A Book Review: Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #40)

The river of human history remembers important inventions. Inventions that stand as symbols for human ingenuity and progress. One of these important inventions is the steam engine, born from the womb of the Industrial Revolution. During the 18^th and 19^th century, the steam engine found its uses in commercial applications such as locomotion and mining. These applications not only became irreplaceable norms in the everyday life, but the arrival of the steam engine also triggered progress in other aspects in the human society, which in turn, shaped ours today. Sure, there were some negative things during the Industrial Revolution, but suffice to say, if the steam engine never arrived to drive our ancestors forward, our world probably would been worse for it. (Just imagine how a lack of machine locomotion could impact all areas of our lives)

This leads us to ask two questions: 1) Is it better to have progress than remaining stagnant? 2) Is there such a thing as “the right time” for progress to come?

Sir Terry Pratchett explored these two questions in the 40^th Discworld novel, titled Raising Steam. In this satirical fantasy novel, Terry Pratchett dragged Discworld kicking and screaming into the era of the steam engine. Raising Steam is the 2^nd last Discworld novel and it is not as well received as other Discworld books. I finished reading this book a few days ago, then took a while to think about it. Today, I offer to share my thoughts on Raising Steam in a book review.

Synopsis:

It is the century of Fruitbat and the steam engine has arrived hissing and smoking in Discworld!

The steam engine is a chiming machine harnessing the power of earth, air, fire and water. The steam engine is magic that can be controlled. It runs on the sliding rule, and it is the baby of Mr. Dick Simnel, a grease monkey who knows a lot about sine, consine and tangent. Mr. Simnel named his steam engine, “Iron Girder”, and drove it to Ankh Morpork. Iron Girder caught the attentions of zeitgeists and businessmen alike. In this case, Harry King, the richest man in Ankh Morpork envisioned great potentials in the steam engine and quickly partnered with Mr. Simnel in this venture. A venture that will change Discworld forever.

Meanwhile, Lord Vetinari, the patrician of Ankh Morpork, is feeling reluctant about the steam engine. Yet, he could do nothing to halt its inevitable arrival. So the best thing he could do was to steer its course. This is where Moist von Lipwig comes into the picture. Mr. Lipwig is an ex con-man who “re-directed” his talent into commercial adventures and achieved marvelous results in the past, such as the resurrection of the post office, and the reconfiguration of Ankh Morpork's failing monetary system. Vetinari was convinced Moist is the best man to handle this new business about the steam engine, so he offered Moist a new job he cannot refuse. What's Moist's new job? Making sure the steam engine arrives in Discworld for the benefits of all.

Moist took the job and soon discovered giving birth to Ankh Morpork Hygienic Railway is a monumental task. Not only does he have to grease up things on the business side, but he also has to deal with some angry, dwarf traditionalists who seek to derail this project. Some big challenges for Mr. Lipwig but there is no other way than the railway... it is time for raising steam!

My thoughts about this book:

Discworld series ended with 41 books in total. These books are beloved by fans and critics alike. In comparison to other Discworld books, Raising Steam received mixed receptions. Some people applauded Raising Steam as a master piece among Terry Pratchett's literary works. While some criticized the storytelling for being incoherent and slow paced. Meanwhile, a few readers expressed their unhappiness that Terry Pratchett was too direct about the subjects he was critiquing. As for me, my opinion is that while I did enjoy Raising Steam, but I also think this book has a few problems and its quality probably ranks somewhere in the middle of Discworld series.

Raising Steam is the 3^rd book featuring Moist von Lipwig as the protagonist. This book also belongs to the “Industrial Revolution” series in Discworld library. Furthermore, Raising Steam is essentially the spiritual successor for Thud! and The Fifth Elephant, as well as a follow up story from Snuff. This also means, Raising Steam is not a stand-alone novel. I would highly recommend reading the City Watch series, and the other 2 Moist von Lipwig novels (that is, Going Postal and Making Money) before you read Raising Steam. I believe if you follow my recommendation, then you will come to have a greater appreciate for the story in Raising Steam.

In Raising Steam, Terry Pratchett brought back many favorite characters from the past. Some of these characters played crucial roles in the story, while some made cameo appearances. And here lies the greatest problem with this book; there are too many characters in the first 2/3 of the book. Each character has his/her own story arch and subplot. As a result, the first 2/3 of the book felt out of focus, disjointed, and the storytelling suffered from it. However, after the story finally gathered its momentum and focus in the final act (which is about 66% into the book) all pieces clicked together and the story began to fly. From here, the story became an exhilarating ride of intrigue and nail-biting suspense, until it reached a (very) satisfying finale. Having said this, the over-abundance of characters and disjointed sub-plots in the first 2/3 of the story made this book a bit of a sluggish read. Some readers may find the first 2/3 of the book difficult to sit through.

However, we need to remember when Terry Pratchett wrote Raising Steam, he was combating Alzheimer disease. So considering his illness, it is truly a marvel that he could write this novel at all (and to be honest, Raising Steam is actually not a bad book despite the flaw I mentioned above). In fact, I wonder if anyone could have written as well as Terry Pratchett did if he/she was put in Terry Pratchett's condition.

I suspect some people may have disliked this book not because of the theme, but at Terry Pratchett's directness. You see, in the past Discworld novels, Terry Pratchett was a master at using humorous dialogues to illustrate the absurdities of the human condition. His observations were often spot on, but his critiques ran subtly yet sharply under the guise of humorous satires. In Raising Steam, however, his style changed significantly. Gone are the witty dialogues that satirizes the subjects of his critiques. Instead, the satires are replaced by straight allegories. To some, they may feel Terry Pratchett was being overly preachy in this book. Meanwhile, some Discworld fans might miss the humor from the old Discworld novels. Make no mistakes, this is still a humorous book, but the humor changed directions and this book does not feel as comical as other books in the series.

I do miss the style of humor from previous Discworld novels. However, I personally don't have any problem with the theme in this book. In fact, I wholeheartedly agree with the theme in this book. So what is the theme? In Raising Steam, Terry Pratchett heavily criticized fundamentalism. His critiques took on the shape of an allegory, in the form of the dwarf traditionalists, who were portrayed as villains. In the story, the rise of the steam engine moved hand in hand with a social movement for racial and gender equality. In this movement, despite race and gender differences, “people”, including goblins and trolls (which were traditional enemies for dwarfs) were given equal opportunities at employment and social advancement. While the enlightened, ruling dwarfs, such as the Low King of dwarfs advocated this progress, but some dwarf traditionalists clung to the past and rejected progress. They refused to participate in the multi-cultural, integrated society that Ankh Morpork was becoming, which was a movement rising with the arrival of the steam engine. In fact, the dwarf traditionalists wished to go back to the “good old days” and they resorted to terrorism, sabotaging the Ankh Morpork railway project. There is also a sub-plot concerning gender inequality in the dwarf community, but I won't discuss it here because it will spoil a plot twist in this book. Suffice to say in this story, Terry Pratchett blasted fundamentalism, and he used the story to communicate his view point, that while there are ups and downs for making progress, yet progress is better than stagnation, and liberty means everyone is given equal opportunities to achieve his/her potential unrestricted by the past or personal background. Perhaps some readers may disagree with Terry Pratchett's view on progress and liberty, but I agree with him.

I like Raising Steam. The storytelling may feel a bit congested in the first 2/3 of the book, but the core story is still very interesting. Furthermore, I appreciate Terry Pratchett's insight and humorous, sharp critiques about the problems in our society. I will definitely recommend this book to fans of Discworld. Here I wish to mention again, Raising Steam is not a stand-alone novel. Before you read this book, I strongly recommend first reading the City Watch series, as well as Going Postal and Making Money.