Review of "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan

"The Red Pyramid"
by Rick Riordan


5

Pub Date: May 4, 2010
Pages: 516

Synopsis: 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.

I absolutely loved "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" Series so I was psyched that Rick Riordan was coming out with new books based off Egyptian mythology. I have to admit that the book took me a while to get into and that the switching between characters was a bit jarring, but once the pace picked up the book just got harder and harder to put down. Sadie and Carter are great characters. They drive each other crazy like all siblings, but they of course love each other even if there is tension between them.

The book definitely made me want to learn more about Egyptian mythology, I haven't studied it since like 6th grade. I love how Riordan sets different scenes at famous landmarks in his books. There were scenes all over the world that are huge tourist attractions already, but it would be cool to plan a vacation based around places in "The Red Pyramid". Maybe you could make it a goal to hit one destination every five years throughout your lifetime, that way you wouldn't have to spend thousands of dollars on travel all at once. Sorry I am getting a bit off topic... ANYWAY!

Even though the book was a bit slow, it definitely set up the rest of the series to be action packed. I wasn't sure if "The Kane Chronicles" would feel like "Percy Jackson" all over again, but Rick was able to do some really cool things with Egyptian mythology that sets the series apart. Yes it does have the same action, adventure, and hilarity that "Percy Jackson" has, but the Egyptian mythology is so rich that it somehow feels completely different. I could say a lot about the book, but I'd end up giving away some fantastic plot twists or something. If you liked "Percy Jackson", then you will also enjoy the first installment of "The Kane Chronicles". Check out Rick Riordan's website here to learn more about "The Kane Chronicles" or "Percy Jackson and the Olympians".