Reader reviews

• mpmleonard

  (4/5)

  Great modern twist on Egyptian mythology.
• alig123_1

  (4/5)

  "We only have a few hours so listen carefully. If you are reading this story you're already in danger. Sadie and I might be your only chance." This book is one written in a peculiar fashion, and one might call it unorthodox, or different. "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan is a fantasy novel written in a style that the story is being spoken, and the book is a recording of Carter and Sadie Kane's encounters with God. The book is set in London England in the beginning, but then changes to USA, when the conflict of the story is clear. Cater Kane are the two main characters in this story, and they show a huge amount of growth throughout the story. Carter Kane is a tall semi built dark skinned adolescent, who has the god Horus, the god of war, dwelling inside him. As for Sadie kane she is on a whole different parallel. She is light skinned, with blonde hair, and pink highlights. She wears combat boots, and torn up jeans, and is a rebellious figure, completely different from her brother who is submissive, and thoughtful. These two people, although they have their differences have to work together to save the world for they are the only hope to stop the evil God of chaos Set. The story starts off with their father Julius Kane using magic on the Rosetta stone to unleash two good gods, and the antagonist of the story the Egyptian God of chaos Set. After this happens their Uncle Amos takes them to his mansion in Manhattan, and instructs them to stay there until he finds Set. They then realize that Set is plotting to plummet the world into utter chaos via the Red Pyramid. The rest of the book is Carter and Sadie Kane train in the use of magic, but will they be able to stop him? Will they be able to get there in time? Will they be able to save Julius from Set? In many ways The Red Pyramid is very similar to Percy Jackson series also written by Rick Riordan. Both books set characters who don't look like they could do a simple task accomplish huge feats with the help of Gods in this case. In both books magic is also plays a huge factor in how the story's plot unfolds. The red Pyramid is the first of a mindboggling trilogy, that keeps your heart racing, and is a book that you don't want to tear your eyes from. Although the idea of incorporating Gods into books is quite new the reason it is being so well perceived is because of the surreal felling that the author triggers from when using dialogue. All in all this is a fantastic fantasy novel that kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end, and I would recommend it to kids between the ages of 14 to 17
• akmargie

  (3/5)

  Another solid Riordan adventure this time in Egypt! But I have to say I was a little disappointed. Where Riordan really nailed the Greek gods in Percy Jackson and was able to modernize and slightly mock their exaggerated personas, here the gods were too god-like. Not really fun or funny. Maybe it's partly because the Egyptian stories aren't as well known so kudos for introducing them fresh to kids.
  
  Sidenote about the audio: The guy was good but the girl was Jacky Faber. Yes I know it's an actress and a very good one but when one person does an incredible job on another series it takes a bit more to imagine her as a different character.
• hopingforchange

  (2/5)

  This is Percy Jackson except with Egyptian magic and a focus on relationships instead of battles and action. Neither of these changes improve the final product. I really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, but I feel that Riordan has just repackaged the original product, added race and gender issues, and made a lot more money than he had before. This story isn't pure. I don't feel a connection to Carter like I felt one to Percy, and I think that might be because Riordan doesn't either.
  
• wyvernfriend

  (4/5)

  Carter and Sadie Kane's father is a brilliant Egyptian Archaeologists and their lives change forever when he explodes the Rosetta Stone and they have to run away. They go on a quest to save their father and find secrets within secrets and that there are things they never knew that may kill them.It's an interesting twist, the gods aren't warm and fluffy and this is serious stuff. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
• benuathanasia

  (4/5)

  A really interesting series. Not subject matter that is explored all that often( Egyptian history, myths, etc. It it's Egyptian, it's usually mummies or Cleopatra). The characters were likeable, though far from original.
• drimeth

  (5/5)

  Re-read before reading the sequel The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles, #2), and it was just as good the 2nd time around! Rick Riordan's characters are always so relateable, I always get so sucked into his stories!
• silverlily26

  (4/5)

  Excellent as always from this author. I really enjoyed the Egyptian theme to this book, and im starting the next one straightaway
• smheatherly2

  (5/5)

  I loved the action and adventure that kep you on your seat throughout the whole book! Both Carter and Sadie are strong characters who both have to overcome their struggles of leading different lives, even though they're siblings. I loved how Riordan added in comedy in the form of the siblings speaking to one another as they were "telling" the story.
• fyrefly98

  (4/5)

  Summary: Siblings Carter and Sadie Kane haven't seen much of each other since their mother died when they were young; Sadie lives with her grandparents in London, while Carter travels around the world with their father, a famous Egyptologist. On a Christmas visit, their father drags Carter and Sadie to the British Museum after hours, where he attempts to use the Rosetta Stone to perform magic. But something goes wrong, and the Egyptian god Set, the god of chaos, imprisons Dr. Kane in a glass coffin that then melts into the floor. Carter and Sadie don't know where to turn or what to do, until they're taken in by their Uncle Amos, who is a member of a secret group of Egyptian magicians, the House of Life. Carter and Sadie begin to have visions of Set and his plans to destroy the world, and when they're attacked by ancient monsters, they realize that it is up to them to stop the god's plans. They're not alone - they will have help from some of the other gods - but not only do they only have a few days to stop a god, they're also being pursued by members of the House of Life, who consider mortals working with gods to be dangerous and therefore forbidden.Review: This book was definitely an enjoyable read. I was in the mood for something light, funny, and above all, engaging, and this book certainly did the trick. Riordan brings Carter and Sadie to life, and they're personable and smart and funny and capable yet fallible, everything you could want in a protagonist. The story ticks along at a good pace, keeping things moving (both geographically as well as action-wise, as is Riordan's wont) while sneaking in plenty of world building and character development around the edges. I was also impressed, once again, how he manages to work mythology into modern life, in a way that was clever and felt cohesive, and explained clearly without pandering to his younger readers.But, while I absolutely did enjoy this book, I didn't enjoy it *quite* as much as any of the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus books. And I don't think that it's got anything to do with the quality of the book itself; rather, Greek mythology is much, much more familiar to me than Egyptian mythology. That means that in Riordan's Greek books, I didn't have to start from scratch with my understanding of the worldbuilding, and was also better able to spot and appreciate the subtle and clever touches he added in. In the case of the Kane Chronicles, I found it harder to get my bearings in terms of how magic worked, and how the gods related to each other, and to keep the details in my mind. (Heck, even the names and pronunciations were more unfamiliar and thus more mental work.) That all kept it from flowing quite as easily as I'd come to expect from Riordan's other books.But, hey, mythology plus fiction is almost always a win in my book. It can't be Greek all the time. 4 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Recommended for Riordan fans, or anyone interested in ancient Egypt and looking for something fun and fast-paced.
• tlhelen

  (3/5)

  A very interesting book that captures the reader's attention that is all about Eygptian myths. This book explains step by step about the myths so it won't leave any readers confused. It is an excellent book to read for any lovers of Eygptian myths.
• nicolesch-1

  (3/5)

  I mostly liked this book for the character Sadie, but Bast and Carter were okay too. The writing style was average, and not quite as involving as Percy Jackson, and the story was (in my oppinion) lame.
• sjkessel

  (3/5)

  Riordan, R. (2010). The Red Pyramid. New York: Hyperion Books.516 pages.Appetizer: Well, despite my polite request, Riordan has started ANOTHER series. The Kane Chronicles begins with The Red Pyramid. 14-year-old Carter and his younger sister, Sadie, have been raised apart. Carter's dad has dragged Carter around the world working as an archeologist. When the Kanes visit Great Britain to see Sadie on Christmas Eve, their father still can't keep himself from working and takes Sadie and Carter to the British Museum. There, the siblings witness their father doing some type of magic over the Rosetta Stone, magic that unleashes powerful forces and get their father lost, as their mother had been lost years before.Sadie and Carter soon learn that they are the descendants of powerful Egyptian magicians. And if they want to save their father they'll have to learn about their newly emerging powers and find away to capture the five Egyptian gods their Dad unintentionally unleashed, focusing most on the red, fiery one bent on introducing more chaos into the world.I have to admit, I'm not as knowledgeable about Egyptian myths as I am of Greek ones. It seemed like Riordan was aware of this possibility since instead of baiting readers to try to guess which gods have just entered the story like happened in some of the Percy Jackson books, this time Riordan just briefly summarized a lot of the myths throughout the narration. But more often then not, I was still left going "Say what now? What was that? What happened in that myth? How are these gods related? Siblings or couple? Siblings or couple?!" Of course, this confusion can be a jumping off point for young readers to go on and actually read some Egyptian folklore collections. I, on the other hand, was content with my confusion.Every two chapters, the narration switches back and forth between Sadie and Carter. Although, from time to time, I'd forget who was narrating. Did anyone else have that problem? Riordan definitely made an effort to have them sound different. Sadie is supposed to speak with a British accent and there was definitely some British slang. I also liked her sense of humor, but throughout most of the book there wasn't much else that set Carter and Sadie's voices apart. (Although, making sure to label the narrator at the top of each page was an easy clue to help me figure things out.)The book is meant to read like it's an audio recording. This made me very curious about the audio book. And they did use a female narrator to give voice to Sadie and a male one for Carter. I listened to about a third of the first disk and had to stopped. Both of the narrators had little habits that I found vaguely annoying. Although, it was very obvious who was narrating. I guess you win some, you lose some.I also had a little trouble with Sadie's age. She felt older than twelve. But then, that could have also been wishful thinking on my part. What with her having the hots for the very immortal *cough* old *cough* Egyptian god of funerals. Wait a few years, chica. The emo appeal will fade.It is also worth noting that aside from focusing on family, this series is going to touch on some issues of race. I love that the Kanes are a multiracial family. While Sadie looks white, Carter appears black. He has to deal with worrying that police officers will stereotype him, with the fact that he and his sister don't look like they're siblings, etc.I have to admit, technically I think I was reading this book for about a month. I got about halfway and took a loooooong break. I couldn't put my finger on why, but then my boss (who read it rapidly) explained that she felt the book went too many places. And she's right. London. Paris. Egypt. New York. Washington D.C. New Orleans. Texas. New Mexico. Arizona. Washington D.C. again. New York again. Sigh.It was a bit exhausting and I was only reading about it. Plus, around the halfway to two-thirds point, the Kane siblings are finally given their answer on how to prevent the rise of chaos for the time being. It involves going over there and getting this thing and then coming back here and doing this thing and oh, you'll also need that other thing. And I was kind of like, For Serious? My arms are already tired from holding up this beast of a book.But then, maybe I'm just lazy.And so begins the wait for book two.Dinner Conversation:"We only have a few hours, so listen carefully.If you're hearing this story, you're already in danger. Sadie and I might be your only chance.Go to the school. Find the locker. I won't tell you which school or which locker, because if you're the right person, you'll find it. The combination is 13/32/33. By the time you finish listening, you'll know what those numbers mean. Just remember the story we're about to tell you isn't complete yet. How it ends will depend on you" (p. 1)."Okay, Sadie is telling me to stop stalling and get on with the story. Fine. I guess it started in London, the night our dad blew up the British Museum" (p. 2)."We were alone in a strange mansion with a baboon, a crocodile, and a weird cat. And apparently, the entire world was in danger.I looked at Sadie. "What do we do now?"She crossed her arms. "Well, that's obvious, isn't it? We explore the library" (p 83).
• bearlyr

  (5/5)

  Percy Jackson made me a Rick Riordan fan, the Kane family solidified that feeling. This is a thoroughly enjoyable story for any adult, young or young at heart! Egyptian society, as known from ancient times, mixing with the modern world creates a spellbinding tale. And, I found common ground with the author regarding the most mind numbing drive on the planet... A dreary cross country highway known as Interstate 10.You won't be sorry you picked up a copy, and will look forward to learning the adventures ahead in the rest of the "Kane Chronicles".
• deankut

  (4/5)

  What a wonderful tale of adventure! I've learned more about Egyptian Mythology from this book than from anywhere else!
  
  I find it fun and exciting to Google the facts and relics!
• magelet87

  (5/5)

  (It took me a little longer to finish this than usual because I am currently reading several books, but it had nothing to do with the quality of the content or the difficulty of the book.)Anyone who knows me knows that since I was a kid I became obsessed with Ancient Mythology. It doesn't matter what kind of mythology. Norse, Greek, Roman, Native American, Indian, Latin American. So you can imagine how happy I was to read [author:Rick Riordan15872]'s first book, [book:The Lightning Thief28187]. When he continued to write I was so relieved. I hate it when you find an author you love and they only write one or two books.The Red Pyramid is the first book in the Kane Chronicles. Instead of Greek mythology, it is about Egyptian mythology. Sadie and Carter are great. I loved how Riordan made it so they didn't grow up together, but are put together. It helps the readers, because we learn about them as they learn about each other. That way he doesn't have to explain to us about these characters. It is all part of the story.This is an original story that, if you look on Amazon, inspired a lot of other authors to use similar content to write about. Sadie, the sarcastic younger sister, and Carter, the intelligent but a bit uptight brother, are trust into a world they didn't know existed. A world with magic and gods. This world was a part of their lives and they didn't even know it. Now, without the protection of their father, they have to navigate through learning that they have magic and are decided from Egyptian royalty. They have hidden enemies and find friends where they least expect it. The gods are released from their magical cage and it is up to them to find them and put right what their father did. Or Set, the evil brother of Osiris, with kill all life of earth and make it his own. The catch is all the gods seem to have possessed magicians and they don't know which ones.The secret order House of Life doesn't make things easier for the siblings. Lets just say that their beliefs of how things should be and how to deal with things clash with the House of Life. An uncle they didn't know they had and a rogue magician from the House of Life help them.Of course, this being a book by Rick Riordan, the ending has surprises and a cliffhanger. I not only judge books by how much I enjoyed reading them, but also about how I feel afterwards. Im not talking feel about the book, but feel in general. And I love this book. It gets top marks in everything.
• cygnet81

  (4/5)

  This was the first book that I've read by Rick Riordan and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the sequel.
• mrsdanaalbasha

  (5/5)

  I know this book is meant for a younger audience, by what can I say? I love adventures! In my younger years I wanted to be an explorer and live in Egypt and discover Cleopatra's secret tomb. With that said, imagine my delight in reading this book. It has -kind of- the same spirit of The Mummy but for young adults.
• docwalt10

  (5/5)

  Excellent reading.
• jbarringer-2

  (4/5)

  I was not thrilled with the shifting first person POV, which I found quite disorienting at times, enough to keep me from settling comfortably into the story for more than a few chapters at a time. The world and magic in this story was fun, though, and for the most part the Egyptian trivia was introduced smoothly enough to not feel too much like a history lesson disguised as a kids' novel.
• condorena

  (3/5)

  This book was so action packed I found it exhausting. The Egyptian history was very interesting though and the rest is fantastical and requiring youth and imagination.
• krumbs_1

  (3/5)

  Hmmm. Predictable and I don't feel a need to pick up more books in the series. Some bits were wrapped up here, and the author did leave enough of a mystery to make it interesting later. Nicely done, maybe for a 13 year old?
• scote23

  (3/5)

  I think kids will enjoy this book more than adults will. I think that there are enough familiar aspects to the Percy Jackson series that it will feel comfortable to younger readers already familiar with Riordan's style, while being slightly exasperating to older readers. I still think it is worth reading and owning.
  
  Side note: Had some confusion with getting this one mixed up with The Alchemyst. Not sure if that is just me, or if there are a lot of similiarities between the two books.
• bunwat_1

  (3/5)

  Fun! I liked this. It was fast paced and had some humor, I particularly laughed when the hero was in the form of Horus and fighting a monster from Egyptian tomb paintings and a little kid yelled "kill the bad moose, chicken man!" There was a little too much foreshadowing for my taste but on the whole it was a fun read.
• kimjd_2

  (5/5)

  As much as I enjoy the Percy Jackson series, this new series featuring brother and sister Carter and Sadie is even richer and more edge-of-your-seat. The shifting point of view between the two siblings (and their snarky sibling-esque asides to each other) work beautifully, and Riordan breathes life into the well-known and little-known Egyptian gods in a way that he never quite achieves with the Olympians. A captivating and multi-layered story... can't wait to see what he does with the sequel.
• sheilaruth-1

  (4/5)

  The Red Pyramid is an enjoyable middle-grade novel. Like the Percy Jackson books, it has interaction between gods and mortals, in this case featuring the Egyptian pantheon. There's plenty of excitement and interesting information about Egyptian mythology. The book isn't as funny as the Percy Jackson books, though, although it tries to be. Although Carter and Sadie are good characters, they don't have the distinctive voice that Percy Jackson does.
• lemurkat

  (3/5)

  Rick Riordan wites fun, fast paced action books with a supernatural element. In Percy Jackson, he brought the Greek Gods to life - now he does the same for the Egyptian Gods. This story is funny, weith lots of excitement and a few twists that will keep the younger reader hooked. Like the Percy Jackson novels, the language is not exactly high-quality, but since the narrators are children, it works well. What doesn't work so well is the fact that this book is written in split narrative with both been first person. Sometimes Carter writes a chapter, sometimes it's his sister Sadie's job. To make it easier to keep track (when you put it down partway through a chapter) each chapter has headers saying her the narrator is, but I still found it a little disorientating. Split-first-person-narrative is not the easiest to get one's head around. Nevertheless - you want fun, ation and adventure, Riordan's your man.
• liz.mabry

  (3/5)

  I'm not a fan of the Percy Jackson books, but I really love Egyptian/archaelogical intrigue with children as protagonists, so I decided to give this a try. I wasn't too thrilled with the conceit of having a "mysterious transcription" as the method for telling the story, and almost gave it up at the first page. But I decided to stick it out for a bit, and I'm glad I did. After about the first 50-75 pages, it gets much better.
  
  The narrative flips between two viewpoints, but it's done well. Eventually, the "transcription" idea [snarky asides, etc.] pretty much disappears from view, and it is just a straight up first person narrative. Even though it's ostensibly two narrators, the voices are incredibly similar - to the point that unless I checked, I couldn't tell which character it was supposed to be. Given the difference between the two, I think it would have been easy enough - and a better read - to have clearly different voices for each.
  
  The second book in the series doesn't come out til May, but I'll probably read it. I like the R.L. LaFevers' Theodosia series much better, but this is alright.
• alyson_1

  (3/5)

  Just a little too action packed for my tastes. I would have prefered more character development and Egypt background. I liked Sadie and Carter but they seemed more like 14 and 16 rather than 12 and 14. Enough of my complaining - the book is a great adventure for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.
• zabetreading

  (4/5)

  An excellent beginning to a new series.