“Pyramids” is the seventh novel in his hugely popular Discworld series and was first published in 1989. It’s the first – and, to date, only – book to feature Teppic, and is largely set in his home country of Djelibeybi.

As the book opens, Teppic (or Pteppic) is approaching the end of his education at Ankh-Morpork’s Guild of Assassins. (The final exam, if failed, tends to be very…...final). However, there is more to Teppic than dressing very stylishly and inhuming only for vast amounts of money. With the very recent death of his father, he has also become King Pteppicymon XXVIII of Djelibeybi. Teppic’s home country is very obviously based on Egypt : it’s two miles wide, one hundred and fifty miles long and runs along the river Djel. It has driven itself bankrupt, having spent seven thousand years building pyramids for its monarchs – invariably on the country’s most fertile soil. Having become the first Pharoh to be educated outside Djelibeybi, Teppic finds it difficult to re-adapt to the traditions of his home country. He is technically a God and although he is officially Head of State, it’s Dios – the very aged High Priest – who actually runs the country. Teppic isn’t entirely impressed about this – he wants to introduce proper plumbing and pillows, for example. However, in spite of the country’s debt, he does agree to building a massive pyramid for his late father. (This isn’t something his late father – still pottering around as a ghost – isn’t too impressed with). The final straw comes when Dios decides to feed Ptraci – the late King’s favourite handmaiden – to the crocodiles. Teppic decides to become a little more politically active – and, luckily, he has a helpful education to fall back on.

Like everything else I’ve read by Pratchett, this is an excellent book. It’s easily read, features plenty of likeable characters and there are plenty of laughs. As it’s one of Pratchett’s stand-alone books, it’s a good starting point if you’ve never read any of the Discworld books before.