DrFaustus's Full Review: Terry Pratchett - Pyramids
Mythology is all well and good and a concept. The stories are full of action and adventure. The characters tend to be interesting and unusual. Sure, some of the various mythological stories can seem a bit lame sometimes, but overall they provide a fair amount of entertainment. As a religious system and a method of explaining the world, classical mythology tends to fall tends to fall a little flat, though. Much like communism, pyramids schemes, and the MPAA ratings system, mythology is an interesting idea that just doesn’t pan out when put into practice. Terry Pratchett's novel Pyramids, an early entry from his ever-expanding Discworld series, deals with just this dilemma.
At the center of the story is Teppic, prince from a country that rather closely resembles a certain desert culture with a penchant for four-sided, pointy tombs. Djelibeybi, that sandy nation rich in culture and mythology, is highly traditional and old fashioned, but the king still wants his child to be well rounded. As such, the novel opens with the young prince finishing his training at the Assassin's Guild of Ankh-Morpork. (Ankh-Morpork, for those unfamiliar with Pratchett's work, is the main city of Discworld and the setting for many of Pratchett's books.) I'll admit, assassin training isn't exactly par for the course of a prince's training, but a profession is a profession and a good monarch should be well rounded. After an exciting and adventurous final exam, Teppic earns his credentials, only to learn that his father has died, leaving Teppic as the new king and, according to tradition and mythology, the new god.
Teppic races back home to fulfill his new responsibilities only to find out that there isn't really much that he needs to do. Seems that all of the day-to-day business of running the nation is being handled by Dios, the high priest who has had that position for as long as anyone can remember. Dios blocks all of Teppic's attempts to modernize the nation and even goes so far as to publicly "re-interpret" all of Teppic's commands and proclamations. Usually these re-interpretations result simply in an order to throw anyone who complains to the crocodile. Dios also takes charge of the plans for the tomb that must be built for Teppic's father. Tradition dictates that each king's tomb must be bigger and more spectacular that all of the previous pyramids. Not being one to turn a blind eye to tradition, Dios commissions a pyramid large enough to dwarf all of the other tombs combined (not to mention bankrupt the country in the process.) This is where the real trouble begins.
Seems that the mystical nature of pyramids does funny things to space and time. Used properly, pyramids and supposed to suspend time at their centers, allowing the occupants to exist forever in a timeless state of suspended animation. This new pyramid is a bit too large for its own good, though. Before it can be properly finished weird anomalies start popping up, culminating in a catastrophic accent that throws the country out of alignment with the normal dimensions of the universe. As a result, Djelibeybi is pulled into a reality where all of their myths and beliefs have come true in the most literal sense possible. And naturally, since myths tend to contradict each other at times, chaos ensues. Various mythological figures responsible for the movement of the sun all start fighting with one another for control, several animal-headed gods wander through the cities fighting amongst one another like children, and dozens of generation of mummified royalty take to the streets trying to check up on the family. Naturally, it falls upon Teppic's shoulders to set things right.
Like so many of Pratchett's other novels, the plot of Pyramids is not really what's important. Rather, the book is enjoyable because Pratchett takes the opportunity to throw in hundreds of humorous little asides about any topic even remotely related to what's going on in the book. Among the many, many topics that are lampooned in Pyramids are ancient philosophy (at one point Teppic encounters a pair of philosophers who shoot arrows at turtles and are genuinely surprised that the turtles are unable to outrun the arrows) and the plots of epic poems (as war is mounting in the countries around Djelibeybi, the generals prepare by stuffing as many soldiers as they can into giant wooden horses.) I could list a whole lot more, but that would spoil all of the fun.
If you haven't guessed by now, Pyramids is not a particularly deep or meaningful book. It has no lofty social, political, or moral aspirations. Much like the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, it exists purely for the fun and enjoyment of the reader. By no means am I trying to complain here. I just wanted to make sure that everyone realizes that this is nothing more than goofy fluff. If you're looking something deep in which you can lose yourself, look somewhere else.
Pyramids is a great way to get into reading the Discworld novels, though. There are more than two dozen books in the Discworld series, several of which are out of print, which can make choosing a starting point for the series a rather daunting decision. Most of the books revolve around either the city watch of Ankh-Morpork, the wizards of the Unseen University, or the witches of Lancre. Even though all of the novels are self-contained and can be enjoyed all on their own, it really helps to be familiar with the characters from earlier books. Pyramids, though, is one of the few independent Discworld novels. None of the significant characters in this book have appeared in previous novels and, as far as I'm aware, none have appeared in any installments since. If you're someone who has been eyeing the Discworld books every time you stop at the local bookstore, but haven't been brave enough to start the series yet, this would be a perfect way to ease yourself into the series.
If I had to pick any flaws with the book, it would probably lie with the lack of depth. Since plot is relatively unimportant to the story, in depth analysis of the characters and events tends to fall by the wayside. Many of the characters remain one-dimensional and several events are glossed over with no explanation as to how or why they happen. This lack of depth, though, is made up for by the fast pace of the book and wide variety of targets upon which Pratchett sets his satirical crosshairs.
So in short, if you're in need of something to read for a few days that isn't deep or overly engaging, give Pyramids a shot. Just don’t read it around people who are trying to get some work done. The giggling will probably distract them.
It s bad enough being new on the job, but Teppic hasn t a clue as to what a pharaoh is supposed to do. After all, he s been trained at Ankh-Morpork s ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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