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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Phantom of the Opera Meets Bewitched, Sep 23 2001
Terry Pratchett revisits Discworld yet again in this parody of the world of opera and music theatre. But herein lies his problem--the world of opera and music theatre may not be very well known to many of his readers. While The Phantom of the Opera will probably be a clearly recognizable basis for the plot, how many will understand the references that make similar Discworld novels so thoroughly funny? For example, Death tries to dispatch a swan, but before he goes the swan must sing for the one and only time in his life, which he refuses to do. Death challenges the swan's knowledge of operatic repertoire and tricks him into singing the Pedlar's song from Lohenshaak, which begins "Schneide meinen eigenen Hals". Few will recognize the timely reference to Lohengren and its swans, and surely only German speakers will realise that the swan is tricked into singing the words "cut my own neck." However, although some jokes are for aficionados only, others run the gamut from the over-obvious fat jokes through silliness (the Phantom writes out his maniacal laughter and uses 5 exclamation points!!!!!) to wry observation (the difference between opera and madness is "better scenery"; and the telling feature of good music, according to one critic, is that "it's got blobs and curly bits all over it".) Prachett, in his most insightful observation, has one of his characters comment, "The plots don't make sense! Half the stories rely on people not recognizing their servants or wives because they've got a tiny mask on! Large ladies play the part of consumptive girls! No one can act properly!...There should be a sign on the door saying 'Leave your common sense here'! If it wasn't for the music, the whole thing would be ridiculous!" Certainly if you haven't read Pratchett before, this is not the book to start with, and if you are looking for hard-core fantasy, this is not for you either. Discworld is a reflection of our own world, a vehicle to parody our own foibles. It is not a place for heroic quests and sorcerely legerdemain (music lovers looking for such are recommended Greg Bear's "Songs of Earth and Power")--any tasks of daring-do are sure to go awry in as comical a fashion as possible. But for those in quest of a laugh, and without too refined a sense of humor, Discworld is a fine place to visit.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Maskerading as, Aug 3 2007
Terry Pratchett's satirical eye doesn't spare anybody or anything, and in his nineteenth Discworld book "Maskerade," it's opera's turn to suffer. In his typically barbed prose, he gleefully spoofs the "Phantom of the Opera," lampoons opera in general, and takes the opportunity to take everyone's favorite witches out to Ankh-Morpork.
Magrat Garlick is newly married and crowned. As a result, Granny Weatherwax is moody and bored, while Nanny pens an erotic cookbook -- and when it turns out that she's being cheated of royalties, Granny decides to go to Ankh-Morpork and confront her publisher. Meanwhile, the primary witch-maiden candidate, Agnes Nitt, has also gone to Ankh-Morpork to become an opera singer.
But the opera isn't all it's cracked up to be -- Agnes finds herself providing the voice for pretty, airheaded Christine, and the opera ghost is causing some major disasters. Granny and Nanny immerse themselves in the backstage -- and onstage -- drama of the opera, trying to figure out who the Phantom is... and why he's a friend one minute and a foe the next.
It's obvious that the opera holds no awe for Pratchett. Sure, the novel is a spoof of Gaston Leroux's novel, but Pratchett's real intention here is to constantly make fun of the opera, both as entertainment and art form. The entire climax of the book is devoted to making fun of opera's illogic, lack of acting, and such time-honored traditions as a dying person flawlessly singing for about fifteen minutes before expiring.
But it's not all opera spoofery. Despite some grisly deaths and the psycho Phantom (who sends notes filled with maniacal laughter), getting the witches out of Lancre gives the whole story a light, fun feel. It has some darker scenes, such as Granny playing cards with Death for a baby's life, but most of it is dedicated to the witches doing the sort of weird things they'd never do at home (impersonating duchesses, for one).
Pratchett sprinkles the storyline with hilarious dialogue, wacky situations (Nanny Ogg moonlights as the world's fattest ballerina), and some swashbuckling. And he includes a small message as well, about being the sort of person we actually want to be -- and how "masks" on the outside can change us.
Agnes Nitt has a lot of pagetime, but she seems rather fussy and pallid next to Granny and Nanny -- we get to see just how strong their friendship really is, despite their bickering. Granny shines especially, courtesy of a shopping spree, some coach rides and some dodgy darkish magic. And we have a wide array of timid janitors, annoying managers and airheaded sopranos to round out the cast.
"Maskerade" is a gleeful, glorious spoof of opera in general, and a fun outing for the Lancre witches. Definitely a solid entry for Pratchett.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Maskerade Tickles, Mar 19 2002
By A Customer
This was my first experience reading Pratchett, and I really enjoyed it. "Maskerade" is an all-out goofy ride and music lovers will laugh outloud at the observations made about the world of opera. Not a lot of substance or deep thought here, but Pratchett punctuates his silliness with simple observations on the human condition which are probably more complex than they appear.In an odd way, I think that sometimes Pratchett's wit gets in the way of his writing. Sometimes I found myself not laughing at something I knew was funny just because I found it too clever, or perhaps too practiced. Every once in a while, I found myself a little annoyed at how astoundingly profound the characters were in their silliness. Anyway, it didn't happen often, and "Maskerade" was still a delightful, entertaining read. I look forward to reading more of Pratchett's work in the future.
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