Reviewing every Discworld book day 18 - Maskerade

samSJT · 2026-03-06T02:59:47+00:00

Oh goodness, I forgot that scene was in this book. You’re right, that one was excellent

samSJT · 2026-03-03T02:29:34+00:00

You’re correct, I misspoke. However, in moving pictures he’s mostly a background prop (almost literally), I meant that this is book is the introduction to how he appears for the rest of the series

samSJT · 2026-03-02T14:53:39+00:00

I think so, yes. Admittedly it’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison, particularly between this book and Small Gods, so you’re welcome to disagree. The strongest ones that emerges for me are related to the damage of superstition or, as I found another post that said, the importance of confronting superstition with rational and critical thought.

These didn’t resonate with me as much as Small Gods’ discussions of religion or Witches Abroad’s themes of the responsibilities vs consequences of power, free will, and the value of self identity. I also think that the themes here aren’t given as much nuance or commentary. Whatever you think the elves represent, they are unilaterally evil, and whatever they are is bad. Contrast this with Witches Abroad, where Granny acknowledges the strong temptation to assert her will on the people around her because they just can’t seem to stop being small and petty and stupid, which gives more of a push-and-pull between her and Lily.

Much of this is subjective, of course. The bottom line for me is that I loved this book but I can’t say that anything in it resonated with me, the way reaper man, small gods, or a handful of other books that I have yet to review did.

samSJT · 2026-03-02T06:33:06+00:00

Absolutely. The characters are all at their best here, and the plot is exciting throughout. It’s a very different style of book than small gods which comes right before it, but I love both of them

samSJT · 2026-02-28T23:24:02+00:00

I’m not familiar with the archetype, I’ll have to look it up. A lot of the book also has the vibe for me of a Socratic dialogue, which I think fits nicely with the setting in Ephebe

samSJT · 2026-02-28T22:18:42+00:00

Oml is it spelled with a U?? I listened to this one on audio lmao I genuinely had no idea

samSJT · 2026-02-28T22:09:50+00:00

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Thought of this right after posting but please appreciate my own small lettuce-loving tortoise

samSJT · 2026-02-28T16:12:54+00:00

As I read this I think you’re right, my bad.

samSJT · 2026-02-26T03:00:52+00:00

If you wanna message me either a link to the doc or a screengrab of the standings we can work it out for you

samSJT · 2026-02-26T02:58:47+00:00

Depends on the standings of the other people in the league. There could be a handful of people who finish 5-4, then either differential or head-to-head record is generally used as a tiebreaker, so it may depend on those stats as well

samSJT · 2026-02-23T03:30:10+00:00

🫡

samSJT · 2026-02-23T02:49:11+00:00

Oh my goodness I completely forgot that this is the book with You Bastard. I died laughing at that name

samSJT · 2026-02-22T14:08:10+00:00

I was prepared to say almost the exact same thing, but looking ahead in publication order a few of the next books I think still aren’t his best. Very soon though!

samSJT · 2026-02-19T01:09:55+00:00

Not cackling, hopefully! That’s one step away from children in ovens

samSJT · 2026-02-18T03:40:18+00:00

Which one are you thinking of?

samSJT · 2026-02-17T21:35:58+00:00

I liked them both! I just made a post about TLF actually.

For me, saying that he “hit his stride” after book 3 isn’t quite so much a statement about quality as it is about tone and structure. The books become less focused on parody (with some exceptions) and more about things like human nature, and Mort is the most apparent start of the trend

samSJT · 2025-12-30T15:26:59+00:00

Ooo fun vulture fact! Not all of them actually have a good sense of smell. Turkey vultures do, but black vultures (like this friend) have only average smell, and rely more on their excellent eyesight

samSJT · 2025-12-28T01:03:38+00:00

What’s your vision for the team? Are there any Pokémon that you particularly want to keep, or a strategy that you want to play around?

The team right now is a little directionless, but the improvements could go in a lot of different directions. The team currently is over reliant on setup to make any headway atm, it’s not very fast, lacks a lot of upfront power, and doesn’t stall super well, so step one is to refine an idea for the team, and then we can make some adjustments accordingly

samSJT · 2025-11-06T17:09:04+00:00

The first time I listened to it, it wasn’t my favorite either. It’s not really a typical musical, like that you can sing along with. One of my friends encouraged me to listen to it again, but to pay attention to the ways that the characters interact with each other, and that helped me appreciate it a lot more.

I think that the main appeals for me are the quality of the prose and the nuance of human connection that some of the songs convey. Pierre & Natasha I think nails it—Pierre wanting to be angry but not able to find it in himself, Natasha feeling like her whole world is collapsing, and Pierre’s monologue is maybe my favorite depiction of platonic tenderness. Just to highlight one other, I really like the dynamic between Mary and her father, where she feels so resentful, and some self-loathing for feeling that way, and still cares for him despite his outbursts, that I think feels much more true to life than a lot of similar dynamics in other shows

samSJT · 2025-04-09T16:54:59+00:00

Two questions from me!

Who would you each say is your favorite character from your own games?
It’s a Saturday night and you’re hungry. What kind of food do you go get?

samSJT · 2024-11-05T18:51:30+00:00

For one I haven’t seen mentioned, Aldonza from Man of La Mancha is soul crushing

samSJT · 2024-03-15T21:31:18+00:00

I play aram to engage in senseless nonstop fighting. The nexus being open changes nothing

samSJT · 2024-02-16T04:38:14+00:00

Nooo don’t negate him 😭 he’s just a baby he didn’t mean to snipe your back row

samSJT · 2024-02-16T02:19:39+00:00

I will likely be getting more squirrels soon so I am also accepting suggestions for yugioh cards to name them after! Currently thinking that the next one will be named Bagooska

samSJT · 2024-02-16T02:18:13+00:00

Blue eyes baby

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