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The Kane Chronicles #1
The Red Pyramid
Since his mother's death six years ago, Carter Kane has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the globe with his father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. But while Carter's been homeschooled, his younger sister, Sadie, has been living with their grandparents in London. Sadie has just what Carter wants—school friends and a chance at a "normal" life. But Carter has just what Sadie longs for—time with their father. After six years of living apart, the siblings have almost nothing in common. Until now.
On Christmas Eve, Sadie and Carter are reunited when their father brings them to the British Museum, with a promise that he's going to "make things right." But all does not go according to plan: Carter and Sadie watch as Julius summons a mysterious figure, who quickly banishes their father and causes a fiery explosion.
Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. To save their father, they must embark on a dangerous journey—a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
On Christmas Eve, Sadie and Carter are reunited when their father brings them to the British Museum, with a promise that he's going to "make things right." But all does not go according to plan: Carter and Sadie watch as Julius summons a mysterious figure, who quickly banishes their father and causes a fiery explosion.
Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. To save their father, they must embark on a dangerous journey—a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2010
About the author
Rick Riordan
240 books437k followersRick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 16,695 reviews
September 5, 2020
(B) 74% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Frantic, hollow, and artificial. [And, no! Parenthetical bickering does not reinforce presence, it just sounds contrived.]
Notes: Frantic, hollow, and artificial. [And, no! Parenthetical bickering does not reinforce presence, it just sounds contrived.]
December 13, 2023
(B) 74% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: A lot of empty calories, weak cast (low-personality), a hurry-scurry plot (one easily forgot): low-impact whimsicality.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
Notes: A lot of empty calories, weak cast (low-personality), a hurry-scurry plot (one easily forgot): low-impact whimsicality.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
May 11, 2010
Update: I've recently degraded this to a one star from a two when I realized how much of a disappointment it was. This review is, as a result, a lot more nicer than I'd like it to be. If you'd like, just add a lot more unnecessary cursing and asides about that idiotic taco-sauce showdown. *Sigh* Now I can't stop thinking about that goddamn battle anymore. Damn it.
If you're thinking "Oh it's just Percy Jackson with Egyptian Gods", you'd be correct. But, in it's own weird way, it's a bit more. At one point there's a little bit of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments , some Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott, and even a tad bit of Harry Potter thrown in. And, if you get though the first 200-300 pages you may enjoy yourself.
Now is it worth having to get through that to find the good stuff? I'm not entirely sure.
The set up is promising, as the two narrators (and protagonists) relay their plan to take an entire record of their adventure and then hide it in a locker and some school for the right person to find. If you read the opening chapter of The Lightning Thief and loved its warning, you'll thoroughly enjoy this. But it quickly became gimmicky to me, as Carter and Sadie take turns telling the tale, they also interrupt each other to crack awfully corny jokes and spout "witty" one liners. I think it would have been better to leave that narrative device to the opening and closing. Otherwise it distracts you from what is going on in the plot, which is quit more important than Sadie telling Carter how hilarious he was when a bird pooped on his face.
And on the note of the characters, I'm all for alternating chapters between character perspectives, I've always loved it and find it highly effective as a way to open up the plot. But here, well, the characters speak a tad to similarly. I mean very early on Sadie uses her British accent heavily, but later in the book its almost completely gone, to the point where i had to check the top of the page to make sure i was reading a Sadie chapter. It wouldn't happen too often, but when it did i always felt a tinge of frustration. And it was always 2 Carter chapters, then 2 Sadie chapters. It seemed like an odd way to set everything up, why not just do 1:1?
The only other thing that bothered me was the length. It took way too long to do what The Lightning Thief did in under 400 pages. Don't get me wrong, they do have fun battles, with a pretty cool magic system. But i found the battles went by too fast (one God they literally best by stuffing it with salsa so it turns into a cow. The most work Carter does is open huge vats of the hot Mexican sauce).
On the positive side, Sadie and Carter do grow to respect one another and become pretty likable in the end. I still refuse to believe their age, 12 and 14? It just didn't fit their personalities to me, but i guess they're mature for their age.
And on the reference above to all the other books, I'm not saying he copied from them, i simply meant there were similarities in story, characters and plot locations. Like the old church that Clary and her paranormal friends stay at in City of Bones is quite similar to the "First Nome" in this book. The twins from the Nicholas Flamel books have a similar relationship that Carter and Sadie have (albeit far more mature). And the magic system felt inspired by J.K. Rowling's famous teen magician, with similar uses of wands, the need to speak spells, and generally same types of spells (fire, wind, ice, light, etc).
I guess the big question is will i read the sequels? And again, i'm forced to say I'm not entirely sure. There is a great twist in the end, and i'd love to see how it plays out and what happens. I most likely will, i just really hope they don't get progressively bigger. Unless it's stuffed with cool and lengthy battles, and a lot less stupid pre-teen distractions, i'm out.
If you're thinking "Oh it's just Percy Jackson with Egyptian Gods", you'd be correct. But, in it's own weird way, it's a bit more. At one point there's a little bit of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments , some Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott, and even a tad bit of Harry Potter thrown in. And, if you get though the first 200-300 pages you may enjoy yourself.
Now is it worth having to get through that to find the good stuff? I'm not entirely sure.
The set up is promising, as the two narrators (and protagonists) relay their plan to take an entire record of their adventure and then hide it in a locker and some school for the right person to find. If you read the opening chapter of The Lightning Thief and loved its warning, you'll thoroughly enjoy this. But it quickly became gimmicky to me, as Carter and Sadie take turns telling the tale, they also interrupt each other to crack awfully corny jokes and spout "witty" one liners. I think it would have been better to leave that narrative device to the opening and closing. Otherwise it distracts you from what is going on in the plot, which is quit more important than Sadie telling Carter how hilarious he was when a bird pooped on his face.
And on the note of the characters, I'm all for alternating chapters between character perspectives, I've always loved it and find it highly effective as a way to open up the plot. But here, well, the characters speak a tad to similarly. I mean very early on Sadie uses her British accent heavily, but later in the book its almost completely gone, to the point where i had to check the top of the page to make sure i was reading a Sadie chapter. It wouldn't happen too often, but when it did i always felt a tinge of frustration. And it was always 2 Carter chapters, then 2 Sadie chapters. It seemed like an odd way to set everything up, why not just do 1:1?
The only other thing that bothered me was the length. It took way too long to do what The Lightning Thief did in under 400 pages. Don't get me wrong, they do have fun battles, with a pretty cool magic system. But i found the battles went by too fast (one God they literally best by stuffing it with salsa so it turns into a cow. The most work Carter does is open huge vats of the hot Mexican sauce).
On the positive side, Sadie and Carter do grow to respect one another and become pretty likable in the end. I still refuse to believe their age, 12 and 14? It just didn't fit their personalities to me, but i guess they're mature for their age.
And on the reference above to all the other books, I'm not saying he copied from them, i simply meant there were similarities in story, characters and plot locations. Like the old church that Clary and her paranormal friends stay at in City of Bones is quite similar to the "First Nome" in this book. The twins from the Nicholas Flamel books have a similar relationship that Carter and Sadie have (albeit far more mature). And the magic system felt inspired by J.K. Rowling's famous teen magician, with similar uses of wands, the need to speak spells, and generally same types of spells (fire, wind, ice, light, etc).
I guess the big question is will i read the sequels? And again, i'm forced to say I'm not entirely sure. There is a great twist in the end, and i'd love to see how it plays out and what happens. I most likely will, i just really hope they don't get progressively bigger. Unless it's stuffed with cool and lengthy battles, and a lot less stupid pre-teen distractions, i'm out.
October 25, 2021
The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles #1), Rick Riordan
The Red Pyramid is a 2010 fantasy-adventure novel based on Egyptian mythology written by Rick Riordan. It is the first novel in The Kane Chronicles series. The novel was first published in the United States on May 4, 2010.
The novel opens with Carter and his father Julius Kane going to visit Carter's sister Sadie, who has lived with her maternal grandparents since the death of their mother, Ruby Kane. Julius, who is secretly a magician, but posing as a simple Egyptologist, takes the siblings to the British Museum, where he tries to bring Osiris (the Egyptian god of the Underworld) back into the mortal world.
His magic also has the unintended side effect of summoning the gods Horus, Isis, Nephthys, and Set, as well as alerting the magicians Zia Rashid and Michel Desjardins to his actions, which are illegal in the magic community.
Set, a god of chaos, captures Julius and destroys the museum. Unbeknownst to Carter and Sadie, each of the gods chooses a mortal host from the humans in the room.
Carter and Sadie are taken to Brooklyn by their uncle Amos, who tells them they are descended from a long line of magicians, beginning with the Egyptian pharaohs Ramesses the Great and Narmer. He also explains the grave danger Set poses to the world, and goes to find him. While he is away, the mansion is attacked by Set's minions.
With help from Sadie's cat Muffin, who is host to the goddess Bast, and Zia Rashid, they escape to Cairo. Once there, Carter and Sadie discover they are hosts to the gods Horus and Isis, respectively.
They train in magic until the magicians' leader Iskandar dies and Michel Desjardins orders their deaths for collaborating illegally with the gods. The siblings escape and formulate a plan to defeat Set hoping to rescue their father and clear their names within the magic community.
They travel to Set's lair in New Mexico, gathering ingredients for a magic spell and evading hostile monsters and magicians. Bast sacrifices herself while defending Carter and Sadie from Sobek; they encounter Amos and then Zia.
The foursome heads to Set's hideout where they learn the final piece of the spell they need from a dying Zia, the unknowing host of Nephthys. Carter, Sadie, Horus, and Isis use the spell to subdue Set, although they stop short of completely destroying him because they realize his actions were dictated by a far worse enemy Apophis, a much more powerful god of chaos. Desjardins reluctantly allows Carter and Sadie to go free after they part with Horus and Isis.
After a tearful goodbye with Zia, who turns out to have been a magical copy of the real young magician, Carter and Sadie return to Brooklyn. They visit their father, now in the underworld with their ghostly mother.
As a gift, Osiris (hosted by the deceased Julius) helps Bast return to the mortal world. Carter and Sadie describe their plans to recruit other magicians to (illegally) study the path of the gods, while the former also resolves to seek out the real Zia Rashid.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و نهم سپتامبر سال 2016میلادی
عنوان: هرم سرخ - کتاب یک - سه گانه خاطرات خاندان کین؛ نویسنده ریک ریوردان؛ مترجم: آیدا کشوری؛ ویراستار فرزام حبیبی اصفهانی؛ تهران، بهنام، سال1391؛ در536ص؛ از مجموعه خاطرات خاندان کین - کتاب اول؛ شابک9789645668936؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
عنوان: هرم سرخ - کتاب یک - سه گانه وقایع نگاری کین؛ نویسنده: ریک ریوردان؛ مترجم: احمد محمدزاده؛ تهران، ای.بوک: پرشین بکس، سال1391؛ در396ص؛
این داستان، در مورد زندگی: «سادی کین»؛ «کارتر کین»؛ و پدرشان است، که هر کدام، قسمت هایی از داستان را، روایت میکنند؛ داستان پس از ناپدید شدن پدر، روی میدهد، و آندو درمییابند، که از اعضای خانواده ای قدیمی، و «مصری» هستند، و مرگ مادرشان نیز، به این موضوع ربط دارد؛
نقل از متن: («وقایع نگاری کین، جلد نخست هرم سرخ»؛ اثر «ریک ریوردن»؛ مترجم جناب آقای: «احمد محمدزاده»؛ کارتر؛ فصل اول: مرگ در محل سوزن: ما فقط، چند ساعت فرصت داریم، پس به دقت گوش کنید؛ اگر در حال شنیدن این داستان هستید، پس، از حالا، در خطرید؛ شاید من و «سادی»، تنها شانس شما باشیم؛ به مدرسه بروید؛ قفسه را پیدا کنید؛ نمیگویم، چه مدرسه ای، یا چه قفسه ای، چون اگر شما، همان فرد باشید، پیدایش میکنید؛ رمز قفل 33/32/13 است، وقتی همه ی ماجرا را شنیدید، معنای این شماره ها را، خواهید فهمید؛ فقط، به یاد داشته باشید، داستانی که میخواهیم برایتان بازگو کنیم، هنوز تمام نشده است، و پایان آن، به شما بستگی دارد؛ مهمترین نکته این است، که بعد از باز کردن، و دیدن محتویات آن، بسته را بیشتر از یک هفته، نگه ندارید؛ مطمئنا،ً وسوسه کننده است؛ منظورم این است، که قدرتی تقریباً نامحدود، به شما میدهد؛ اما اگر، برای مدتی طولانی، آن را نگه دارید، شما را، از پا میاندازد؛ رازهایش را کشف، و آنرا برای نفر بعدی، مخفی کنید؛ همانطور که من، و «سادی»، آن را برای شما، مخفی کردیم؛ سپس خودتان را، برای زندگی بسیار جالبی، آماده کنید؛ بسیار خب، «سادی» میگوید سریعتر، سر اصل مطلب بروم؛ خیلی خوب؛ فکر کنم از «لندن» و از شبی که پدرمان، موزه ی «بریتانیا» را، منفجر کرد، شروع شد؛ و ...)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 12/11/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 02/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Red Pyramid is a 2010 fantasy-adventure novel based on Egyptian mythology written by Rick Riordan. It is the first novel in The Kane Chronicles series. The novel was first published in the United States on May 4, 2010.
The novel opens with Carter and his father Julius Kane going to visit Carter's sister Sadie, who has lived with her maternal grandparents since the death of their mother, Ruby Kane. Julius, who is secretly a magician, but posing as a simple Egyptologist, takes the siblings to the British Museum, where he tries to bring Osiris (the Egyptian god of the Underworld) back into the mortal world.
His magic also has the unintended side effect of summoning the gods Horus, Isis, Nephthys, and Set, as well as alerting the magicians Zia Rashid and Michel Desjardins to his actions, which are illegal in the magic community.
Set, a god of chaos, captures Julius and destroys the museum. Unbeknownst to Carter and Sadie, each of the gods chooses a mortal host from the humans in the room.
Carter and Sadie are taken to Brooklyn by their uncle Amos, who tells them they are descended from a long line of magicians, beginning with the Egyptian pharaohs Ramesses the Great and Narmer. He also explains the grave danger Set poses to the world, and goes to find him. While he is away, the mansion is attacked by Set's minions.
With help from Sadie's cat Muffin, who is host to the goddess Bast, and Zia Rashid, they escape to Cairo. Once there, Carter and Sadie discover they are hosts to the gods Horus and Isis, respectively.
They train in magic until the magicians' leader Iskandar dies and Michel Desjardins orders their deaths for collaborating illegally with the gods. The siblings escape and formulate a plan to defeat Set hoping to rescue their father and clear their names within the magic community.
They travel to Set's lair in New Mexico, gathering ingredients for a magic spell and evading hostile monsters and magicians. Bast sacrifices herself while defending Carter and Sadie from Sobek; they encounter Amos and then Zia.
The foursome heads to Set's hideout where they learn the final piece of the spell they need from a dying Zia, the unknowing host of Nephthys. Carter, Sadie, Horus, and Isis use the spell to subdue Set, although they stop short of completely destroying him because they realize his actions were dictated by a far worse enemy Apophis, a much more powerful god of chaos. Desjardins reluctantly allows Carter and Sadie to go free after they part with Horus and Isis.
After a tearful goodbye with Zia, who turns out to have been a magical copy of the real young magician, Carter and Sadie return to Brooklyn. They visit their father, now in the underworld with their ghostly mother.
As a gift, Osiris (hosted by the deceased Julius) helps Bast return to the mortal world. Carter and Sadie describe their plans to recruit other magicians to (illegally) study the path of the gods, while the former also resolves to seek out the real Zia Rashid.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و نهم سپتامبر سال 2016میلادی
عنوان: هرم سرخ - کتاب یک - سه گانه خاطرات خاندان کین؛ نویسنده ریک ریوردان؛ مترجم: آیدا کشوری؛ ویراستار فرزام حبیبی اصفهانی؛ تهران، بهنام، سال1391؛ در536ص؛ از مجموعه خاطرات خاندان کین - کتاب اول؛ شابک9789645668936؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
عنوان: هرم سرخ - کتاب یک - سه گانه وقایع نگاری کین؛ نویسنده: ریک ریوردان؛ مترجم: احمد محمدزاده؛ تهران، ای.بوک: پرشین بکس، سال1391؛ در396ص؛
این داستان، در مورد زندگی: «سادی کین»؛ «کارتر کین»؛ و پدرشان است، که هر کدام، قسمت هایی از داستان را، روایت میکنند؛ داستان پس از ناپدید شدن پدر، روی میدهد، و آندو درمییابند، که از اعضای خانواده ای قدیمی، و «مصری» هستند، و مرگ مادرشان نیز، به این موضوع ربط دارد؛
نقل از متن: («وقایع نگاری کین، جلد نخست هرم سرخ»؛ اثر «ریک ریوردن»؛ مترجم جناب آقای: «احمد محمدزاده»؛ کارتر؛ فصل اول: مرگ در محل سوزن: ما فقط، چند ساعت فرصت داریم، پس به دقت گوش کنید؛ اگر در حال شنیدن این داستان هستید، پس، از حالا، در خطرید؛ شاید من و «سادی»، تنها شانس شما باشیم؛ به مدرسه بروید؛ قفسه را پیدا کنید؛ نمیگویم، چه مدرسه ای، یا چه قفسه ای، چون اگر شما، همان فرد باشید، پیدایش میکنید؛ رمز قفل 33/32/13 است، وقتی همه ی ماجرا را شنیدید، معنای این شماره ها را، خواهید فهمید؛ فقط، به یاد داشته باشید، داستانی که میخواهیم برایتان بازگو کنیم، هنوز تمام نشده است، و پایان آن، به شما بستگی دارد؛ مهمترین نکته این است، که بعد از باز کردن، و دیدن محتویات آن، بسته را بیشتر از یک هفته، نگه ندارید؛ مطمئنا،ً وسوسه کننده است؛ منظورم این است، که قدرتی تقریباً نامحدود، به شما میدهد؛ اما اگر، برای مدتی طولانی، آن را نگه دارید، شما را، از پا میاندازد؛ رازهایش را کشف، و آنرا برای نفر بعدی، مخفی کنید؛ همانطور که من، و «سادی»، آن را برای شما، مخفی کردیم؛ سپس خودتان را، برای زندگی بسیار جالبی، آماده کنید؛ بسیار خب، «سادی» میگوید سریعتر، سر اصل مطلب بروم؛ خیلی خوب؛ فکر کنم از «لندن» و از شبی که پدرمان، موزه ی «بریتانیا» را، منفجر کرد، شروع شد؛ و ...)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 12/11/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 02/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
September 6, 2015
This book was SO GOOD! I really really enjoyed it!
The world building wasn't super solid - I think that was my main and only issue, but the rest was so great. It's hard to compete with PJO and HOO, but this is still such a great book from Riordan. I also appreciate that though it's still about mythical gods, it's not an exact copy of what PJO is. It's super different and stands on its own as a really unique and interesting story.
I love Carter and Sadie and I'm really excited to read the rest of the trilogy! GONNA BE FUN!
The world building wasn't super solid - I think that was my main and only issue, but the rest was so great. It's hard to compete with PJO and HOO, but this is still such a great book from Riordan. I also appreciate that though it's still about mythical gods, it's not an exact copy of what PJO is. It's super different and stands on its own as a really unique and interesting story.
I love Carter and Sadie and I'm really excited to read the rest of the trilogy! GONNA BE FUN!
November 8, 2020
Not as good as Percy Jackson, Riordans´new series uses the same, great concept with reduced effort of the author to make it as great for all audiences as his Greek Roman mega world bestseller.
The reasons:
Riordan could have simply invested more lifeblood, beta readers, and sweat in making this one the same thrilling, funny, and entertaining read as Percy Jackson, he should have already made enough money at this moment to be able to take some time for finetuning. It´s especially unnecessary that the quality has been reduced, because the concept of using high plotted and detailed, well scripted and planned storylines, enabling many laughs and interconnections to make it seem much more coherent and vivid, really isn´t that much of a problem in that genre. It´s not as if it was high fantasy of hard sci-fi or something.
I am missing the humor of the first series, it´s funny too, but not close as well executed and especially not aimed at all audiences at once, hidden innuendos for the adults and pure, clean fun for the kids. That´s coming in combination with the fact that it´s not that fast plotted, no tour de force of ideas and settings, and especially personifications of the ancient deities, letting the readers wonder how which god might appear in modern times. This kind of reminds me of Gaimans´ American Gods series that could have also lived up better to the expectations.
Taking away or just reducing this element, the extra layer, the bonus dimension, of making it a bit brainier with hidden criticism and connotations, downgrades the whole thing to one´s average kids/YA read, nice and sweet and all, but nothing special anymore, just not the original, not the trademark Riordan was able to establish himself as.
I am, of course, vivisecting it from the perspective of a strange kid in the body of an adult, so it might still be the perfect read for kids, teens, and real adults who aren´t into that meta analyzing anything to death and overcomplicated comparing it until it falls into pieces. It´s still a mess that Riordan deteriorated his perfect recept by diluting the ingredients that made it great for unknown, or the suggested, reasons. Remember Schlitz beer? It´s never a good idea to reduce the effort.
And I don´t know another kids, YA author who didn´t deliver the same quality of got better and better,
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
etc.
which makes it seem even stranger.
Or maybe just the first part had exposition problems, it´s his only average novel, I just somehow subjectively and unscientifically didn´t really like the characters, and it will lift off with the second if one believes the meta rating scores? However, I am still totally looking forward towards reading the
https://www.goodreads.com/series/8221...
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1620...
series.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
The reasons:
Riordan could have simply invested more lifeblood, beta readers, and sweat in making this one the same thrilling, funny, and entertaining read as Percy Jackson, he should have already made enough money at this moment to be able to take some time for finetuning. It´s especially unnecessary that the quality has been reduced, because the concept of using high plotted and detailed, well scripted and planned storylines, enabling many laughs and interconnections to make it seem much more coherent and vivid, really isn´t that much of a problem in that genre. It´s not as if it was high fantasy of hard sci-fi or something.
I am missing the humor of the first series, it´s funny too, but not close as well executed and especially not aimed at all audiences at once, hidden innuendos for the adults and pure, clean fun for the kids. That´s coming in combination with the fact that it´s not that fast plotted, no tour de force of ideas and settings, and especially personifications of the ancient deities, letting the readers wonder how which god might appear in modern times. This kind of reminds me of Gaimans´ American Gods series that could have also lived up better to the expectations.
Taking away or just reducing this element, the extra layer, the bonus dimension, of making it a bit brainier with hidden criticism and connotations, downgrades the whole thing to one´s average kids/YA read, nice and sweet and all, but nothing special anymore, just not the original, not the trademark Riordan was able to establish himself as.
I am, of course, vivisecting it from the perspective of a strange kid in the body of an adult, so it might still be the perfect read for kids, teens, and real adults who aren´t into that meta analyzing anything to death and overcomplicated comparing it until it falls into pieces. It´s still a mess that Riordan deteriorated his perfect recept by diluting the ingredients that made it great for unknown, or the suggested, reasons. Remember Schlitz beer? It´s never a good idea to reduce the effort.
And I don´t know another kids, YA author who didn´t deliver the same quality of got better and better,
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etc.
which makes it seem even stranger.
Or maybe just the first part had exposition problems, it´s his only average novel, I just somehow subjectively and unscientifically didn´t really like the characters, and it will lift off with the second if one believes the meta rating scores? However, I am still totally looking forward towards reading the
https://www.goodreads.com/series/8221...
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1620...
series.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
Read
August 8, 2020SO FUN!! Super long though?! You’ll hear more thoughts in my vlog once I finish the whole series! :-)
May 30, 2023
Kudos to Rick Riordan for including what may be the funniest resolution to a love triangle ever written. What Sadie wants, Sadie gets.
I like this series better than the other mythology-inspired Riordan series I’ve read. This story feels more creative and less formulaic than the others. Consequently it’s just so much more fun to read.
I’m glad I picked this up for a reread after all these years.
I like this series better than the other mythology-inspired Riordan series I’ve read. This story feels more creative and less formulaic than the others. Consequently it’s just so much more fun to read.
I’m glad I picked this up for a reread after all these years.
March 25, 2019
“It takes strength and courage to admit the truth”.
¡Amé profundamente este libro! ¡No sé por qué demonios no lo había leído antes! ¡Por todos los dioses de Egipto!
En The Red Pyramid nos encontramos con Sadie y Carter Kane, dos hermanos que han vivido separados desde la muerte de su madre. Sadie se ha quedado en Londres con sus abuelos, mientras que Carter ha viajado por todo el mundo con su padre, que es egiptólogo. Un día, en uno de los raros momentos en los que Carter y su padre Julius visitan Londres, van por Sadie y visitan el Museo Británico. Pero cuando están frente a la Piedra Rosetta, su padre les dice que intentará arreglarlo todo y empieza a hacer cosas extrañas. Total, el pobre hombre no arregla nada, hace que la Piedra explote y libera a cinco poderosísimos dioses egipcios: Isis, Horus, Set, Osiris y Nephthys. En medio de la confusión su padre desaparece y Set les advierte que va a tener su venganza y a acabar con el mundo, así que ahora la misión de Sadie y Carter es evitarlo.
¿Ya les dije que amé este libro? ¡Lo amé! ¡Lo amé! ¡Lo amé! Me hacía muchísima falta leer algo con unas voces narrativas tan divertidas. Sadie y Carter son absolutamente increíble como narradores, tienen las dosis perfectas de sarcasmo, comedia y dramatismo. Adoro como Rick Riordan les infunde ese humor tan peculiar a sus personajes. Es decir, pueden estar en el abismo enfrentándose a el Caos primordial y aún así logran decir algo tan agudo y absurdo que te olvidas de que están a punto de morir.
Si me siguen desde hace algún tiempo, sabrán que soy una fan y amante perdida de la mitología. Si bien la griega y la romana son mis favoritas, también me encantaron mis clases en la universidad sobre la mitología egipcia. ¡Y leer este libro me hizo recordar tantísimas cosas! Me encanta que Rick Riordan se atreva a darle su propio giro a las diferentes mitologías, sin que por ello se vuelvan irreconocibles o una parodia de sí mismas. Y es que, claro, en la mitología egipcia no eran importantes solo los dioses y sus representaciones terrenales, sino también los faraones y los magos. Y la forma en la que Rick plantea la enemistad entre los antiguos magos y los dioses en The Red Pyramid es interesantísima.
Me gustaron muchísimo Carter y Sadie como personajes, pues a pesar de que llevan separados un montón de años, muy pronto vuelven a tener una dinámica de hermanos que irían hasta el fin del mundo para salvar al otro. Además, creo que Rick supo darles una personalidad súper marcada a cada uno y, sobre todo, me gustó la diferencia de reacciones ante la gran revelación de su relación con el antiguo Egipto. Sadie y Carter son chicos fenomenales y que, a pesar de verse envueltos en la aventura más peligrosa de sus vidas, saben llevar las cosas de una manera inteligente. Quizá de mis partes favoritas era cuando se veían enfrentados a decisiones dificilísimas y a la posibilidad de adquirir poder infinito, pero recordaban su parte humana y se quedaban con los pies en el suelo.
¡Y los dioses! Ay, no sé ustedes, pero adoré las voces de Isis, Horus y, sobre todo, de Anubis. ¡Voy a crear ya mismo el club de fans de Anubis! Lo amo profundamente y adoraba cuando coqueteaba con Sadie. Aunque, debo admitirlo, me sentía un poco incómoda shippeándolos porque, claro, Anubis debe tener milenios y Sadie sólo tiene como doce años. ¡Pero no me importaba! ¡Y quiero que estén juntos! Perdón, perdón… pero, en serio, Anubis es la combinación perfecta de adorable y coqueto, y me recuerda un montón a Nico Di Angelo.
El final me gustó un montón y ya quiero ver cómo reaccionan todos los jugadores a la revelación sobre Set, Apophis y cómo van a evitar que el mundo caiga en manos de todo el Caos primordial.
¡Amé profundamente este libro! ¡No sé por qué demonios no lo había leído antes! ¡Por todos los dioses de Egipto!
En The Red Pyramid nos encontramos con Sadie y Carter Kane, dos hermanos que han vivido separados desde la muerte de su madre. Sadie se ha quedado en Londres con sus abuelos, mientras que Carter ha viajado por todo el mundo con su padre, que es egiptólogo. Un día, en uno de los raros momentos en los que Carter y su padre Julius visitan Londres, van por Sadie y visitan el Museo Británico. Pero cuando están frente a la Piedra Rosetta, su padre les dice que intentará arreglarlo todo y empieza a hacer cosas extrañas. Total, el pobre hombre no arregla nada, hace que la Piedra explote y libera a cinco poderosísimos dioses egipcios: Isis, Horus, Set, Osiris y Nephthys. En medio de la confusión su padre desaparece y Set les advierte que va a tener su venganza y a acabar con el mundo, así que ahora la misión de Sadie y Carter es evitarlo.
¿Ya les dije que amé este libro? ¡Lo amé! ¡Lo amé! ¡Lo amé! Me hacía muchísima falta leer algo con unas voces narrativas tan divertidas. Sadie y Carter son absolutamente increíble como narradores, tienen las dosis perfectas de sarcasmo, comedia y dramatismo. Adoro como Rick Riordan les infunde ese humor tan peculiar a sus personajes. Es decir, pueden estar en el abismo enfrentándose a el Caos primordial y aún así logran decir algo tan agudo y absurdo que te olvidas de que están a punto de morir.
Si me siguen desde hace algún tiempo, sabrán que soy una fan y amante perdida de la mitología. Si bien la griega y la romana son mis favoritas, también me encantaron mis clases en la universidad sobre la mitología egipcia. ¡Y leer este libro me hizo recordar tantísimas cosas! Me encanta que Rick Riordan se atreva a darle su propio giro a las diferentes mitologías, sin que por ello se vuelvan irreconocibles o una parodia de sí mismas. Y es que, claro, en la mitología egipcia no eran importantes solo los dioses y sus representaciones terrenales, sino también los faraones y los magos. Y la forma en la que Rick plantea la enemistad entre los antiguos magos y los dioses en The Red Pyramid es interesantísima.
Me gustaron muchísimo Carter y Sadie como personajes, pues a pesar de que llevan separados un montón de años, muy pronto vuelven a tener una dinámica de hermanos que irían hasta el fin del mundo para salvar al otro. Además, creo que Rick supo darles una personalidad súper marcada a cada uno y, sobre todo, me gustó la diferencia de reacciones ante la gran revelación de su relación con el antiguo Egipto. Sadie y Carter son chicos fenomenales y que, a pesar de verse envueltos en la aventura más peligrosa de sus vidas, saben llevar las cosas de una manera inteligente. Quizá de mis partes favoritas era cuando se veían enfrentados a decisiones dificilísimas y a la posibilidad de adquirir poder infinito, pero recordaban su parte humana y se quedaban con los pies en el suelo.
¡Y los dioses! Ay, no sé ustedes, pero adoré las voces de Isis, Horus y, sobre todo, de Anubis. ¡Voy a crear ya mismo el club de fans de Anubis! Lo amo profundamente y adoraba cuando coqueteaba con Sadie. Aunque, debo admitirlo, me sentía un poco incómoda shippeándolos porque, claro, Anubis debe tener milenios y Sadie sólo tiene como doce años. ¡Pero no me importaba! ¡Y quiero que estén juntos! Perdón, perdón… pero, en serio, Anubis es la combinación perfecta de adorable y coqueto, y me recuerda un montón a Nico Di Angelo.
El final me gustó un montón y ya quiero ver cómo reaccionan todos los jugadores a la revelación sobre Set, Apophis y cómo van a evitar que el mundo caiga en manos de todo el Caos primordial.
May 21, 2015
Buddy read with a few friends at Buddies Books and Baubles
Rick Riodan (RR) is one of the few M.G. authors I read, I mean I’m in my 30s so usually a M.G. book isn’t going to hold my attention but RR is one of the few authors who can pull it off and does it well at that. What makes him special???? Well there are a few things that I really like about his writing.
There are a ton of reviews on this so I’ll just say Sadie and Carter were separated and raised apart after the death of their mother six years ago. But now through a series of events they are thrown together and must find a way to work with one another to save their father. With the help of a few unusual friends they must find ways to unlock the Power of the Gods (Egyptian ones) within themselves and try to save the world. Easy peasy….if they can quit squabbling long enough.
If you add a few Gods, an albino crocodile, a cat named muffin, some spunky clay creations, a secret magical society and an orangutan with some special dietary needs together and shake you come up with one hell of a good time.
I liked the Percy Jackson stories just a tad better but if you like mythology then this could be a great time for you too.
Rick Riodan (RR) is one of the few M.G. authors I read, I mean I’m in my 30s so usually a M.G. book isn’t going to hold my attention but RR is one of the few authors who can pull it off and does it well at that. What makes him special???? Well there are a few things that I really like about his writing.
① - He writes teens like teens. They aren’t 12-16 year olds who act like they are in their 30s they are kids, behaving like kids. Carter and Sadie argue like real siblings would and I totally enjoyed their interactions and teasing of each other.
② - Action….Action….Action. Seriously there is always something happening. The stories move along quickly with chases, fights and discovery scenes everywhere. There are lots of clues along the way and some of them can be misleading until you get to the big picture of it all.
③ - The mythology used is fantastic and so well thought out. I love RR’s interpretation of the Egyptian gods, magic and lore. There is a new interesting interpretation of them and how they interact with the world. It is new and exciting and I really loved how it was all shown and explained.
④ - The magic and world building. I get so upset when reading a book and not understanding how powers work. I don’t care if it takes a little while to roll it out but I NEED to understand it. I want to feel like if I lived in this world I too could do magic. I’m still convinced I would have done as well as Hermione at Hogwarts if I got an invitation. So I appreciate it when authors incorporate learning how to use the magic in their story. After this book I was sure I could do the magic of this world if I was in it.
⑤ - Interesting cohesive story and plotting that lend to a bang up conclusion. RR totally has a good voice and knows where his story is going. I never feel at the end that he has just thrown something in at last minute to fix everything. It is a fantastic trait to have in a story teller.
There are a ton of reviews on this so I’ll just say Sadie and Carter were separated and raised apart after the death of their mother six years ago. But now through a series of events they are thrown together and must find a way to work with one another to save their father. With the help of a few unusual friends they must find ways to unlock the Power of the Gods (Egyptian ones) within themselves and try to save the world. Easy peasy….if they can quit squabbling long enough.
If you add a few Gods, an albino crocodile, a cat named muffin, some spunky clay creations, a secret magical society and an orangutan with some special dietary needs together and shake you come up with one hell of a good time.
I liked the Percy Jackson stories just a tad better but if you like mythology then this could be a great time for you too.
June 29, 2010
I ranked Rick Riordan's The Lighting Thief 5th on my Top Ten Fave Books for 2009, tied with Michael Scott's The Alchemist. I reasoned out that I can't choose which one is better cause both made learning history fun and both have that cool factor reliving the things in the past. Now, I have suspicion that I unknowingly can see the future cause The Red Pyramid is exactly the combination of both books. Is that a good thing? Yes, if it had been well executed. Let's review that sentence: "Yes, if it had been well executed." Yeah, as what my stars above says(don't look up to the sky dumbass, I mean the rating stars.), it is not an awesome book.
Its given that Egyptian History is not as fascinating as the Greek and Roman History but egyptian culture has that sense of mystery that Riordan could have played. I didn't get the Egyptian feel to it at all. The existence of the egyptian gods in the book is not that cool either. Thoth playing Rock Band is not as cool as Ares riding the Big Bike or Horus being cranky is not as funny as Dionysius being stubborn. The whole god thing is like just for the sake of having them. You can substitute them with normal people's name and would have still the same effect. The spells are cool. The thing about glowing hieroglyphs after saying the spell is brilliant but I can't see "Ha-di" replacing "Alohomora" for young people getting locked out when they go home late (It's pretty easy to guess why I know this.)
The storyline even gets repetitive:
Sadie and Caine goes to one place.
They start bickering. [Shut up, Sadie and Carter! It's my review:](Read the book to get the sarcasm.)
One of them falls asleep and their soul drifts somewhere.
Enemy attacks them.
They fight(a little).
Their company fights alone to buy time for them while they run.
They eventually be reunited with that someone.
The whole recording thing is distracting most of the times especially the [:] remarks. It would have been better if it's only on the beginning and the end just like in the Lightning Thief.
As for the main characters, Sadie and Carter is the least likable sibling I ever read. They are not awesome nor annoying, they are just blah. Forgettable. They continuously throw corny jokes and weak sarcasms. And at some point, their voice on the chapters gets confusing. I have to look up to the top of the page to be sure who is talking. Even towards the end, I still didn't get what kind of personality they have.
Now I am unsure if I will still follow this series. Maybe if Riordan will able to redeem himself on The Last Hero(a book that tells about something he is really good at), I will read the second installment for the Kane Chronicles to make up for the time while waiting for the second Heroes of Olympus book. Don't worry Rick Riordan, I still like you and I understand that you, like every writers out there, sometimes just needs the pay check. Peace' :)
Its given that Egyptian History is not as fascinating as the Greek and Roman History but egyptian culture has that sense of mystery that Riordan could have played. I didn't get the Egyptian feel to it at all. The existence of the egyptian gods in the book is not that cool either. Thoth playing Rock Band is not as cool as Ares riding the Big Bike or Horus being cranky is not as funny as Dionysius being stubborn. The whole god thing is like just for the sake of having them. You can substitute them with normal people's name and would have still the same effect. The spells are cool. The thing about glowing hieroglyphs after saying the spell is brilliant but I can't see "Ha-di" replacing "Alohomora" for young people getting locked out when they go home late (It's pretty easy to guess why I know this.)
The storyline even gets repetitive:
Sadie and Caine goes to one place.
They start bickering. [Shut up, Sadie and Carter! It's my review:](Read the book to get the sarcasm.)
One of them falls asleep and their soul drifts somewhere.
Enemy attacks them.
They fight(a little).
Their company fights alone to buy time for them while they run.
They eventually be reunited with that someone.
The whole recording thing is distracting most of the times especially the [:] remarks. It would have been better if it's only on the beginning and the end just like in the Lightning Thief.
As for the main characters, Sadie and Carter is the least likable sibling I ever read. They are not awesome nor annoying, they are just blah. Forgettable. They continuously throw corny jokes and weak sarcasms. And at some point, their voice on the chapters gets confusing. I have to look up to the top of the page to be sure who is talking. Even towards the end, I still didn't get what kind of personality they have.
Now I am unsure if I will still follow this series. Maybe if Riordan will able to redeem himself on The Last Hero(a book that tells about something he is really good at), I will read the second installment for the Kane Chronicles to make up for the time while waiting for the second Heroes of Olympus book. Don't worry Rick Riordan, I still like you and I understand that you, like every writers out there, sometimes just needs the pay check. Peace' :)
May 18, 2020
#1 The Red Pyramid ★★★★☆
#2 The Throne of Fire ★★★☆☆
#3 The Serpent's Shadow ★★★☆☆
“Fair means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself.”
I grew up a huge fan of Egyptian mythology and history, plus I loved the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series when I (finally) picked it up a couple of years ago, so it was long overdue that I pick up the Kane Chronicles trilogy. I felt like I'd never heard of people raving about this series nearly as much as any of RR's other series, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but within just a few chapters of the audiobook for this one, I was so impressed! Sadie and Carter had such distinct, entertaining voices, I loved the banter and bickering between the two of them, and more than anything, I absolutely adored how quickly the two of them fell into these protective, caring sibling feelings for each other despite having been apart so much in their childhoods.
While the plot itself felt rushed and convenient more than a few times, that's something I generally expect from a lot of MG books, so it didn't take away from my enjoyment too much. On the other hand, I really loved the casual representation with Sadie and Carter being biracial and the commentary on how Carter lived through so many different experiences than Sadie, with Carter being dark-skinned and Sadie being white-passing.
I think the only big detractor from my enjoyment of this first installment was the weird, forced beginnings of romance here, which proved to be a big issue later in the series, sadly. I don't care for romance in MG novels to begin with, but especially romance as unnatural as the ships we see in this series. That said, they were minor in The Red Pyramid, so this first book still got an easy 4 stars from me!
———
Buddy read with Ellyn! ♥
June 12, 2015
Lloro de felicidad con este libro, es maravillosa la forma en que Rick te mete en la historia, como hace que creas que todo es real, como te hace parte de la magia.
La mitología Egipcia es increíble, aprendí muchas cosas sobre ello de la mejor manera. Rick y todos sus libros son maravillosos!
Reseña Completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2015/0...
La mitología Egipcia es increíble, aprendí muchas cosas sobre ello de la mejor manera. Rick y todos sus libros son maravillosos!
Reseña Completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2015/0...
September 11, 2023
Despite the fact that this is YA fiction, I had a wonderful time reading it as an adult.
Egyptian history and mythology have always captivated me ever since I was a kid. I remember watching and enjoying many Discovery Channel documentaries, and I still do today every time I get the chance to. So learning even more about Egyptian Gods, myths and history through this book was a lot of fun.
I won't go into many details with the plot, but I will tell you why I liked it. For starters, it was easy to enjoy Carter and Sadie Kane, a completely different and frequently feuding brother and sister who alternate narrating the story. Their conflict adds comic relief to an already enjoyable book and the author also provides us with well-drawn allies and terrible enemies and creatures. Khufu the chimp, Bast the Egyptian Cat Goddess and their magician uncle Amos were among my favorites.
The numerous magic-filled fights and clashes they had with either evil Gods or evil magicians provided constant suspense, and Riordan delighted me with his imaginative storytelling.
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that when it came to Sadie's romantic interest, the 12-year-old often acted in ways that seemed more appropriate for an older teenager and made me feel kind of unconfortable. I mean, both Carter and Sadie are very mature for their age, but I thought it was a little inappropriate for her to lust over a 5000 year old God 👀😂 However, it's been an a while since I've spent time with any 12 year old girls, so it's possible that I'm the one who's off here.
Anyhow, this didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book, so I would recommend it to people of all ages.
Egyptian history and mythology have always captivated me ever since I was a kid. I remember watching and enjoying many Discovery Channel documentaries, and I still do today every time I get the chance to. So learning even more about Egyptian Gods, myths and history through this book was a lot of fun.
I won't go into many details with the plot, but I will tell you why I liked it. For starters, it was easy to enjoy Carter and Sadie Kane, a completely different and frequently feuding brother and sister who alternate narrating the story. Their conflict adds comic relief to an already enjoyable book and the author also provides us with well-drawn allies and terrible enemies and creatures. Khufu the chimp, Bast the Egyptian Cat Goddess and their magician uncle Amos were among my favorites.
The numerous magic-filled fights and clashes they had with either evil Gods or evil magicians provided constant suspense, and Riordan delighted me with his imaginative storytelling.
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that when it came to Sadie's romantic interest, the 12-year-old often acted in ways that seemed more appropriate for an older teenager and made me feel kind of unconfortable. I mean, both Carter and Sadie are very mature for their age, but I thought it was a little inappropriate for her to lust over a 5000 year old God 👀😂 However, it's been an a while since I've spent time with any 12 year old girls, so it's possible that I'm the one who's off here.
Anyhow, this didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book, so I would recommend it to people of all ages.
April 2, 2016
“It takes strength and courage to admit the truth.”
Honestly, who does it better than Rick Riordan when it comes to middle-grade fantasy books? The answer is no one. He never ceases to amaze me with the ideas he's coming up with, and although one could say that his books and ideas are being recycled I downright disagree with that notion. He's written about the Greek Gods, about the Roman Gods and then the Egyptian Gods, and each time he comes up with completely different ideas and twists to encase his stories in.
Carter and Sadie Kane are two siblings, they've never seen much of each other since their mother died and their father took custody of Carter (the eldest) whereas Sadie was taken under their grandparents' care.
Carter is that smart, humble kid, who's always there to help and Sadie is that outgoing, sassy girl you were classmates with when you were in elementary school.
And now, let's fast forward to the part where the Egyptian Gods are unleashed and they find shelter in human hosts. Amongst these Gods, there is the worst of them, the God of Chaos, Set who's hell bent upon destroying the world.
So, the kids learn who they are (which is for you to find out... I mean, were their parents Gods? Or are they Gods themselves? Or maybe they're just common humans trying to save the world?)
You may think you're a little too familiar with this storyline, especially if you're an avid Riordan reader, but you'll be up for a surprise, trust me.
This somehow felt a lot more fast-paced than all of his other books. Usually, Mr. Riordan takes his time with the characters and the plot but in this one everything was faster than usual and I admit that I loved the change.
I'm saving my five stars for the next book, this was just shy of getting it.
September 4, 2016
I quite enjoyed Riordan's new adventures featuring the Kane siblings, Carter and Sadie (I believe 14 and 12 years of age... though I thought Sadie seemed older), who are introduced to the possibilities that Egyptian mythology may be a bit more real than they realized.
Sadie and Carter's mother died when they were young, and since then they have had to live apart - Sadie with her mother's parents in London, and Carter with his father, traveling the world looking for Egyptian artifacts. Since they only see each other once a year or so, it nicely adds to the story to have their relationship develop and evolve.
When visiting the museum something goes terrible wrong, and Carter and Sadie discover that there may be more to their father, and the Kane family, than they realized.
I listened to the audio book, which I thought was wonderful! It is narrated by Kevin R. Free and Katherine Kellgren. Because the story is told both by Carter and Sadie, each narrator reads the appropriate section. The book is very suited to an audio recording, as it is supposed to be Carter and Sadie making a recording of the events that have transpired.
I enjoy the Percy Jackson books, and I think that this book has a similar style, a similar since of fun and lightness, but happily it didn't feel the same, like I was reading the same story just with differently named characters. To me, Red Pyramid felt a little more mature and complex (not in a bad way, just in that the protagonists are older, there's more history, details, etc.). I enjoyed this, and - like the Percy Jackson books with Greek mythology - The Red Pyramid made me intrigued with Egyptian mythology and history (the author's note, by the way, is fantastic!).
Also, it was very nice and refreshing to have the Kane siblings be mixed race, with a black father and white mother. Not only does this bring about some interesting sibling points (since Carter is darker and Sadie lighter they are often not perceived to be brother and sister) but I also thought Riordan handled it all really well, not making a big deal about, letting the story still be the story, but with a few mentions here and there where this is mentioned.
I'm hoping that there will be more to this series, and I'm anxiously awaiting reading the rest - I mean, what's not to love with dueling avatar half-man-half-bird forms, wands and staffs, and a protective cat?
Sadie and Carter's mother died when they were young, and since then they have had to live apart - Sadie with her mother's parents in London, and Carter with his father, traveling the world looking for Egyptian artifacts. Since they only see each other once a year or so, it nicely adds to the story to have their relationship develop and evolve.
When visiting the museum something goes terrible wrong, and Carter and Sadie discover that there may be more to their father, and the Kane family, than they realized.
I listened to the audio book, which I thought was wonderful! It is narrated by Kevin R. Free and Katherine Kellgren. Because the story is told both by Carter and Sadie, each narrator reads the appropriate section. The book is very suited to an audio recording, as it is supposed to be Carter and Sadie making a recording of the events that have transpired.
I enjoy the Percy Jackson books, and I think that this book has a similar style, a similar since of fun and lightness, but happily it didn't feel the same, like I was reading the same story just with differently named characters. To me, Red Pyramid felt a little more mature and complex (not in a bad way, just in that the protagonists are older, there's more history, details, etc.). I enjoyed this, and - like the Percy Jackson books with Greek mythology - The Red Pyramid made me intrigued with Egyptian mythology and history (the author's note, by the way, is fantastic!).
Also, it was very nice and refreshing to have the Kane siblings be mixed race, with a black father and white mother. Not only does this bring about some interesting sibling points (since Carter is darker and Sadie lighter they are often not perceived to be brother and sister) but I also thought Riordan handled it all really well, not making a big deal about, letting the story still be the story, but with a few mentions here and there where this is mentioned.
I'm hoping that there will be more to this series, and I'm anxiously awaiting reading the rest - I mean, what's not to love with dueling avatar half-man-half-bird forms, wands and staffs, and a protective cat?
April 15, 2022
This was written by the same guy who wrote the Percy Jackson's books Rick Riordan. i really enjoyed the Percy Jackson books and Egyptology but i turn down this series because i was a serious married young adult who didn't have time for Disney young adult novels. so, when and friend from work offered me this to read. All i could think about was the silly things I've heard about it the girl dates Anubis even though she is 12, Sekhmet the lions goddess of is transformed into a cow (Hathor) after being fed salsa, basketball playing Monkes, and all the other ridiculous childish things I've heard about the Kane chronicles. well after 12 years the 35-year-old me can tell you i enjoyed it and Riordan has a way to write the story as believable. I will off course take the criticism that i can sweep away my disbelief if I'm enjoying a story. i even enjoyed it better than the Percy Jackson's novels
One thing than does not need sweeping disbelief is the real Egyptian religion that Riordan includes. This starts out with Sadie and Carter Kane father doctor Julius Kane using the Rosetta stone as part of a ritual to summon the 5 children of Geb and Nut. Osiris possesses the dad, Isis inhabits Sadie, Horus gets Carter. which leave the evil Set and Nephthys. Set imprisons Julius Kane and is determined to destroy the world. As Nephthys goes into hiding. The Kanes only have a few day to stop Set and save their dad. they come against many other Egyptian gods like Anubis, Sekhmet, Serket, and Sobek. They also are attacked by the house of life magicians who believe no human should mix with the gods. the action is fast paced and extreme!
By stories end chaos is struggling to overtake Ma'at and the Kanes again much fight the battle hopefully with all the god and house of life magicians on their side!
One thing than does not need sweeping disbelief is the real Egyptian religion that Riordan includes. This starts out with Sadie and Carter Kane father doctor Julius Kane using the Rosetta stone as part of a ritual to summon the 5 children of Geb and Nut. Osiris possesses the dad, Isis inhabits Sadie, Horus gets Carter. which leave the evil Set and Nephthys. Set imprisons Julius Kane and is determined to destroy the world. As Nephthys goes into hiding. The Kanes only have a few day to stop Set and save their dad. they come against many other Egyptian gods like Anubis, Sekhmet, Serket, and Sobek. They also are attacked by the house of life magicians who believe no human should mix with the gods. the action is fast paced and extreme!
By stories end chaos is struggling to overtake Ma'at and the Kanes again much fight the battle hopefully with all the god and house of life magicians on their side!
May 11, 2012
I hate when this happens. I see it all the time.
Great writer writes book. Book gets discovered, gets really famous. Writer makes a billion copies of said book in deteriorating quality.
Rick Riordan should've stuck to his Percy Jackson series and his sister-series to that. Instead, I can see the dollar-signs in his eyes and the mocking "cha-ching!" in the background, and here we have the Kane Chronicles.
Part of the reason I enjoyed The Lightning Thief so much is because the insight and dialogue were very true to a teenage boy. Awkward, confused, and with the emotional range of a teaspoon, yet he still had the depth of a good and likable character.
The Red Pyramid switches dialogue between a sister and brother, Sadie and Carter, in which he drops the awkward dialogue, picking up a sort of vague, non-specific voice for both of the characters.
I hate switching POVs unless it's done VERY well, and the problem is, most people who are good at creating voices don't switch. Because they're smart, unlike these sorry souls.
And if you're going to feel the need to switch POVs, have some sort of difference between the two, ESPECIALLY if you're going to mention how unlike the two characters are every bloody second. If they're so different, how do they have the exact same dull voice?
Also, I found the characters themselves dull, just like their vocal counterparts. Sadie had no depth at all- she just acted bored, snarky or confused and helpless. While the Lightning Thief's characters might have been slightly cliche, that's something I could get past. I just snoozed through the whole book. Carter was pretty much as bad.
The plot was already used; I liked the whole son-needs-to-save-mom thing in the Lightning Thief, but you can't just use it twice! Also, in The Lightning Thief, Riordan spent time nurturing and explaining the relationship between Percy and his mom, so you actually cared when she got captured. Honestly, I didn't give a flying ankh whether Mr. Kane lived or died. Frankly, by the end I wanted to be crushed by a Rosetta Stone. Plus, as they explained so well, Sadie didn't even know her dad.
The plot itself was used and meaningless, and the characters bored me to tears. And there was no Leo Valdez or random minor god to crack me up either, I mean seriously. Go do yourself a favor and buy Les Miserables, it's funnier.
Great writer writes book. Book gets discovered, gets really famous. Writer makes a billion copies of said book in deteriorating quality.
Rick Riordan should've stuck to his Percy Jackson series and his sister-series to that. Instead, I can see the dollar-signs in his eyes and the mocking "cha-ching!" in the background, and here we have the Kane Chronicles.
Part of the reason I enjoyed The Lightning Thief so much is because the insight and dialogue were very true to a teenage boy. Awkward, confused, and with the emotional range of a teaspoon, yet he still had the depth of a good and likable character.
The Red Pyramid switches dialogue between a sister and brother, Sadie and Carter, in which he drops the awkward dialogue, picking up a sort of vague, non-specific voice for both of the characters.
I hate switching POVs unless it's done VERY well, and the problem is, most people who are good at creating voices don't switch. Because they're smart, unlike these sorry souls.
And if you're going to feel the need to switch POVs, have some sort of difference between the two, ESPECIALLY if you're going to mention how unlike the two characters are every bloody second. If they're so different, how do they have the exact same dull voice?
Also, I found the characters themselves dull, just like their vocal counterparts. Sadie had no depth at all- she just acted bored, snarky or confused and helpless. While the Lightning Thief's characters might have been slightly cliche, that's something I could get past. I just snoozed through the whole book. Carter was pretty much as bad.
The plot was already used; I liked the whole son-needs-to-save-mom thing in the Lightning Thief, but you can't just use it twice! Also, in The Lightning Thief, Riordan spent time nurturing and explaining the relationship between Percy and his mom, so you actually cared when she got captured. Honestly, I didn't give a flying ankh whether Mr. Kane lived or died. Frankly, by the end I wanted to be crushed by a Rosetta Stone. Plus, as they explained so well, Sadie didn't even know her dad.
The plot itself was used and meaningless, and the characters bored me to tears. And there was no Leo Valdez or random minor god to crack me up either, I mean seriously. Go do yourself a favor and buy Les Miserables, it's funnier.
August 14, 2011
Such a fun, entertaining read!
Initial thoughts:
1. Interactive with the reader. Riordon pulls you into the story!
2. Amazing Egyptian mythology! Gods, and magic everything!
3. Elements that remind me of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. Didn't bother me, but it's noteworthy.
4. Full of banter, and sarcasm. Loved it!
5. Action-packed, and fast paced! Lot's of story but it's filled with something insane.
Check out my full book video review!
Initial thoughts:
1. Interactive with the reader. Riordon pulls you into the story!
2. Amazing Egyptian mythology! Gods, and magic everything!
3. Elements that remind me of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. Didn't bother me, but it's noteworthy.
4. Full of banter, and sarcasm. Loved it!
5. Action-packed, and fast paced! Lot's of story but it's filled with something insane.
Check out my full book video review!
March 22, 2017
The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles #1) by Rick Riordan is a graphic novel for kids. The illustrations are great, the fonts are easy to read. The story is wonderful and easy to follow. The characters are unique and fun, at least the good ones! All characters were well developed and memorable. I thought this would be a small comic book sized novel but it was a large, full length novel. A novel and a movie in one! Lots of surprises and action. A great book for kids and us oldies that pretend to be kids! I got this book from the library.
December 19, 2020
Sadie is so much fun.
That's it.
That's the review.
No, but seriously, my faves are Sadie and Bast.
That's it.
That's the review.
No, but seriously, my faves are Sadie and Bast.
March 5, 2016
Let me confess something before I start my review: I dived in this book with lower than zero expectations. My sister has read them and she kind of hinted at them not being as good as the PJO series so I was very hard on the story. Thus, the three stars. I mean, I went in to hate the characters -which I kind of did- but overall, how could I even think about hating a Rick Riordan book?
The Red Pyramid, is sort of similar to other Rick books but had its own special moments. For one, it was about Egyptian Gods. One of the reasons I didn't really enjoy this story -which is my fault, not the book's- is because my knowledge of the Egyptian Gods was Zero. In result, I had a hard time having fun because I was busy figuring out the Gods.
My second problem is that I didn't like the characters, Sadie in particular. Which is again me, not the book.
But in the end, everything was fast-paced and the plot was interesting. I also liked they were kind of narrating the story as a recording.
I'm going to continue with this serious and try to be less of a judgmental asshole. Hopefully, I will have more fun.
The Red Pyramid, is sort of similar to other Rick books but had its own special moments. For one, it was about Egyptian Gods. One of the reasons I didn't really enjoy this story -which is my fault, not the book's- is because my knowledge of the Egyptian Gods was Zero. In result, I had a hard time having fun because I was busy figuring out the Gods.
My second problem is that I didn't like the characters, Sadie in particular. Which is again me, not the book.
But in the end, everything was fast-paced and the plot was interesting. I also liked they were kind of narrating the story as a recording.
I'm going to continue with this serious and try to be less of a judgmental asshole. Hopefully, I will have more fun.
August 31, 2021
4/5
This series so far is better than PJO but it still maybe is a bit too MG for me. The writing is far better than in the lighting thief but the main issue here is that the plot drags on. It’s extremely interesting but I’m not sure how it managed to be over 500 pages. This book had a lot of repetitive scenes that really didn’t need to be included.
I liked Sadie and Carter equally as MC’s and enjoyed their POV’s about the same. Although the secondary characters never intrigued me much and the villains all felt very 2-D. I enjoyed Bast as my favourite character though! She was super funny and very well written. I hope we see more of her in the sequels.
The worldbuilding and all is obviously not something Rick came up with, since it’s all Egyptian mythology. I enjoyed most of the interpretations of stories and the personalities of the gods. The one thing that irked me was the way Cleopatra was represented as a foolish queen. She really was very iconic and deserved a better mention than that.
Overall it was a good book and I hope the sequels are as good :)
This series so far is better than PJO but it still maybe is a bit too MG for me. The writing is far better than in the lighting thief but the main issue here is that the plot drags on. It’s extremely interesting but I’m not sure how it managed to be over 500 pages. This book had a lot of repetitive scenes that really didn’t need to be included.
I liked Sadie and Carter equally as MC’s and enjoyed their POV’s about the same. Although the secondary characters never intrigued me much and the villains all felt very 2-D. I enjoyed Bast as my favourite character though! She was super funny and very well written. I hope we see more of her in the sequels.
The worldbuilding and all is obviously not something Rick came up with, since it’s all Egyptian mythology. I enjoyed most of the interpretations of stories and the personalities of the gods. The one thing that irked me was the way Cleopatra was represented as a foolish queen. She really was very iconic and deserved a better mention than that.
Overall it was a good book and I hope the sequels are as good :)
August 8, 2021
Rick Riordan's prolific imagination submerges audience in rich Egyptian myth in this series brought to life through the dual perspectives of the brother and sister protagonists.
The Red Pyramid is studded with the usual gems of subtle wisdom and Rick's words make the sands of Egyptian mythology whirl around the readers. However, it seems like the book (and the series) lacks the captivating charm that Rick Riordan's Graeco-Roman and Norse series deliver with ease and which makes them so much more beguiling.
The Red Pyramid is studded with the usual gems of subtle wisdom and Rick's words make the sands of Egyptian mythology whirl around the readers. However, it seems like the book (and the series) lacks the captivating charm that Rick Riordan's Graeco-Roman and Norse series deliver with ease and which makes them so much more beguiling.
February 7, 2017
Riordan's books are always great!
November 4, 2024
I liked it a lot. It's very Dan Brown for kids, bouncing around between real historical sites, but always with an imaginative twist. The author really weaves the mythology and history into the modern story in a fun and exciting, sometimes breathtaking, way. The Egyptian gods as described by Riordan are very different from the Greek or Celtic gods I'm more used to reading about, and the heritage of magic from the Egyptian culture adds a very interesting twist to the story.
I like the idea the author uses that just because we see the world a certain way doesn't mean that alternate realities aren't just as true. Or, to quote, "Have you learned nothing of Egypt? Conflicting stories can be equally true." It's a cool concept that allows the story, and imagination in general, to flourish.
As an Urban Fantasy fan, it was interesting to see a few familiar elements used here and connected to Egyptian history or mythology. For example, the concept of words having power is very common, and names and their specific pronunciation, but I didn't know that was also an Egyptian mythological theme.
I didn't love the first person narration, or the little snipping comments back and forth between the kids as the voices alternated between chapters, but I bet kids will like it. I also bet it would make it really fun as an audiobook, especially since the story is supposedly a recording dictated by the kids (that's why it's first person); I checked and the audio version has 2 narrators, so hearing Carter and Sadie's voices (and even Sadie's English accent?) would probably make it seem very real and exciting, perfect for a long drive during summer vacation perhaps.
To address what I'm sure will be a common complaint, yes, the story has some basic similarity to The 39 Clues series. It is about a brother and sister who set off on a dangerous adventure, previously unaware of their family's connection to a mysterious and dangerous hidden secret. And there are a lot of historical facts and stories used to further the adventure. And Bast does take on a few aspects that reminded me of the au pair (not nanny!) in The 39 Clues. But really, this story is very different. And every kid's fantasy book has the same basic premise: kids against the world; adults out of touch, evil or helpless; a mysterious magical heritage to uncover; and evil to be conquered. The trick is to write a fun and original story within that framework, and Riordan succeeds. And no, it's not quite as amazing, at least to me, as the Percy Jackson books, at least not yet. But it was still very good and I recommend it.
—2nd Read September 2024
I reread all of Rick’s kids books after my dad died, a comfort read. I liked this series even more this time around! One new aspect was having my phone in hand, looking up all of the fantastic locations and seeing what they saw. Example: they’re in the Met and see The Temple of Dendur. And I look it up and see what they’re seeing. Very cool! The history of how it got to NYC and the Met museum is really interesting too. Or Karnak temple complex in Luxor. So cool to see where they’re walking! When this came out in 2010, I must have had my iPhone 3GS, but I don’t remember doing this, maybe it was too slow? Or I didn’t realize how much of it was real? Or I did and totally forgot? Probably the last. Anyway, someday we’ll have truly interactive books but until then, make sure you check out the really cool real things in the book, it adds a lot. It’s a super fun series, I really enjoyed it.
I like the idea the author uses that just because we see the world a certain way doesn't mean that alternate realities aren't just as true. Or, to quote, "Have you learned nothing of Egypt? Conflicting stories can be equally true." It's a cool concept that allows the story, and imagination in general, to flourish.
As an Urban Fantasy fan, it was interesting to see a few familiar elements used here and connected to Egyptian history or mythology. For example, the concept of words having power is very common, and names and their specific pronunciation, but I didn't know that was also an Egyptian mythological theme.
I didn't love the first person narration, or the little snipping comments back and forth between the kids as the voices alternated between chapters, but I bet kids will like it. I also bet it would make it really fun as an audiobook, especially since the story is supposedly a recording dictated by the kids (that's why it's first person); I checked and the audio version has 2 narrators, so hearing Carter and Sadie's voices (and even Sadie's English accent?) would probably make it seem very real and exciting, perfect for a long drive during summer vacation perhaps.
To address what I'm sure will be a common complaint, yes, the story has some basic similarity to The 39 Clues series. It is about a brother and sister who set off on a dangerous adventure, previously unaware of their family's connection to a mysterious and dangerous hidden secret. And there are a lot of historical facts and stories used to further the adventure. And Bast does take on a few aspects that reminded me of the au pair (not nanny!) in The 39 Clues. But really, this story is very different. And every kid's fantasy book has the same basic premise: kids against the world; adults out of touch, evil or helpless; a mysterious magical heritage to uncover; and evil to be conquered. The trick is to write a fun and original story within that framework, and Riordan succeeds. And no, it's not quite as amazing, at least to me, as the Percy Jackson books, at least not yet. But it was still very good and I recommend it.
—2nd Read September 2024
I reread all of Rick’s kids books after my dad died, a comfort read. I liked this series even more this time around! One new aspect was having my phone in hand, looking up all of the fantastic locations and seeing what they saw. Example: they’re in the Met and see The Temple of Dendur. And I look it up and see what they’re seeing. Very cool! The history of how it got to NYC and the Met museum is really interesting too. Or Karnak temple complex in Luxor. So cool to see where they’re walking! When this came out in 2010, I must have had my iPhone 3GS, but I don’t remember doing this, maybe it was too slow? Or I didn’t realize how much of it was real? Or I did and totally forgot? Probably the last. Anyway, someday we’ll have truly interactive books but until then, make sure you check out the really cool real things in the book, it adds a lot. It’s a super fun series, I really enjoyed it.
June 23, 2023
Carter nunca imagino que su visita anual de Navidad de su padre y el para ver a su hermana iba a cambiarle tanto la vida. Pero se encuentra ahora enfrentandose, a algo que pensabano existia, a seres mitologicos egipcios, para poder recuperar a su padre. Y como si la cosa no fuera mas complicada, son solo el y su hermana pequena, Sadie, los unicos que tienen alguna posibilidad de lograrlo. En su camino conoceran a su tio, a una diosa gata guerrera, a un grupo de magos que quieren detenerlos, pero sobre todo, aprenderan que lo que siempre pensaron que eran historias, son reales, aterradoramente reales y solo si aprenden a manejarse en ese mundo podran tener alguna oportunidad.
Como todos los libros de este autor, esperas a un grupo de adolescentes con poderes que no imaginan y que son la clave para "salvar el mundo". Pero en este caso, no entendi muy bien las personalidades de los protas, y me senti bastante perdida con la mitologia egipcia (aunque en algunos momentos de la historia se explica algo, no es suficiente), asi que el libro me resulto entretenido, pero no particularmente emocionante.
Sin embargo, al ser una trilogia, y al quedar este libro con tantas preguntas, seguro voy a continuar leyendola y esperando que al final, resulte mucho mas que entretenido.
Como todos los libros de este autor, esperas a un grupo de adolescentes con poderes que no imaginan y que son la clave para "salvar el mundo". Pero en este caso, no entendi muy bien las personalidades de los protas, y me senti bastante perdida con la mitologia egipcia (aunque en algunos momentos de la historia se explica algo, no es suficiente), asi que el libro me resulto entretenido, pero no particularmente emocionante.
Sin embargo, al ser una trilogia, y al quedar este libro con tantas preguntas, seguro voy a continuar leyendola y esperando que al final, resulte mucho mas que entretenido.
June 24, 2023
3.5 Silver Stars
with Golden Sparks
full RTC after re-read
maybe this series is my least favourite among all the Riordan's series & in the whole Riordanverse, maybe it's because Egypt myths is my least favourite mythology (I found it very complicated & dry), maybe this book is my least favourite in the series.
but it doesn't mean I don't love them. Just my love is lesser than PJO, HoO, ToA & MCGA. but I still love them & the whole series is a 5 stars.
Meet the Kane siblings to enter the Kane chronicles: Carter & Sadie
They are totally different, one is book-smart, one is badass & sarcastic, they were separated since their mother's death, Carter's been living out of a suitcase with his father who was Egyptologist; he is calm, leader-like & loves books, Sadie living in London with her grandparents & she is stubborn & saucy. See? the siblings have almost nothing in common, until now. *suspense music in distance*
Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. they entered the world of myths so suddenly & unexpectedly, going on a dangerous journey, a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
many cool characters & awesome villains; like always.
beginning was great & exciting, but in the middle it was slow (or I was out of Riordanverse mode & not reading it for a while), but then again, the exciting parts begin soon enough.
Fun! you can't expect you simply read an uncle Rick's book not laughing your heart out! the sibling relationship between these two are awesome. I love them.
Carter is my favourite character & Sadie is very cool. I kinda like her. (tho sometimes she's rude, but all's good)
the writing style was perfect, the way they grabbing each other's turn to tell the story adding spiced-fun up to the never-ending fun. XD
the World building, a bit dry, but also perfectly wrapping up in the reality, like always.
with Golden Sparks
full RTC after re-read
maybe this series is my least favourite among all the Riordan's series & in the whole Riordanverse, maybe it's because Egypt myths is my least favourite mythology (I found it very complicated & dry), maybe this book is my least favourite in the series.
but it doesn't mean I don't love them. Just my love is lesser than PJO, HoO, ToA & MCGA. but I still love them & the whole series is a 5 stars.
Meet the Kane siblings to enter the Kane chronicles: Carter & Sadie
They are totally different, one is book-smart, one is badass & sarcastic, they were separated since their mother's death, Carter's been living out of a suitcase with his father who was Egyptologist; he is calm, leader-like & loves books, Sadie living in London with her grandparents & she is stubborn & saucy. See? the siblings have almost nothing in common, until now. *suspense music in distance*
Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. they entered the world of myths so suddenly & unexpectedly, going on a dangerous journey, a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
many cool characters & awesome villains; like always.
beginning was great & exciting, but in the middle it was slow (or I was out of Riordanverse mode & not reading it for a while), but then again, the exciting parts begin soon enough.
Fun! you can't expect you simply read an uncle Rick's book not laughing your heart out! the sibling relationship between these two are awesome. I love them.
Carter is my favourite character & Sadie is very cool. I kinda like her. (tho sometimes she's rude, but all's good)
the writing style was perfect, the way they grabbing each other's turn to tell the story adding spiced-fun up to the never-ending fun. XD
the World building, a bit dry, but also perfectly wrapping up in the reality, like always.
July 30, 2024
I own 19 physical copies by Rick Riordan and out of the 16 I've read, none have disappointed me. And the same can be said about this one. No idea why this series has such a low rating because I for one adored this book!! The Egyptian mythology is just as interesting as the Greek and Norse he brought us near and proves that a) not only is Rick an unprejudiced sort of character, he also has a vast knowledge of other mythologies and manages to capture the essence of said mythologies in his stories. Well done as always :)
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