Pyramids (Discworld Book 7) by Terry Pratchett
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Book Reviews of Pyramids (Discworld Book 7)
Book Review: Pterrific ptale from Pterry Pratchett
Summary: 5 Stars
Teppic is the son of King Teppicymon XXVII, the pharaoh of the ancient Klatch kingdom of Djelibeybi. Young Teppic is sent away to Ankh-Morpork to go to Assassin's School. He is called back to the kingdom immediately after graduation because of the death of his father. He must now ascend the throne, wear the ceremonial gold mask, and commission master architect Ptaclusp to build the massive mother of all pyramids for his father's earthly remains. Being the pharaoh of the dusty old tradition-steeped Kingdom of the Sun is no fun, however. Teppic misses the modern excitement, not to mention the modern plumbing, of Ankh-Morpork. When the pyramid under construction begins to generate enough energy to warp the fabric of time and space, the entire kingdom is displaced from Discworld into an alternate dimension. Teppic, accompanied by his headstrong handmaiden Ptraci and a mathematically inclined camel, is catapulted out of the kingdom. The threesome must find their way back to the kingdom to return it to its place within the dimensions of Discworld, rescuing it from beliefs turned to hellish reality.
This Discworld novel has a different feel from ones that precede it. Once Teppic leaves Ankh-Morpork, almost all traces of Discworld slip away. The reader is immersed in an amalgam of ancient Egypt and Greece, complete with mythology, high priests, deserts, hieroglyphics, and lots of pyramids and mummies. There are no wizards or witches here, and the magic is of an entirely different nature. There are almost no familiar characters, although Death does make a minor appearance. Pratchett uses this unusual setting to explore ideas about religious beliefs and traditions, and the nature of time, space, and reality. This is some pretty heady stuff, but it is given the magic Pratchett touch that entertains the reader while providing a lot of serious food for thought.
Pratchett is in top form as he satirizes Greek philosophy, Zeno's paradox, quantum physics, mythology, pyramid power, and the Trojan wars. His parody of the Riddle of the Sphinx is hilarious, as is an introduction to the questionably honorable ideals of the Assassin's Guild. Although Pratchett avoids chapter breaks, at least this book is divided into four sections to provide you with a few logical stopping points. This will give you several places to catch your breath in a funny and thought-provoking story that is a royal jewel in the scepter of Discworld.
Eileen Rieback
Book Review: Camels Are More Important Than Pyramids
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fairly early Terry Pratchett (number seven I believe) and demonstrate his unique ability to lampoon nearly everything at once. We find ourselves with Teppic the heir to throne of Djelibeybi, who has been sent off to Ankh-Morpark to learn a decent trade. Or rather, a lucrative indecent trade of inhumation (otherwise called assassination). Djelibeybi has been building bigger and bigger pyramids for some 7,000 years and is way behind on its payments. Somebody has to bring home a paycheck.
Teppic has mastered all the requisite skills (tucking equipment everywhere, wearing black clothes, swinging from buildings, etc) and now, in a flash of accidental good luck, he has passed his final exam. At this crucial moment, Teppic's father develops a sudden urge to fly and our young assassin must return to the world's most tradition bound kingdom (no toilets, no mattresses, and no aqueducts). Having spent years in the most corrupt city on Discworld Teppic must wear a very heavy mask, sleep on stone beds, and be a very bored god. And bankrupt the kingdom building his father's pyramid.
Pyramids are the problem. Since each one has to be bigger than the last, they have long since achieved enough mass to bend light and absorb time. This keeps their occupants alive, but the accumulation of present and future time has to be vented off nightly. The reason Teppic's country is so stodgy is that all the present and future is being shot off into space and they only have the past left to live in.
Now Teppic decides that his father's tomb will be an order of magnitude larger than its predecessors, and all quantum breaks out. Even before it is finished is becomes a major time hazard and suddenly, in one great big pffft, it folds Djellibaybi into a Hilbert space and leaves Teppic with a camel sized headache. Needless to say this irritates the heck out of Teppic's father (dead or not), all the mummified kings, and a large number of loose gods.
Pratchett uses this opportunity to mach fun of organized religion, solipsistic scientists, relativity, archaism, relatives, politics, war, and mathematicians with one or two humps and four stomachs. He spares no one, and it is great fun for the reader. His ability to pull a horrible pun out of thin air is unequalled. Pratchett's message has always been that life is too important to take seriously, By all means hunt this up, you'll be mummified laughing.
Book Review: Discworld
Summary: 5 Stars
I've decided he's too good and too prolific for me to write a brand new review every single time I read one of his books. Discworld currently has 34 titles and every one of them will probably knock your socks off. His mind bubbles and flashes like a boiling pot of electric eels, and I simply can't get enough of his writing.
A reviewer has compared him to Geoffrey Chaucer. He reminds me more of Douglas Adams, or perhaps S Morgenstern. Great company, isn't it? He's an extremely skillful and imaginative writer, damn funny, clever and observant to boot. He's also very easy to read. A master of characterization, and if there's anything else you like about reading that I didn't mention here, assume I simply forgot. He's awesome.
Another reviewer mentioned Jonathan Swift and PG Wodehouse. Why such hallowed company? Because Pratchett belongs there! Truly, I'm enjoying my quest to read every book in the series. You should do the same, and begin your quest at the library because he's got to be there. He's awesome!
Yet another reviewer said Jerome K Jerome meets Lord of the Rings. Yeah, that works too.
Why do we, as reviewers, compare authors to other authors? Because it's easier than thinking. In the case of Terry Pratchett, it's probably because we'd otherwise wind up quoting the guy. He's so unique that we just don't know how else to cope with his greatness. Even this paragraph sounds like foamy drool raving, doesn't it? That's how all readers react to Pratchett. Reviewers simply don't have the good sense to keep it to themselves.
I could call his writing fantasy, but I could likewise call what Douglas Adams wrote science fiction. In both cases, I wouldn't be wrong, but I'd be neglecting so much and just totally missing the point. A rare few authors transcend a genre to such a degree that you know they're shouting out, loud and proud, a big fat "Bite me!"
I love Terry Pratchett's writing, and I completely understand why some folks refer to him as their favorite author. Or favourite, I should say, since we're being British. He's one of those authors that makes you want to grab whoever's in hearing range and start reading passages aloud. I'm simply thrilled that there's such an extremely talented and prolific author who's been working for years without me being aware of him. Now I have much catching up to do, and I will love it.
Book Review: Standing On The Shoulders Of My Ancestors
Summary: 5 Stars
Terry Pratchett's first novel, "The Carpet People", appeared in 1971. "Pyramids" is the seventh novel in his hugely popular Discworld series and was first published in 1989. It's the first - and, to date, only - book to feature Teppic, and is largely set in his home country of Djelibeybi.
As the book opens, Teppic (or Pteppic) is approaching the end of his education at Ankh-Morpork's Guild of Assassins. (The final exam, if failed, tends to be very...<ahem>...final). However, there is more to Teppic than dressing very stylishly and inhuming only for vast amounts of money. With the very recent death of his father, he has also become King Pteppicymon XXVIII of Djelibeybi. Teppic's home country is very obviously based on Egypt : it's two miles wide, one hundred and fifty miles long and runs along the river Djel. It has driven itself bankrupt, having spent seven thousand years building pyramids for its monarchs - invariably on the country's most fertile soil. Having become the first Pharoh to be educated outside Djelibeybi, Teppic finds it difficult to re-adapt to the traditions of his home country. He is technically a God and although he is officially Head of State, it's Dios - the very aged High Priest - who actually runs the country. Teppic isn't entirely impressed about this - he wants to introduce proper plumbing and pillows, for example. However, in spite of the country's debt, he does agree to building a massive pyramid for his late father. (This isn't something his late father - still pottering around as a ghost - isn't too impressed with). The final straw comes when Dios decides to feed Ptraci - the late King's favourite handmaiden - to the crocodiles. Teppic decides to become a little more politically active - and, luckily, he has a helpful education to fall back on.
Like everything else I've read by Pratchett, this is an excellent book. It's easily read, features plenty of likeable characters and there are plenty of laughs. As it's one of Pratchett's stand-alone books, it's a good starting point if you've never read any of the Discworld books before. (In a way, I find that a pity : I'd love to have known what became of Teppic and Ptraci). Definitely recommended !
Book Review: My Favorite Discworld Book Yet
Summary: 5 Stars
Recently I became a fan of Terry Pratchett, after having read The Color of Magic. I continued to read the series in order, and I just finished reading Pyramids. Immediately I liked this book, because I found the Assassins Guild fascinating, and I thought Teppic was an interesting and cool main character. The plot goes something like this: Teppic was born in Djelibeybi (a sort of ancient Egypt-like country) and was sent to Ankh-Morpork when he was 12 to become an assassin. Just after Teppic passes the final test, his father dies and he has to return to Djelibeybi to be king. When he arrives, he realizes a pyramid has to be built for his father, and he orders that it be the biggest pyramid in the valley, with labyrinths and statues and so forth. But the pyramid is -so- big and powerful that it somehow alters the fabric of time and space, and puts Djelibeybi into its own little dimension, separate from the outside world. It's now Teppic's job as king (and a god) to make things right, even if the High Priest likes to twist everything he says.
Thrown into the mix is the mysteriously old High Priest named Dios; the best mathemetician in the world (a camel); a handmaiden named Ptraci; the gods coming to life and freaking everyone out; and thousands of dead 'ancestors' lurching around and complaining about their pyramids. The story is humorous, as are all of Pratchett's books, and the characters are very likeable. And for those of you who like romance, there is definitely some of that (which I was glad of).
Some reviewers complain that the plot is thin and the characters are under-developed, but I must disagree. So far this is my favorite Discworld book, and I'm pretty sure it will stay that way. This is well worth buying, even if you're not a huge Discworld fan!