Pyramids

Terry Pratchett

Average Rating 7/10 (1 Review)

Being trained by the Assassin's Guild in Ankh-Morpork did not fit Teppic for the task assigned to him by fate. He inherited the throne of the desert kingdom of Djelibeybi rather earlier than he expected (his father wasn't too happy about it either), but that was only the beginning of his problems...

Pyramids (The Book of Ging Forth) is the seventh Discworld novel - and the most outrageously funny to date.

Review by Chrissi (280201) Rating (7/10)

Review by Chrissi
Rating 7/10
This is the story of Teppic, a prince of the old country of Djelibeybi. (Check spelling, any sweets spring to mind?)

The Kings of this country have always been buried in Pyramids, reflecting their status, and as such the pyramids have become much larger and more elaborate. They occupy the only fertile land of the country and each night they flare off the amount of time which they have caught and stored, giving a strange and wonderful view of the country at night.

This is an essential premise of this book, that pyramids preserve the dead by accumulating time during the day, thus allowing time to be recycled, and this is why time appears to have stood still for the whole country.

There are, as always, some fabulous characters in this creation of Terry Pratchett, we meet Dios, the High Priest whose insanity is of such magnitude that he seems more sane than anyone else. We meet You Bastard, the camel who is the greatest mathematician ever to have lived, and we meet Ptaclusp the pyramid builder.

Ptaclusp has two sons, IIa and IIb, one an architect and one an accountant. One of my favourite bits is when they are talking about how the new pyramid will be an example of quantum architecture, and IIb asks what is quantum, and IIa says that all that means is that you can add a lot more noughts.

Anyway, Pyramids starts with Teppic at the school for Assassins in Ankh-Morpork. He learns how to dress well because it's a comfort to people who have been inhumed (well, how do you express these things politely?) and wish to be sure that they have died at the hands of someone with impeccable taste and manners.

When his father dies, Teppic is summoned home to assume the throne of the country, as the monarch is responsible for making the sun rise and for communicating with the gods on behalf of his people. Well, the chaos just goes from there.

This is not one of my favourite Pratchett novels as it's a stand alone with all new characters, just set on the Discworld.

It's still amusing, especially if you like camels who smell like elderly carpets and have all the charm (and accurate aim) of a swift kick in the ...erm ...shins.
Chrissi (28th February 2001)