Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett audiobook

Raising Steam

By Sir Terry Pratchett
Read by Stephen Briggs

Random House Audio 9780385538268

The Discworld Series: Book 40

12.33 Hours Unabridged
Format : Digital Download (In Stock)
  • $22.50
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    ISBN: 9780804164542

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.

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Summary

Summary

A New York Times bestseller

Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award, March 2014

A USA Today bestseller

A Los Angeles Times bestseller

An NPR bestseller

A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller

An AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year for 2014

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.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Brimming with Pratchett’s trademark wit, a yarn with a serious point made with style and elegance. Kirkus Reviews
A brash new invention brings social upheaval, deadly intrigues, and plenty of wry humor to the 40th installment of Pratchett’s best-selling Discworld fantasy series. . . . As always, Pratchett’s unforgettable characters and lively story mirror the best, the worst, and the oddest bits of our own world, entertaining readers while skewering social and political foibles in a melting pot of humanity, dwarfs, trolls, goblins, vampires, and a werewolf or two. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Terry Pratchett’s creation is still going strong after 30 years. . . . Most aficionados, however, will be on the look-out for in-jokes and references from previous novels—of which there is no shortage. Discworld’s success, like that of Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster stories, has never been driven by the plots. . . . It is at the level of the sentence that Pratchett wins his fans. Andrew McKie, The Times (London)
Leavened with Pratchett’s usual puns, philosophical quips, and Discworld in-jokes, the story offers an amusing allegory of Earthly technology’s many seductions. Booklist 
Terry Pratchett may still be pegged as a comic novelist, but . . . he’s a lot more. In his range of invented characters, his adroit storytelling, and his clear-eyed acceptance of humankind’s foibles, he reminds me of no one in English literature as much as Geoffrey Chaucer. No kidding. Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World
Nonstop wit. . . . Pratchett is a master of juggling multiple plotlines and multiplying punchlines. Ken Barnes, USA Today
Given his prolificacy and breezy style, it’s easy to underestimate Pratchett. . . .  He’s far more than a talented jokesmith, though. His books are almost always better than they have to be. Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle
From the first, the novels demonstrated Pratchett's eye for telling detail and the absurdities of the human condition. . . . He remains one of the most consistently funny writers around; a master of the stealth simile, the time-delay pun and the deflationary three-part list. . . . I could tell which of my fellow tube passengers had downloaded it to their e-readers by the bouts of spontaneous laughter. Ben Aaronovitch, The Guardian
What began with a farcical satire of pseudomedieval fantasy has become a Dickensian mirror of contemporary western society. . . . Raising Steam is the latest transformation of a remarkable fictional world that has evolved and grown with its creator—and it shows how, in the way of many things invested with devotion on the Disc itself, the Discworld has taken on a life of its own. Karin L. Kross, Tor.com
Consistently funny, wise and clever. . . . Rewarding to both longtime readers and novices, filled with characters who leap off the page and metaphors that make you laugh out loud. . . . Pratchett's appeal isn't just his roller-coaster plots but the depth of his ideas. Sam Thielman, Newsday
“As always, Pratchett’s unforgettable characters and lively story mirror the best, the worst, and the oddest bits of our own world, entertaining readers while skewering social and political foibles in a melting pot of humanity, dwarfs, trolls, goblins, vampires, and a werewolf or two.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Salted among all the treacle miners and nascent trainspotters are some serious ideas about technology and the irrevocable changes it brings. . . . While exploring questions about the unintended consequences of technology, Pratchett also blasts fundamentalists who resist all progress. But mostly he seems to be having fun with words in the very British strain of absurdist humor that he has made his own. And 40 books in, why not? Sara Sklaroff, The Washington Post
A spectacular novel, and a gift from a beloved writer to his millions of fans. . . . A tremendous synthesis of everything that makes Pratchett one of the world’s most delightful writers. Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
A delightful fantasy send-up of politics, economics and finance, as the Discworld gets a railway and complications ensue. . . . A lovely homage to the courage at the core of technological advance. . . . Pratchett melds politics, finance and the occasional dark turn with his fantasy and humor, and as ever his footnotes are not to be missed. . . . How many writers are more fun to spend time with? Ken Armstrong, The Seattle Times
“Stephen Briggs has been recording Discworld novels for over a decade, and as a longtime collaborator with the author, it’s no surprise that his narration is filled with life. With his deep understanding of the Discworld universe, Briggs lends authenticity to every word. As the varied characters discover steam power and its associated benefits and mishaps, Briggs uses more than a dozen United Kingdom accents to humanize the different species that share this world… Standout performances include the Patrician, whose deep voice sounds commanding and highly intelligent, and a goblin, whose quavering voice is, nonetheless, filled with inner strength.” AudioFile
“Full of Pratchett’s usual sly humor and clever wordplay, this is another solid entry in the hugely popular Discworld series.” Library Journal
“Pratchett’s fortieth Discworld novel brings in one—or, as it turns out, two—intriguing new characters and introduces a radical new concept: the railway…Brimming with Pratchett’s trademark wit, a yarn with a serious point made with style and elegance.” Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

Reviews

Author

Author Bio: Sir Terry Pratchett

Author Bio: Sir Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English novelist known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series. His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971, and after publishing his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983, he wrote two books a year on average. He was the United Kingdom’s bestselling author of the 1990s and has sold more than 55 million books worldwide. In 2001 he won the Carnegie Medal for his children’s novel The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature in 1998 and was knighted in 2009.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download
Category: Fiction/Fantasy
Runtime: 12.33
Audience: Adult
Language: English