You likely have heard about Rick Riordan and his Percy Jackson series (I even reviewed Percy Jackson and the Olympians series back in November 2024). But what you may not know is Mr. Riordan has written several other series set in other mythologies. Today I’m going to review the core books of the Kane Chronicles (books 1-3). I have loved Egyptian mythology since watching The Secrets of Isis as a child (on television 1975-1976 plus reruns thereafter – come, on, of course I watched the first regular superhero-type show to star a female lead), so I jumped on reading this middle-grade series once I knew it existed.
The Kane Chronicles
Book 1: The Red Pyramid
Book 2: The Throne of Fire
Book 3: The Serpent’s Shadow
All books checked out and read through my local library system. These are extremely popular and are likely in your local library too.
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE RED PYRAMID
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.
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.
MY REVIEW for THE RED PYRAMID
The Kane Chronicles is no Percy Jackson and the Olympiads, and that is just fine.
What is the same:
Children between the ages of 10 and 14 doing their best to survive in a world where parents (apparently – but, not really) have made bad choices.
Parent bad choices are based on tradition and history and complications of relationships – where sometimes the choices they faced were bad or worse. The parents choose the horrible ones that would at least let their children grow up.
A historical mythology is taken, obviously well-researched, and adjusted by worldbuilding to a rare tightly woven tapestry.
What is different:
Egyptian mythology (instead of Greek) with its layers of dynasties and changes over the millenniums; and Mr. Riordan integrates the fabric of multiple dynasties into a coherent whole.
Sibling dynamics instead of friendship dynamics.
More female power roles. – Not to say Annabeth isn’t a powerhouse on her own, but in the end she is the Main Character’s (Percy Jackson’s) girlfriend. Sadie, sharing the title of “The Kane Chronicles,” is even more important to the story, standing equal to her brother. Their “chaperone” isn’t a satyr (male), centaur (male), or camp head-god (male), but female (cat-goddess). Their strongest ally in the enemy camp is also female.
Parent bonds are with the Father instead of the Mother.
Overall, the pacing is slower than the breakneck speed of Percy, but I appreciated the time to breathe between attacks. (The monsters are JUST as fascinating.) The humor is dialed back a notch, but then both Carter’s and Sadie’s upbringing were more restrictive than Percy’s. Meanwhile the world-hopping wonder we previously experienced in Percy is cranked up to eleven here, with the entire globe a playground for the Egyptian magicians. I look forward to what other connections Mr. Riordan make between Egyptian architecture linking locations around the sphere we call Earth, or Geb’s rolling landscape.
Not the same, because that would be boring. But not too different either.
Bonus diversity points – (1) stronger women characters; (2) the melanin and cultural differences of the world stage play a stronger role than the more USA-centric focus of Percy.
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE THRONE OF FIRE
Ever since the gods of ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister, Sadie, have been in trouble.
As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven’t given them time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, a training ground for young magicians.
And now their most threatening enemy yet—the Chaos snake, Apophis—is rising. If they don’t prevent him from breaking free in a few days’ time, the world will end. In other words, it’s a typical week for the Kane family.
To have any chance of battling the forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god, Ra. But that would be a feat more difficult than any magician has ever accomplished. First they have to search the world for the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is, exactly?
Narrated by two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment of the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.
MY REVIEW for THE THRONE OF FIRE
I continue to love the worldbuilding of all the places Egyptian relics have been moved or copied throughout the world. If I had the money, I would LOVE to do a trip to hit everything in the Kane Chronicles in America and around the world.
This is a fun world-spanning adventure. The tension is diffused often, keeping the “scary” down to middle-grade levels (in fact, it could be much higher without a problem) – for example the “ticking” clock keeps fast forwarding, stopping, and going backward. A thriller ticking clock should be clear and as you go through a book, tightening from days to hours to seconds. This book begs this mechanism from the first moment of the countdown to the end of the world, but never really delivers on it.
Other than that, great character, great adventures, great battles, creative magic use, worldbuilding galore. Perfect in every way (aside from the thriller not being allowed its timebomb tension).
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE SERPENT’S SHADOW
He’s b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can’t seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down.
Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all.
Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos.
The Kanes’ only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent’s own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent’s shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld.
Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.
MY REVIEW for THE SERPENT’S SHADOW
The exciting conclusion of the Kane Chronicles delivers in The Serpent’s Shadow. Complicated teenage love, stealing the shadow of chaos, and the sun being swallowed all add layers to the exploits of our favorite Egyptian magicians. This is what middle-grade books should be like. Real children problem-solving to the edge of reality and beyond.
While not as fun as the Percy Jackson storyline, the Kane Chronicles have their own hieroglyphic charm. Times two, because of the sister-brother team.
(Also enjoy the Easter Eggs as House Aphrodite participate in the school dance.)
