{"id":5150,"date":"2020-03-25T05:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=5150"},"modified":"2020-03-23T14:11:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T21:11:32","slug":"mark-reads-raising-steam-part-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2020\/03\/mark-reads-raising-steam-part-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads &#8216;Raising Steam&#8217;: Part 14"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the fourteenth part of <i>Raising Steam<\/i>, Harry King has a soft spot; Vetinari gives an order. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read <i>Discworld<\/i>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><b>Trigger Warning: For brief talk of death<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had this conversation for a while on this site, but this is a perfect time. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, there are some tropes that just butter my bread. That float my boat. That I love despite their overuse or ubiquity, that make me so happy, that can endear me to an otherwise subpar or mediocre story.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Two of these tropes appear IN JUST THIS ONE SPLIT. Two! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a beautiful gift! So let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start with Dick Simnel. I want to note that this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the first time this trope appears in regards to Dick. Very early in the book, Pratchett used this archetype, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a similarity between him and how Captain Carrot has been written over the series, too. But y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all: I love a character who everyone assumes is simple or uncomplicated, and they actually turn out to be HIGHLY COMPETENT. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an element of that in Carrot, sure, but more so in the beginning of his arc, since he climbs the ranks in the Watch and becomes highly respected and feared. But most people are meeting Dick Simnel for the first time, and his appearance is <i>constantly<\/i> referenced by Pratchett. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s greasy. Like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 <i>literally<\/i> greasy. Moist has to constantly remind him of this. (And now I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find the line, but doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t either Moist or Harry tell Dick to change into a suit at one point?)<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>No one expects his competence or his sincerity. Which is wild to me because HE BUILT ALL THOSE ENGINES. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clearly a genius. But he speaks so plainly; he says exactly what he means; he is so damn SINCERE. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to twist or spin what he says, though Hardwick of the <i>Pseudopolis Daily Press<\/i> still tried it. Seriously, what a ridiculously rude question! To him, Dick\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death is a means of posing a gotcha; he clearly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about the man as a person. Yet even then, Dick gracefully address how dangerous live steam is, and he does so in a way that inspires confidence.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I LOVE THIS TROPE. I TRULY DO.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a trope I love even more than that, and it appears in Harry King. I <i>love<\/i> characters who have a tough, thorny exterior, who for whatever reason are hardened by the world, but the truth is ON THE INSIDE THEY ARE A BIG SOFTIE. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re emotional. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re deeply empathetic, but they protect themselves and others with a mask or a shell. Oh, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just SO MUCH MATERIAL for me to love.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>He is a tough character, make no mistake. But he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tough because he knows how hard he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worked for what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had. So there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that gets why he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so frustrated by, for example, the concept of <i>sharing<\/i> what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s created. Though I do want to make a distinction here: Dick Simnel made it; Harry King provided the <i>funding<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a vital piece of this, of course, and the railway would not have progressed as it has without Harry King. So, naturally, Harry King still wants to control everything, including the very <i>idea<\/i> of the railway. Which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t rational. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t control an idea or claim a patent on something so vague. Thankfully, Mr. Thunderbolt explains this to him, but Harry still wants more. He built one empire, and he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want this one taken away from him.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be, for what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth. I love that Moist and Mr. Thunderbolt take their time later in the split to explain why it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important that Harry change his expectations for the railway, particularly investing in steel. I bring this up as a long way to lead into discussing the trope: Harry King is a deeply, <i>deeply<\/i> emotional person. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s this mistaken idea that men like Harry aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t emotional, but most people are. Harry just chooses to channel his emotions into this persona of his, but what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s he <i>actually<\/i> like? Yes, he probably <i>would<\/i> punch you if you called him a philanthropist, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not hoarding his wealth. He has a lot of money, and he spends it to do good things. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the only employers in the whole city who offers up a pension; he randomly pays excessive hospital bills; he rewards his employees handsomely. And then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that whole trip to see Mrs. Wesley. The cynical part of Moist is able to recognize how Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kindness will be twisted into good PR for the man, but the truth is that Moist honestly believes that Harry helped Mrs. Wesley out <i>because it was the right thing to do<\/i>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big softie. I LOVE IT. I love it SO MUCH.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I did want to address some other things that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fit the trope conversation. Knowing that Rhys Rhysson is actually female, I feel as if Pratchett intentionally used she\/her for the dwarf scene, where a member of the grags finally realizes that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on the wrong side. Seriously, it was bold enough of her to have that outburst where she properly labels the whole group as criminals. But since these dwarfs have a very close-minded approach to gender, it seemed purposeful that this dwarf was a woman. Unfortunately, she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t escape the grags, who kill her before she can see the light. (Literally, since it all transpired in the darkness underground.) But this line in particular interested me:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>And then there were eight left in the cavern and those watching in the darkness watched more closely to see who would be next.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Is this the actual number of Ardent\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supporters? Is that all that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left? I figured that they were a minority in the dwarf world, but this was WAY smaller than I expected. That makes sense, though; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rare that fundamentalist groups like this are a majority. But my <i>actual<\/i> favorite part of the book so far is at the end of this POV:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The grags came down heavily on those who did not conform and seemed not to realize that this was like stamping potatoes into the mud to stop them growing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I genuinely think this is one of the most profound things Pratchett put in his books. It hits so HARD, especially since I can think of a number of people that this applies to in my life. How many times have people tried to crush my desires or my dreams? SERIOUSLY, THIS IS A PERFECT METAPHOR FOR ALL MY TEENAGE YEARS. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deal??? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so good? Look, my mother told me that heavy metal and punk music would send me to hell, and look at me know. All those people who tried to shame me for liking horror? For being gay? For wanting to be an author when I grew up? NONE OF YOUR SHAMING OR SPIRIT-BREAKING WORKED. It had the genuine opposite effect that these people wanted.<\/p>\n<p>Incredible.<\/p>\n<p>One last thing: Vetinari\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demand. Do I think Vetinari actually expects Moist to get things done in record time? Actually\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 yeah, I do. But Vetinari is more complicated than that. On the surface, it seemed so bold of him to just invoke being a tyrant and then order Moist to stop <i>everything<\/i> so that an express line to Bonk can be built. The man just watched Moist struggle with trying to get a line to Quirm. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been months, and Moist hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even begun to negotiate for land rights to get to Uberwald. He knows exactly how long it took to build a line to a place a couple hundred miles away, and he knows that Uberwald is over five times that distance away.<\/p>\n<p>So why threaten Moist?<\/p>\n<p>My guess is because he knows it will work. Moist is going to take the time he needs to, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll come up with a ridiculous solution. Why? Because whenever the man is under pressure, his brain does magical things. EVERY. TIME. And I think Vetinari just created an artificial sense of pressure on him. Look how quickly he convinces Harry King to invest in more steel! However, here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where the real hint to the future is:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In desperation Moist said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have enough workers, sir! Not enough people to man the foundries! Not enough people to dig the ore! We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve probably got enough stock now to get halfway, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about the workers.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Lord Vetinari. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is. Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it. Think on that, Mister Lipwig.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m possibly deeply, deeply wrong. But who could man foundries? Who could dig the ore? Who hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been involved in the process of the railway because of the recent acts of terrorism against the clacks and the railhead?<\/p>\n<p>My theory: Vetinari has just planted the seed of an idea in Moist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mind. He wants him to start involving the dwarfs. WHICH WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT, MIND YOU. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in the middle of a schism! Okay, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re <i>always<\/i> in the middle of one, but this one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty serious. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a pretty solid theory\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I think? So, yeah, why not just commit it to this review and hope I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m right?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Lord, I hope I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m right.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/8BxUV1_ssZ8<\/p>\n<p><b>Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/us.macmillan.com\/books\/9781250169211\">You can now pre-order my second YA novel, <i>Each of Us a Desert<\/i>, which will be released on September 15, 2020 from Tor Teen!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8211; If you&#8217;d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/ey636\">sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the fourteenth part of Raising Steam, Harry King has a soft spot; Vetinari gives an order. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[451],"tags":[463,565,248],"class_list":["post-5150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discworld","tag-mark-reads-discworld","tag-raising-steam","tag-terry-pratchett"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5150\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. The path to wp-cache-phase1.php in wp-content/advanced-cache.php must be fixed! -->