Maskerade
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 1/4/2004
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 1/4/2004 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I picked up this secondhand paperback at an Annie's Bookstop some time back; finally read it in mid-December of 2003 after catching up on the preceding "Witches"-series books. As one might guess from the title, this one's based rather heavily on "Phantom of the Opera," and most of the plot revolves around various operatic, theatrical, and other entertainment-business-type themes. The book centers on Agnes Nitt (met briefly in "Lords & Ladies"), who is now in Ankh-Morpork trying to make it as an opera singer; she has the voice, but not the looks, and winds up doing some real-time dubbing for the pretty-but-tone-deaf star. In the meantime, Granny and Nanny find that they're not enjoying witchery as much without Magrat to boss around, and they decide to come and draft Agnes for the number-three spot - but they'll have to be subtle about it. [Imagine Nanny being subtle. Right.] Off they go to the big city, with Greebo in tow, and they - and Agnes - wind up hunting a murderous Phantom all up and down the Opera House...
A secondary plot, and excuse-to-go-to-the-big-city, is Granny's discovery that Nanny has sent a manuscript of her cookbook to a publisher in Ankh-Morpork, under the pen-name "A Witch of Lancre". Since Granny considers that she is THE witch of Lancre she's more than a little annoyed at this - but she's also interested to learn that while the book seems to be selling like the proverbial hotcakes [and "hot" would be the main keyword for most of Nanny's recipes], Nanny hasn't received anything like her just compensation. So the witches stop by at the publisher's and have a word about royalties, in a scene that, though brief, will delight the hearts of authors everywhere. [Some of Nanny's recipes feature later on, in a scene that had me sniggering uncontrollably.]
While I did enjoy this one, it seemed lighter than most of the Discworld books - "lighter" as in "not as many different themes/levels/stuff-going-on". Even when Greebo displays his newly-acquired talent for turning into human shape [a knack he picked up in "Witches Abroad"], he doesn't get to do as much with it as I'd have liked - though what there is, is choice {grin}. I'd call this one a romp, but it's not among my top-10-favorite Discworld books; still, even the bottom-10-favorites are entertaining!
A secondary plot, and excuse-to-go-to-the-big-city, is Granny's discovery that Nanny has sent a manuscript of her cookbook to a publisher in Ankh-Morpork, under the pen-name "A Witch of Lancre". Since Granny considers that she is THE witch of Lancre she's more than a little annoyed at this - but she's also interested to learn that while the book seems to be selling like the proverbial hotcakes [and "hot" would be the main keyword for most of Nanny's recipes], Nanny hasn't received anything like her just compensation. So the witches stop by at the publisher's and have a word about royalties, in a scene that, though brief, will delight the hearts of authors everywhere. [Some of Nanny's recipes feature later on, in a scene that had me sniggering uncontrollably.]
While I did enjoy this one, it seemed lighter than most of the Discworld books - "lighter" as in "not as many different themes/levels/stuff-going-on". Even when Greebo displays his newly-acquired talent for turning into human shape [a knack he picked up in "Witches Abroad"], he doesn't get to do as much with it as I'd have liked - though what there is, is choice {grin}. I'd call this one a romp, but it's not among my top-10-favorite Discworld books; still, even the bottom-10-favorites are entertaining!
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Blockbusters (see text for location) in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, January 7, 2004
GoryDetails at Blockbusters (see text for location) in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, January 7, 2004
Released on Wednesday, January 07, 2004 at Blockbusters on Spit Brook Road in Nashua, New Hampshire USA.
I left this in the video store at about 1:30, behind a video of "Phantom of the Opera" [of course!] in the Horror section. [Alas, they didn't have any copies of the old classic versions of "Phantom," so I had to resort to a newish version starring Julian Sands.]
I left this in the video store at about 1:30, behind a video of "Phantom of the Opera" [of course!] in the Horror section. [Alas, they didn't have any copies of the old classic versions of "Phantom," so I had to resort to a newish version starring Julian Sands.]
