Raising Steam
Chapters - Terry Pratchett
Section: Iron Girder Runs
In Sheepridge, Dick Simnel - whose father died in a steam explosion a decade earlier - reveals to his mother that he has been secretly continuing his father's work. Armed with a proper education in mathematics and precision measurement, he has built a working steam engine. Meanwhile, the Low King Rhys Beardbringer faces a crisis as grag extremists, led by Ardent, threaten rebellion against his modernising reforms.
Lord Vetinari reads about the locomotive in the newspaper and recognises its significance. He dispatches Moist von Lipwig to investigate the commercial potential. Moist arrives at Harry King's compound, where Simnel's prototype Iron Girder is running demonstration circuits before enormous paying crowds. Moist, Sir Harry King and the troll lawyer Thunderbolt negotiate a three-way partnership to develop the railway, with the city holding a small casting-vote share.
On page: Dick Simnel, Of the Twilight the Darkness, Havelock Vetinari, Moist von Lipwig, Iron Girder, Mrs Simnel
Section: Laying the First Line
Moist throws himself into the railway project, negotiating land rights for track-laying across the Sto Plains. Dick Simnel builds a larger, more powerful engine capable of pulling freight and passengers over long distances. The first proper railway line is laid between Ankh-Morpork and Sto Lat, with stations, timetables and ticket offices.
Grag extremists begin sabotaging the new railway, attacking clacks towers and attempting to derail trains. Ardent and his followers see the railway as a threat to traditional dwarf culture. Commander Vimes provides Watch protection for the enterprise. Adora Belle supports the project through the Golem Trust, while Vetinari orchestrates events from the palace with characteristic subtlety.
On page: Moist von Lipwig, Dick Simnel, Of the Twilight the Darkness, Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Adora Belle Dearheart, Havelock Vetinari, Harry King
Section: Grag Sabotage Begins
The railway expands rapidly. Harry King's wife Effie insists on high standards of hygiene and separate ladies' compartments. Moist manages the commercial side while Simnel focuses on engineering improvements. The goblins prove to be natural railway workers, their nimble fingers perfect for maintenance work.
The grag attacks escalate, targeting both the railway and the clacks. An old dwarf cobbler named Maelog Cheerysson tells his son about the miracle of Koom Valley, where dwarfs and trolls nearly went to war until the discovery of the ancient kings playing Thud together in a cavern proved they could be friends. His elder son has been imprisoned by Vetinari for setting fire to a clacks tower under grag influence. The Patrician plans to use the boy as an informant rather than simply punishing him.
On page: Moist von Lipwig, Dick Simnel, Havelock Vetinari, Harry King
Section: Race to Uberwald
Vetinari summons Moist with an urgent assignment: the Low King Rhys must travel to Uberwald quickly and safely, as the grags have attempted a coup. The railway must be extended to get the King through hostile territory. Moist and Simnel prepare for the most ambitious journey yet.
The grags, led by Ardent, have attacked the Scone of Stone and are threatening to overthrow the King. Commander Vimes is assigned to provide security for the train journey. Adora Belle arranges for golems to assist with emergency track-laying ahead of the train. The stakes are international: if the Low King falls, the peace established at Koom Valley collapses.
On page: Havelock Vetinari, Moist von Lipwig, Dick Simnel, Of the Twilight the Darkness, Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Adora Belle Dearheart, Harry King
Section: The King's Secret
The train carrying the Low King Rhys departs for Uberwald, with Commander Vimes commanding the security detail and Moist managing logistics. Simnel pushes Iron Girder to her limits as they race through hostile territory. Grag saboteurs attack at the Paps of Scilla, attempting to derail the train.
Moist discovers the Low King's secret during a stop at Mrs Simnel's house: Rhys is actually female, the Low Queen, a fact known only to a trusted few including Vetinari and Lady Margolotta. The Queen and her secretary Aeron are lovers. Moist keeps the secret, recognising that its revelation would transform dwarf society. Adora Belle coordinates the golem support from Ankh-Morpork.
On page: Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Moist von Lipwig, Dick Simnel, Iron Girder, Havelock Vetinari, Adora Belle Dearheart
Section: Bridge Over the Gorge
The train reaches the treacherous mountain passes approaching Uberwald. Moist faces the most dangerous obstacle yet: a crumbling bridge over a terrifying gorge, barely visible in thick fog. With characteristic showmanship, he steps off the edge of the cliff to stand on what appears to be thin air - actually the hidden work of underground golems that Adora Belle has secretly deployed.
Vimes tests the bridge himself and approves. Simnel drives Iron Girder across - and the locomotive briefly takes flight, lifted by some combination of golem engineering and the engine's own mysterious will. They clear the gorge and the rickety bridge collapses behind them, cutting off pursuit. Moist had secretly negotiated with Vetinari for use of the ancient city golems, operating under plausible deniability.
On page: Moist von Lipwig, Adora Belle Dearheart, Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Dick Simnel, Iron Girder, Havelock Vetinari, Harry King
Section: Battle on the Roof
As the train approaches Bonk, Commander Vimes prepares for a final grag assault. The grags attack in force as the train passes through a narrow cutting, climbing onto the carriages. Moist and Vimes fight on the roof of the train, with Moist's knowledge of the locomotive's rhythm giving him unexpected agility.
Vimes tears off his shirt, revealing the Summoning Dark scar on his wrist. The grags recognise the legendary Blackboard Monitor and falter. Detritus fires his Piecemaker crossbow, devastating the attackers. The grags manage to separate the engine from the carriages, but Simnel and the crew fight back. Goblins swarm the grags from below. The battle is fierce but brief, and the grag assault is broken. Iron Girder pushes on towards Bonk.
On page: Samuel 'Sam' Vimes, Moist von Lipwig, Detritus, Dick Simnel, Iron Girder
Section: Arrival in Bonk
Iron Girder arrives in Bonk triumphantly, carrying the Low King safely to the dwarf capital. The grag conspiracy collapses as the King reasserts authority. Ardent and his extremists are defeated, their attempt to drag dwarf society backwards foiled by the very engine of progress they sought to destroy.
Lord Vetinari arrives to survey the aftermath with quiet satisfaction. The railway has proved itself not merely as transport but as a political instrument, connecting cultures and making isolation impossible. Moist reflects on what he has helped to build - a revolution in motion, quite literally. Simnel is already planning larger engines and longer routes. A goblin inventor presents a velocipede to Vetinari, who approves it as another step in the march of progress, musing, 'What next? What little thing will change the world because the little tinkers carried on tinkering?'
On page: Iron Girder, Of the Twilight the Darkness, Havelock Vetinari, Moist von Lipwig, Dick Simnel, Harry King