Rating: 
Summary: Insanely funny, well researched book . . .
Review: . . . and did I mention that it's hilarious yet?In "Pyramid Scheme," the plot is mostly a MacGuffin; a pyramid has been dropped on the University of Chicago by forces unknown, and it's causing trouble -- major, big time trouble. As in, it's killing people. Our heroes, led by Jerry Lukacs (not sure I spelled his name right), a highly intellectual man without much personal physical strength, go to check out the pyramid, and instead get dropped into a series of adventures with real gods, real heroes -- and mostly, they find out that they'd rather be back home, thanks. But they're not, so they have to fight through the adventures, and do their best to win back to our time -- and hope they've gotten back in time to stop the pyramids from causing more trouble. You'd not think this is a great set up for a work of humor, and it is very unconventional -- but it does work, as throughout the rest of the book, you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. What's up with this whole pyramid bit? Why are the heroes being constantly dropped into this situation and then into the next one? Who's going to pair up, and why? (Some of it is sexist, I grant, but the two authors make fun of sexism at the same time, and it is very, very funny.) It's character-driven fantasy, it's historically accurate, and it's incredibly, insanely funny. What more do you want? Well, if you want a cohesive, logical plotline from beginning to end, you probably won't find it here. This is a sprawling plot, instead, which works to play up the humor and lighten up the violence. Because really, without the humor, this story would be unrelentingly grim; instead, we get a satirical, riotously funny view of what would happen if some people from today's world got transported into the past (and different milieus of same) and then interacted with heroes and gods. What I like best about this book is that the authors, Eric Flint and Dave Freer, did a great job writing an intensely hilarious, laugh out loud book. If you're an intellectual, or if you like the Greek myths, or even if you just like low comedy, this book is for you. Four stars, recommended.(...)
Rating:
Summary: Fun, great look at myth, with some plot holes
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Hopefully Book One of a series.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh at the gods
Review: 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?
Rating:
Summary: Laugh at the gods
Review: 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?
Rating: 
Summary: Very dissapointing effort from the author of 1632
Review: Eric flint (author of 1632, 1633, Oblique Approach) is an author I came to admire after reading Mother of Demons, so when I found Pyramid Scheme, I felt safe in my decision to buy it. Boy was I wrong! The story feels very disjointed as it meanders its way from one trite scene to the next. Flint puts his characters into one absurd situation after another which they then battle or think their way out of in a few pages, only for the whole thing to repeat itself with another absurd situation. The book is supposed to be funny--I think it is supposed to be funny, but I didn't laugh. I just skipped page after page of irrelevant rubbish and looked forward to the end. As soon as I finished this book, I threw it away (just in case I had an attack of insanity and tried to read it again in the future). My advice is to read Flint's An Oblique Approach instead of this appalling book. Mark E Cooper
Author of The Warrior Within (ISBN: 0954512200)
Rating:
Summary: Pyramid Scheme
Review: Funny, Supriseing, accurate, I ejoyed this book and can't wait to see more
Rating:
Summary: Mythology, mirth, & mayhem
Review: Hilarious story of an alien probe that lands in Chicago and snatches people into a "Ur-universe" of mythology. An oddly assorted group of characters encounters many strange, mythologically based adventures and has to find a way to stop the Greek gods from taking over the Ur-universe. I just had to love a story in which a myopic, absent-minded professor manages to outwit many of the major heroes or villians of various mythologies.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Thoroughly enjoyable..
Review: 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!!
Rating: 
Summary: Can't match Rats, Bats & Vats
Review: I really wanted to enjoy the book, both because I loved Rats,
Bats & Vats and because I'm a bit of a mythology buff myself and would enjoy a good parody, well-founded in Graeco-Egyptian lore. In fact I did enjoy the book - up until the final 1 or 2 chapters. The plot holes, outright inconsistency (within the framework of the book's sub-creation and internal "logic") and rushed feeling ruined what was a fun 4-5star book up 'til then. Too bad.
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