Pyramids (1989)
Pyramids is a 1989 american fantasy fiction book written by Terry Pratchett.
Teppic trains as an assassin in Ankh-Morpork, a strange apprenticeship for a boy who is next in line to a throne. After his father dies, he inherits Djelibeybi, a tiny river kingdom ruled by ritual, priests, and the crushing weight of tradition. His first duty is a pyramid grand enough to bury a god-king, and the mathematics of all that stored time begin to bend the country out of shape. With a sharp-tongued handmaid and a scheming high priest for company, Teppic has to work out what a pharaoh is actually for. Pratchett skewers ancient Egypt, dynasty, and dead-hand custom.
Quick answers
What is Pyramids about?
Teppic trains as an assassin in Ankh-Morpork, a strange apprenticeship for a boy who is next in line to a throne. After his father dies, he inherits Djelibeybi, a tiny river kingdom ruled by ritual, priests, and the crushing weight of tradition. His first duty is a pyramid grand enough to bury a god-king, and the mathematics of all that stored time begin to bend the country out of shape. With a sharp-tongued handmaid and a scheming high priest for company, Teppic has to work out what a pharaoh is actually for. Pratchett skewers ancient Egypt, dynasty, and dead-hand custom.
When was Pyramids published?
Pyramids was published in 1989.
Who made Pyramids?
Pyramids was written by Terry Pratchett.
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Pyramids in our writing
- Companion guide: Ancient Egypt
- Companion guide: Archaeology & Lost Tombs
- Companion guide: Discworld: The Complete Guide to Terry Pratchett's Flat Planet
A few thoughts on Pyramids
Fans of its ancient-Egypt playground should try Assassin's Creed Origins, which wanders the same sun-baked temples and tombs, and the 1999 film The Mummy for pulpy pyramid adventure. Teppic's blade-school past pairs neatly with the Assassin's Creed series' own guild of killers.
Trained to kill quietly, then handed a whole kingdom to run
Teppic finishes assassin school only to inherit Djelibeybi, a river kingdom crushed under pyramids, priests, and centuries of ritual he never chose. The Mummy and Assassin's Creed Origins share that same sun-baked world of tombs, dynasties, and secret orders, while Assassin's Creed II trains a killer the same deliberate way Teppic was, and The Return of the King and Elden Ring both hand their leads a broken throne nobody explained.