‘The Kane Chronicles’ by Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan has sold millions of copies worldwide, the Percy jackson saga since the early 2000s has never ceased to win the hearts of readers.
Percy Jackson is now almost as famous as Harry Potter so you certainly know the plot, Percy, a dyslexic and troubled boy discovers he is a demigod and saves the world by fighting immortal villains. I love that saga and will probably do a review on every single book one day, but this article is about something else.
Although Percy is the most famous character born from Rick’s pen, there are many other mythological sagas that the writer has had fun with.
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In this article, as you may have guessed from the title, we will discuss ‘The kane chronicles’, the Egyptian saga that is often ignored in the pj fandom.
Rick Riordan’s writing is not new to me, I have already read Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus and The Challenges of Apollo.
Therefore, when I picked up this big book containing all three Egyptian books, I had no doubts about whether I was spending my time well.
But let’s take it slow.
What is the plot of ‘The kane chronicles‘?
It all starts in London, when the Kane family reunites for Christmas.
The Kane siblings don’t know each other that well, Sadie grew up in London with her maternal grandparents, Carter on the other hand followed his archaeological father around the world.
Carter has always kept to himself the many questions arising from his father’s strange behaviour, always in a hurry, as if he were running away from something, or someone.
On that fateful day, Christmas Eve, Carter and Sadie say goodbye forever to their respective normalcy and are catapulted into a world of Egyptian gods, ancient magic and magicians who will not always be on their side.
They will face cruel challenges and must learn about each other to survive.
Book Review
The first book in this saga does its job well, explaining where we are and why and showing us how this strange new magic works.
The magic system is simple but works, and the characters are realistic and easy to like. Despite their minimal presence in the first book, I became immediately attached to the kids’ uncle and their protective cat.
The book retains Rick Riordan‘s usual charming style, showing you serious and dramatic events with simplicity and never forgetting to wring a laugh out of you. The villain faced in the first book seems insurmountable, but a trifle compared to what the brothers and wizards face in the later books.
In search of solutions to their problems, Carter and Sadie travel all over the world and beyond. They visit very different scenarios, explained in such an excellent way that you feel like you are there with them.
The two protagonists are interesting characters and in time you get to know them.
Both have their insecurities and, above all, grudges that give rise to quite a few misunderstandings. It is refreshing to have two brothers as protagonists instead of a couple, it is a pleasant change. Moreover, their relationship is so well constructed that I often saw myself and my sister in their conversations.
This Egyptian saga does not lack romance either, in fact between one tragedy and the next it is nice to take a break with those slightly lighter chapters.
The only flaw I can think of is that the characters seem older than the age they really should be. Sadie is twelve and Carter only two years older than her.
Despite being in their early teens their behaviour is much more mature and their choices carefully thought out. It may be that I have aged myself and so the 12 year olds still seem like children to me, but personally I would have given them a few more years.
The thing that I loved most about this saga is what makes Rick’s books so appealing, they are a simple and entertaining source of knowledge that nevertheless teaches you true myths and legends.
Before reading these books I knew absolutely nothing about Egyptian mythology, apart from the symbol of the eye of Horus, but now I have a background I never had to study for.
Of course one cannot use these fictional books as school books on the subject but they are a good starting point for those who want to learn about myths of ancient civilisations.
Some of the ending I expected, but I didn’t think Rick would have the courage to do it.
I was nevertheless satisfied with it. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll end it here, but if you like fantasy and magic you can’t miss any book by this great writer.
Enjoy and remember that if you have a monster on your tail, there will always be someone, a camp or a house ready to welcome you.
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