This is the book that people have been anticipating since last May! So, is it as good as Percy Jackson’s story? Are there death-defying adventures? Dangerous moments? Humor and Excitement? Was it worth the wait?
My answer? Yes!
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan follows the adventures of Carter and Sadie Kane. Their mother died when Carter was eight and Sadie was six; because of a custody dispute, Carter has spent the six years since then traveling the world with their father, archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. Julian Kane, while Sadie has lived with their maternal grandparents in London. Dr. Kane’s visitation rights are extremely limited, so Carter and Sadie only see each other once a year. It doesn’t make for a great sibling relationship.
This year’s visitation coincides with Christmas Eve, and Carter and his dad are very late. They barely have time to pick up Sadie before their father drags them off to Egyptian collection of the British Museum, to do something important relating to his work. Carter is resigned, but Sadie is angry. When Dr. Kane tells them to wait behind, Sadie drags Carter off to see what their father is up to. What they see is too strange to believe–a special opportunity with the Rosetta Stone, a mysterious blue light, the fiery figure of a man rising from the tablet and two shadowy figures trying to stop their father. Then there’s an explosion, and Dr. Kane disappears.
The police think it’s terrorism, but Carter and Sadie know what they saw. Magic! They also know their lives are at stake if they can’t solve the riddle their father left behind.
The Demon Days are upon us, and only Carter and Sadie can save the world! First though, they have to figure out how they can work together, then find out who are their friends, and who are their enemies. They also have to uncover the mysteries of why Sadie can suddenly read Egyptian hieroglyphs, and how Carter can travel in his dreams. Is magic real? Do they somehow have access to powers beyond their wildest imagination?
* * *
I really did like this book; not surprising if you’ve seen some of the previous posts in this blog. There’s a lot of background about Egyptian mythology and Egyptian gods and goddesses. Although there are some kids non-fiction books out there (and we have most of them!) there’s not a lot– I predict a bunch more coming out in the next couple years on that very topic!
Much of the action is going to come in subsequent volumes, The Red Pyramid did a lot of setting the scene for future books in The Kane Chronicles. I expect to see more about Sadie and Isis, Carter and Horus, Bast, Anubis, Set and Osiris.
So check out The Red Pyramid, and see what you think. It’s definitely full of the same kind of action, mythology and fun that the Percy Jackson series is. If you liked Percy, you’ll like Carter and Sadie.
(And speaking of Percy, did you know that on October 12, 2010, Rick Riordan is releasing ANOTHER new book? This one is called The Lost Hero, and is the first in a series called The Heroes of Olympus. It’s a follow-up to the final prophecy of The Last Olympian! So…more Percy! Yay!)
::Kelly::
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