Pyramids

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Nigel Planer

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

It isn't easy, being a teenage pharaoh. You're not allowed to carry money, uninhibited young women peel your grapes for you, everyone thinks you're responsible for making the sun rise and the corn grow, you keep dreaming about seven thin cows and seven fat cows (one of them playing the trombone), and on top of everything else, the Great Pyramid has just exploded because of paracosmic instability.

And then you've got to deal with all these assassins, sphinxes, huge wooden horses, mad high priests, philosophers, sacred crocodiles, gods, marching mummies, jobbing pyramid builders and Hat, the Vulture-Headed God of Unexpected Guests.

And all you really wanted was the chance to do something for young people and the inner cities.

Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

©1989 Terry Pratchett and Lynn Pratchett (P)1997 ISIS Publishing Ltd.

Critic Reviews

"There's no end to the wacky wonders...No fantasy is as consistently, inventively mad...wild and wonderful." (Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine)

Audio is variable

This is a great book well read, but beware the audio quality is all over the place. I know it's a 'vintage recording' but that doesn't excuse a good chunk of it being (ironically given the subject of the book) recorded at the wrong speed. Planer sounds drunkenly slow at times and speeds up again just as you've acclimatised to it. I've no doubt it was like this in the original release, and it's become no less disappointing since then considering how trivial it'd be to fix.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Another Great Pratchett in Need of Clean-Up

Where does Pyramids rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Above average in terms of performance. Fantastic in terms of story, and below average in terms of audio quality.

What other book might you compare Pyramids to and why?

Along the lines of Moving Pictures, also by Pratchett.

Which character – as performed by Nigel Planer – was your favorite?

You Bastard, the Discworld's foremost mathematician.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh and cringe. Funny book, and absorbing, but the audio quality, like most of the early recordings of Pratchett's books, sounds as thought it was transferred from audio tape.

Any additional comments?

One of Planer's better recitals, but needs an audio clean-up. Worth getting though!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

good as usual

N. Planer is simply the best. a good book too. many a good laugh. lots of great ideas. the best one is about the generals always fighting the last war and then the horses...

Great characters in the disk world tradition

Great narration adds to the overall enjoyment. Nigel Planer adds to the experience of the novel by creating rich rewarding verbal images of people and place, A very enjoyable book to lose your self in.

a lovely listen

Nigel Planer is a great narrator, I shall be listening to more of his readings.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

"Going Forth is Easy..."

The narration was excellent as always.

The story humorous and yet thought provoking, but don't let that put you off... You can still listen to it is you just want something you can listen to with out thinking. 😊

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great stand-alone

As much a part of the Discworld series that this is, it's great as a stand-alone book to start off with if you want an introduction to Terry Pratchett's very own style of comedy. The story itself is wonderful, full of quirky characters, epic mysteries, ancient civilisations and camels.



While I prefer Stephen Briggs as narrator for Terry Pratchett's books, Nigel Planer does a good job of portraying different characters, subtly changing dialects. The quality of the recording is sadly a bit lacking with a flat sound that sometimes inexplicably slows down for entire chapters.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Brilliant book...

Another fantastic Pratchett novel narrated beautifully by Nigel Planar, if you're a fan of the Discworld you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great Pratchett

Wonderfully sophisticated narrative with all Pratchett's humour. Well read. And Neil from Young Ones blessedly only appears once. Odd changes in resonance as recorded in different venues/studios...

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Always entertsining

I've read this book many times. I still laugh even though I can see the jokes coming.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Addict

Would you listen to Pyramids again? Why?

I have, many times. I am a devotee to DiscWorld and of course Terry Pratchett

What other book might you compare Pyramids to, and why?

Any DiscWorld novel.

What does Nigel Planer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He creates apt voices for each character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I enjoy taking time unwrapping gifts and surprises, and use the same strategy for enjoying every facet of a great story.

Any additional comments?

I have read and re-read / and re-listened to, Terry Pratchett's novels, always finding something that I hadn't noticed and enjoyed before. Particularly I enjoy his underlying political commentary, that just seems to hit the nail on the head.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An early Discworld Novel

I remember reading this as a late teen, it was my first introduction to Discworld and from then on I was totally hooked, Nigel Planer is an excellent choice as narrator, he captures the characters perfectly. Pyramids is such a joy to listen to, this one particularly because it transported me back to my youth. This is a must for any Discworld 'beginner'.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

I 'sphinx' this is great! A five star listen.

What a wonderful listen! 'Pyramids' introduces you to the Kingdom Djelibeybi that will never make you look at Egyptian ancient history and the camels in the same way again.

I honestly believe that Sir Terry Prachett must have laughed out loud while writing this book.

It's rib-tickling, colourful and adventurous. Pteppic - a young Pharo is a great new addition to the Discworld cast, along with many other heroes and villains, but I shall say no more least I spoil the story.

Whether you're new to Discworld or are looking for a next book in the series this is 'a must read'. It's a great stand alone book.

Nigel Planner does a beautiful job and is a man of more than one voice. It was hard to put it away and could easily listen to it again.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good story, very well performed

In audio form the various characters with unusual names were sometimes hard to track. Never the less a good story that was well performed by Nigel. He is especially good at the voice of a camel :-)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Good Book, But...

Any additional comments?

Nigel Planers narration takes a little getting used to; his reliance on stock silly voices sometimes detracts from the story, but it's still better than a lot of other voice actors. The mispronounciation of some the names also grates (I always assumed 'Ptraci' was pronounced as 'Tracy' since Pratchett likes to juxtapose the exotic with the mundane), but again you get used to it. The main issue is the varying audio quality. At times it's like he's reading the book in slow motion through a sheet of cotton wool.
Great book, well read, indifferently presented. Recommended if you can live with the niggles

2 of 3 people found this review helpful