By Rick Riordan
Prices: $9.77 - $74.99
Product Description
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 much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become 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 come to an 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 powerful than any magician has ever accomplished. First they have to search the world for the three sections of 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 in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.
Product Details
- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 719 KB
- Print Length: 464 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1423140567
- Publisher: Disney Hyperion (May 3, 2011)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
- Language: English
- ASIN: B004KZP18W
Customer Reviews
A Bit More Challenging than Percy Jackson, But Extraordinary in the Opportunities it Presents
Young fans of the Percy Jackson series may find themselves a bit slower to warm up to this one. Not impossible, mind you, and I think all of them will still thoroughly enjoy these books. However, I noticed that my ten-year-old was taking longer to read this one, just as he had with book one, The Red Pyramid.
I think the reason for this is not that the books are less well-written, or the characters less well-drawn. These books are every bit as exciting and character-driven as their predecessors. However, they are a bit more densely-packed with unfamiliar information. Geographically, they range much farther than the Percy Jackson series does. Percy's quests take place in the United States. If my son had a question about a location, he usually didn't have to go farther than asking me in order to get more information. Additionally, the mythology itself was more accessible to him (and me). I can't think of any Disney cartoons off the top of my head that deal with Egyptian gods.
Once he realized during the first book that this was slowing him down, he took to reading it near the computer. We bought this book on Kindle, in order to have immediate access to helpful websites, and, suddenly, this is more like his own quest than just a book. He's learning, and he's loving it.
This book, like the last is told from the points of view of dual protagonists: Carter Kane and Sadie Kane. For kids, this may be a bit daunting, as the switch back and forth involves two distinctly drawn characters with different voices. I like it, because my son, who normally shies away from books with female protagonists, is absolutely willing to read this. Thank you, Rick Riordan, for doing something about the bias in kidlit and helping our next generation to learn how to see things from different points of view.
The book contains just enough exposition to get you through it if you haven't read the first (for example, if your child gets this as a gift, you won't have to run straight out and buy the first book before he or she reads this one; however, your child probably will want to read the first book at some point).
Book Two of the Kane Chronicles: Gods of Egypt rising!
As you might remember from the first book, The Red Pyramid, the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in our world, and the key characters of the Kane Chronicles - Carter Kane and his sister Sadie - have been in trouble (and also looking for their father). Sadie and Carter tell this story again as an audio recording warning you that the world is going to end and you need to know about it.
"Look, we don't have time for long introductions. I need to tell this story quickly, or we're all going to die..."
As the last descendants of the House of Life, Kane-kids have unusual powers. But they have not had much time to practice their skills. They try to find the answers in the ancient scripts and help, too.
Their family home, Brooklyn House, has now become a training ground for the youngsters with magical skills.
Jaz and Walt are new characters in this second book. They have magical skills. They responded to Kane-siblings' call when they were looking for kids like them to help them in their quest.
Action/Adventure PACKED
The world will end soon so who you gonna call? Sadie and Carter Kane, of course. When we last "heard" from the Kane siblings they had just defeated Set and saved the world, so they shouldn't have any trouble doing it again, right? Sadie and Carter now have trainees and are teaching them magic that in the magician world is illegal. They are preparing them for the fight of their life. When they find out that Apophis is rising from his prison they set off to stop him.
Their mission takes them to many interesting (and creepy) places; they meet many new gods, like the dwarf god Bes. And basically put themselves into peril time after time. Well, they are the Kane's, aren't they? The sundial is counting down the hours until the spring equinox a.k.a Aphophis's jail break. And in order to stop him they must find and restore a very old god who is in retirement and is pretty darn elusive.
