Synopses & Reviews
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them--Set has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe -- a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
Review
This fun, if formulaic, start to the Kane Chronicles series opens with a signature Riordan move: an explosion. Siblings Carter and Sadie have been living apart since their mother's mysterious death. On Christmas Eve, archeologist Julius Kane and son Carter, 14, show up in England for one of their two days a year with Sadie. Julius ushers his children to the British Museum, where he blows up the Rosetta Stone, unleashing five Egyptian gods and causing his own disappearance. The kids' Uncle Amos whisks them to a Brooklyn mansion, where he reveals that the Kanes descend from powerful Egyptian magicians. Swap Egyptian mythology for Percy Jackson's Greek gods and you've got the best part of this-an ancient history lesson seamlessly unfurled in a rip-roaring adventure. Told in alternating chapters by Carter and Sadie, the novel begins with a warning that the book is a "transcript of a digital recording," a distracting gimmick, and the attempts to make Sadie sound English by dropping in British slang are intermittent. Despite those flaws, Riordan delivers another funny yarn with kids in the lead and animal sidekicks that nearly steal the show.--PW
Review
Siblings Carter and Sadie Kane are plunged into a world of Egyptian gods and monsters when their father, secretly a powerful magician and descendant of the pharaohs, disappears after a failed spell blows up the Rosetta Stone and summons five gods into the mortal world. Fleeing assassination orders from the underground House of Life, the brother and sister begin to discover their new powers-to read hieroglyphics, to work spells using Divine Words, to create ghostly avatars to help them in combat-and soon learn that Carter is host to Horus, god of war, while Isis, goddess of wisdom, has manifested in Sadie. Under attack from magicians, monsters, and crocodile gods alike, and hoping to rescue their father from Set, god of chaos, the Kanes must find a way to banish the chaos god before he destroys all of North America. Similar in concept to the author's best-selling Percy Jackson books, the new series relies lightly on formula, here invoking Egyptian (rather than Greek) mythology and culture in a story driven by wisecracking adolescents in the modern world. Refreshingly for fantasy, Carter and Sadie are biracial; nicely individuated with honest, compelling voices, they share the duties of narration, while the action hits its stride in the second chapter and never lets up. Fans of the Riordan magic-equal parts danger, myth, and irreverence-will embrace this new series with open arms.--Horn Book
Review
Riordan takes the elements that made the "Percy Jackson" (Hyperion) books so popular and ratchets them up a notch. Carter, 14, and Sadie, 12, have grown up apart. He has traveled all over the world with his Egyptologist father, Dr. Julius Kane, while Sadie has lived in London with her grandparents. Their mother passed away under mysterious circumstances, so when their father arrives in London and wants to take them both on a private tour of the British Museum, all is not necessarily what it seems. The evening ends with the apparent destruction of the Rosetta Stone, the disappearance of Dr. Kane, and the kidnapping of Carter and Sadie. More insidiously, it leads to the release of five Egyptian gods, including Set, who is their mortal enemy. Carter and Sadie discover the secrets of their family heritage and their ability to work magic as they realize that their task will be to save humanity from Set, who is building a destructive red pyramid inside Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. The text is presented as the transcript of an audio recording done by both children. Riordan creates two distinct and realistic voices for the siblings. He has a winning formula, but this book goes beyond the formulaic to present a truly original take on Egyptian mythology. His trademark humor is here in abundance, and there are numerous passages that will cause readers to double over with laughter. The humor never takes away from the story or from the overall tone. A must-have book, and in multiple copies.--SLJ
Review
Since their mother's death, six years ago, 12-year-old Sadie Kane has lived in London with her maternal grandparents while her older brother, 14-year-old Carter, has traveled the world with their father, a renowned African American Egyptologist. In London on Christmas Eve for a rare evening together, Carter and Sadie accompany their dad to the British Museum, where he blows up the Rosetta Stone in summoning an Egyptian god. Unleashed, the vengeful god overpowers and entombs him, but Sadie and Carter escape. Initially determined to rescue their father, their mission expands to include understanding their hidden magical powers as the descendants of the pharaohs and taking on the ancient forces bent on destroying mankind. The first-person narrative shifts between Carter and Sadie, giving the novel an intriguing dual perspective made more complex by their biracial heritage and the tension between the siblings, who barely know each other at the story's beginning. The first volume in the Kane Chronicles, this fantasy adventure delivers what fans loved about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: young protagonists with previously unsuspected magical powers, a riveting story marked by headlong adventure, a complex background rooted in ancient mythology, and wry, witty twenty-first-century narration. The last pages contain a clever twist that will leave readers secretly longing to open their lockers at the start of school.--Booklist
Synopsis
The bestselling author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians takes on ancient Egypt in the first book of a trilogy that offers a modern-day portal into a rich fantastical world of ancient myth."Fans of the Riordan magic--equal parts danger, myth, and irreverence--will embrace this new series with open arms."-
The Horn Book- #1 New York Times best-seller
- Rick Riordan, a master at making mythology fun and relevant, takes on ancient Egypt
- Told in two points of view, one male and one female
- Combines witty, relatable heroes, gods and monsters, prophecies and curses, and non-stop action
- Ideal for middle grade readers, but older readers will enjoy it, too
- Soon to be adapted into a movie for Netflix, with Rick attached as producer
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them--Set?has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe -- a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
Synopsis
To stop Egyptian god Set from going after their father, siblings Carter and Sadie embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest which brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
Synopsis
From the creator of the hit Percy Jackson series, this new fantasy brings ancient Egyptian mythology to life in a vivid modern-day setting.
Synopsis
From the creator of the hit Percy Jackson series, this new fantasy brings ancient Egyptian mythology to life in a vivid modern-day setting.
Synopsis
Each new Shark Wars book brings higher stakes--and hungrier sharks!
Gray thought he could trust Takiza, the wise yet mysterious betta fish who's been his guide and mentor in the often treacherous depths of the Big Blue. But the news that Takiza was responsible for the death of Gray's father has shaken Gray to his very core. Now Gray is questioning everything he thought he knew.
The time to find answers is running short. The prehistores--prehistoric sea monsters long thought to be extinct--are breaking out of the underwater volcano range that has kept them hidden for millennia. Gray, Barkley, and their friends and shivermates must prepare for a war unlike any they've faced before!
Shark Wars is Star Wars set underwater--it's a modern-day Warriors for today's voracious readers!
Synopsis
As the first Shark Wars series arc draws to a close, hero Gray unexpectedly finds himself the ruler of the ocean. He's got to make wise decisions in a time of upheaval and isn't sure if he's up to the task!
Dangerous prehistores are loose in the Big Blue, and Gray must defeat their evil leader, Grimkahn. But if he is to do that, he and Barkley must first outsmart the sneaky and dangerous frilled shark, Hokuu. . . .
Synopsis
Each new Shark Wars book brings higher stakes--and hungrier sharks!
Gray thought he could trust Takiza, the wise yet mysterious betta fish who's been his guide and mentor in the often treacherous depths of the Big Blue. But the news that Takiza was responsible for the death of Gray's father has shaken Gray to his very core. Now Gray is questioning everything he thought he knew.
The time to find answers is running short. The prehistores--prehistoric sea monsters long thought to be extinct--are breaking out of the underwater volcano range that has kept them hidden for millennia. Gray, Barkley, and their friends and shivermates must prepare for a war unlike any they've faced before!
Shark Wars is Star Wars set underwater--it's a modern-day Warriors for today's voracious readers!
Synopsis
As the first Shark Wars series arc draws to a close, hero Gray unexpectedly finds himself the ruler of the ocean. He's got to make wise decisions in a time of upheaval and isn't sure if he's up to the task!
Dangerous prehistores are loose in the Big Blue, and Gray must defeat their evil leader, Grimkahn. But if he is to do that, he and Barkley must first outsmart the sneaky and dangerous frilled shark, Hokuu. . . .
About the Author
Rick Riordan (www.rickriordan.com) is the author of the New York Times #1 best-selling The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero; the New York Times #1 best-selling The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid; as well as all five books in the New York Times #1 best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: The Lightning Thief; The Sea of Monsters; The Titan's Curse; The Battle of the Labyrinth; and The Last Olympian. His previous novels for adults include the hugely popular Tres Navarre series, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two sons.