Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Kane Chronicles #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Year: 2010
Language: English
Format: Hardback
Pages: 529
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them —Set— has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe - a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
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The Red Pyramid is the first book in Riordan’s fantasy trilogy based on
Egyptian mythology called The Kane Chronicles. The book tells the story of
Carter Kane and Sadie Kane who got estranged after their mother’s death.
Carter has to live with their father travelling around the world because of
his job as an Egyptologist. While Sadie lives with their grandparents in
London. When their father took them to spend time together at the British
Museum, he did a ritual which released Egyptian Gods and trapped them in a
coffin. Carter & Sadie then met their long-lost uncle and seek for help.
That’s when they learned their family history. What started as a mission to
save their father turns out to be a mission to save the world.
I know that this book is already more than a decade old. I think that’s also
how long it’s been on my TBR. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read Percy Jackson
series back in high school and I like it. I guess I’ve been putting it off
because I thought I wouldn’t be able to commit finishing the series. I’ve
been feeling empty lately and seeking for escape through fantasy world and
that’s why I had the sudden urge to finally read the series.
Anyway, this book is told from Carter and Sadie’s perspective alternately.
The frame story is Riordan supposedly found a recording of the Kane siblings
telling their adventure rescuing their father and battling Egyptian
magicians and Gods. It’s a fun way to frame the story and add a touch (just
a tiny) of reality into the story. Of course, it’s definitely not real but
for a book which targeted for middle grade, it adds an element of fun to the
story.
As you can obviously read from the premise, this book is heavily revolved
around Egyptian mythology. You don’t have to worry about not knowing
anything about it because it’s explained clearly in the book. I mean, even
Sadie is not as knowledgeable as Carter in Egyptian mythology. I think
that’s a good character set up in Riordan’s part. Since Carter has been
following his father, he’s more proficient in the subject. So he’s the one
who’s patiently explaining to Sadie. We can position ourselves as Sadie so
no worries there.
Honestly, I didn’t expect this series to have magic in it in a sense that
the characters have the ability to conjure or manipulate it. This comes from
Percy Jackson series in which magic exists, but the human (or demigod)
characters don’t have the ability to conjure or manipulate it. However, I
like the magic system in the Kane Chronicles. It distinguishes this series
from Percy Jackson series.
What I like about Riordan’s books is they’re so much fun and even though
they’re based on mythologies, they’re easy to read. They’re action packed
and fast paced especially this one. The events in this book are happening in
the span of five days. I don’t remember if that’s also the case with Percy
Jackson books. Still, if you’re looking for a fantasy book full of
adventure, I recommend this one. My only concern is the romance. True, it
only appears subtly. Just a hint of it. Even so, since the characters in
this book are basically tweens I feel uncomfortable reading them talking
about love or kissing someone. Other than that, it’s all good.
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