Masquerades (The Harpers, Book 10) [Mass Market Paperback]

Kate Novak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 1995

When her hometown is overtaken by the Night Masks crime syndicate, Alias joins forces with the saurial paladin Dragonbait and the halfling bard Olive Ruskettle in a quest to free the town merchants from their underground overlords. Original. 90,000 first printing.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 31 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (July 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786901527
• ISBN-13: 978-0786901524
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #900,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to Westgate, February 21, 2000

By 

"estrolof" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masquerades (The Harpers, Book 10) (Mass Market Paperback)

Westgate, the city moved by trade, and thieves. For fourteen years, the dreaded Night Masks have ruled the city from the shadows. Enter Alias, a familiar hero to fans of realms fiction, she of the enchanted arm. When Alias and Dragonbait return to Westgate, they become embroiled in the twisted plots of "the Faceless", the mysterious and enigmatic ruler of the Night Masks. With the help of the irrepressible Olive Ruskettle, as well as several new allies they delve head first into breaking up Faceless' dark reigns.

Long had the city of Westgate remained a relative mystery to the Realms reader. An odd fact when you see it lies just across the Lake of Dragons from Cormyr. I was thrilled with this look into the manipulative and trade driven society, especially the haughty merchant nobles. Unlike their Cormyte counterparts, these back biting greengrocers count every penny, and think more about the next shipment than the next ball. I also enjoyed the new faces, both the villains and the allies. I have heard people who claim this book is a failure because the story is not epic. Well if you are sick of realms shattering, god-killing epics this title is for you. I thought it was refreshing to see a title in which the villains were mere mortals capable of manipulation without a castle full of necromancers and priests to shove their will down the peasant's throat. A plot where manipulation and betrayal weighed more than the gold spent to buy a dead tarrasque. This was a fine tale, and worth the time and money to read.

However, I feel I must rate this a four star, rather than a five for one particular reason. As another reviewer stated, the portion of the tale that deals with Verovan's Treasure chamber could have used a touch more work, it felt a touch rushed, and endings are oft to feel that way, it's always the hardest part. As to whether it felt cliché, as that reviewer states, I would have to agree. Love conquers all is a relatively common theme, but that's because it's true for the most part; and while I felt the handling of that cliché was managed well, I would have liked to have seen it done differently. Nevertheless, I have to recommend this title, and the trilogy that introduces thee of the main heroes (Alias, Dragonbait, and Olive): The Finder's Stone trilogy. If you can find any of these four titles, snap them up quick.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A step-down from the Finder's Stone trilogy, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Masquerades (The Harpers, Book 10) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Azure Bonds, there was real mystery: what were Alias' origins, and who was Dragonbait? In Song of the Saurials, the intrigue continued with the mysterious Grypht, and the action was built to an epic scale, with the companions fighting gods and dragons. But everything is scaled down in Masquerades. Alias (who does not seem nearly as well developed as in past books) and the gang are confined to a singular, typical city (so it's not too epic), facing a typical, predictable villain (so it's not too mysterious). This book could have been converted into a cheesy Dungeons and Dragons adventure pretty easily, and that's not a good thing. If Novak and Grubb want to return to these characters, how about they do it through another well-thought out, interesting, mysterious trilogy? I just don't think they expended the same effort on this "little Harpers book" as they have in past efforts.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, September 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Masquerades (The Harpers, Book 10) (Mass Market Paperback)

A book with Dragonbait and Olive has to be good.But this was great!I liked the plot.All the supporting characters were well-made and since Westgate isn't in many books it was nice to read about it.Alias did behave stubbornly but nobody's perfect.I recommend this book to all interested in the Forgotten Realms.