10Vol3: Book Review on The Red Pyramid

I’ll admit, when I first read the summary on the inside flap of The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, I was skeptical. The description of a brother and sister who discover that the ancient Egyptian gods still exist in the modern world sounded a little too much like the premise of Riordan’s bestselling book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. When I started reading the book, I was pleased to find that the similarities between these two series ended at the idea of ancient gods still being alive; other than that they are completely different (besides one humorous mention of the Greek gods).

In older brother Carter and younger sister Sadie, Riordan has crafted two captivating narrators. Despite their differences – in appearance, in education, in personality – and the fact that they’ve lived on separate continents since the mysterious accident that caused their mother’s death, the attitude they have toward each other – genuine affection under a façade of I-can’t-believe-we’re-related – is believable and uplifting to read.

The story begins on Christmas Eve. Carter and his father have just arrived in London for one of the twice a year visits Dr. Kane is permitted with Sadie. The kids are less than impressed when their father takes them to the British museum for a private tour – “Christmas Eve, and we’re going to see some moldy old relics from Egypt,” Sadie remarks – but things take a turn for the dangerous but infinitely more exciting when Dr. Kane blows up the Rosetta stone while summoning one of the ancient gods, who promptly incases him in a coffin and sinks it through the floor.

Accompanied by Sadie’s cat Muffin – better known as Egyptian cat goddess Bast – Carter and Sadie begin their journey to Egypt and an ancient society of magicians called the House of Life. Contrary to the way gods are treated in the Percy Jackson books, these magicians want nothing to do with the gods. In fact, they trapped them all within monuments centuries ago, and would go so far as to kill someone who released a god…and they suspect Carter and Sadie.

Riordan has expanded from the Percy Jackson series, including a spunky, courageous girl narrator – not love interest – as well as a racially mixed cast of characters on both sides, good and evil. This book has everything I look for in a fantasy novel – interesting narrators (Carter and Sadie take turns every few chapters), a fast-paced plot, humor, surprising love interests, and the promise of more books in the series – The Red Pyramid is the first book in The Kane Chronicles. I give it a 9/10.