He’s slick, polite and so sharp he could end up cutting himself. These are some big changes.įor starters, the book version of the main character, Moist von Lipwig, is a con man who’s only in it for the thrill of the con. It changes the characters too, and not in some minor way that only fans would pick up on. ‘Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal’ goes a step further than simply gutting the humor out of the books. The plot goes in, the jokes get filtered out, and we’re left with a less than satisfactory experience. That’s why it hasn’t been too upsetting that other recent adaptations like ‘Hogfather’ and ‘Color of Magic’ were so bereft of charm. Action is more visually stimulating, and it’s got to look a lot better in previews. Instead of focusing on the wonderful dialog and characters that make the books so fun to read, it focuses on the action of the story, bringing to life some of the book’s less important scenes while leaving out the good stuff. I’m in it to hear Reacher Gilt work his way out of trouble to hear Lord Vetinari talk about almost anything and of course, to hear the speeches of Most von Lipwig, full of bravado and confidence.īut ‘Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal’ doesn’t have those things. Sure, there’s a plot, and it’s an interesting one, but I’m not in it for that. His characters all have such interesting internal and external dialog that the main thrust of the story takes a backseat. That’s the very best part of Pratchett’s work for me.

They have a ton of wordplay and seemingly one-dimensional characters that get deeper as time goes on. Think of his books as high-fantasy that’s funny.

He’s apparently pretty hip in the UK, but I have no idea how popular he is in the U.S.

If you’re not familiar with Pratchett’s work, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised. It’s called ‘Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal,’ and is based very loosely on the similarly-named book ‘Going Postal.’ The latest affair recently aired on the UK’s Sky1. His books are amazing, but the TV Movies that keep rolling out are dreadful. He does for fantasy what Douglas Adams did for science fiction, but has taken it a step or two further by introducing more elements of social commentary, critical thinking and some delightful wordplay.

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