Raising Steam

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Raising Steam

Written by:	Terry Pratchett
Central Theme:
Synopsis:	It's railroad time on the Discworld - and Lord Vetinari wants a railroad from Anhk-Morpork to Uberwald, no matter what. Some of the dwarfs don't want that to happen, no matter what.
Genre(s):	Fantasy
Series:	Discworld
Preceded by:	Snuff
Followed by:	The Shepherd's Crown
First published:	2013

Raising Steam is the fortieth Discworld novel, and the final one written for adults.

Dick Simnel (son of the older Simnel from Reaper Man) has invented the Disc's first working steam locomotive. He brings it to Anhk-Morpork, where it quickly catches the attention of everyone, including Lord Vetinari, who sees the potential in having fast transportation to other nations on the Disc. It also catches the attention of some fundamentalist dwarfs, who think that it's an abomination and are willing to do something permanent to the permanent way. Of course Vetinari knows about the fundamentalists, so he appoints Moist von Lipwig - the only person who has a chance of surviving the creation of the railroad - as the liaison between the railroad company and the city.

Tropes used in Raising Steam include:

• Discreet Drink Disposal: Moist uses the "funnel and tube setup" (mentioned in the Real Life section of the trope page) to keep his wits about him while negotiating right-of-way for the railroad. He gives the (usually high-quality) re-bottled spirits to the other people in charge of the railway.
• Exact Words: Vetinari told Moist that he did not want to see any evidence of the city's golems being used in the railway enterprise.

Moist: Excuse me, my lord, but did you find any such evidence?

• Railroad Baron: Harry King becomes one, holding half of the shares in Dick Simnel's company (to begin with).
• Rail Enthusiast: Sure enough, once the permanent way has been set down, somebody in an anorak is there to spot the only train in existence as it goes by. This becomes a plot point later in the book.
• Traintop Battle: They even take the battle into a tunnel, when Moist doesn't warn his opponent of the upcoming danger. Said opponent is a dwarf, though, so there's just enough clearance for him to remain standing on the train car while it's in the tunnel.