The Red Pyramid

This is the first book of a new series by the crazy-popular Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Now if you're a Percy fan like me, you may have some trouble with this book. It is both similar to Percy, and maddeningly NOT Percy (hilarious fly-by-your-seat madness vs. down-to-earth magical realism). Although I kept waiting for the sarcastic half-blood to make an appearance (he does not), humor was dispensed in ample doses by a sarcastic Sadie ("Just because you cannot discern my wit, doesn't make me sarcastic." Thank you, Sadie.) I suppose this is the price to be paid for having already written a fantastic book with a compelling hero.However, Book One of The Kane Chronicles does not disappoint, and is the show more wonderfully rich story of Carter and Sadie Kane and their adventures around the world, trying to save their father from Egyptian gods, and possibly bring back their mother from the Land of the Dead. An amazing amount of Egyptian mythology is crammed into this hefty book, and a few times I felt like I needed a scorecard to keep track of all the players. "Another lot of daft, arrogant gods. Brilliant!" as Sadie Kane would say, in her fantastic British voice, which Riordan captures so well.The violence in The Red Pyramid is on par with the comic-book variety in The Lightning Thief - a lot of hacking and slicing of demons and gods, turning them into sand or mist. There is some peril ("Some peril. Did you even read the book?" Yes, Sadie, I read the book. Please stop interrupting.). Ok, a lot of peril. Did I mention that this book has alternating, first-person, point-of-view? Riordan breaks the rules successfully with his distinctive voices for Carter and Sadie.Fourteen-year-old Carter and 12-year-old Sadie both have mild love interests in this book, which I'm sure will grow as the series continues. But it is barely touched upon, with no kissing or even serious puppy love. Riordan also touches on racial experience in this novel, with Carter and Sadie being biracial (their mother is white parent and their father is black). Because of the differences in the kids' skin tone, they have very different experiences of the world, and I thought Riordan handled this extraordinarily well.Overall, fans of Percy Jackson will love this book. While advanced readers will not be challenged by the reading level, they might be by the length (516 pages!), but more importantly, they will be fascinated by the depth and detail of the Egyptian gods and magic that Riordan brings to life. show less

Carter and Sadie Kane are brother and sister, but they've been apart for the last several years. After their mother died, Sadie went to live with her grandparents in England, while Carter traveled along with his Egyptologist father. Now it's Christmas Eve, one of the two days Sadie gets to spend with her father and Carter, and he takes them to the British Museum. But when a magical spell goes completely wrong, Sadie and Carter have to find a way to save their father, defeat Set, and keep chaos from breaking loose.

In a similar vein to the Percy Jackson books, The Red Pyramid re-imagines Egyptian mythology as true and present tense. In this case, the gods have been banished for ages and are starting to be released. Instead of focusing on show more one character's perspective, we see both Carter and Sadie's as they switch back and forth every couple of chapters in a "recording" that we are privy to. This starts of rather cryptically with a reference to the reader, telling you to go to a particular locker and find an object that they have stashed away. Otherwise, the pace was a little slow building (again, I'm comparing this to Percy Jackson, which often started off with an explosion), slowly revealing details, often laying out mythological explanations a bit bluntly instead of expecting the reader to catch on. To be honest, I probably would not have caught on without these explanations in the same way I did with the Greek mythology that is much more present in literary and cultural references. Carter and Sadie were believable characters, and their sibling relationship was realistic and fun to see develop. I'll be looking for the next book in the series. show less

Summary: Siblings Carter and Sadie Kane haven't seen much of each other since their mother died when they were young; Sadie lives with her grandparents in London, while Carter travels around the world with their father, a famous Egyptologist. On a Christmas visit, their father drags Carter and Sadie to the British Museum after hours, where he attempts to use the Rosetta Stone to perform magic. But something goes wrong, and the Egyptian god Set, the god of chaos, imprisons Dr. Kane in a glass coffin that then melts into the floor. Carter and Sadie don't know where to turn or what to do, until they're taken in by their Uncle Amos, who is a member of a secret group of Egyptian magicians, the House of Life. Carter and Sadie begin to have show more visions of Set and his plans to destroy the world, and when they're attacked by ancient monsters, they realize that it is up to them to stop the god's plans. They're not alone - they will have help from some of the other gods - but not only do they only have a few days to stop a god, they're also being pursued by members of the House of Life, who consider mortals working with gods to be dangerous and therefore forbidden.

Review: This book was definitely an enjoyable read. I was in the mood for something light, funny, and above all, engaging, and this book certainly did the trick. Riordan brings Carter and Sadie to life, and they're personable and smart and funny and capable yet fallible, everything you could want in a protagonist. The story ticks along at a good pace, keeping things moving (both geographically as well as action-wise, as is Riordan's wont) while sneaking in plenty of world building and character development around the edges. I was also impressed, once again, how he manages to work mythology into modern life, in a way that was clever and felt cohesive, and explained clearly without pandering to his younger readers.

But, while I absolutely did enjoy this book, I didn't enjoy it *quite* as much as any of the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus books. And I don't think that it's got anything to do with the quality of the book itself; rather, Greek mythology is much, much more familiar to me than Egyptian mythology. That means that in Riordan's Greek books, I didn't have to start from scratch with my understanding of the worldbuilding, and was also better able to spot and appreciate the subtle and clever touches he added in. In the case of the Kane Chronicles, I found it harder to get my bearings in terms of how magic worked, and how the gods related to each other, and to keep the details in my mind. (Heck, even the names and pronunciations were more unfamiliar and thus more mental work.) That all kept it from flowing quite as easily as I'd come to expect from Riordan's other books.

But, hey, mythology plus fiction is almost always a win in my book. It can't be Greek all the time. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Recommended for Riordan fans, or anyone interested in ancient Egypt and looking for something fun and fast-paced. show less

After their mother died, Carter and Sadie Kane were split up, Carter with their father and Sadie with their mother's parents. But when their father brings them together for a trip to the British Museum and dies in the supernatural explosion of the Rosetta Stone, they are inducted into a world intertwined with the ways and beings of ancient Egypt. With intermittent help from an estranged Uncle, an ancient magician and an enthusiastic cat goddess, the siblings must come face to face with their destiny and gods from eons past to save their world and one they never suspected was real.

When I first sat down and started Percy, I didn't like it. I don't often care for first-person narration, especially when the narrator starts out by telling me show more that I should not be reading the book and I am already in danger. I don't know if it insults my sense of reality, or if I just have a stubborn streak regarding direct orders from fictional children. Maybe a bit of both. So when Carter begins the tale with telling me I'm in danger, it starts me out on a sour note. Then, when the book jumps to Sadie's narration, I scowl a bit more. Not just one first-person narrator. Two. Two bickering siblings interrupting each other in parenthetical remarks and jerking perspective between them.

I was not excited.

Then the story began to pick up speed. We were acquainted with the background basics, learned the situation and started the long-haul for the finish line, whatever it would be. The siblings' voices were, to me, somewhat difficult to distinguish at first, and Sadie's "Britishism" felt entirely forced. Fortunately, as I adjusted to the flow of the project, the shift [every two chapters] became less obnoxious.

As for the story itself, well, I have a bit of a soft-spot for Egypt. Indiana Jones introduced me to the wonders of the desert when I was younger, including but not limited to the films--I owned the Young Indiana series [ Thefirst seven to nine books, I want to say. They were then donated and later destroyed when the basement library was flooded. Foo.], and my favorite was probably the one in which Indy finds himself trapped in a tomb and rescued by the spirit of the inhabiting royalty. The love-affair continued with the generally cool nature of pharoahs, pyramids, and a favorite book of mine called The Egypt Game, by Zilpha Keatly Snyder. Then the world was reintroduced to The Mummy by Brendan Fraser and Co. And one of my best friends from high school and running is rather a fan of the histories of the country and kingdom. Oh, and I would be loath to forget the attachments through Stargate SG-1. Seriously.

Inasmuch, I had a basis in loving the Egyptian mythos; and recalling the tender loving respect Riordan demonstrated for such things in Percy, I knew that end of things was in good hands. That meant, then, that all I had to worry about was my narrators and non-historical folks trotting about the text. Again--no worries. I found Sadie and Carter to be obnoxious siblings making their way through an unbelievable adventure in a believable way. Once we set up Sadie as the pushy dare-devil and Carter as the more withdrawn, and found ourselves able to stop pointing it out every five minutes, they fell into place and interactions were executed naturally.

I cannot say if it is because I am older than the target crowd or not, but I find these adventures to be enthralling, entertaining and somewhat predictable. The major reveal at the end [don't think I'm going to tell you, kids. You've got to read it for yourself] fell somewhat flat for me. The story built and grew and concluded and set itself up for its sequel neatly enough, and having noted the "one of the Kane Chronicles" note on the cover, I didn't even have to feel the disappointment of one more author setting himself up for a series. I was prepared.

But still.

If you liked Percy, you will probably enjoy it. It isn't as engaging or action packed, I want to say, but this is an intro book. We have the world now prepared and laid before us, so perhaps, like with the other series, The Kane Chronicles will come into their own as the next books are released. Be aware, however. It's a big book with two narrators, so give yourself a decent chunk to acclimate before deciding against it. show less

I genuinely enjoyed this first installment in Riordan's new YA fantasy-mythology series, 'The Kane Chronicles'. Those who liked the latter half of the Percy Jackson series will find much to love here. Those who preferred the first half of Percy's series, however, will be a little surprised by where Riordan starts this one. The first half of PJ was lighter and funnier -- plenty of comic relief and charm -- than the last couple of books in particular; with the Kane series, Riordan has jumped feet first into the dark end of the pool. This series seems like it is written for an older audience, right off the bat, and some of the descriptive passages -- particularly of the demonic minions of Set -- are downright gruesome. Just a heads-up, show more especially for parents of younger kids who want to jump on the Riordan bandwagon.

There is plenty of good stuff otherwise, though. I like the fact that Riordan has made room for both female and male protagonists here -- Sadie and Carter are typical YA heroes, but it's a particular pleasure to see a girl acting heroically in a YA myth-fantasy by a male author. I also like the emphasis on teamwork -- the two siblings are extraordinary as a team, rather than simply being individually (and unattainably) awesome. The narrative of the novel, which bounces between Sadie and Carter's perspectives, can at times be a little inconsistent and the interrupting asides are a bit annoying, but I think these are things that will smooth out as the series continues. I'm not as familiar with Egyptian myth as I was with Greek, but it seems to me that Riordan has taken as much care to follow the traditional rules as he did previously, using the characterizations of the Egyptian gods and monsters in a respectful way and opening the door to kids who will no doubt devour the older stories as they become fascinated by this series.

So, bottom line: it's not perfect, but I liked it and I look forward to the next installment. show less

Rick Riordan does it again, although I must say that I actually prefer this book to the Percy Jackson series! Carter and Sadie Kane are mixed race brother and sister (Carter is black and Sadie is white) who have been separated from each other for three years since their mother died. Carter has travelled the world with their archeologist father, while Sadie has stayed in England with her grandparents due to a court order. Every Christmas their father is allowed to take Sadie out for 1 day, and so the 3 visit the British museum where Dr. Kane blows up the Rosetta Stone to unleash an Egyptian god. This sets off a chain of events where he is captured, Sadie and Carter get possessed by gods, have to stay with their uncle who has a pet baboon show more called Khufu and a crocodile called Phillip of Macedonia. Also on the list of characters they meet is Bast ( a cat god trapped in Sadie's pet kitten Muffin) a band of magicians sworn to kill them, some very evil gods including the fiery Set and their demon counterparts, and two semi love interests - Zia ( a magician who can't decide whether to kill or protect the Kanes) and Anubis ( a good-looking underworld god who agrees to go on a date to the Mall with Sadie.) In the space of 4 days, the two must stop Set from building a red pyramid in the desert that will enable him to consume not only the real world but also the god's Higher and Lower worlds. As a fan of Ancient Egypt mythology, it was great to see so many of the lesser gods and the legends interwoven in the story in such a way that they made sense. There was action and loads of humour ( especially from Sadie) and the concept of alternating chapters between the two main characters was excellent. Highly recommended! show less

This was a surprisingly good read, considering I am not a kid anymore. (Yes, I started reading it with my son as a ROL and then couldn't wait and read it while he was sleeping. He was not pleased with me. Yes, I am still reading it with him even though I finished it and I won't tell him what is going to happen even when the chapter ends on a cliffhanger! LOL) Lots of twists and turns, high adventure, good imagination and a nice sense of humor. Basic plot? Carter Kane and his sister Sadie come from an ancient line of sorcerer's who must learn to master their magic in order to defeat the evil Egyptian god Set and save the world. They soon acquire an amusing side-kick baboon named Khufu, a shape-shifting cat, and a surly wax man. I am show more ready for book number two! show less