Customer Reviews

Pyramid Scheme

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Many years ago, L. Sprague deCamp and Fletcher Pratt created "The Incomplete Enchanter", the beginning of a series of wonderful romps in which modern humans got dropped into alternate worlds where myth and magic were real and the Norse Gods just happened to be heading into Ragnarok. After that first episode, things got REALLY weird. The stories have since gone on to become classics.

Now Flint and Freer have revived this tradition of riotous fun. Our unlikely band of heroes consists of a U. of Chicago Professor who specializes in ancient myths, a lady guest researcher from South Africa who happens to be A: stacked, B: very tough and C: has a purse which is a survival kit in itself,
and a couple of bewildered U.S. Army soldiers, all of whom have been drafted for a trip through both Greek and Egyptian mythologies. I'll save you from having to guess: EVERYTHING surrounding them is a death trap and the Gods themselves are looking for our band's collective butts.

How they deal with all of this, figure out whattheheck is really going on, cope with the REAL heroes behind the Iliad, etc, and try to get out with minimal damage, was a barrel of laughs. There are some events in the "outside world", as well, involving serious disrespect for Established Authority that were worth the reading even without our heroes' doings.

This one is in my permanent collection. You can't have it. Go get your own copy. :)

As a boy I loved reading those ancient tales about Odysseus and his adventures. As a grown-up I realize that he did survive it all because he was the meanest SOB of them all. A fact he could conveniently forget to tell his biographer Homer because he was the only survivor. And the gods were even worse.

So when an alien probe arrives at the university of Chicago and snatches people to send them into the realm of Greek mythology most quickly reappear dead. Except for one group who manages to survive and boy, do they really have adventures to tell.

The experience of living in South Africa probably shaped the humor of Dave Freer in a way similar to that of Tom Sharpe: the world is crazy, people are crazy, so do not worry but go on living. And do not mind the gods, they are crazy too.

The book is an ongoing joke, funny and not to be taken seriously. People who know the Greek mythology will appreciate the lighter view at it. The excursion to Egypt and its gods was unnecessary and could have waited for the next book. I hope there will be another one because the world is so much better when you can laugh at the gods?

A black pyramid descends from space onto the University of Chicago campus and starts to grow, swallowing people and spitting many, but not all, of them out as corpses. One group, including two soldiers, a policeman, two professors, and a repairman, is the exception. They don't die. Inside the pyramid, they find an entire universe derived from ancient myth. Wily Odysseus (from Homer's Odyssey) wants to enslave them, the Olympian Gods want them dead, and some pyramid-related force is trying to control all of their actions while simultaneously attempting to provoke a nuclear attack by the U.S. government.

Authors Dave Freer and Eric Flint offer a fast-paced and largely light-hearted romp through the underside of the Greek myths. Rather than the sugar-coated version, Freer and Flint go back to the unvarnished originals where Zeus perpetually punishes Prometheus for his gift of fire to man, and where wise Athena turned a woman into a spider for daring to think that her weaving could compete with that of a god. At the same time, they develop characters that are both likable and believable.

While PYRAMID SCHEME is a likable romp, several plot holes weaken the story by making it seem episodic rather than fully integrated. The Olympian conflict between the present-day humans and the Olympian Gods is clearly a critical element in the story, yet it is unclear exactly how this conflict resolves the problems for the protagonists, nor how it impacts the pyramid-masters. The Odyssey elements don't really advance the plot at all. Finally, the escape from the pyramid could have been achieved without all of the rest of the story (and by the way, whatever happened to Police Lieutenant Salinas?).

Flaws aside, PYRAMID SCHEME is an enjoyable read. Likable characters and an action-filled story line certainly compensate for any structural problems and make this novel worth the investment.

This is a very fun book to read. Dr. Lucaks and his crew of modern day snatchees, get transported inside an alien probe and sent to a world of ancient myth. Look for flying puns, action to the extreme, and some of the strangest situations you and I will ever come across. This book is funny, funny, funny; but they also threw in some far deeper stuff. The characters are interesting, the action is exciting, and there are twists and turns abound. Good for those who like action/adventure SF, or for those who like humor SF. Especially good for those who like both. And, oh yeah. . .don't mention dwarf tossing.

A thoroughly enjoyable romp from two authors I would like to read even more of in future. I enjoyed this more than "Rats Bats...", if only for the depth of research that went into Greek and Egyptian mythology without said research ever bogging the story down. More intelligent and less preachy than Pratchett, less cynical than Adams. The possibilities for journeys through other cultures's mythologies are endless. Hopefully book one of a series.

I found this an extremely enjoyable read! The mixture of light-hearted banter, with continuous action from start to end, I was very impressed. The only dissapointment which I encountered with the book is the wait for a (hopefully) follow-up. From first-glance the book seems very light, though upon more in-depth analogy, there has been a lot of intensive research which has been carefully entwined with the story. I have read all of David Freer's books, and he just seems to go from height to height! My words to the Author: keep it up!!

If you have read their previous book Rats, Bats, & Vats you know what an incredibly entertaining book these two writers can produce. Pyramid Scheme is another great work of sf comedy with a smidgen of social commentary. In many ways it reminds me of the work of Terry Pratchett.

This book was really good for the most part. I loved reading about the adventures in the mythological Egypt and Greece. That's most of the book and those parts were good.

The characters were excellent. The authors definitely took the time to develop them properly. Also, while a variety of secondary characters were brought in, they moved the story along. They weren't even confusing. Not even when the authors would write from their different perspectives. And there were a lot of perspectives.

Unfortunately, the underlying theme of the alien object that put the characters in this land, is not properly explained. This is why I give the book only three stars. The authors attempt to tie up the alien subplot in about 2-3 pages. Even then, they just skim over the idea.

The ending is also a disappointment. I won't go into details, but everything just happens too conviently at the end. It was as of the authors had a limit of pages to write and just finished it up. I read in a writing guide, not to "pull a rabbit out of a hat." This means, if a character is financially broke through a story and the whole plot is centered around this, you can't end the book by having an unknown uncle die and leave them millions of dollars. It's too unbelievable. This book did that.

Finally, the whole subplot is just left alone at the end. No loose ends were tied up. No solution is mentioned. This could be leaving the book open for a sequal, but I felt like it just stopped short. It made my stomach lurch, looking for the rest of the story.

A super-sophisticated, alien civilization has developed an unusual way of propagating itself. Wherever it senses nuclear power being developed, it sends out an interstellar probe. The probe is impervious to any kind of weaponry since it absorbs all energies directed at it. It also senses energies in people, and if the people have enough anger or other emotions in them, then the probe "snatches" them in to itself. In most cases, the people are killed in the probe and returned to Earth - dead.As it absorbs the energies, the probe itself expands, and if nuclear weapons are used against it, then it blossoms enough to take over the whole world for its alien masters. That is the sinister background behind this book, but do not put it away because of that description! You see, while the backstory is sinister, the actual book itself is hilariously funny!

After the alien probe lands in Chicago, it does its thing. It manages to snag a bunch of people including one group that it would ordinarily have ignored, but because the whole group was engaged in a melee at the time, everyone who was touching the targeted individual got transported into the probe. And what a world awaits the group! It turns out that the way the alien probe extracts energies from people is by recreating mythical and cruel worlds and it expects that the modern humans would quickly anger someone in the mythical world and be killed or else. The problems with the group that it transported is that they were not angry people, but instead were the kinds of people who ask questions about what is going on and try to affect the situation in their favor.

As the motley group gets acclimated to their surroundings they find themselves in the middle of the Homeric saga and are caught between the whirlpool and Scylla. Quick thinking saves the day for them and then they get to deal with Odysseus who is not quite what the legends tell us. This part of the book reminds us in a gentle way that histories are written by the victors, and are not necessarily ultimately truthful. As the group learns about each other and the world they are in, they develop and improve and find ways to thwart the whole pantheon of Greek gods. Zeus, Hermes, Athena, and all the rest make appearances here, and are dealt with in turn. Many more mythical beasts and people appear - like Medea, Arachne, etc. as well as many of the Egyptian gods. So do Dragons, and sphinxes, and Dwarf gods, and so on.

The book itself is absolutely hilarious. The puns go on and on and the situations that are described had me guffawing out loud as I read the book. Of course, the ending is a positive one as all the good guys come back to Earth in our own timeline and deter disaster while defeating the intelligence behind the alien probe. But that is not what matters. What matters, and what is fun to read, are all the twisted ways in which the authors describe the familiar and not-so-familiar Greek and Egyptian gods and cultures and how they cleverly manage to have some of them help the crew, and some try to hinder the crew. As one comedic scene after another is encountered, we also see the crew grow and mature and it is no surprise that they each find love and affection along their travels.

This was a fun read and I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Pyramid Scheme (2001) is the first SF novel in the Book of the Tail series. It is set in the present or maybe in the near future. The Near Earth Space Object Tracking satellite detected an object decelerating as it approached the Earth. An alarm data stream is transmitted to NORAD. The object was setting down in Chicago. Just before the landing, all radio transmissions were jammed. NORAD reported the intrusion through channels.

In this novel, Tom Harkness is sent by the National Security Council to the situation briefing. He is informed that two companies from the 101st Airborne have been sent to Chicago. General Brasnos recommends that 82nd Airborne be mobilized, but Harkness refuses. He feels that the whole thing is probably a hoax.

At 2:29 AM, a security guard in the Regenstein Library rounds a corner and discovers a bizarre-looking five-sided pyramidal object. Crumpled shelves and shredded books are scattered around the artifact. Turning to flee, a beam of violet light engulfs the guard and he disappears.

Lieutenant Solms is the watch officer for the University of Chicago Police. He is monitoring the radio transmissions of two campus cops who have responded to a call from the library. When they fail to report, he walks over to the library and discovers the pyramid. Solms calls the University administration and then the Chicago Police. Soon police are swarming around the library.

Professor Miggy Tremelo takes a look at the pyramid and tells Solms to remove his police from the scene. Then he calls in more scientists from the High Energy Physics lab across the street. They begin scanning the object.

Jerry Lukacs, PhD, is a visiting professor at the Oriental Institute. He arrives at his office without noticing the police or the physicists wrestling a X-ray machine up the steps of the library. He does notice the emptiness of the building.

Liz De Beer is a postdoc fellow in the Department of Ecology and Evolution. She has come to Chicago with her husband, but has left him after he found someone else that he liked better. She is from South Africa and is familiar with the military and macho mindset.

Lamont Jackson is a maintenance worker at the university. He is busy in the air handling room of the Oriental Institute with his boom-box playing loudly. Naturally, he is overlooked when the police evacuate the building.

In this story, the Krim device expands every time a person vanishes or energy is directed against it. The probe is steadily moving toward the Fermi Memorial. It had missed its target by sixty yards. Still, that is not bad for a voyage of 2740 lightyears through normal space and a wormhole.

When Harkness arrives, he uses the obsequious Chicago Police Lieutenant John Salinas to fetch creamer and do other errands. Then Harkness decides to put the scientists in their place. He picks Professor Tremelo to be the first victim. He is greatly surprised by the response. As the professor is reaming out the NSC man, the Krim probe makes Harkness and his party vanish.

Major Gervase heads the initial two military companies on the scene. Corporal Jim McKenna escorts Professor Tremelo and Lieutenant Salinas to the Major. Tremelo has a few observations and reports to give the Major, but Salinas only being his usual self.

Shortly after that, the missing persons start dropping out of thin air. Some are still alive when they return, but most are dead. The first returnee is the vanished copilot of a Blackhawk helicopter. Despite CPR and other extreme measures, the man dies. He has been stabbed with something sharp.

Then an Air Force officer who had disappeared with Harkness also appears out of thin air. This body is soaking wet in saltwater. Moreover, he has fish and squid in his pockets. He is brought around enough to mumble a few things before he dies. His mumbles suggest ancient history.

When Colonel Frank McNamara arrives, he sends Lieutenant Salinas out to find a marine biologist to investigate the fish. Corporal McKenna goes with the Lieutenant to the biology departments and they return with Liz De Beer. Later, the Colonel sends Salinas out to find a historian.

Sergeant Anibal Cruz, Corporal McKenna and two other soldiers of the 101st Airborne escort Lieutenant Salinas and Liz De Beer when they enter the Oriental Institute. Jerry and Lamont hear their voices and join the group. When Salinas pulls his pistol, everybody piles on him and the whole group disappears.

This tale takes the missing persons into a world based on Greek mythology. Since Jerry speaks classical Greek (with a bad accent), he acts as translator for the others. They appear on an ancient-style galley commanded by Odysseus within the strait between Scylla and Charybdis. Two of the soldiers are soon killed by a Greek sailor and the monster Scylla and immediately vanish from the scene.

Eventually Jerry learns that the Krim device is reactivating moribund mythologies for its masters. The Krim are parasites who feed on pain and suffering. The somewhat anachronistic world wherein the party is stranded certainly has its share of such and the Krim are manipulating the prukrin threads to increase the suffering.

The story illustrates how science fiction can imitate fantasy. Invoke a device that transfers the party into an Ur-mythworld and everything is valid SF. Well, valid speculative fiction. Anyway, it is a fun story. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Flint & Freer fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien invasions, other realities, and a touch of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin