Review: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus Book 2)

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, has woken from a very deep sleep and come face to face with two snake-haired ladies who refuse to die.

But they're the least of his problems. Because Percy finds himself at a camp for half-bloods, which doesn't ring any bells for him. There's just one name he remembers from his past. Annabeth.

Only one thing is certain - Percy's questing days aren't over. He and fellow demigods Frank and Hazel must face the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven.If they fail, it's not just their camp at risk. Percy's old life, the gods, and the entire world might be destroyed . . .

I have been looking forward to reading this for pretty much a whole year, although it really does not seem like twelve months since I read the first Heroes of Olympus book, The Lost Hero. A word of warning before I go on though: if you haven't read that book yet then proceed with caution as this review may contain a few spoilers. Apart from the fact that I love Rick Riordan's writing, and that The Lost Hero was, in my opinion, a return to form after the slightly disappointing (for me at least) The Red Pyramid, one of the key reasons for my excitement regarding this book was its title. Anyone who knows a small amount about Roman mythology knows that Neptune was their god of the sea. In other words, Neptune is the Roman equivalent of Poseidon, therefore meaning that The Son of Neptune could mean only one thing..... the return of Percy Jackson! 

Yes, PJ fans, your hero is back in another action-packed adventure, and I loved every moment of it. Despite my excitement about this book, in the back of my mind I guess I was a little worried that it would either a) not match the quality of the original series and/or b) feel like I had read it all before. I had nothing to be worried about: first off, the quality is as high as ever and secondly, Rick Riordan very cleverly prevents b) from happening by doing what he did to Jason in The Lost Hero, i.e. completely wiping his memory of all that had come before. He can remember his name, and he has a slowly fading memory of a girl called Annabeth, but that is it. And so we begin all over again.

The book starts at roughly the same moment in the Heroes of Olympus timeline as The Lost Hero ended. Percy is on the run in California, pursued by a pair of revenge-hungry gorgons who just refuse to die. His demigod instincts lead him to the entrance to a camp that he did not know existed, and despite the nasty sisters hot on his heels, he also manages to 'rescue' an old lady and take her in with him. Of course, in the world of Percy Jackson old ladies are rarely what they first seem, and in this case his rescuee is no other than Juno (the Roman equivalent of Hera, and someone who has at times been something of an irritating thorn in PJ's side). 

Camp Jupiter is very different to Camp Half-Blood, with the layout and architecture all set out to emulate the style that was typical in ancient Rome. The set-up in the camp is also very different to that of its Greek equivalent. As would be expected with any society based upon that of ancient Rome, everything is very regimented, with the camp members sorted into cohorts, each with its own lead centurion, and all overseen by a senate and a pair of praetors. Naturally there is a good deal of suspicion towards Percy, however his taking Juno into the camp, and using his powers over water to aid the camp members in defeating the gorgons, means that he is quickly accepted into the fold, albeit with hefty dose of suspicion from some members, one of which knows Percy from a long time ago (and we are talking the earlier part of the original PJ series here).

Obviously if this whole story was set in Camp Jupiter then it might have been quite difficult for even Rick Riordan to keep things interesting, and so it is not long before Percy finds himself setting off on another quest, but with a brand set of friends that he needs to learn and to trust, and vice versa. The adventure that ensues is as good as any that we have read from Rick Riordan in the past, and even though there is the occasional mention or appearance of monsters and characters from Percy's past, it still feels very fresh and most definitely not predictable in any way. Hazel and Frank, the two new characters who are tasked with accompanying Percy on the quest both come with a both secrets and flaws, and these elements keep us guessing at the final outcome right up to the climax of the story.

I'm not sure this is my favourite Percy Jackson adventure, although it comes close. Although I am not generally a fan of stories written in the first person I am a huge fan of Percy's voice in those original five books, and in this book, which is narrated in the third person, he has to share the limelight with Frank and Hazel. As we know Percy already the author seems to assume that all of his readers have read the original books, and therefore in this story I found it a lot easier to engage with Hazel and Frank as their characters were developed so much more fully. This is not a criticism as at 500+ pages The Son of Neptune is already a pretty hefty tome and to have spent more time on Percy would probably have made it too long for its main target audience.

The Son of Neptune was published on 4th October and my thanks go to Just So for Puffin books for sending me a copy to read and review. If you have not yet read the original Percy Jackson series then you really should do before embarking on a journey with the Heroes of Olympus series.

OLYMPIAN WEEK Blog Tour Day 1 - Interview with Rick Riordan

Photo of Rick Riordan by Marty Umans

Wow... I am sort of lost for words right this moment. When I started this blog my intention was to try to share my knowledge of boy-friendly books with a hope that one or two parents may find something I wrote useful in helping their sons to develop an interest in reading. At no point did I think, less than two years on, that I would be hosting a Q&A with one of my writing heroes, and one of the most famous author of children's books in the world. Imagine my surprise and complete excitement when I received an email from just so for Puffin Books asking if I would be interested in taking part in a Rick Riordan blog tour. I was actually supposed to be taking minutes in a meeting at work and only god knows what was discussed for the next few minutes as my mind was suddenly elsewhere!

Today is Day One of Rick's Olympian Week Blog Tour, where he will be visiting seven UK blogs in order to celebrate the return of Percy Jackson (how great does that sounds PJ fans?) in the new Heroes of Olympus book, titled The Son of Neptune. Each day we will be honouring a different Greek god, and I chose Ares for The Book Zone. Let's face it - who else would be the most apt for this boy blog than the God of War himself. I have always loved the way that Rick portrayed Ares as a leather-clad biker complete with Harley Davidson, in the Percy Jackson books and even though he was often out to ruin things for Percy and his friends I couldn't help but look forward to any new appearance of his character.

Since I started The Book Zone I have received quite a number of emails from parents asking for advice regarding their son/daughter as he/she has ADHD and/or dyslexia. Knowing that Rick first wrote Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief for his son Haley who has both of these conditions I really wanted to tap into his expert knowledge for this Q&A. My huge thanks go to Rick for taking the time to answer my questions, and readers please don't shoot off straight after the interview as I have news about a great competition that is being run at the moment.

BZ: Rick, thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for us. Your books are great at engaging reluctant readers. Was this something you were consciously trying to achieve as you wrote the original Percy Jackson series?

RR: The story was originally for my dyslexic son, who was very much a reluctant reader, so yes, it was a conscious decision. My years of teaching definitely helped me craft the stories, too. I always imagine reading the books to my own classroom. I try to keep the story moving, inject plenty or humor and action, and keep things relevant for modern kids.

BZ: I have loved reading books ever since I was a child. Were you like this when you were younger or were you a reluctant reader? Who encouraged you to read when you were younger?

RR: I was a reluctant reader until I was in middle school (around age 13). That’s why I have a lot of sympathy for reluctant readers. I liked to read with my parents, and I still think that’s one of the most powerful and important ways for a family to spend time together. I remember reading E.B. White and Roald Dahl with my mom, and mythology and tall tales with my dad. But I was never a child who would sit down and read just for fun. Later, however, I got into fantasy and would spend hours in Middle Earth. My middle school English teacher showed me how the Lord of the Rings was derived from Norse mythology, and I’ve been hooked on myths ever since.

BZ: It is now popular knowledge that the original Percy Jackson came into being through your attempts to motivate your son Haley after he had been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. What effect did the books have on Haley?

RR: Over the years, Haley and Percy have grown up together. Percy became a hero. Haley did some pretty heroic things too. He learned to overcome his learning disabilities, excelled in school, became a voracious reader, and even decided he wanted to write books of his own. He recently completed his first manuscript for a novel, which is longer than anything I’ve ever written!

BZ: As a teacher I have seen first-hand the improved self-esteem that kids with ADHD and/or dyslexia have felt after reading about Percy. Is this something you hear a lot from your readers and their parents?

RR: I always love when a child tells me they started reading because of Percy Jackson. I get thank you notes from parents, teachers and kids all the time, and that is the most gratifying part of my job.

BZ: Did you read to your children when they were younger? How important do you think it is that parents read to and with their kids?

RR: Yes, absolutely. I still read to my sons, as they are usually the first ones to hear each of my new books. It’s critical that parents model reading for their children, and treat reading as a family experience. If the parents are too busy to read, it’s a given that children will model that behaviour.

BZ: I have emails from my blog readers saying that their sons find reading boring. What advice would you give these parents?

RR: It’s very important to match readers with the right books. Every boy is different, but there are books out there that can appeal to almost any reader – male or female. Nonfiction counts as reading. A sports magazine counts. So do manga or graphic novels. Some boys love fantasy, some love thrillers. Try many different things, and above all strike up a good relationship with a librarian or bookseller. They have a wealth of information about titles that appeal to boys.

BZ: What other tips do you have for parents of children who are reluctant readers, or who are diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia?

RR: When it comes to encouraging readers, one size definitely does not fit all, but a few things tend to work well for most families: Have a family reading time every night. It doesn’t matter what you read, as long as you are reading. Provide the space and instil the habit. Second, let your children have a wide selection of material to choose from, and let them make their own choices (as long as they choose something!) Try different strategies to make reading more comfortable. Some reluctant readers do well with e-readers because it makes the text seem less daunting. Some kids prefer physical books. Sometimes dyslexic children benefit from using a straightedge to follow lines of text, or reading on a different colour background, like blue or red. Audiobooks are also very useful for some reluctant readers. I’m rather ADHD, and I always have a stress ball in my hand when I try to sit with a book. It gives me an outlet for that nervous energy and actually improves my focus. Most of all, don’t despair! My own son is proof that reluctant readers don’t have to be reluctant forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again, my heartfelt thanks to Rick for agreeing to take part in this and for sharing his experiences with us. I know that these answers will go some way to helping ease the worries of some of the parents who read this blog. My thanks also go to Justin at just so for asking me if I would like to be involved in the blog tour and making my year!

The Son of Neptune is released in the Uk on 4th October. Rick's Olympian Week blog tour continues tomorrow with Hephaestus Day over at The Bookette, but before you shoot off over there why not head on over to the Hunt For A Half-Blood Hero Competition by clicking on the image below. You could be in with a chance of winning the following:

• Heroes of Olympus, Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles author Rick Riordan streamed exclusively live into your school assembly.
• A trip for your class to your local SEA LIFE Centre www.visitsealife.com
• A full set of Rick Riordan books for your library

Review: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles)

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed on the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister, Sadie, have been in big trouble.

As descendants of the magical House of Life, they command certain powers. But now a terrifying enemy – Apophis, the giant snake of chaos – is rising.

If Carter and Sadie don’t destroy him, the world will end in five days’ time. And in order to battle the forces of chaos, they must revive the sun god Ra – a feat no magician has ever achieved. Because first they must search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells . . .

Can the Kanes destroy Apophis before he swallows the sun and plunges the earth into darkness . . . forever?

In the eighteen months that I have been running The Book Zone I have not written many negative reviews. This isn't because I feel I have to keep publishers and authors happy, it just so happens that I have not read many books in this time that I have felt were not very good. Interestingly, some of my more negative reviews have not been for debut or less-known authors, but for books by writers whose previous work I have loved. One such review was for The Red Pyramid, the first book in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles series. I loved the Percy Jackson series, and they still rank amongst my favourite series of books for young people, and I also thought The Lost Hero was also very good, yet for some reason I just did not gel with The Red Pyramid, and now having read the sequel, The Throne of Fire, I wish I had the time to go back and read The Red Pyramid all over again to see if my opinion changes, especially as that one review resulted in quite a few comments and emails from young readers vehemently disagreeing with me.

At the time I personally found it difficult to get in to, and the principle reason for this was the use of the first person for telling the story, with chapters alternating between the two Kane siblings. I found this a little confusing and irritating, although I have never really been a huge fan of first person storytelling anyway. Not so for The Throne of Fire. Perhaps I was not in the right mood when I read the first book (I do occasionally suffer from kids/YA book burnout), but this time I gelled with the narration immediately, and not once did it grate on me. In fact, this time I found the alternating between characters narrating worked much better, although the story does lend itself to this much more in The Throne of Fire as Carter and Sadie spend lengthy scenes apart in the story, engaged on different tasks.

Another moan I had regarding The Red Pyramid was that due to the alternating narration sometimes the same event would be mentioned twice, but from different points of view. Now that book was 500+ pages in length and really would have gained from being trimmed back by 100 or so pages, and I think the removal of this occasional repetition would have helped greatly in this respect. The Throne of Fire is still a hefty tome, weighing in at 446 pages, and quite a big ask for many kids in the targeted age group of 9+, and yes, it could still do with being trimmed of 80 or so pages, but I did not get that sense of repetition much at all in this case. 

Another reason for The Red Pyramid's length was the need to set up the story, and this was one area where I felt that Mr Riordan did a very good job. With the main characters and situation already established it is straight into the action for the Kanes in the sequel, as they attempt a late night raid on the Brooklyn Museum, in an attempt to get their hands on the first part of The Book of Ra. We are also introduced to a couple more teenage descendants of Pharaohs, Walt and Jaz, who are now living and working with the Kanes as a result of the worldwide plea for help they sent out at the end of The Red Pyramid (as with that book, this sequel is also narrated in the form of an audio recording to be sent out to gain followers to the cause). And from then on the action comes in peaks and troughs, so although the book is a little over-long the pace is enough to keep most readers interested and excited for the duration.

Egyptian mythology is so complex compared to the Greek mythology that Mr Riordan thrilled us with in the Percy Jackson series. There seem to be far more gods, and of course many of them are not household names in the same way that their Greek counterparts are, and you really have to admire the author for the research that he has carried out, and the knowledge he has built on this subject. My knowledge of the Egyptian gods is still fairly minimal, but I do know that their stories sometimes read like an ancient soap opera, filled with petty jealousies, betrayal, and so on. Mr Riordan weaves their ancient histories into his story very well, and as readers we are sometimes as wary as the Kane siblings when it comes to which god we should place our trust in. The Throne of Fire introduces us to a further handful of these ancient Egyptian deities, and one in particular really stood out for me - the dwarf god Bes. This wonderful character had me laughing out loud at times and his first big scene on Waterloo Bridge will probably have you doing the same.

My final verdict: I feel it is a great improvement on The Red Pyramid, although if I had the time I would definitely re-read that first book to see if I feel any differently about it now. Sometimes when I am writing a review I have to make a great effort to remind myself that I am reviewing books written for younger readers, and in this case the 9+ age group, and therefore do the occasional gripes I have as an adult reader really matter to younger readers. I know for a fact that The Red Pyramid has been very popular in the school library, and rarely gets to sit on the shelf for more than a day before it is taken out again, and the comments and emails I got following my review of it were testament to how much many other children had enjoyed it. 

My thanks go the the generous people at Just So for Puffin Books for sending me a copy of The Throne of Fire to review. It is released in hardback today, and paperback edition of The Red Pyramid is due out on 5th May.

News: Book Cover - The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (The Kane Chronicles)

I am slightly behind the rest of the world with this one as it was last week that I received the email informing that the cover for Rick Riordan's second Kane Chronicles book had been unveiled. However, I have spent the best part of the last week in bed with a horrible flu thing and I completely forgot about that email. If you have read my review of The Red Pyramid, the first book in the Kane Chronicles series, then you will know that I was a little disappointed with it. However, I loved The Lost Hero and let's face it - the release of any new Rick Riordan book is something to be excited about so I am determined to keep an open mind when I get the chance to read The Throne of Fire, and rest assured that when I have my review will appear here.

Anyway, my apologies for the somewhat belated post about the cover of The Throne of Fire - what do you think of it? I personally think it is a huge improvement on the cover for The Red Pyramid, and I definitely prefer it over the US cover.

The Throne of Fire is scheduled to be released in the UK by Puffin on 3rd May, and if you have not yet read The Red Pyramid then you will be able to get the paperback version that is being published on the same day. For a teaser of what is to come for the Kanes then why not pop on over to www.kanechronicles.co.uk were you can preview the first chapter of the new book. Percy Jackson fans - you will have to wait until October to get your hands on the next (as yet untitled) book in the Heroes of Olympus series.

*** Contest: WIN a signed copy of The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

This is one prize that needs very little in the way of introduction. After all, who hasn't heard of Rick Riordan. Now, thanks to the generous people at Just So for Puffin Books I have a signed copy of The Lost Hero to give away to a reader of The Book Zone. In order to be in with a chance of winning a copy of this book all you have to do is answer the simple question and fill in your details on the form below.

The first name drawn at random after the closing date will win a copy of the book. Deadline for entries is 8pm Friday 18th February. This contest is open to UK residents only.



Contest open to UK residents only.
Neither Just So or I will not be held responsible for items lost in the mail.
I hold the right to end a contest before its original deadline without any prior notice.
I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.
I will contact winning entrants for their postal address following the close of the competition. Winners have 48 hours to reply. Failure to do so in this time will result in another winner being randomly selected.

Review: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus)

When Jason, Piper and Leo crash land at Camp Half-Blood, they have no idea what to expect. Apparently this is the only safe place for children of the Greek Gods – despite the monsters roaming the woods and demigods practising archery with flaming arrows and explosives.

But rumours of a terrible curse – and a missing hero – are flying around camp. It seems Jason, Piper and Leo are the chosen ones to embark on a terrifying new quest, which they must complete by the winter solstice. In just four days time.

Can the trio succeed on this deadly mission – and what must they sacrifice in order to survive?

Drum roll......


Trumpet fanfare......


Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I hereby declare that Rick Riordan is back on form!

I know a number of Book Zone readers disagreed with my review of The Red Pyramid that I posted earlier this year, and I was really pleased that some took the time to question my judgement by writing comments on my blog. It is important that young readers formulate their own opinions about books and I respect every one of them. In case you haven't read my review, I personally felt a little disappointed on finishing it - in my opinion it just wasn't as good as the Percy Jackson books. Maybe my enjoyment of the PJ series is heightened by a greater personal knowledge of Greek mythology than that of Ancient Egypt? Whatever the reason, all that is in the past as in my eyes Rick Riordan is back on top with The Lost Hero, the first book in his new Heroes of Olympus series.

The new story starts sometime after the events of Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian, and rigth away we are introduced to a brand new set of demigods. First up there is Jason, of whom I can tell you very little. Why? Because he has amnesia - he finds himself 'waking up' on a school bus heading for an educational center at the Grand Canyon, surrounded by people who know him, and yet he has no memory of them at all. He is even more unnerved when two of them claim to be his best friend and his girlfriend. What is he doing here? Why does he not remember these people?

Next up is Piper, daughter of a Hollywood movie star, and in her memory at least, the girlfriend of the bemused Jason. Unlike Jason, Piper already has an inkling that something is going on as she is harbouring a dark secret that is burning her up inside, as she knows that she is going to have to cause great hurt and harm to her closest friends in the near future.

The third of our new demigods is Leo, troubled orphan, but very much the joker in the pack. He also has a special skill - he is great with machines and can fix just about anything, but he also possesses a power that he wants to keep hidden from the rest of the world as the last time he used it there were disastrous and painful consequences.

Whilst the Percy Jackson books were a voyage of discovery for one person, surrounded by an entourage of exciting and colourful characters, The Lost Hero is very much the story of all three of the new characters, and as such is told in the third person (as compared to the PJ series which was narrated in Percy's voice). Even though it is early days for these characters, because of Mr Riordan's telling of the story in this way, in just this one book I felt that I got to know them much better than the majority of the characers in the Percy Jackson series, even after reading all five books. The third person narrative really helps us as readers to get into the heads of the three new demigods, and as they all have so much to hide from each other this story just wouldn't have worked anywhere near as well in the first person.

Aside from great modern characters that perfectly fit the legacy of ancient greek mythology, another of Rick Riordan's trademarks are his adrenaline-fuelled action scenes, and fans will not be disappointed here - the 550 page book is filled with such scenes, with our heroes finding themselves up against all kinds of monsters and eveil creatures almost from the first chapter. One of my nagging worries before opening this book was whether the author would be able to keep these scenes from getting stale and 'by-the-number'; after all, surely there are only so many ways a hero can defeat a monster? I had little to fear - the vast treasury of legends from Ancient Greece (and now Ancient Rome as well) means that there is no shortage of seemingly unbeatable monsters to throw in the paths of our young heroes.

Did I say Ancient Rome just then? Yes I did, and it wasn't an error - in The Lost Hero Rick Riordan has started to introduce elements of the mythology from that civilization as well. In order to make the story different from that of the original PJ series this makes perfect sense. After all, many of the Greek Gods were adopted by the Romans, just with different names. Zeus became Jupiter; Hera became Juno; Hephaestus became Vulcan; and so on. However, not only did the Romans change the names of these gods, they also changed their personalities to reflect their own empire building nature and we start to see elements of this in the new book. Rick Riordan manages to bring the myths of these two cultures together almost seamlessly, sometimes even using plot elements from the PJ series to explain certain things. Without giving too much away I think we will see much more of these 'new' gods in future books in the series.

To say much more about the story would be to create spoilers, and I am being so careful not to do this. I can't tell you any more about Jason's amnesia as the plot pretty much revolves around this. And as for the absence of Percy Jackson from this story? Please don't ask, for he could be the lost hero of the title and to say any more would ruin things for you. What did amaze me though, was that although Percy is missing, and some familiar characters (including Chiron and Annabeth) are very concerned about this, Percy's disappearance very quickly fades into the back of our minds as we become so much more interested in the trials and tribulations of our new team of demigods. Percy's disappearance could very easily have become the focus of this story, but it isn't and the book is even better for this. Rick Riordan has promised an appearance from PJ at some point in the series, so die hard fans have a great deal to look forward to. It could even be in the next book in the series - this is to be entitled Son of Neptune, and anyone with a knowledge of both Greek and Roman mythology will know why I am excited by this title.

Despite bringing the first adventure for our new demigods to a satisfying conclusion, the end of the book ends on a pretty massive cliffhanger, as well as leaving the reader with a number of "but...?" and "what if...?" questions, more of which started to pop into my head as I wrote this review. I am certainly very much looking forward to the next instalment in this new series, although I will have to wait until autumn 2011 for this.

News: Heroes of Olympus - The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Nope... not a review just yet, just a little taster of what is to come next month. Many of you will already know that Rick Riordan has started a new series, the first book of which is due out on 12th October. For those of you who didn't know this and are now saying "yeah, yeah we already know..... it's based on the ancient Egyptian Gods abd it came out earlier this year" I am not talking about The Kane Chronicles, I am talking about his new Heroes of Olympus series. Yes... that Olympus. The Percy Jackson Olympus. It seems like Rick Riordan cannot stop writing at the moment, and now wants to take readers back into the world he created with his phenomenally successful Percy Jackson books.

The first book in the series is entitled The Lost Hero but you are unlikely to find any reviews of it before its release date as it is under a world-wide embargo. As a reviewer I find this sort of thing very exciting - I love the idea that everyone gets the chance to own a copy on the same day and I have fond memories of waiting in anticipation for the last few Harry Potter books, and not daring to turn the TV on during the day of release for fear of hearing spoilers. I also remember reading The Half-Blood Prince well into the early hours of a Monday morning so that none of my students at school could ruin things for me. If you want a sneaky peak at the first two chapters of The Lost Hero you can download them from here or alternatively see them online now at http://www.percyjackson.co.uk/, as well as finding out all sorts of other information about Rick and his fantastic books.

Despite being very busy writing Rick Riordan is also somehow finding the time to travel over to Britain for a book tour. I am very excited to have just bought a ticket to hear him speak in Winchester on 31st October as part of the Wessex Children's Book Festival (details can be found here), and he is also going to be making a public appearance to sign books at Waterstones in BlueWater on Saturday 6th November.

I am also very excited about an event called Rick Riordan: Virtually Live which is going to take place at 2pm on 2nd November. School, libraries and individuals can sign up now to register to watch a live webcast by Rick at http://www.rickriordanvirtuallylive.co.uk/ (some of you may remember Eoin Colfer taking part in something similar ealier this year). I hope many schools across the country (and possibly further afield) will take the time to register for this and allow some of their students to watch it and submit questions for Rick to answer.

Of course, when the book is released there will definitely be a review posted on The Book Zone as soon as I have read it so please watch this space.

Review: The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles) by Rick Riordan

Carter and Sadie have nothing in common but their parents: their father Dr. Julius Kane, a brilliant Egyptologist, and their mother, a famed archaeologist who died under mysterious circumstances when they were young. The siblings barely know each other, but one night, their father brings them together at the British Museum, promising a ‘research experiment’ that will set things right for their family. His plans go horribly wrong. An explosion unleashes an ancient evil – the Egyptian god Set who banishes Dr. Kane to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. Now orphaned, Carter and Sadie must embark on a dangerous quest – from Cairo to Paris to the American Southwest, to save their father and stop Set from destroying everything they care about . . .

As a child I had quite a collection of Ladybird Books, as did many other kids who grew up during the 70s, and my favourites were the two Famous Legends books which included the stories of Theseus and Perseus. I have harboured this interest ever since and loved Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, both for the clever way in which he brought those classic myths into the 21st Century and also for the way in which, through the Percy books, he ignited an interest in these myths for a new generation of kids. As I grew up I developed an interest in the mythologies of other cultures, and especially in those of the Ancient Egyptians. I have been lucky enough to spend a few weeks travelling in Egypt, and last year took my very excited godson, who also shares this interest, to the Tutankhamun exhibition when it came to London. I have therefore been looking forward to reading Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid ever since I first heard about it back in October of last year.

So, did it meet my expectations? I wish the answer was a straightforward yes, but it isn't. However, it is also not a no either. Don't get me wrong, on balance I enjoyed it but it is flawed in several ways that disappointed me. First of, unlike the Percy Jackson series, this took me longer than usual to get into. I think this was because of the way the story is told, in the form of a first person narration by the two main characters, Carter and Sadie Kane, alternating every couple of chapters (supposedly they are recording their story for others to discover). At first I found this a little irritating, although I eventually got used to it (although I'm not sure I needed the supposedly humorous asides that were occasionally slotted in). I also have to admit that I found it a little confusing at times and had to double-check who was narrating from time to time (the publishers made this easy for me by having the name of the narrator at the top of each odd-numbered page), and for me this is a weakness in the author's ability to give his characters individual and distinct voices - Carter and Sadie just 'sound' far too similar, even though one of them has grown up travelling the world with his father and the other has lived a far more normal life with her grandparents in London (and despite this she often doesn't 'sound' British at all).

This way of telling the story leads sraight on to my second moan - there are a number of times throughout the book where a particular incident is told from one character's point of view, and then subsequently retold by the other character when it is their turn to narrate. The consequences of this are that a) the pace of what would otherwise be a very fast-paced plot from beginning to end is affected and b) the book ends up being much longer than it needed to be. In fact, some readers may be deterred from even picking up this book as it weighs in at a mighty 514 pages.

OK... that's my moans taken care of so what elements of the book did I enjoy? Well first of all the 500+ pages are not solely due to the irritating retelling of scenes - as the first book in a new series there has to be a large amount of setting up take place and I believe that Rick Riordan does this pretty well. I think this was easier for him in the Percy Jackson series as the concept of ancient Greek Gods having modern-day offspring was more straightforward. In The Red Pyramid Carter and Sadie are not gods or even demi-gods, they are just normal kids who happen to be descended from the pharoahs of ancient Egypt. This requires a lot of necessary history telling and world building as the two siblings slowly discover that their lives are far from ordinary.

I also loved the way Rick Riordan built the mythology of Ancient Egypt into this modern tale - this man really knows his stuff! Some might say that he is just repeating a formula that he has already proved to be successful, but this is certainly no Percy Jackson copy. Egyptian mythology is far more complicated than the Greek tales and also far less well known (Mummy movies aside it has been represented on the big screen far fewer times) and this creates quite a task for the author. Just read this short piece on Wikipedia about Osiris and you will see what I mean about complicated. However, as I said, Rick Riordan knows his material and his passion for this mythology really shines through, just as it did in the Percy Jackson series, and this will give the inquisitive minds of his young (and old) readers to further investigate and learn about these ancient stories (I have spent a good few hours reading up on the likes of Isis, Horus and Set since I finished the book).

Despite my previous moans and all this plot setting, world building and myth telling the story is still pretty fast paced with the siblings going from one life threatening escapade to the next, sometimes with little time for the reader to get his/her breath back. Rick Riordan has already proven his story telling abilities in the past, and despite its faults this is still an exciting adventure story with plot twists, great battle scenes and engaging characters (including a basketball loving baboon called Khufu). Yes, I was a little disappointed with it, but the Percy Jackson series is a high standard against which to compare this book, and even with the faults it is still a lot better than many books on the market for the 9+ age group. And this disappointment does not mean that I am not already looking forward to the next in the series; in actual fact I am really excited about continuing with this series in the future as I feel that now the scene has been set and the characters established we will see more of the Rick Riordan storytelling that we have come to know and love.

Initially Mr Riordan stated that The Red Pyramid would be the first book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy, although he also said that given the opportunity he may take the story further than this. If this is the case and the books are all this thick then I just may have to invest in a new set of bookshelves to make room for them. The Red Pyramid is published in the UK by Puffin, who very kindly sent me this copy to review, and is available to buy right now. You can find out more about the book and the mythology behind it at the official Kane Chronicles website.