by Rick Riordan
published in 2010 by Disney, Hyperion Books
Summary: Some of you may know Rick Riordan from his adult works of fiction; I was introduced to him through the process of reading with Deuce, Little Faron, who ordered the first three books in Riordan's series about Percy Jackson and the Olympians from his Scholastic Book Order. The Percy series is geared towards teens and creates an interesting meld between Ancient Greek Mythology and modern America. It is written to entertain but at the same time to inspire children to learn more about Ancient Greece and its religious beliefs. That series came to a conclusion last year with The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5)
, but its success has driven Riordan to craft a new series, this time based on Ancient Egypt. The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) is the first in what is meant to be a trilogy about Carter and Sadie Kane, modern day who children who are blood descendants of the ancient pharaohs. Just as the Percy series embraced Greek Mythology, Pyramid embraces Egyptian Mythology. It begins a story setting not so much good against evil, but order against chaos and the children, whose family are also descendants of the magicians of ancient Egypt like the ones Moses overcame, are the key to the victory of order. The story moves from England to New York and ultimately Arizona as they follow the clues to help uncover the solution that will help them win the battle over chaos.Review: Once again Riordan has written a well paced, compelling book that draws you into not only the story but also Egyptian Mythology. Carter and Sadie are well written characters that both teens and adults can related with. Carter is the rule follower while Sadie is the rebel, but they both have a value system of honor that inspires heroism. I finished the book with a sense of satisfaction of a read well worth my time, but a burning inside to study to have a better understand of Ancient Egypt. As a pastor and thinking about the Israelites interactions with the Pharaohs and Egyptian magicians, I walked away with some new insight and different lens through which I could read some scripture verses. For example, the verse from Isaiah about making your sins that are like scarlet as white as snow. I always thought of black as the opposite color of white, black representing evil and white good, but there is a discussion in Riordan's book between the children and the gods regarding the symbolism of color. Carter wonders why red is the color of evil rather than black. The reply is that red is the color of the desert which has no water, no life, no hope while black is the color of fertile soil which is the giver of life and food and hope. What rich imagery; and it has inspired me to gain a better understanding of Ancient Egypt.
Reading Recommendation: YES, for teens and adults alike (Deuce and I both loved it!)
The Red Pyramid is a good start for a great series. The switch from Greek to Egyptian mythology was a big change on Rick Riordon's part. He still did a great job getting an interesting book out.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great start and the second was a solid build on the first. While I haven't enjoyed them as much as the Percy series, I have really enjoyed the foray into Egyptian mythology as I had only a vague understanding of it prior to these books. I can't wait for May 2nd and the release of the third book!
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