-on parts. A reader who is unfamiliar with them will miss a lot. I like how Pratchett's stories have evolved over the years from clever humor to lighthearted and often heartwarming tales of people combating prejudice and ignorance. This one is largely a tribute to humane ingenuity and innovation. I highly recommend this one to all Discworld fans.
    • 4/5
      To begin with I was worried that Pterry had lost his touch. This book is somewhat different to the earlier discworld stories in that it lacks a geographic focus, however once I got into it I realised that this was because the coming of the railway means that the world is so much smaller. The focus in this book isn't a handful of characters in a limited environment, but the handful of characters spread all over the area covered by the trains. The introduction of steam to the discworld gives it a very 19th century feel. Somehow this does it in a way that the clacks didn't.

      The main protagonist is Moist von Lipwig but Vetinari, Vimes and the Watch feature as support along with dwarves and goblins. Unusually there is quite a lot of Vetinari in it, more than the usual cameo piece at the beginning and end of the story. There is also a development of his office and how it works to keep him in power, and to keep the peace. There is a little feeling of tying up some loose ends, and trying to broaden some of the supporting cast. Drumknott becomes interested, or rather obsessed, by the trains.

      The Dwarves feature as one of the main plot elements, the Low King of the Dwarves is a progressive moderniser. Many traditionalists fear the changes, and use very cynical means to oppose them. Much of this is drawn from present day radicalisation, and the moral of the story is very much about not being able to stop progress, the best one can hope for is to harness it for good.

      You need to have read the previous works in the series to get some of the continuity, although I am pretty sure that it would work if you haven't. One thing I did notice though was Raising Steam wasn't laugh out loud material, I had quite a few little smiles as I read, but it wasn't the comedy in some of the works. Perhaps a little more serious, but still light hearted and an entertaining read.
    • 5/5
      The usual industrial sub-series of Discworld. Funny and enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      The railway comes to Ankh-Morpork. As intricate and exciting as most of the Discworld novels, this one also demonstrates a good understanding of the world of steam railways.
    • 4/5
      One of the hallmarks of the early Discworld was the episodic nature of the series, how you could start from pretty much anywhere and be assured that you wouldn't be missing out on anything you need to enjoy the story. That is not the case with Raising Steam.Terry Pratchett was once quoted as saying, "There are no maps. You can't map a sense of humour. Anyway, what is a fantasy map but a space beyond which There Be Dragons? On the Discworld we know There Be Dragons Everywhere. They might not all have scales and forked tongues, but they Be Here all right, grinning and jostling and trying to sell you souvenirs." But that is not the case with Raising Steam, which has a nicely detailed map in its opening pages.As a result, many constant readers might pick up this volume and object that it isn't their Discworld. Things are changing, and they don't want them to change. But the answer to these objections are found within the pages of the story itself.No other series that I have read has done such a good job of showing a world in a state of change. We expect our fantasy stories to exist in static universes, perhaps threatened by some Ultimate Evil, but otherwise forever mired in a paradise of happy Olde World peasantry. That may be where the Discworld series began, but it is not where it is going.The sheer weight of the 39 books that came before it press down on Raising Steam, with the reader expected to know who De Worde, Vimes, the Librarian, and countless other Discworldians are. That is simply the price of entry. But if that price is paid, then the reader is treated to a fully entertaining ride.Make no mistake--the protagonist of this story is not Simnel, or Von Lipwig, but instead the notion of progress itself, embodied by the railroad. It is the common thread that runs through the entire story, which is constructed much more like The Long Earth and The Long War, Pratchett's recent collaborations with Stephen Baxter. It is speculative fiction of the purest sort.Recommended for Discworld fans only, and those are encouraged to appreciate the story for what it is, and not to mourn (too much) the style and world that Pratchett is leaving behind.
    • 4/5
      This is a more serious book than most of the Discworld novels. Both the subject matters and the tone are more sober.There was some thoughtful writing on the meaning of "progress" and everyone's acclimation to it, and the ways in which it can change society- and the impossibility of shutting it down and going back to the Olde Ways. Interesting stuff about the progression of tolerance in Ankh-Morpork. The engineer character was nicely done, too.But- while many other characters from the Ank-Morpork threads of the books paid a visit- as a whole it really didn't develop the verve that the best of pterry's novels have. I understand why- but i still missed it.I also very much disliked the way Vetinari was depicted here. He was far more directly involved as usual... and he was also pretty much a jerk. Not a jerk in necessary ways, either- just a jerk so as to be a jerk. OK, tyrants are bad.The thing I loved about Veinari, though, ws that he was completely aware of it, and thus generally kept only the lightest of fingers on events- and just gave them a delicate tap occasionally. Here, he is far cruder and more heavy-handed, and that disappointed me; he was ruling explicitly by force and threats, and not by cleverness and innuendo.I'll keep reading new Discworld books as long as pterry keeps writing them, of course. I've been a fan for most of my adult life! This one, though, is for the dedicated fans- and even we can be somewhat disappointed. Still- far better than no such book at all!
    • 4/5
      I am incapable of dispassionately evaluating a Discworld novel. Because Terry Pratchett.
    • 3/5
      In this latest Discworld novel, the inventive people who populate the disk have invented steam engines. And they spring, fully formed, from the mind on Dick Simnel who's the disc's equivalent of a no-nonsense, down to earth, practical minded Yorkshireman. The enthusiasm with which the new invention is greeted is great, with the first train spotters putting a "1" in their book even before there are any other engine numbers to collect. Being married a bit of a steam train nut, I thought this very well observed, although himself, as usual, found nothing even vaguely amusing in the extracts I read to him. Combined with Dick's technical nouse you have Harry King wanting to be a railway baron (rather than the shit king) and Moist running the thing with charm and charisma as usual. But it's not all fun & frolics. You have dwarf infighting (just for a change) with the deep down dwaves causing trouble and wanting to turn the clock back (I can think of any number of modern parallels there) and a mad dash to save the king's throne. There are a number of interesting twists, but I'm not sure the ending is necessarily one of the strongest. Having followed this series from the early days, I love the way they reference back, so a tinkering Simnel sparked a hint of memory - of course! Ned Simnel devises the reciprocating reaping machine in Reaper Man. This tinkering Simnel is his son. It's that sort of unobtrusive link to prior knowledge that make the entire series hang together so well - it's not just the main characters that appear in multiple episodes, it's the fact that the minor characters have that continuity as well.
    • 2/5
      I wish I could give this more stars because I've at least liked and mostly loved every other Terry Pratchett book I've read (and that's almost all of them). But I can't. When I saw that there was another Discworld book coming out I scrounged the internet for a copy from abroad, just so I didn't have to wait months and months more for it to be released in the US. I read the opening two paragraphs of classic Pratchett prose on the universe being so full of nothing that nothing was something and nothing is everywhere and nothing knows something... and I thought "This is IT. Sir Terry is back and in fine form!" And then I got to the third paragraph. And the 40 or 50 pages after that. I almost quit reading it was so bad. It was like reading an incredibly detailed description of a Terry Pratchett story, as told by someone that has no idea how to actually TELL a story.Somewhere around page 50 it recovered a bit, and wasn't so painful to read, but it still was a story about a discworld story, not a discworld story itself. Every other story, no matter how much it is a satire or commentary on war or racism or economics or hollywood or tourism is still primarily about the main character. As a reader there is someone there to directly engage with and experience the story through. In Raising Steam the closest is Moist Lipwig, but not really. Along the way the story features Moist, Vetnari, Adora Belle, Sam Vimes, Angua Sgt. Colin, Nobby, Rhys Rysson, Mr Shine, Cherry, Albrect, Bashfull Bashfullsson (who uncharacteristically wields an axe at one point), Harry King, Drumknot, the Archchancellor, Rincewind, Lu-Tze, Detritus, Igors, Sacharissa, Otto, various goblins and golems, and oblique references are made to Cohen the Barbarian & his horde, the history monks, witches, the Nac Mc Feegle, Gnomes, the King and Queen of Lancer and.... you get the point. At some point pretty much EVERY character you've ever met except for Captain Carrot and Twoflower makes at least a cameo appearance.As a result the closest thing there is to a coherent viewpoint is the IDEA of a railroad, and even then the book can't decide if it is about obsessive railroad culture, robber barrons, or about violent phobic anti-whatever terrorism in fear of change. So it meanders around sort of telling a story while giving as many characters as possible a chance to wander onto stage. And at the end of it all, those wonderful two opening paragraphs still seem to have dropped in from some other book entirely. I've got no idea why they are in this book.I've thoroughly enjoyed Sir Terry's books. I'm amazed that he's been able to write so many that are so good. I'm horribly horribly sorry that he's been stricken with Alzheimer's. If the reason that so many characters made an otherwise pointless appearance in Raising Steam was to give them a curtain call, so be it. And I really really really hate to say it, but Sir Terry, thank you for all the wonderful stories, I'll keep reading them again, and passing them along. But it's time to stop. Please stop. Don't ruin a great thing.
    • 3/5
      A fun, fluffy and not terribly substantial Pratchett.
    • 1/5
      I have read 17% of this book, according to my Kobo e-reader and I don't think that I can stomach any more. I quote:"As he expected, the bubbub bubbled even more: wilful bubbled hatred, bubbled misunderstanding, bubbled spitefulness."and "... she was not surprised to see a very large and handsome wolf approaching at speed and, unlike most wolves, carrying a package between its jaws. The wolf disappeared behind a haystack, and shortly afterwards out of the haystack came a handsome female, only marginally dishevelled, wearing the uniform of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch.Captain Angua, the most notable werewolf in the Watch said, 'Oh, my, they've certainly made a mess, haven't they?'"It reads like a children's book which is trying to be funny but somehow misses the mark. I'd rather re-read one of the older books in the series. I really think that it is time for Sir Terry to hang up his computer and go and smell the roses.
    • 4/5
      A good yarn telling what happens when some upstart on Discworld decides it is time to introduce steam driven rail travel for all. As here on roundworld, there are numties who do not like progress, or the thought of anyone else making a profit from it. Trust TP to see the opportunity in this development to create a good fantasy novel.