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Going Postal
Mar. 9th, 2019 07:51 pm Well, I fell into the Twine rabbit hole, and a relatively small Going Postal excerpt popped out. I suppose it's just as well, considering that I'm re-reading the book in occasion for reading Making Money after. Going Postal is definitely up there with Night Watch as one of of my favourite (Discworld) books. I could quote many, many, good examples of the prose and content, but I'll limit myself to the rather iconic quote from the fourth chapter.
“Do you understand anything I’m saying?” shouted Moist. “You can’t just go around killing people!”
“Why Not? You Do.” The golem lowered his arm.
“What?” said Moist. “I do not! Who told you that?”
“I Worked It Out. You Have Killed Two Point Three Three Eight People,” said the golem calmly.
“I have never laid a finger on anyone in my life, Mr. Pump. I may be – all the things you know I am, but I am not a killer! I have never so much as drawn a sword!”
“No, You Have Not. But You Have Stolen, Embezzled, Defrauded, And Swindled Without Discrimination, Mr. Lipvig. You Have Ruined Businesses And Destroyed Jobs. When Banks Fail, It Is Seldom Bankers Who Starve. Your Actions Have Taken Money From Those Who Had Little Enough To Begin With. In A Myriad Small Ways You Have Hastened The Deaths Of Many. You Did Not Know Them. You Did Not See Them Bleed. But You Snatched Bread From Their Mouths And Tore Clothes From Their Backs. For Sport, Mr. Lipvig. For Sport. For The Joy Of The Game.”
Aside from the great writing, it's also because I very much like Moist as a character (and, well, having people like him is his thing, after all). He's certainly easy to relate to, if not in the ways one might typically expect.
