Making Money

Pratchett uses the bank as a way to explore what money really is, and the answer, that it runs on belief as much as on gold, suits a hero who used to make his living from confidence tricks. Moist's schemes to make paper currency trustworthy are clever and funny, and the book is full of sharp observations about finance and human nature.

The supporting cast is excellent. Mr. Fusspot, the canine chairman, is a running delight, the Lavish family make enjoyably awful villains, and the bank's chief cashier, a quietly sinister man with secrets, adds tension. Adora Belle Dearheart, Moist's sharp-tongued fiancée, returns with a golem-related project of her own.

The plot is busier and a little less focused than Going Postal, with several subplots competing for attention, and the ending relies on a convenient twist. Readers new to Discworld should start with Going Postal. For those who loved Moist's first outing, this is a welcome and entertaining return. Underneath the jokes there is a thoughtful story about trust, risk and the value people place on things, which gives the book more weight than its breezy tone suggests. About 432 pages in the Harper mass-market paperback.