Maskerade

Rating:
Summary: Witches are wonderful!
Review: I was shocked by the previous review. Too much about the witches and not enough Phantom? There can NEVER be too much about the witches, they are some of the greatest characters ever, on or off the Disc. It is proper and fitting that the Phantom should take a backseat to the formidable Granny and Nanny, I'm sure they wouldn't have it any other way.

-Neran

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better...
Review: This is the first time I've ever read a book by Terry Pratchett, although I read and liked his "novelette" in Legends. Maskerade was refered to as a spoof on phantom of the opera, which I've adored for as long as I can remember. But the book had way too much about Granny Weathrwax and Nanny Ogg, with not nearly enough Phantom-like elements to it. It's put me off from reading anything else by him. A dissapointment, overall.

Rating:
Summary: The Story's not as catchy as its cover...
Review: There's Witches, Death, Greebo, and the wizards of the Unseen University. It's a slapstick off of The Phantom of the Opera that mostly everybody should understand and appreciate. But for some reason, it just didn't happen for me. I found the plots seemed to drag on for too long, cameos by Death, Greebo and the Witches too short, and the new faces Maskerade introduced far too one-dimensional and dry. This novel should have worked, but it didn't.

Rating:
Summary: Witty, sharp and intelligent!
Review: Pratchett does it again! He has never let me down, and always writes books of the highest quality!

Rating:
Summary: ALL so-so
Review: Sergei Rachmaninov once wrote words to the following effect: "When I wrote my first symphony, the critics all said it was so-so. When I wrote my seconds the critics said that my first was good, but my second was so-so. When I wrote my third, the critics said that my first two were good, but that this one was so-so."

All of Rachmaninov's symphonies are, in fact, so-so. The critics' instincts were right while their memories were wrong. I now know my instincts about Pratchett's books are right, while my memory is not to be trusted at all. They're ALL relentlessly middlebrow. How the illusion that I was perpetually unlucky with the one I happened to be reading at the moment was maintained, I have no idea. But I finally woke up with "Maskerade".

Rating:
Summary: I fell off the bed laughing.
Review: Maybe you *do* have to know opera to love this book, but I grew up on it and thought the book was a riot. (It probably helps that I haven't seen Phantom.) I really enjoyed the effects of Nanny Ogg's book and Esme Weatherwax's headology.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful ride on the backs of four elephants and a turtle
Review: Pratchett is one of the few authors who can reduce me to the undignified state of outright giggling, and he's done it again. He uses both old gags (The Lancre Coven and orang-utan Librarian) and new (OPERA!). Even though I kind of like opera, I found Pratchett's satire and wit quite funny. This book grabs you by the collar and swirls you through different characters lives and plots, leaving a burning desire to read more of this zany world. It may leave you, as it left me, with the wonder of how a prop horse can have a "humorous trapdoor," but I can still give you only one suggestion: Read Maskerade!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not the greatest
Review: Overall the book was interesting. I particulary liked the Mouse Death that reincarnated the rat catcher as a rat. While the real Death gets a lot more appearances then his Rat alterego still though the book had its moments that it seemed to be missing something overall. Maybe it was the setting of the book... Then again it could be contributed to many things. Overall good, but still good is less then great, and great is less then classic.

Rating:
Summary: Always good for a laugh
Review: This was a little lighter than usual, but a good read all the same.Of course, it helps if you've ever been on the stage (or backstage) -- or if you've watched enough cheesy movies, opera, and Michael Crawford TV series. But there you are. Maybe the problem some folks have with this one is that the jokes were a little more obscure than usual. Still, I laughed out loud more than a few times, and would happily read it again!

Rating:
Summary: His weakest so far
Review: I am a big Pratchett-fan, but throughout the whole story I kept wondering: Why another "Phantom of the Opera"-book?? Unlike in his other writings, the original source is just too obvious. Disappointing!!!