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Title: Gormenghast in Ancient Egypt
Review: First of all, I loved this novel. Teppic is a great guy who grows up as we read. The very name of Teppic's country, Djelibeybi, made me giggle, and the final exam in the Assassins' School had me at the edge of my chair until Teppic -- whew! -- makes the right decision. It's fun to look for the sources of Pratchett's plots (and satires). Did anyone else notice the similarities between this one and the first two of the Gormenghast trilogy? Not just Daddy's becoming a bird, but the dark ambience, Teppic's strange rivals and relatives, and the liberating finale. This book isn't my absolute favorite of Pratchett's (those accolades are reserved for the Watch novels and REAPER MAN), but it's a far cut above the Rincewind tales -- and better than the Gormenghast novels, since it examines all problems, including the hilarious ones, that trouble the inheritor of vast inbred territories.
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