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Maskerade is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the eighteenth book in the Discworld series.[1] The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get caught up in a story similar to The Phantom of the Opera.

Key Information

Plot summary

[edit]

Agnes Nitt leaves Lancre to seek a career at the Opera House in Ankh-Morpork, which has recently been purchased by Seldom Bucket, formerly a cheesemonger. When Granny Weatherwax realizes Nanny Ogg has written an immensely popular "cookbook" but has not been paid by the publisher (and that the nom de plume of 'A Lancre Witch' may lead people to believe that she rather than Nanny wrote it), the witches leave for Ankh-Morpork to collect the money. They also hope to recruit Agnes into their coven, to replace Magrat Garlick who left the coven when she became Queen of Lancre (in Lords and Ladies). This has the side benefit of distracting Granny from becoming obsessive and self-centred, or so Nanny believes to her great relief. En route, they meet Henry Slugg, an Ankh-Morporkian opera singer who adopted a Brindisian persona of Enrico Basilica to further his career but yearns for Ankh-Morporkian cuisine after years of Brindisian pasta, squid and tomato sauce; and Granny makes a deal with Death for him not to claim the fatally-ill son of an innkeeper.

Agnes Nitt is chosen as a member of the chorus, where she meets Christine, a more popular but less talented girl whose father lent Bucket large sums of money to purchase the Opera House. The Opera Ghost, who has long haunted the opera house without much incident, begins to commit seemingly random murders staged as "accidents", and also requests that Christine be given lead roles in several upcoming productions. Due to her incredibly powerful, versatile and possibly magical voice, Agnes is asked to sing the parts from the background, unbeknownst to Christine or the audience. After swapping rooms with Christine, Agnes begins receiving late-night training from the Opera Ghost originally intended for Christine.

Having discovered the problems at the Opera House and also having coerced the publisher to pay Nanny richly for her book, the witches investigate the mystery, with Granny posing as a rich patron (using Nanny's royalties), Nanny insinuating herself into the opera house staff, and Nanny's cat Greebo being transmogrified into human form (as during Witches Abroad) to pose as Granny's companion. Agnes unmasks Walter Plinge, the janitor, as the ghost, though as he is seemingly harmless, the others are unconvinced. Andre, another employee, is suspected, but he turns out to be a Cable Street Particular. Granny determines that the finances of the Opera House, which are a complete mess, have been made so intentionally in order to hide the fact that money is being stolen, with the murders being used either as a distraction or to cover up the evidence.

It is finally revealed that two people had been masquerading as the ghost. The original (and harmless) ghost, Walter Plinge, was being psychologically manipulated and blackmailed by the second ghost, Mr Salzella (Director of Music at the Opera House), who assumed the identity to commit the murders and theft, and frame Walter if he ever came close to being caught. With the witches' help, Walter is able to overcome his fears and help defeat Salzella, who is killed by believing that the fencing staged in opera is actual lethal swordplay, dying despite not actually being injured, although not before delivering a lengthy monologue about his hatred of opera. Walter then goes on to become the new Director of Music, integrating his own music into the opera, turning them into musicals. Slugg, decidedly abandoning his Enrico Basilica persona after being assaulted and concussed by Salzella, reunites with Angeline Lawsy, his childhood sweetheart, and is introduced to his long-lost son Henry Lawsy. Agnes, after realising that she does not fit in with the environment of the opera, returns to Lancre to learn how to be a witch from Granny and to serve as the third member of the Lancre Coven.

Characters

[edit]
  • Agnes Nitt (Perdita)
  • Christine, a parody of Christine Daae
  • Walter Plinge, a parody of Michael Crawford
  • Mrs. Plinge
  • Salzella
  • Seldom Bucket
  • Dr. Undershaft
  • The Opera Ghost
  • Henry Slugg (Enrico Basilica)
  • Nanny Ogg
  • Greebo
  • Granny Weatherwax
  • André
  • The Librarian
  • Death
  • The Death Of Rats

Adaptations

[edit]

A stage adaptation by Hana Burešová and Štěpán Otčenášek (partly using adaptation by Stephen Briggs) premiered in Divadlo v Dlouhé, Prague in April 2006.[2] Pratchett attended the closing performance five years later.[3]

Reception

[edit]

BuzzFeed listed Maskerade as the 11th-best Discworld novel, noting that "it works well as a parody of the tropes of opera, and as a murder mystery".[4]

Reviews

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Maskerade

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Maskerade is a comic fantasy novel by British author Terry Pratchett, published in 1995 by Victor Gollancz Ltd. as the eighteenth book in his Discworld series and the fifth installment focusing on the witches of Lancre. The story centers on Agnes Nitt, a young witch from Lancre who travels to Ankh-Morpork to pursue a career as an opera singer at the prestigious Opera House, where she encounters a mysterious masked Ghost responsible for strange occurrences and backstage murders. When Agnes fails to return home as expected, her mentors Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg follow her to the city, becoming entangled in the unfolding mystery and the theatrical chaos of the opera world. Blending satire of operatic culture, particularly as a parody of The Phantom of the Opera, with Pratchett's signature humor, wit, and social commentary, Maskerade explores themes of identity, performance, and hidden truths through its ensemble of eccentric characters, including the unassuming Walter Plinge and the ambitious diva Christine. The novel has been praised for its inventive storytelling and sharp observations, solidifying Pratchett's reputation as a master of humorous fantasy.

Publication and background

Publication history

Maskerade was first published in hardcover in the United Kingdom by Victor Gollancz on 2 November 1995, with an initial print run of 55,000 copies and ISBN 0-575-05808-0. A proof edition of 189 copies preceded the main release. The United States hardcover edition followed from HarperPrism on 3 October 1997, under ISBN 0-06-105251-5. The UK paperback edition was issued by Corgi on 7 November 1996, with a print run of 295,000 copies and ISBN 0-552-14236-0. Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series overall and the fifth in the Witches sub-series, succeeding Interesting Times and preceding Feet of Clay. The book has been translated into at least 16 languages, including Bulgarian (Vuzev, 2002), Czech (Talpress, 1998), Dutch (Het Spectrum, 1999), French (L'Atalante, 2001), German (Goldmann, 1997, 25,000 copies), Italian (Salani, 2023), Polish (Prószyński i S-ka, 2003), Russian (Eksmo, 2004; reissue Eksmo, 2025, 7,000 copies), Spanish (Plaza Janés, 2006), and Ukrainian (Old Lion, 2023). An unabridged edition, narrated by , was released by Transworld on 4 January 2007. E-book editions first appeared in 2009 from Transworld Digital (ISBN 978-1-4070-3499-7). Later editions include the Collector's Library hardcover from Gollancz in 2014 (ISBN 978-1-47320-028-9), a Corgi B-format in 2013 (ISBN 978-0-552-16756-7), a Penguin edition in 2022 (ISBN 978-1-80499-017-9), and a Harper trade in 2024 (ISBN 978-0-06-338561-0). Special editions encompass a 1996 Book Club Associates version and a limited Unseen edition of approximately 3,000 copies in 2007.

Development and influences

Maskerade is the fifth novel in Pratchett's Witches sub-series within the , continuing the adventures of the witches Esme Weatherwax () and Gytha Ogg (), characters first introduced in (1988) and expanded upon in (1991) and Lords and Ladies (1992). The book places these characters in the urban setting of , shifting from the rural Lancre of previous installments to explore their interactions with city life and a new protagonist, Agnes Nitt. Pratchett drafted Maskerade during his exceptionally productive mid-1990s phase, a time when he was releasing multiple novels per year amid rising international acclaim and sales exceeding 3 million copies annually. This period followed his full-time commitment to writing after leaving his job , allowing him to maintain a daily output of around 3,000 words. The was published in November 1995 by Gollancz in the UK. The primary inspiration for Maskerade stems from Gaston Leroux's 1910 gothic novel The Phantom of the Opera, as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical adaptation, which Pratchett reimagined through a satirical lens in the Discworld universe, incorporating elements like a masked ghost haunting an opera house and backstage intrigue. Pratchett incorporated tropes from historical opera culture, such as diva rivalries and superstitious traditions, to blend fantasy with murder-mystery conventions. In a 1996 interview, Pratchett noted his long familiarity with the Phantom story, dating back to his teenage years, though he emphasized the organic nature of its adaptation into his work.

Narrative structure

Plot summary

Agnes Nitt, having decided against pursuing witchcraft in her rural home of Lancre, travels to the city of Ankh-Morpork to fulfill her ambition of becoming a singer and joins the chorus at the prestigious Opera House. Meanwhile, the witches Esme Weatherwax (Granny Weatherwax) and Gytha Ogg (Nanny Ogg) journey to Ankh-Morpork from Lancre, ostensibly to collect royalties from the unauthorized publication of Nanny's cookbook, but with the additional intent of retrieving Agnes to bolster their coven. Upon arrival, the witches discover Agnes immersed in the chaotic world of the , where a spectral figure known as the has begun perpetrating pranks—such as rearranging props and leaving threatening notes—escalating to outright murders among the staff and performers, while demanding privileges like a reserved private box for every performance. Subplots unfold amid preparations for operas like Lohstros and Il Truccatore, including Nanny Ogg's cat Greebo being accidentally transformed into a suave opera enthusiast named Gribeau, who causes romantic complications backstage, and the witches employing their unique blend of headology and to investigate the disturbances while navigating the opera's labyrinthine underbelly. The mystery deepens as clues point to involvement by Walter Plinge, a mentally disabled with an encyclopedic knowledge of , and Salzella, the strict chorus master and director, who are revealed to be operating under the persona in tandem—Walter as the original, well-meaning prankster seeking to protect the opera he loves, and Salzella as the murderous impostor embezzling funds through a scheme involving lost costumes for financial gain. In the climax during a performance of Il Truccatore, Agnes uses her latent magical abilities and vocal talents to unmask the true , leading to a confrontation on stage where Salzella is "stabbed" by Walter with a prop in a staged fight but dies believing the wound is real, influenced by the dramatic power of and Granny Weatherwax's headology. With the threat resolved and the opera saved, Agnes chooses to return to Lancre and formally join Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg's coven, embracing her role as a witch despite her earlier aspirations.

Characters

Agnes Nitt, also known by her alter ego Perdita, is a young witch from Lancre who possesses exceptional vocal talent but struggles with profound insecurity regarding her physical appearance and self-image. Ambitious and practical, she leaves her rural home to pursue a singing career at the Ankh-Morpork Opera House, where she auditions successfully but finds herself overshadowed by more conventionally attractive peers. Her dual identity reflects an internal conflict between her sensible nature and a more dramatic, romanticized persona she cultivates inwardly. Esme Weatherwax, commonly called , serves as the formidable and authoritative leader of the Lancre , renowned for her mastery of "headology"—a form of psychology-based —and her unyielding commitment to goodness despite her stern demeanor. A powerful healer who relies on practical skills like adjustments rather than overt magic, she mentors younger witches with a mix of and subtle guidance, often masking vulnerability beneath a polished, no-nonsense exterior. Her boredom with routine village life propels her involvement in urban adventures, where her sharp wit and adaptability shine. Gytha Ogg, known as , is the jovial and pragmatic counterpart to , characterized by her cheerful resourcefulness, love of life, and unapologetic enjoyment of worldly pleasures. As the author of a scandalously popular cookbook filled with bawdy recipes and folk wisdom, she inadvertently sparks the coven's journey when her work gains unexpected fame in the city. Accompanied by her ferocious one-eyed cat Greebo, whose savage antics provide comic relief and occasional menace, Nanny excels at social navigation and forming instant rapport with others through her empathetic "nack" for people. Walter Plinge is the kind-hearted janitor at the Opera House, depicted as a gentle soul with developmental differences that render him shy and emotionally sensitive. Loyal to the institution and its inhabitants, he performs menial tasks backstage while harboring a deep-seated passion for , often expressing distress over disruptions like accidents or the rumored . His name doubles as a for understudies in theater programs, underscoring his unassuming yet integral presence. Salzella acts as the meticulous director of the , overseeing productions with skepticism and a focus on maintaining order amid chaos. Cynical about patrons and superstitions like the , he collaborates with the owner to ensure shows proceed, revealing a detached efficiency in handling crises. Seldom , the newly appointed owner of the , is a former cheesemonger turned reluctant proprietor, anxious about finances and safety yet determined to transform the venue into a profitable enterprise. Inexperienced in the arts, he hires connections like his niece despite her limitations, prioritizing stability over expertise. Christine is Agnes's roommate and rival , an attractive but dim-witted young woman elevated by rather than talent, marked by her excitable chatter and tendency to faint under stress. Her bubbly obliviousness contrasts sharply with Agnes's competence, often relying on others for support. Henry Slugg, performing under the alias Enrico Basilica, is a renowned who travels incognito to avoid fanfare, revealing a pragmatic and unpretentious side beneath his stage persona. His voracious and down-to-earth habits endear him to the witches during chance encounters. Supporting figures include the Librarian, an orangutan from Unseen University who aids with technical tasks like organ maintenance, bringing humorous reluctance to his interventions, and Death, the anthropomorphic personification who interacts philosophically with characters like Granny during moments of peril, emphasizing themes of choice and inevitability.

Themes and analysis

Major themes

One of the central themes in Maskerade is identity and masking, explored through the layered disguises that characters adopt to navigate their realities. Agnes Nitt grapples with her dual persona as Perdita, an representing her desires for glamour and escape from her perceived ordinariness, which underscores the tension between authentic selfhood and performative roles imposed by society. This conflict is paralleled by the Opera Ghost's elaborate disguises, which symbolize deeper veils of duplicity where one mask merely conceals another, drawing on psychoanalytic ideas that identity is inherently fragmented and performative. As Andrew Rayment argues, Pratchett employs these elements to illustrate how subjects in the novel exist in a state of perpetual masquerade, with disguises becoming their truest form of reality, influenced by theorists like and . The novel also delves into witchcraft and choice, emphasizing the voluntary and psychological dimensions of power over supernatural determinism. Granny Weatherwax's philosophy of "headology"—a blend of psychology and placebo-like belief—prioritizes mental manipulation and social insight over raw magic, allowing witches to exert influence through perception rather than spells. This approach highlights the coven as a consensual structure, where membership is a personal decision rather than an obligation, as seen in Agnes's reluctant involvement and the witches' emphasis on agency in shaping one's path. Satire of theatrical persistence manifests in the motif of "the show must go on," portraying the opera house as a microcosm where chaos, including threats of murder and ghostly interference, cannot halt performance. This theme critiques the relentless drive of the entertainment industry, where practical concerns like safety are subordinated to the spectacle, reflecting broader cultural obsessions with continuity amid disruption. Class and performance emerge as a pointed critique of opera's elitism, vanity, and exploitation, particularly through the lens of chorus members and lower-tier performers who endure grueling conditions for fleeting recognition. The novel highlights how the glamour of high culture masks socioeconomic disparities, with performers like Agnes navigating exploitation while the elite indulge in superficial artistry. This theme extends to a broader commentary on social hierarchies in fantasy, where opera symbolizes exclusionary practices akin to wizardry's patriarchal structures, underscoring vanity as a tool of class maintenance. Finally, the portrayal of and is embodied in Walter Plinge, whose condition is depicted through his unassuming demeanor and reliance on external aids to engage with the world, playing a pivotal role in unraveling the opera's mysteries. His character illustrates as a form of unmasked authenticity, where societal perceptions of limitation contrast with inner capability, enabled by tools like Granny's invisible that allow him to perform roles without losing his core . In Ville Dahlbacka's analysis, Walter's use of such aids aligns with Goffman's dramaturgical model, bridging "backstage" and "front stage" presentations.

Style and parody

Maskerade employs a distinctive narrative style characterized by Terry Pratchett's signature third-person omniscient voice, which delivers witty observations on human folly and the subtle interplay of in . This voice frequently incorporates ironic commentary, as seen in descriptions of stagehand Walter Plinge's childlike innocence juxtaposed against the chaotic backstage environment, highlighting the absurdity of theatrical pretensions. The narrative also utilizes footnotes and asides to provide meta-textual humor, interrupting the flow with tangential explanations that underscore the Discworld's logical yet fantastical rules, such as the precise mechanics of magical interference in mundane affairs. Central to the novel's is its satirical take on conventions, drawing briefly from Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera to exaggerate arias, stereotypes, and backstage intrigue. Pratchett mocks the genre's melodramatic excess through scenes like the prolonged, three-page death of a character, rendered in with absurd interruptions, and the phantom figure reimagined not as a tragic genius but as a pragmatic saboteur using everyday tools like a instead of a . archetypes are lampooned via characters like Christine and Agnes Nitt (Perdita), whose internal conflicts the romanticized turmoil of operatic heroines, blending vocal prowess with comedic self-doubt and magical mishaps. Puns on terms, such as "Lohens and Griebs" for a Wagnerian , further amplify the humor, while absurd fantasy elements like the semi-magical Greebo add a layer of whimsy to the intrigue. The blending of genres—cozy mystery, fantasy, and —creates rapid pacing during performances, where investigations unfold amid choruses and set collapses, contrasting the witches' practical "headology" with the glamour of urban . This fusion employs situational irony, such as Nanny Ogg's "ballistic" rendition of folk tunes disrupting , to deflate pretensions. Irony is particularly evident in the contrast between the witches' rural simplicity—rooted in commonsense magic—and the opera's ostentatious world, where characters like navigate sophistication through blunt pragmatism, exposing the folly of both realms. Overall, these techniques deliver hyperdetermined humor through puns, , and dramatic irony, inviting readers to recognize the constructed nature of cultural clichés.

Legacy

Adaptations

The primary official adaptation of Maskerade is a stage play scripted by Stephen Briggs, first published in 1998 and licensed for amateur and professional productions worldwide through Concord Theatricals. The adaptation condenses the novel's plot for theatrical performance, focusing on the witches' investigation amid intrigue, with and scenes drawn directly from Pratchett's text to preserve the satirical tone. A notable production based partly on Briggs' script occurred at Divadlo v Dlouhé in , , adapted and directed by Hana Burešová and Štěpán Otčenášek. It premiered in April 2006 and ran for over five years, concluding in 2011 with in attendance at the final performance. This version incorporated musical elements to highlight the opera parody central to the story, including songs and ensemble numbers, while streamlining subplots for stage pacing, such as shortening scenes involving minor characters like the opera's staff. A television recording of the production aired in 2009 on , capturing the live performance with its original cast. As of 2025, no official radio dramas or adaptations of Maskerade have been produced, though ' stage script continues to be staged internationally by amateur groups.

Reception

Upon its publication in 1995, Maskerade was well-received by critics for its sharp parody of The Phantom of the Opera and its engaging character dynamics within the universe. lauded the novel for its "cracking dialogue, compelling illogic and unchained whimsy," highlighting Pratchett's skillful blend of humor and intrigue. Some reviewers noted the setting as occasionally niche, potentially limiting appeal for readers unfamiliar with the genre, though this was offset by the book's accessible wit and satire. In retrospective rankings, Maskerade has been positioned as a solid mid-tier entry in the series. A 2015 analysis ranked it 11th out of the main 41 novels, praising its relaxed storytelling and reliable humor while acknowledging stronger contenders in other subseries. Fan polls similarly place it in the middle of the witches-focused books. Academic and analytical discussions have increasingly explored Maskerade's thematic depth, particularly regarding through the character Walter Plinge. Post-2020 reevaluations, including online literary analyses, interpret Plinge's "masking" behaviors as an early, unintentional representation of autism spectrum traits, emphasizing how the narrative uses his dual identity to comment on societal perceptions of difference and performance. These interpretations highlight the novel's enduring relevance in conversations about identity and neurodivergence, framing Plinge's arc as a subversive take on masking in high-pressure environments like the . Commercially, Maskerade contributed to the Discworld series' robust success, with over 100 million copies sold worldwide across all titles by 2023. The book has maintained strong popularity in formats, benefiting from narrations that capture Pratchett's rhythmic prose and character voices, sustaining its appeal among longtime fans. Culturally, Maskerade features in tributes to Pratchett, including exhibitions that showcase related artwork and memorabilia. For example, the 2025 "Designing Terry Pratchett's " exhibition at Weston Museum highlights illustrations from the series, including elements inspired by Maskerade's operatic themes, as part of broader celebrations of Pratchett's legacy.

References

  1. https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?7286
  2. https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/books/maskerade/
  3. https://colinsmythe.co.uk/terry-pratchett/discworld/discworld-novels/maskerade/
  4. https://listening-books.overdrive.com/media/3032312
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/17/i-think-i-was-good-though-i-could-have-been-better-terry-pratchett-and-the-writing-of-his-life
  6. https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/maskerade.html
  7. https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/titles/terry-pratchett/maskerade/9781473200289/
  8. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/329232/maskerade-by-terry-pratchett/9781804990179
  9. https://reactormag.com/terry-pratchett-book-club-maskerade-part-i/
  10. https://reactormag.com/terry-pratchett-book-club-maskerade-part-ii/
  11. https://reactormag.com/terry-pratchett-book-club-maskerade-part-iii/
  12. https://www.academia.edu/11893798/Feigning_to_Feign_Pratchett_and_the_Masquerade
  13. https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstreams/dda3e199-66ad-4066-994d-9e086750b1d2/download
  14. https://www.lspace.org/books/analysis/bewitching-writing-dorthe-andersen.pdf
  15. https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/146120/978-952-03-2794-1.pdf?sequence=2
  16. https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/4156/maskerade-briggspratchett
  17. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64305.Maskerade
  18. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5541884/
  19. https://betterthanapokeintheeye.co.uk/dwarchive/issue0164
  20. https://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/terry-pratchett-maskerade/
  21. https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomchivers/the-definitive-listing-of-terry-pratchetts-discworld-novels
  22. https://albicknell.co.uk/2022/01/08/maskerade-terry-pratchett/
  23. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64789059
  24. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77nmxnrjljo
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