Maskerade

This article is about the Discworld book. For the Carl Nielsen opera, see Maskarade.

Terry Pratchett The Discworld series 18th novel – 5th witches story
Outline
Characters	Granny Weatherwax Nanny Ogg Agnes Nitt
Locations	Ankh-Morpork
Motifs	Opera, The Phantom of the Opera
Publication details
Date of release	1995
Original publisher	Victor Gollancz
Hardback ISBN	ISBN 0-575-05808-0
Paperback ISBN	ISBN 0-552-14236-0
Other details
Other notes	Adapted as a play by Stephen Briggs.

Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. 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.

Plot summary

The story begins with Agnes Nitt leaving Lancre to seek a career at the Opera House in Ankh-Morpork. When Granny Weatherwax realizes Nanny Ogg has written an immensely popular cookbook but has not been paid by the publisher, the witches also leave for Ankh-Morpork to collect the money, as well as to attempt to recruit Agnes into their coven, to replace Magrat Garlick who left the coven when she became Queen of Lancre (in Lords and Ladies).

Agnes Nitt is chosen as a member of the chorus, where she meets Christine, a more popular but less talented girl. The Opera House 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 and versatile voice, Agnes is asked to sing the parts from the background, unbeknownst to Christine or the audience.

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, and Nanny insinuating herself into the opera house staff. Agnes unmasks Walter Plinge, the janitor, as the ghost, though as he is seemingly harmless, the others are unconvinced. Another employee is suspected, but turns out to be a member of the Cable Street Particulars. The witches determine 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 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 by the second ghost, who assumed the identity to commit the murders and theft. With the witches' help, Walter is able to overcome his fears and help defeat the murderer.

Adaptations

A stage adaptation by Hana Burešová and Štěpán Otčenášek (partly using adaptation by Stephen Briggs) premiered in Divadlo v Dlouhé, Prague in April 2006.^[1] Pratchett attended the closing performance five years later.^[2]

References

1. ^ http://www.i-divadlo.cz/divadlo/divadlo-v-dlouhe/maskarada-cili-fantom-opery
2. ^ http://www.divadlovdlouhe.cz/novinky/terry-pratchett-v-divadle-v-dlouhe.html

External links

• Annotations for Maskerade
• Quotes from Maskerade
• Synopsis for Maskerade
• Maskerade in Czechoslovak Film Database

Reading order guide
Preceded by Interesting Times	18th Discworld Novel	Succeeded by Feet of Clay
Preceded by Lords and Ladies	5th Witches Story Published in 1995	Succeeded by Carpe Jugulum