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The Red Pyramid
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Read The Red Pyramid
The Kane Chronicles: Book 1

The Red Pyramid (2010) (edit title/settings)

by Rick Riordan (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Life is not normal; not at all for the Kane family. They are unique in a way most would not assume. Since his mother's death six years ago, Carter Kane's home has been his suitcase, as he traveling the globe with his father, Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane. But while Carter's been home schooled,... read more

Summary edit see section history

Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers to one another. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane, which was more than Carter and Sadie thought he... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers to one another. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane, which was more than Carter and Sadie thought he was!

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. Set has "set" his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe; 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.

Characters edit see section history

  • Carter Kane: Son of Julius Kane, brother of Sadie, 14 years old. Has traveled around with his dad all his life, and he only sees his sister twice a year. He is intelligent. Carter knows a lot about Ancient Egypt because of his father's work.
  • Sadie Kane: Carter's 12-year-old sister who has been living with their grandparents in London. She is described as being sarcastic and slightly rebellious.
  • Dr. Julius Kane: Carter and Sadie's dad. He is a powerful magician who works as an Egyptologist as a cover up. Tall, dark and neatly dressed.
  • Amos Kane: Carter and Sadie Kane's Uncle and brother of Julius Kane. He brought Carter and Sadie to the 21 Nome. He is said to be the second most powerful magician after Michell Desjardins.
  • Zia Rashid: A mysterious young female magician protector of the House of Life. She is trained to fight gods.
  • Philip of Macedonia: Amos' albino pet crocodile. Lives in the pool at the Per Ankh or the House of Life in the First Nome. He likes bacon.
  • Set: God of desert storms, darkness, and chaos, son of Geb and Nut, brother to Horus, Isis, Osiris, and Nephthys.
  • Nut: Goddes of the Sky and Wife of Geb, God of the Earth. Nut is a beautiful deep blue and is spangled in stars. She is unable to speak to or see Geb after illegally having five god/goddess children. Nut is very kind.
  • Osiris: God of the underworld. Father of Horus, husband of Isis. His brother, Set, kills him.
  • Isis: Egyptian Goddess of magic. Mother of Horus and wife of Osiris, but also sister of Horus, Osiris, Nephthys, and Set and daughter of Nut and Geb.
  • Anubis: Hot god that sadie has a crush on and "weighs hearts" after death.
  • Horus: Egyptian god of war. Falcon god. Son of Isis and Osiris, but also their brother. Also son of Nut and Geb. Pharaoh of Egypt.
  • Geb: Nut's husband, and God of the Earth
  • Desjardins: The evil head of the House of Life after Iskander died.
  • Iskandar: The very old former leader of the House of Life who has been alive since Cleopatra.
  • Gran: Ruby's mother, and Sadie and Carter's grandmother.
  • Nephthys: Set's wife.
  • Leroy: The Set animal that Carter locks in the Duat.
  • Gramps: Ruby's father ( kane childrens grandfather) who enjoys watching rugby.
  • Ruby Kane: Carter and Sadie's deceased mother.
  • Serqet: The scorpion goddess.
  • Sekhmet: The lion goddess.
  • Bast: An egyptian goddess of cats.
  • Ra: The first king of all gods. He forbade Nut to have kids on day or night of any day of the year, therefore she added five new days at the end of the year. On the first Osiris. On the second Horus. On the third Set. On the fourth Isis. And the last child born was Nephthy's.
  • Khufu: Amos's baboon that love basketball and the Lakers. For some reason, he only eats foods ending in 'O'.
  • Doughboy: Julian's small shabti that has an big aditide
  • Thoth: The god of wisdom, after being freed he accidentally moved into a house in Memphis Tenesse instead of Memphis Egypt.
  • Face of Horror: Set's minion/servant.
  • Apophis: A giant snake, also the Lord of Chaos
Show all 29 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “I wonder how long it took his mother to think of that name. Bob? No. Sam? No. How about Face of Horror?”
    Carter Kane
  • “A goddess named Nut? Is her last name Case?”
    Sadie Kane
  • “That's Sadie in the background, yelling that I am a total geek. Thanks, Sis.”
    Carter Kane
  • “Give me the bloody mic!”
    Sadie Kane
  • “Humans can. . . what do you moderns say . . . think outside the cup.”
    Iskandar
  • “I woke to a bucket of ice water in my face "Sadie! Get Up," Zia said. "God!" I yelled. "Was that necessary?" "No," Zia admitted”
    Sadie and Zia
  • “Far, far below, a red liquid bubbled. Blood? Lava? Evil Ketchup?”
    Sadie Kane
  • “Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself.”
    Julius Kane
  • “The five elements- earth, wind, fire, water, and cheese.”
    Doughboy
  • “My dear, I'm a cat. Everything I see is mine.”
    Bast
  • “Open, you stupid piece of rock!”
    Sadie Kane
  • “I don't know," he said. "That book about mastering the element of cheese would've been more helpful.”
    Carter
  • “It's my birthday," Horus insisted. "Wish me happy birthday!" "Happy Birthday!" I yelled." Now, shut up!”
    Horus and Carter
  • “Tangy," she said, stumbling and blinking. "But my eyes hurt. What kind of blood is this? Nubian? Persian?" "Jalapeno," I said. "Try some more. It gets better.”
    Sekhmet and Carter
  • “Horus?" "Unless you know another guy with a falcon head.”
    Sekhmet and Carter
  • “She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said."No one bests Horus.”
    Carter and Horus
  • “Set animal is too hard to say. I think I'll call you Leroy.”
    Carter
  • ““This is wonderful!” Doughboy cried.“Why?” I asked. “Is Dad still alive?” “No!” Doughboy said. “He’s almost certainly dead. The five gods of the Demon Days released? Wonderful! And anyone who duels with the Red Lord—”
    Doughboy and Sadie
  • ““Master is gone?” Doughboy smiled so widely, I thought his wax face would split open. “Free at last! See you, suckers!”He lunged for the end of the table but forgot he had no feet. He landed on his face, then begancrawling toward the edge, dragging himself with his hands. “Free! Free!”He fell off the table and onto the floor with a thud, but that didn’t seem to discourage him. “Free!Free!”He made it another centimeter or two before I picked him up and threw him in Dad’s magic box.Doughboy tried to get out, but the box was just tall enough that he couldn’t reach the rim. I wondered if it had been designed that way.“Trapped!” he wailed. “Trapped!”
    Doughboy
  • “Doughboy, help me find The Book of Thoth in this library.” His waxy eyes opened immediately. “And why should I help you?” “Because you have no choice.” “I hate that argument! Fine—hold me up. I can’t see the shelves.”
    Carter and Doughboy
  • “Yeah, I'm sure you'll call me next time to boomerang some fruit bats.”
    Carter
  • “My name is Zia Rashid and now I must save your miserable lives.”
    Zia
  • “Chicken man, get the moose!”
    A little girl at the airport
  • “I’m not lying inspector. And I think your eyebrow is trying to escape.”
    Sadie Kane
  • “But when you open a door, you must be prepared for guests to walk through.”
    Set
  • “Keep your claws sharp.”
    Bast
  • “I seriously needed an extra-strength magic pillow, because my ba refused to stay put. <And no, Sadie, I don't think wrapping my head in duct tape would've worked either.”
    Carter Kane
  • “We ran, plowing through another pile of peppers. <No, I didn't pick a peck of them, Sadie - just shut up.>”
    Carter Kane
  • “The baboon is driving," I noted. "Should I be worried?”
    Sadie
  • “My name is Carter Kane. I’m fourteen and my home is a suitcase.”
    Carter Kane
  • “In person, if possible, Anubis was even more drop-dead gorgeous. <Oh...ha,ha. I didn't catch the pun, but thank you Carter. God of the dead, drop-dead gorgeous. Yes, hilarious. Now, may I continue?>”
    Sadie
  • “Stay sharp," Carter told him(Bloodstained Blade), and with Bast and Khufu, we walked down the gangplank. Instead of pulling away, the ship simply sank into the boiling lava and disappeared. I scowled at Carter. "Stay sharp?" "I thought it was funny." "You're hopeless.”
    Carter and Sadie Kane
  • ““Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It’s best we stay separate.””
    Amos
  • “This is Graceland. Home to the most famous musician in the world. "Michael Jackson lives here?”
    Carter, Sadie
  • “Usually my ba likes to takes these trips. Heaven forbid I get any sleep around here.”
    Sadie
  • “"All in good time. Things must take their course. "”
    Iskander
  • “"Just kill him Horus said.Shut up, I told him.At least kill the guitar. (Horus said)”
    Horus and Carter
  • “"And you, Carter, did well turning into a lizard."”
    Thoth (God of Wisdom)
  • “"My God, he has a magic roll o toilet paper."”
    Sadie Kane (talking about Anubis)
  • “I thought that the magicians don't like gods!They don't Horus agreed. Just shows you what a hypocrite he is. But I suppose killing you was more important than staying on principle.”
    Horus and Carter
  • “Five thousand years and I still don't understand mortals.”
    Horus
Show all 41 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Many places around the world in present day.
Show all 15 settings

First Sentence edit see section history

"We only have a few hours, so listen carefully."

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. A Death at the Needle
2. An Explosive Christmas
3. Imprisoned with My Cat
4. Kidnapped by a Not-So-Stranger
5. We Meet the Monkey
6. Breakfast with a Crocodile
7. I Drop a Little Man on his Head
8. Muffin Plays With Knives
9. We Run from Four Guys in Skirts
10. Bast Goes Green
11. We Meet the Human Flamethower
12. A Jump Through the Hourglass
13. I Face the Killer Turkey
14. A French Guy Almost Kills Us
15. A Godly Birthday Party
16. How Zia Lost Her Eyebrows
17. A Bad Trip to Paris
18. When Fruit Bats Go Bad
19. A Picnic in the Sky
20. I Visit the Star-Spangled Goddess
21. Aunt Kitty to the Rescue
22. Leroy Meets the Locker of Doom
23. Professor Thoth's Final Exam
24. I Blow Up Some Blue Suede Shoes
25. We Win an All-Expenses-Paid Trip to Death
26. Aboard the Egyptian Queen
27. A Demon with Free Samples
28. I Have a Date with the God of Toilet Paper
29. Zia Sets a Rendezvous
30. Bast Keeps a Promise
31. I Deliver a Love Note
32. The Place of Crosses
33. We Go Into the Salsa Business
34. Doughboy Gives Us a Ride
35. Men Ask for Directions (and Other Signs of the Apocalypse)
36. Our Family Is Vaporized
37. Leroy Gets His Revenge
38. The House Is in the House
39. Zia Tells Me a Secret
40. I Ruin a Rather Important Spell
41. We Stop the Recording, for Now

Author's Note

Glossary edit see section history

  • Ankh: Ancient Egyptian symbol for life.
  • Hieroglyph: Ancient Egyptian picture writing.
  • Nome: A district or region.
  • Ha-di: Destroy
  • Hi-nehm: Join
  • Papyrus: A plant which grows along the Nile. Ancient Egyptians made it into "paper" by cutting it into strips and pressing it flat.
  • Shabti: An ancient Egyptian model or statue which was created as a servant to do labor for its owner in the Afterlife.
  • Cartouche: An oval or oblong enclosure containing characters that represent the names of royal or divine people.
  • Duat: The spirit world
  • Ma'at: Balance.

Errata edit see section history

p. 67, line 26 Anway --> Anyway (Simple Typo)
p. 131 line 3 for --> of (Simple Typo)
p. 249 line 7 breath --> breathe (Simple Typo)
p. 350 line 19 no --> not (Simple Typo)
p. 392-393 - Sadie is outside under a starry sky, but two paragraphs later on the next page Amos appears and "his round glasses glinted in the sun."
p. 406 still night, but on line 17, "sun was going down."

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 5 in The Kane Chronicles. (standard series)

Followed by The Throne of Fire.

This is book 19 of 19 in Popular Series. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Rick Riordan (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Joann Hill (Designer) - Jacket design
  2. John Rocco (Cover Artist) - Jacket illustration
  3. Michelle Gengaro-Kokmen (Artist) - Hieroglyph art
  4. Kevin R. Free (Narrator)
  5. Katherine Kellgren (Narrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: May 4, 2010
ISBN: 1423113381
Page Count: 528

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

The Red Pyramid is long, so it may intimidate younger readers, but it is absolutely appropriate for strong readers age 9 and above. The Egyptian mythology is woven into the story well; it's not confusing or too dry, but it does offer a level of education. The content and style are very similar to the Percy Jackson series, so any fan of Percy will really enjoy this.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Alchemyst
  • The Battle of the Labyrinth
  • The Sea of Monsters
  • The Lightning Thief
  • The Last Olympian
  • The Demigod Files
  • The Titan's Curse
  • The Bartimaeus Trilogy
  • Skulduggery Pleasant
  • Dark Days
  • Playing with Fire
  • The Faceless Ones
  • Mortal Coil

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Lightning Thief

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