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Pyramids | Rating | |
| A | |||
| Terry Pratchett | |||
| Series | Related Books | ||
| Discworld | The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Mort, Sourcery, Wyrd Sisters, Pyramids, Guards! Guards!, Eric, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Witches Abroad, Small Gods, Soul Music, Feet of Clay, Interesting Times, The Firth Elephant, Going Postal | ||
Teppic is a prince of the small desert kingdom of Djelibeybi. But the kingdom is broke, having spent all its money on the pyramids that entomb the royal dead. So he was trained as an assassin in Ankh-Morpork, in hopes of brining in some cash. But when Teppic's dad takes a header off the palace balcony, he finds himself unaccustomed to his kingdom. Everything is according to ritual, as it always has been. Which meant Teppic's dad, too, would get a pyramid. A pyramid larger than any other ever build. A Great Pyramid.
But on the Discworld, pyramids do more than attract tourists and sharpen razors. And a pyramid this large with do a lot more.
This is in my opinion one of the most original books Pratchett has written. Which is saying something, given that the whole Discworld series takes place on a world carried on four elephants who are in turn riding a cosmic turtle. It certainly is one of the most memorable. Some of the scenes within these pages had been stuck in my head for years. And the details of what pyrtamids do, and what happens when one is build too large, is wonderfully unique.
It is not, however, especially funny. I will confess I laughed out loud in some spots, but not as many as some other Discworld books. Most of those instances were in the second half, after things had really slid downhill. In fact, while the first half is certainly interesting, it's barely humorous at all, despite some attempts. It's still a nice, light tone, though, and fun to read. Just because it's not a laugh riot does not make the book a failure.
The plot is surprisingly straightforward. Events go from one thing to the next with no twists and few side journeys along the way. It is not a complex tale. Combined with the light feel of the book I'd have to say this is one of the easiest, fastest Discworld books to read.
The first half may have lacked most of the humor that Pratchett is famous for, but it as still a fun half to read. And the lack is largely made up for with the second half, anyway. This is also a gread book to just pick up and read, regardless of what other books in the series you may or may not have looked at. It uses almost nothing from previous books by way of locations or characters, and as usualy Pratchett makes up his magic system as he needs it. All Discworld books are standalones, but this one is standing more alone than most.
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