For episode 23, Elizabeth and Ben are joined by teacher, opera singer and Dungeon Master Myf Coghill on a trip to Ankh-Morpork's opera house in 1994's Discworld novel of witches, phantoms and...
For episode 23, Elizabeth and Ben are joined by teacher, opera singer and Dungeon Master Myf Coghill on a trip to Ankh-Morpork's opera house in 1994's Discworld novel of witches, phantoms and experimental cookery: Maskerade!
Nanny Ogg finds herself in a coven with Granny Weatherwax and...no-one. She decides young Agnes Nitt - last seen dabbling in the craft while wearing black lace and calling herself "Perdita" - is just the person to fill the position - but Agnes has run off to Ankh-Morpork to join the opera, where all is not well. A mysterious "Opera Ghost" watches over every performance, and while he used to be seen as a good luck charm, he's become demanding, dangerous and possibly deranged. "Perdita" has gotten herself mixed up in it all, thanks to her friendship with the ingenue Christine. Can she find out the identity of the Opera Ghost before the bodies start stacking up - and before Granny and Nanny stick their noses in and do it for her?
Pratchett delves into a world hitherto unknown to him and takes Granny and Nanny to the big city for their penultimate book, heavily influenced by The Phantom of the Opera, and about much more earthly matters than their previous adventures. We learn a lot about opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the world of publishing, and delve into Pratchett's treatment of Agnes, a beloved character whose unflattering portrayal was the subject of many questions and comments. Did Maskerade bring out the opera fan in you? Do you think Agnes deserved better? And despite being a bit of a downer, is this one of the best Discworld books we've discussed so far? Use the hashtag #Pratchat23 on social media to join the conversation and let us know what you think!
We're staying in Ankh-Morpork for Feet of Clay in October before heading back in time to explore the origins of Granny Weatherwax in November with Equal Rites. Plus our subscriber-only bonus podcast, Ook Club, has launched! You can subscribe for as little as $2 a month to check it out. You'll find all the details on our Support Us page.
Show Notes and Errata:
You can find Myfanwy Coghill on Twitter at @_merlenoir_.The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is a series of ten fantasy novels written by American author Stephen R. Donaldson between 1977 and 2013. Covenant is an author from our world who loses two fingers before being diagnosed with leprosy, shortly before his wife divorces him. When he is knocked unconscious he is transported to "the Land", a fantasy world where he is a hero of prophecy in the conflict against the evil Lord Foul, though Thomas thinks that the Land is a delusion. The series has had a mixed critical response. If you're going to look into them, please note our content warning: the first book contains an act of rape and this is referred to many times throughout the first trilogy. The English sit-com Keeping Up Appearances was a farce created by Roy Clarke (of Open All Hours and Last of the Summer Wine fame) which ran on BBC One from 1990 to 1995. It starred Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth Bucket, a woman who aspires to move among the upper class, and is desperately ashamed of her lower class family. A running gag is that she tries to have everyone pronounce her family name "bouquet", despite the fact that her middle class husband Richard - played by Clive Swift - has always pronounced it "bucket".Avengers: Endgame (2019) was the final film in the Avengers series, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It brought together characters from the previous twenty-one Marvel films in a massive crossover, and became the highest-grossing film of all time.Deadpool and its sequel Deadpool 2 are films from 20th Century Fox about the titular superhero character, a mutant mercenary with rapid healing powers. While technically part of the X-Men film franchise, the films are made on a lower budget and Deadpool - who often breaks the fourth wall in the comics and is aware he is in a movie - comments on the lack of cameos from mo...
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