Maskerade - Terry Pratchett

1995; 358 pages. Genre : Comedic Fantasy. #18 in the DiscWorld series. New Author? : No. Overall Rating : 8*/10.

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Maskerade is Terry Pratchett's tribute to opera in general, and to Phantom of the Opera in particular. Agnes Nitt comes to the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to make her musical mark, armed with a rich, full voice and a poorer, fuller body.

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Alas, dead bodies are dropping all around the opera house like ...well... dead bodies. And there's a ghost wafting around, wearing a white mask. Could these things possibly be inter-connected? Hmmm.

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What's To Like...

The DiscWorld witches have starring roles here, and some feel they are Pratchett's strongest characters. The Librarian (ook!) also has a major presence. There's a one-eyed mongrel tomcat named Greebo, whom I had never met before. And because of the bodies, DEATH shows up a number of times.

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The humor is less yuk-yuks and more topical. I was left wondering what Pratchett's personal opinion of opera really is. He lampoons it a lot, but he's also well-versed on the subject. Maskerade is also a well-crafted whodunit, once again showing off Pratchett's versatility.

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Finally, there's a recurring philosophical question by which Granny Weatherwax evaluates a person's mental faculties : "If your house was on fire, what's the first thing you'd try to take out?" Think before you answer.

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Excerpts...

"Says here that Dame Timpani, who sings the part of Quizella, is a diva," said Nanny. "So I reckon this is like a part-time job, then. Prob'ly quite a good idea, on account of you'd have to be able to hold your breath. Good trainin' for the singin'." (pg. 147)

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The Ghost danced along the edge of the balcony, scattering hats and opera glasses. The audience watched in astonishment, and then began to clap. They couldn't quite see how it fitted into the plot of the opera - but this was an opera, after all. (pg. 273)

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You needed at least three witches for a coven. Two witches was just an argument. (pg. 13)

Although #18 in the series, this would be a good starting book for readers new to DiscWorld. Some reviewers feel Maskerade isn't funny enough, but it's probably hard to do a joke-a-minute when the main themes are serial killings, mystery, and opera. The storyline kept my attention, and I'm really not a fan of musicals at all.

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Overall then, Maskerade is a well-constructed and well-paced, and was sufficiently humorous for me. A solid effort by Terry Pratchett. 8 Stars.