The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid
by Rick Riordan

Release Date: 4th May 2010
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN: 978 0 1413 8494 8
RRP: £12.99

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The Egyptian Gods are real - who'd have thought it?

Riordan is back. This time he swaps Greek Gods for Egyptian and a trio of friends for a killer brother and sister team (figuratively speaking).

Sadie and Carter Kane are brother and sister, but they couldn’t be more different if they tried. Separated at a young age after the untimely death of their mother; Carter has spent years being hauled around the world with his secretive archaeologist father, whilst Sadie stayed in England with her overprotective Grandparents. Their mother’s death has remained an unspoken mystery, until their father sets out to make “things right” – which turns out to mean blowing up a priceless artefact with unusual consequences. Finding themselves harbouring the essences of Isis and Horus, Sadie and Carter must learn to control their inner God in order to defeat the released God of Chaos - Set. But things aren’t all that straightforward: there’s a hostile group of magicians called “The House of Life” who are out to destroy them, a basketball mad baboon, albino crocodile, demons and wax figurines with attitude – the Kane’s absolutely have their work cut out for them.

For the sceptical who think this is just an alternate version of Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” series: yes, there are similarities. Gods are involved but our heroes are not part God (although they are descended from the Pharaohs’ bloodline), so are demons and bad guys – but The Red Pyramid is jam packed full of all things Egyptian, which is definitely not Greek... Written with pace, humour and from the unusual perspective of a transcribed voice recording; The Red Pyramid has its own unique flavour of action. Sadie is perhaps a little too mature and sassy for a twelve-year-old, whilst Carter is astonishingly far from worldly-wise despite his unconventional upbringing, but their relationship is reassuringly full of banter, eyeball rolling and the odd poke in the ribs.

Hieroglyphs, Egyptian Gods with all their funky bestial characteristics (we are loving Bast – Goddess of Cats) and a terrifying serpent-like being called Apophis: The Kane Chronicles promises to be as equally addictive as Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and even better – it seems like we’re all invited!