Making Money, Terry Pratchett book review

This is pure Terry Pratchett in top form, with one of his (in my opinion) most likeable Discworld characters, Moist Von Lipwig (Albert Spangler, in another life).

Previously a conman and swindler, Moist is given a second chance by Ankh-Morpork's tolerant despot, Vetinari, who utilises his skill-set by making him the head of the post office. But that's another story – Going Postal, in fact. Making Money is about what happens after Moist turns the post office into a raging success. His thrill-seeking, risk-taking urges are beginning to surface again when Vetinari decides to give Moist the new challenge of taking over the bank and royal mint, which means taking on the almost-certain vampire who works there and the ire of the greedy board of directors, the powerful Lavish family.

Throw in a threat from his shady past, an unearthed army of ancient golems and the stiletto-force of Moist's lady love, Adora Belle Dearheart, and you have a funny, satisfying, intelligent book that doesn't disappoint.

Q & A (a.k.a. 'Slumdog Millionaire') book review

I doubt there's anyone out there who hasn't heard of Slumdog Millionaire by now, especially with all the Oscars talk about town lately. The premise is that young orphan Ram Mohammed Thomas, who lives in the slums of Mumbai, enters a quiz show along the lines of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and wins the biggest jackpot in Indian history. However, the show's producers are unable to afford his astronomical prize money, and have accused him of cheating in order to avoid payment. Somehow, he must prove that he knew the answers to all the questions on the show despite his lack of education and obvious disadvantages. The story of Ram's eclectic life ('eclectic' isn't the right word here... different, diverse, multifarious) unfolds as he explains how the questions asked of him, by twist of fate or hand of fortune, just happen to be those he knew the answers to. Each chapter relates to one pocket of his life's story, which happens to contain the answer to one question asked on the show.

Partway through the story, the Q&A format becomes a little tedious and there are times when belief has to be suspended in order to allow the story to flow. However, the ending certainly makes up for any shortcomings along the way, and new information presented at the end of the book makes you see the whole story again through different eyes.

Author Vikas Swarup writes quite lyrically, and the narrative is paced well to keep you interested throughout. Like a number of other books set in India, there's a disturbingly casual (and in this case, innocent) approach to crime and violence, and the way Q&A touches on the subjects of incest, rape, domestic violence and police corruption (with deeper intent, no doubt) is reflective of the culture in which the story is set, without distracting from the main story itself.

Expect to shed a tear or two at the end, because there is some real beauty and tenderness in this story.