Title: Maskerade
Author: Terry Pratchett
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 290
Rating: 7/10
Terry Pratchett – Maskerade
I don’t know what it is about Maskerade, but I just didn’t really enjoy it – I think a lot of the nuances were lost on me because I’m not really a fan of opera, one of the main themes that the novel looks at. But the thing is, as with most Pratchett books, there’s a lot for you to enjoy regardless, which is why I had to give it a 7/10 despite the fact that I didn’t really enjoy it.
Roughly speaking, the story line follows Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, as they visit the bright lights of Ankh-Morpork to spend a day at the opera. Nanny Ogg is owed royalties from her publisher for her successful cookbook (which, by the way, has been released in our world, as well as on the Discworld), and the two are also on the hunt for a new recruit to the coven to replace the void left by Magrat Garlick. Unfortunately, as you might expect when the witches are involved, nothing is ever that easy.
Now, I’m told that this novel is a parody of Phantom of the Opera, but seeing as I don’t know the story line to that, that doesn’t mean much to me. I just had to take it at face value, and perhaps that’s why I wasn’t too impressed. To me, it almost feels like a waste of a Discworld novel, and I for one would jump at the chance to wipe Maskerade from the history books and to replace it with a new Ankh Morpork City Watch book. Unfortunately, that’s not the way that the world works, so this’ll have to do!
Terry Pratchett
