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    Maskerade: A Discworld Novel
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    Maskerade: A Discworld Novel
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    Maskerade: A Discworld Novel
    Ebook372 pages5 hours

    Maskerade: A Discworld Novel

    By Terry Pratchett

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    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "A master storyteller." — A. S. Byatt

    The nineteenth installment in Sir Terry Pratchett's beloved Discworld series — which has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide.

    There’s a kind of magic in masks. Masks conceal one face, but they reveal another. The one that only comes out in darkness . . .

    The Ghost in the bone-white mask who haunts the Ankh-Morpork Opera House was always considered a benign presence—some would even say lucky—until he started killing people. The sudden rash of bizarre backstage deaths now threatens to mar the operatic debut of country girl Perdita X. (nee Agnes) Nitt, she of the ample body and ampler voice.

    Perdita's expected to hide in the chorus and sing arias out loud while a more petitely presentable soprano mouths the notes. But at least it's an escape from scheming Nanny Ogg and old Granny Weatherwax back home, who want her to join their witchy ranks. Once Granny sets her mind on something, however, it's difficult—and often hazardous—to dissuade her. And no opera-prowling phantom fiend is going to keep a pair of determined hags down on the farm after they've seen Ankh-Morpork.

    The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Maskerade is the fifth book in the Witches series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061809293
    Unavailable
    Maskerade: A Discworld Novel
    Author

    Terry Pratchett

    Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

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    Reviews for Maskerade

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      This is somewhat of a satire on The Phantom of the Opera, but only somewhat. I am continually amazed at Mr. Pratchett's plot complications and the way that he manages to string everything together into a neat, tight package at the end.
    • 4/5
      Delightful Phantom of the Opera pastiche translated into Discworld, with all the expected witchery and humour.
    • 4/5
       Terry Pratchett takes on the opera.



      They are missing a witch in Lancre, now Magrat is queen, she's not witching any more, leaving Granny and Nanny in a coven of two - and it just doesn't work. So Nanny decides to recruit a new witch in the shape of Agnes Nitt. Only Agnes (who decides that Perdita is far more interesting name and has a far more interesting life) has decided to try her hand at something else and has left Lancre to seek her future in the Opera in Ankh Morpork.



      At the same time some post arrives relating to Nanny's recently published cookery book - and this is the excuse needed to get Granny on the road to Ankh.



      All sorts of dramatic interludes follow, referencing musicals and operas the world over. There is lots of singing in foreign languages, a ghost, a mask, and a large chandelier that hangs ominously above the theatre...
    • 4/5
      One of the few Discworld books I had not read. Very good as usual! There are witches, opera, cats, ghosts and policemen. Some false clues, trapdoors, secret passageways and secret identities-basically all the elements for a good read that kept me up well into the night. This is the 5th in the Witches arc of the Discworld books that started with 'Equal Rites'. In this offering Granny Weatherwax and Gytha Ogg think perhaps Agnes Nitt could be their third witch: the maiden to their mother & crone. The hitch is that Agnes has gone off to the big city to be an opera singer. Various plot twists come into play and Granny & Gytha follow her and solve the mystery. Nice subplot that introduces the real book 'Nanny Ogg's Cookbook' which is used as a plot device to give Nanny a few fun things to do and plausibly move & re-move characters from the action as well as tie up a few loose ends in another sub plot. The Librarian makes a guest appearance that is a little heavy-handed but works with the operatic nature of the main plot and (drum roll) Greebo the cat is back in a big way in this one and he is as always rakish & adorable! This one kept me guessing til the end as to not only who-done-it but what-they-had-done and why-they-did-it. Convoluted, hilarious and worth a read.
    • 4/5
      Ever since that Magrat Garlick ran off and married the King of Lancre, Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax have been one witch short of a coven. They have a mother and a crone, so they just need a maiden. And they have their eye on Agnes Nitt . Agnes KNOWS it, too, so she runs of to Ankh-Morpork to avoid them, change her name to Perdita, and follow her dream of becoming an opera star. Granny and Nanny Ogg are not dissuaded so easily. They follow Agnes to Ankh-Morpork and the three of them end up getting involved in a mystery at the opera house. Why has the formerly docile "Ghost" (in a long cape and white mask, of course) suddenly begun murdering members of the crew?Hilarious. The witches and Greebo never disappoint. I would have liked an appearance by Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, though. I feel like he totally has a place at the concession stand of this opera house.
    • 5/5
      Hehe.I adore Greebo. He reminds me of several cats we’ve had over the years. Mostly one little ball of fluff affectionately named ‘Slash’. It’s the descriptions of him that I love the most. My favourite one so far: “Greebo could, in fact, commit sexual harassment simply by sitting very quietly in the next room.” Now that is animal magnetism to its fullest!Of course, with Greebo comes Nanny and with Nanny comes Granny. This time, the pair are for Ankh-Morepork. Where there’s a Phantom – I mean Ghost – “haunting” the city’s opera theatre. Bettering the singers, destroying scenery, killing people ... or is he? It’s a guy in a white mask anyhow, and a guy in a white mask is the Ghost.Which is where we come across Perdita X Dream – I mean, Perdita X Nitt ... uh, darn it, I mean Agnes Nitt – a young woman with an amazing voice and a wonderful personality.I do love how I got drawn into the mystery of this one. I still couldn’t help peeking at the end, several times, but even that didn’t detract from the story here.
    • 5/5
      The big city - for Agnes Nitt, or say rather Perdita X Nitt, the big city is Ankh-Morport, and the reason is music. Real music, as in the opera. (Un)fortunately for Agnes, Lancre needs its third witch. When circumstances conspire to provide Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg (accompanied by Greebo) the excuse to visit Ankh-Morpork, murder, music, mayhem, and Chocolate Delight with Special Secret Sauce ensue. The opera may never be the same again, but the show must go on!
    • 4/5
      One of the best ones so far in this series. Always a pleasure to see Ogg and Weatherwax and this time the subject is Opera. I also liked the addition this time of a real murder mystery which was deftly done I thought. Definitely superior Pratchett.
    • 3/5
      'Er, excuse me.' said the man as Nanny Ogg turned away, 'but what is that on your shoulders?''It's . . . a fur collar.' said Nanny.'Excuse me, but I just saw it flick its tail.''Yes. I happen to believe in beauty without cruelty.'Enjoyable, but somehow not as laugh-out-loud funny as most of the Discworld books I've read before.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful homage to Phantom of the Opera and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Og must go to Ankh Morepork because they see dire things in a teacup in store for Agnes/Perditta X Nitt. Of course they are compassionate women, but their agenda reaches further than helping Agnes, they want her to make a threesome of witches with them. When they arrive, they find more than the drama of the opera in store for them. A tangled web of story lines and characters await their skills.Pratchett always manages to to keep the idea of magic a mystery. Is it special skills, tricks or something other? Just when you think you have it figured out, the story twists a bit and leaves you pondering. The relationship between Nanny and Granny is something special to behold. This story will certainly be reread, it combines so much that I love.
    • 4/5
      It's not a good evening's entertainment...it's a great one!
    • 3/5
      This was clearly a satirical version of Phantom of the Opera, and I suspect I would have found it easier to follow if I'd seen the original musical! The plot lost me by the end, but I loved the humour in this book. Christine was an excellent character ('she had long blond hair and the happy smile of someone who is aware that she is thin and has long blond hair'. I know several people like that!), and Agnes was Discworld's very own Susan Boyle.
    • 3/5
      Pretty average as far as Pratchett books go, this is in the middle of his more or less straight "parody" phase in which the plot goes something like this:1) Take "real world" phenomenon (movies, rock and roll, opera)2) Put it in the Discworld3) That's it.This one is even a bit more specific: Phantom of the Opera. In the end, it doesn't really have anything to say, and aside from a couple of funny scenes (the scene where Nanny feeds Granny and the board of directors of the opera one of her "special" recipes is hilarious), there's not really much here that will stay with you. Slightly better than Soul Music (which I rank as the worst of the Discworld books) but not as good as either of the nearby books (Interesting Times and Jingo).
    • 5/5
      Themes: music, magic, opera!Setting: Ankh-Morpork*Cue the dramatic music*Lots of singing. Some ballet.Enter the guy in the mask.And the witches. That would be Nanny Ogg and Esmerelda Weatherwax.Yes, just in case you hadn't guessed, this is the inspired twist of Phantom of the Opera, or just about any other opera type thing, and Discworld, courtesy of Terry Pratchett. If you have tried his humor, I don't really have to tell you anymore than this. If you haven't, and you like comedy, magic, or opera, then you ought to give it a try. Stinking hilarious. 5 stars.
    • 3/5
      One of the better witch books in Discworld, but probably, far more amusing to an opera / musical fan than for me. I'm sure I missed more than half the puns (in the wings, and in the flies???), but it's still a great fun read.
    • 3/5
      This is one of the better Discworld novels I have read so far (I'm going in publication order, so this is #18 for me). While it had a strong and very obvious theme for parody/satire in the opera, with "Phantom of the Opera" as the focus, it didn't feel like the first 80% of the book was simply a set-up that was barreling along until it got to the pay-off giant pun/parody/groaner of an ending, the way many of the earlier novels did.Maskerade was very satisfying to read, and it might be my second favorite witches novel yet - only outdone by Witches Abroad simply because that one panders to my special interests. The pacing was good here, and there weren't so many spots where I groaned a the handling of humor as I've done in some of the other books that took on a very specific subject, like Moving Pictures or Soul Music. I think I was actually expecting a different sort of theme, after Lords and Ladies and the title this one has.I really enjoyed the new addition to the witches group, which was hinted at in L&L, but given full life here. Seeing Granny and Nanny outside of Lancre was also great - I specially loved Nanny's use of her drawers as another place to carry things and the sound effects when she removed anything from them, and also the scenes when Granny makes use of Nanny's money (her outfitting as Lady Esmeralda was quite fun to read).There wasn't much that I disliked about this one, though perhaps a few things didn't feel quite fleshed out enough as I was reading - but looking back, I don't remember any specifics. The cameo of the Watch towards the end was good and has me looking forward to the next Watch book in the series, too.
    • 2/5
      One of the better Witch books, I think. Maybe because I'm more appreciative of the story it's based on.
    • 3/5
      A run-around with the Witches, and re-telling of the Phantom of the Opera. A standard Discworld, but then Witches aren't my favourite...
    • 4/5
      Agnes Nitt tries to escape the fate of becoming a witch in the Ramtops by running away to Ankh-Morpork to become an opera singer. A few murders, a ghost and Granny Weatherwax mean that Agnes' life will never be simple. For best results, be familiar with the Phantom of the Opera before you read it.
    • 4/5
      Another fabulous Pratchett book set in Discworld. This book features the witches, Nanny Ogg and Granny, as they head to Ankh-Morpork and get educated on the opera. Pratchett is at his finest with the dialogue of the witches; they are incredibly funny, wry, and smart.
    • 4/5
      I reread this just after I watched The Phantom of the Opera for the first time, and it made a lot more sense. I'm still in love with Lady Weatherwax.
    • 5/5
      This time Pratchett takes on opera--with withches. A laugh riot.
    • 1/5
      Just ridiculous, but in the nicest way possible.
    • 4/5
      I try not to read on the subway, because people stare at me when I start laughing out loud. Of all of the Discworld novels, those which center upon the witches tend to be my favorites. This one certainly holds up for it's 3rd or 4th read. I highly recommend it, and the rest of the series, to anyone who likes fantasy, satire, or just laughing out loud in front of total strangers.
    • 4/5
      Standard Pratchett fare, Phantom of the Opera is sent up, complete with a character who is Frank Spencer by day and the Phantom at night. Nanny Ogg writes a book, The Joy of Snacks and Perdita returns. Rather a pedestrian plot, but saved by Granny Weatherwax, my favourite Discworld character.
    • 4/5
      Agnes Nitt tries to shake off her good girl image (and those awful old women!) by going to join the opera in Ankh-Morpork...but she reckons without the Ghost, the lovely if dimwitted Christine and Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Oggs ability to interfer no matter where she goes!Terry Pratchett is a god who walks among men. The entire Discworld series is a joy and only a strange mad creature cursed by gods and man would refuse to read and love these books!