In the fourteenth part of\u00c2\u00a0Maskerade<\/i>, the Ghost is unmasked. I think??? If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intrigued, then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read\u00c2\u00a0Discworld<\/i>.<\/p>\n
I keep going over this in my mind, and it hurts to think about. How can Walter be confirmed as the Ghost but also\u00c2\u00a0not<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0be the Ghost? As Nanny got closer to Mrs. Plinge and the truth, I was so ready for the big reveal of the Ghost\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s identity, only to be met with this:<\/p>\n A door opened somewhere. A lanky figure in a black suit and a ridiculous beret crossed the foyer and went up the stairs. At the top, they saw it turn in the direction of the Boxes and disappear.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Well, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s definitely Walter, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? For a brief moment, a theory danced in my mind: maybe someone else was pretending to\u00c2\u00a0be<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Walter to make it seem like he was the Ghost. But from Nanny\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s conversation with Mrs. Plinge, it seemed like all but a direct confirmation that Walter was the Ghost. Mr.s Plinge certainly spoke of her son in those terms, defending him as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good boy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d instead of denying that he was the masked lover of the opera.<\/p>\n But then he walked into Box Eight, and Granny caught him and I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore it any more. Walter Plinge was the Ghost. Yet there are still so many little details here that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make sense, which is why I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing that both Nanny and Granny believe that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something else going on here. For instance: Walter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s odd walk has been a key descriptive part of his character. Now, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t doubt how nimble and acrobatic Walter is, so I have to rectify these two realities. Why does Walter have such distinct identities? Does donning the mask allow him a confidence that he otherwise doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t? We must acknowledge that to date, he is the\u00c2\u00a0only<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0character to ever withstand the Granny Stare and IMMEDIATELY DASH AWAY FROM IT.<\/p>\n What power does that mask have?<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got to be confidence. Pratchett writes Walter as the Ghost with certainty and flair. The boy finds exactly what he needs when he needs it. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s able to climb over the boxes, across the lip of the balcony, jump into the chandelier, and make it up to the roof all while Greebo, of all people, is in close pursuit. He outruns Greebo, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talent, and it seems so utterly like the Walter Plinge we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen throughout\u00c2\u00a0Maskerade<\/i>.<\/p>\n The chaos that all this causes is BEAUTIFUL. Just gorgeous! The Librarian adds his own soundtrack; Mrs. Lawsy is finally entertained by the opera; Mr. Salzella is holding part of a skull??? But one of the most fascinating things the Pratchett accomplishes here is the passing of gossip and the creation of a narrative. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shock initially as the cast and crew hear news of Walter Plinge\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s duplicity. But look how easily they believe it. Look how quickly they pick apart Walter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s oddness in order to make him fit the story that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the Ghost. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that simple, obviously. Walter\u00c2\u00a0is<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0the Ghost\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 right?<\/p>\n Sort of. After reading through Granny\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scene with Walter, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not convinced that this is the whole story. She grills him in her own way while sending Greebo off to act like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the Ghost. (Which he fits all too well.) This bit was key for me:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You mean he really did do the mur\u00e2\u20ac\u201c?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What do\u00c2\u00a0you<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0think?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Granny.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, if it comes to it, I think he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Nanny. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Can I have a word in your ear, Esme? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t reckon I should say this in front of young Walter.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n The witches bent their heads together. There was a brief whispered conversation.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everything is simple when you know the answer,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Granny.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If these two believe Walter didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t commit the murders, then I believe them. Which means someone else did.<\/p>\n Which means there are two people who are the Ghost, AND I HAD NOT CONSIDERED THAT UNTIL I TYPED THAT QUOTE OUT, OH MY GOD. THERE ARE TWO OF THEM. But why??? And who???<\/p>\n This book is destroying me.<\/p>\n Diane Duane is still offering a massive discount on the first 9 books in the\u00c2\u00a0Young Wizards<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0series just to this community, so please take advantage of this deal while you still can:<\/b><\/p>\n http:\/\/bit.ly\/markreadsYW<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TP85hTRIUCc<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>. In the fourteenth part of\u00c2\u00a0Maskerade, the Ghost is unmasked. I think??? If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intrigued, then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read\u00c2\u00a0Discworld.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[451],"tags":[463,514,248],"class_list":["post-3844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discworld","tag-mark-reads-discworld","tag-maskerade","tag-terry-pratchett"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be Death Note<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0Neon Genesis Evangelion<\/em>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"