Skip to content

The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid

Children's BooksFantasy
Pages
516
Published
2010
Language
English

Synopsis

The first book in Rick Riordan's Egyptian-mythology series opens at the British Museum, where Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane blows apart the Rosetta Stone in a botched ritual and is sealed into a sarcophagus, unleashing five Egyptian gods on the modern world. Chief among them is Set, lord of chaos, who has his sights set on the Kane family. Fourteen-year-old Carter, who has traveled the globe with his father, and his twelve-year-old sister Sadie, raised in London by their grandparents, have grown up apart and barely know each other. Reunited by catastrophe, they flee with their Uncle Amos and discover they descend from a long line of magicians tied to the House of Life, a secret order dating to the pharaohs. The story is framed as a transcript of an audio recording the siblings made, alternating chapter by chapter between Carter's and Sadie's first-person narration in their distinct voices. To rescue their father and stop Set from destroying North America with a red pyramid, the siblings must master the path of the gods, learn to host the powers of Horus and Isis, and race across continents through magical portals. Riordan blends fast-paced adventure, sibling banter, and a crash course in ancient Egyptian mythology, weaving gods, monsters, and the realm of the Duat into a contemporary quest about family, identity, and inherited power.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

AdventurousMysteriousTense
Coming of AgeMentor FigureChosen OneFound Family

Genres

Children's Books Fantasy Middle Grade Adventure Mythology Urban Fantasy

About the author

R
Rick Riordan

An American author born June 5, 1964, in San Antonio, Texas, Rick Riordan writes mythology-based fiction for young readers. Before his publishing career, he taught English and history at public and private middle schools in San Antonio and the San Francisco Bay Area for fifteen years. While teaching, he wrote the adult Tres Navarre mystery series, which won the top three national mystery awards: the Edgar, the Anthony, and the Shamus. Percy Jackson originated as a bedtime story Riordan invented...

Characters

Carter KaneProtagonist

Fourteen-year-old who has traveled the world with his Egyptologist father; becomes a host for the god Horus.

Sadie KaneProtagonist

Twelve-year-old raised in London by her grandparents; a naturally gifted magician who follows the path of Isis.

SetAntagonist

The Egyptian god of chaos, released during the museum ritual, who aims to destroy North America.

Julius KaneSupporting

The siblings' father, a famous Egyptologist whose ritual at the British Museum releases the gods and traps him.

Amos KaneSupporting

Julius's brother and a powerful magician who shelters Carter and Sadie at Brooklyn House.

All characters in The Red Pyramid

Frequently asked questions

  • What mythology is The Red Pyramid based on?

    Ancient Egyptian mythology. The book draws on gods including Set, Horus, Isis, Osiris, and the cat goddess Bast, and centers on a secret order of magicians called the House of Life that dates back to the pharaohs.

  • Who narrates The Red Pyramid?

    Both Kane siblings narrate, alternating chapters. The novel is framed as a transcript of an audio recording made by Carter and Sadie Kane, with each telling their half of the story in first person.

  • How are Carter and Sadie Kane related and why were they raised apart?

    They are siblings. After their mother's death, fourteen-year-old Carter traveled the world with their Egyptologist father, while twelve-year-old Sadie was raised in London by their maternal grandparents, so the two barely know each other when the story begins.

  • Who is the villain Carter and Sadie must stop in The Red Pyramid?

    Set, the Egyptian god of chaos. Released when their father's ritual goes wrong, Set traps Julius Kane and plans to build a red pyramid to destroy North America, which the siblings race to prevent.

  • What age group is The Red Pyramid written for?

    Middle-grade readers. The publisher's recommended age is roughly 10-12, and reviewers place it at about grades 4-7 (ages 9-13), with adventure-style battles, plenty of humor, and no real gore.

  • Is The Red Pyramid the first book in a series?

    Yes. It is book one of The Kane Chronicles, a completed trilogy followed by The Throne of Fire and The Serpent's Shadow.

  • Is this book part of the same universe as the Percy Jackson series?

    Yes, this story takes place in the same shared universe as the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and characters from both worlds eventually interact in later crossover short stories.

  • What is the unique narrative structure of this book?

    The novel is presented as a transcription of an audio recording made by the two protagonists, Carter and Sadie Kane, who take turns narrating their experiences in alternating first-person chapters.

Read all 5 reviews