The Red Pyramid

My dad and I share a love for books that the other members of our family do not understand. When Dad and I return from a booksale laden with new books, some we've already read, some we may never read, my mom always asks, "Why did you get all those? Where are you going to put them? Why do you need all those books?" These questions never occur to me when I am buying the books: I just like to read them. Mom thinks practically about it; Dad and I understand that you can never have too many books.

With my younger brothers, convincing them to read is a chore. I used to delight in choosing a book they would like, carefully thinking it over, and pulling it off my bookshelf, and presenting it to them as an action-adventure story... only to be told, "I don't take book recommendations from family members" (Yes, that is an actual quote). So imagine my delight when I suggested The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, to Zach and William, and they each read it and loved it! We all followed the series carefully, discussing new events, and even naming our dog Percy after Percy Jackson (among others). It did result in some fights, mainly over who got to read the latest book first (I usually won). In general, however, it's tied us together.

Rick Riordan just recently came out with a new series, The Kane Chronicles, this time dealing with Egyptian gods. The book is called The Red Pyramid, about two siblings, Carter and Sadie Kane, who discover they are related to the ancient Egyptian pharaohs and try to stop the evil god Set from releasing chaos on the world. I just finished it and passed it on to my brother (yes, I won the battle yet again!), who eagerly asked, "How was it?" My response? "...different. Good, but different."

And it is. Sure, the shift from Greek mythology to Egyptian mythology is not a great leap, and Riordan's goofy, immature humor still takes form in various ongoing jokes (a basketball loving baboon named Khufu, for instance, who only eats foods that end in o). But one of the things I enjoyed the most in the Percy Jackson series was Riordan's creative modernization of the Greek gods: the way each god responded to the modern era. This was sorely lacking in The Red Pyramid. The Egyptian gods were interesting, certainly, and complicated, yes, but rarely funny and modern. Seeing as this was what I looked forward to most in the book, I was utterly disappointed. The lack of this not only affected the gods personalities, but it affected the humor. I hadn't realized just how much of Riordan's truly clever bits of humor come from integrating Greek mythology with the modern world- without this element, the book fell into flat, overly immature jokes of which only a few were actually funny.

That being said, the plot was excellent, filled with unanticipated, clever twists. It was enjoyable, although it did drag in some places (at 518 pages, this is one of Riordan's longest!). *SPOILER* I loved the idea of Sadie and Carter being hosts for Horus and Isis, and the conversations back and forth between the four of them. And during the slower bits, Carter and Sadie's evolving relationship supported the story. Sadie and Carter are spunky and strong characters, which helps the entire book. The supporting characters range from barely developed, like the children's Uncle Amos, to multi-faceted and fascinating, like Zia, Iskandar, and Anubis. The complicated web of relationships in this book was, for the most part, well balanced and written.

The mythology behind the story is well described for younger children, simplifying complicated Egyptian myths into easy-to-understand stories. The world of Ancient Egypt is clearly brought to life in careful detail, ranging from the Duat to the House of Life, all described using beautiful imagery (particularly one scene in the House of Life...). Going into this book knowing next to nothing about Egyptian mythology, I was never really confused about any of the new information I was receiving.

I have to end with the fact that perhaps my favorite part of the book was the offhand reference to Percy Jackson: when Carter and Sadie ask why they don't go all the way into New York, their Uncle looks at the Empire State Building (where the gods live in the Percy Jackson series) and says, "We don't go there. There are other gods there." :) How fun that these worlds coexist!!!

Although The Red Pyramid doesn't live up to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it provides an enjoyable plot and educational read that will keep readers entertained. I did like this book, even if it disappointed me. I'll post what my brothers thought of it later!