Title:  Going Postal
Author:  Terry Pratchett
Format:  Paperback
Pages:  416
Genre:  Fantasy/Discworld
Date Started:  August 14, 2010
Date Finished:  August 17, 2010

Rating:  A-

Description (from the Publisher):  Arch-swindler Moist Van Lipwig never believed his confidence crimes were hanging offenses—until he found himself with a noose tightly around his neck, dropping through a trapdoor, and falling into...a government job?

By all rights, Moist should have met his maker. Instead, it's Lord Vetinari, supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork, who promptly offers him a job as Postmaster. Since his only other option is a nonliving one, Moist accepts the position—and the hulking golem watchdog who comes along with it, just in case Moist was considering abandoning his responsibilities prematurely.

Getting the moribund Postal Service up and running again, however, may be a near-impossible task, what with literally mountains of decades-old undelivered mail clogging every nook and cranny of the broken-down post office building; and with only a few creaky old postmen and one rather unstable, pin-obsessed youth available to deliver it. Worse still, Moist could swear the mail is talking to him. Worst of all, it means taking on the gargantuan, money-hungry Grand Trunk clacks communication monopoly and its bloodthirsty piratical head, Mr. Reacher Gilt.

But it says on the building neither rain nor snow nor glo m of ni t...Inspiring words (admittedly, some of the bronze letters have been stolen), and for once in his wretched life Moist is going to fight. And if the bold and impossible are what's called for, he'll do it—in order to move the mail, continue breathing, get the girl, and specially deliver that invaluable commodity that every human being (not to mention troll, dwarf, and, yes, even golem) requires: hope.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Watching the miniseries adaptation before reading the book was a big mistake.  My brother had told me that there was more creative license taken with Going Postal than there had been for the other adaptations.  I just didn't realize it was going to be for the better.  Usually the book is a hundred times better than its movie; in this case, it seemed so much... slower and less exciting than its TV adaptation.  The book was still very good, and there were several parts that I wish they'd included in the miniseries because they were so hilarious.  I just felt that the original story had quite a few parts where the action just seemed to stop.

Overall, Going Postal has memorable characters, a unique and exciting storyline, and Pratchett's famous wit and sarcasm.  I personally loved the book, but I wish I'd read it before seeing the miniseries.  A-