After Olympus, It's The Red Pyramid!

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (J F RIO Main)
Reviewed by Susan

This book will be made into a movie. And if it follows the book, it will be a blockbuster.

Although it is listed in the juvenile collection, it is over 500 pages.It's a riveting story packed with adventure, humor and interesting characters. Riordan has recently completed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, with the first book made into a movie. Each of the books in that series were entertaining and well written, but The Red Pyramid is by far the best. His writing has progressively improved, and I'm looking forward to the next book already.

This is book 1 of "The Kane Chronicles", but it could easily be a stand-alone novel with a satisfying conclusion on its own. Like the earlier series, it pulls heavily from ancient mythology, in this case Egyptian.


The protagonists include 12-year-old Sadie Kane and her 14-year-old brother Carter. Separated since their mother's death six years before, they are reunited on Christmas Eve for a rare visit. With little in common, including appearance - Carter is African American, while Sadie takes after their British mother. They accompany their Egyptologist father to the British Museum where he blows up the Rosetta Stone trying to summon an Egyptian god, unleashing a lot more than anyone bargained.


Totally unaware of this magical world, they escape, planning to save their father from his spell bound entrapment.  They discover their common heritage - they are descendants of the pharaohs and have magical powers of their own. An unknown secret order is determined to either control or destroy them. Meanwhile a vengeful god plans destruction and other mythical forces have their own plans.


Along the way, the siblings are both helped and hindered by Egyptian deities. Bastet, the cat goddess, has been sworn to their protection by their father. For many years, she has been Sadie's pet. Accidentally, they release her to her other form, an acrobatic woman defender who loves kibbles and cheese, and somehow always lands on her feet. But, she too, has a secret that slowly is revealed.


The narrative shifts between Sadie and Carter, keeping the story fresh with good natured kidding between brother and sister.It is a duel perspective that works well and would make a wonderful audio book. The imagery and the characters pull directly from Egyptian mythology, painting a complex background that displays a world that is both realistically fresh and educational (Don't tell the kids.)