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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Oh, I loved this one! I think it probably is my second favourite of the witches books. Agnes is a great character and a nice addition to the coven, much more interesting than Magrat Garlick, I think. The plot was great, the cameo appearance of the Watchmen was great, the humour was great; overall, there's not one thing about this book that I didn't like.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was my first novel starring The Witches back when I started Discworld, and the re-read didn't disappoint. Granny is strong in this one, even though she's just a bit too tough on Nanny. Nanny is jovial and good natured as always and Agnes give the backtalk Magrat never was able to, even if it's just in her head.
I love the Witches series for all the references to theatre, music and even history, and here, too, Maskerade didn't disappoint. "However did he come up with music about cats, I wonder..."
I love the Witches series for all the references to theatre, music and even history, and here, too, Maskerade didn't disappoint. "However did he come up with music about cats, I wonder..."
Classic Pratchett. Snarky, funny, but clever. A satirical spoof of a theatrical mystery, too.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Esta nueva aventura de las brujas me ha parecido un poco floja. La trama está metida un poco con calzador y todo gira en torno a la ópera de Ankh-Morpork y un trasunto del fantasma de la ópera. Con personajes conocidos para el lector experto de Pratchett, es entretenida a ratos. Otros, no tanto. Con alguna genialidad propia del autor pero que, en general, no ha hecho que la obra se grabe a fuego entre mis favoritas.
An unexpected favorite from the series so far, I loved every page.
This was my first Terry Pratchett book, I loved it. I would love to read more of the books in the Discworld series.
So great to get back to a book with Pratchett doing what he did best after the poor punfest that was Soul Music and the silly adventures of Rincewind in Interesting Times, Maskerade is about the witches and you can't go wrong with Granny and Nanny running riot with things.
Nanny is sick of making the tea, Granny is bored, they need a third (junior) witch to complete their coven and they need adventures to stave off the craziness that can envelope the mind of a bored yet powerful witch (see the adventures of Black Alice for case in point.) It just so happens that their preferred witch Agnes (Perditax) Nitt has run off to the big smoke to join the opera, an operation currently haunted by a murderous ghost. Hijinks ensues.
The major difference between the witches books and the Rincewind books is that first and foremost Pratchett is concerned with telling an interesting and entertaining story about great characters as opposed to squeezing as many jokes per page as possible with a "plot" a secondary or tertiary requirement of the book. Granny and Nanny ARE great characters, they have interesting adventures and the stories are generally reused, reimagined, re-buggered about with, classics of literature i.e. established high quality structure with a fair bit of cunning imagination thrown in to the mix. Maskerade's take on The Phantom of the Opera is no exception to this, and there are still countless jokes that come naturally from the evolution of the characters and plot rather than slapstick humour forced in to scenarios as part of an unacknowledged joke quota.
The promotion of Agnes from a minor character in Lords and Ladies to bone fide replacement for Queen Magrat Garlick is handled marvellously, life is breathed in to her previous caricature with nonchalant ease, bringing a new dynamic to Pratchett's world - a female character that is allowed to just exist on her own for a time without solely being a plot device or a two dimensional villain or a sounding board for Granny etc.
Looking ahead at the rest of the series I think it's fair to say that this is the point where Pratchett became fully in control of his abilities with the pen and grasped the power of the world he had created over the past decade and Maskerade is a good example of what was to come.
Nanny is sick of making the tea, Granny is bored, they need a third (junior) witch to complete their coven and they need adventures to stave off the craziness that can envelope the mind of a bored yet powerful witch (see the adventures of Black Alice for case in point.) It just so happens that their preferred witch Agnes (Perditax) Nitt has run off to the big smoke to join the opera, an operation currently haunted by a murderous ghost. Hijinks ensues.
The major difference between the witches books and the Rincewind books is that first and foremost Pratchett is concerned with telling an interesting and entertaining story about great characters as opposed to squeezing as many jokes per page as possible with a "plot" a secondary or tertiary requirement of the book. Granny and Nanny ARE great characters, they have interesting adventures and the stories are generally reused, reimagined, re-buggered about with, classics of literature i.e. established high quality structure with a fair bit of cunning imagination thrown in to the mix. Maskerade's take on The Phantom of the Opera is no exception to this, and there are still countless jokes that come naturally from the evolution of the characters and plot rather than slapstick humour forced in to scenarios as part of an unacknowledged joke quota.
The promotion of Agnes from a minor character in Lords and Ladies to bone fide replacement for Queen Magrat Garlick is handled marvellously, life is breathed in to her previous caricature with nonchalant ease, bringing a new dynamic to Pratchett's world - a female character that is allowed to just exist on her own for a time without solely being a plot device or a two dimensional villain or a sounding board for Granny etc.
Looking ahead at the rest of the series I think it's fair to say that this is the point where Pratchett became fully in control of his abilities with the pen and grasped the power of the world he had created over the past decade and Maskerade is a good example of what was to come.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated