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This article is about the book. For the structure, see Red Pyramid.

Chatstar

Earth
This article is written from a real world point of view.


The Red Pyramid is a 2010 fantasy, adventure novel written by Rick Riordan and is the first installment of The Kane Chronicles. The story is told as a transcription of a recording made by Sadie and Carter Kane, detailing the rise of the Egyptian gods in the modern world. There will soon be a movie series adaptation on Netflix.

Synopsis[]

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 gods Horus, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys and 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.

Plot[]

Bi-yearly Reunion []

Carter Viria
Sadie
Carter and Sadie Kane

Fourteen-year-old Carter Kane has been traveling around the world since he was eight years old. He was home schooled by his father, Julius Kane, who is a famous Egyptology scientist and writer of multiple Egyptology books.

On Christmas Eve, Carter and Julius head to London to visit Carter's twelve-year-old sister, Sadie, who lives as a British student. Both siblings were separated at a very young age, Sadie to live with her grandparents, and Carter with his father. Julius picks up Sadie, and she discovers that one out of the two days of the year they get the spend together was going to be occupied by a trip to British Museum. Before heading there, Carter and Sadie spy on their dad talking to a strange man named Amos. They had no idea what the adults were talking about, but when Sadie pops out to say hi to her dad, Amos disappears.

Releasing the Gods[]

On their way to a museum, they pass Cleopatra's Needle, and their dad explains that this is the place their mom died. While at the museum, Sadie and Carter noticed that their dad was extremely interested in one specific artifact, the Rosetta Stone. Their dad asks the curator, Dr. Martin to retrieve some paperwork. Then he asked Carter and Sadie to tie and lock Dr. Martin in the room. Julius ends up blowing the artifact up by trying to summon Osiris. He also accidentally releases the other children of the Demon Days: Nephthys, Isis, Horus, and Set. Set, the Egyptian god of chaos and storms and the most evil of the gods, ends up locking Julius in a sarcophagus and sending him through the floor. Meanwhile, Sadie and Carter sit by watching the entire event.

Scotland Yard and Heading to Brooklyn[]

The British police end up taking and "arresting" the two for questioning. This happens at Sadie's home, also her grandparents' home. Both tell the police what happened in the museum and about the mysterious man their dad had talked to earlier. Amos is revealed to be their uncle, who saved them from being taken into custody. The police are about to arrest them when Amos changes their minds into deporting them. Then Amos takes them to the family mansion in Brooklyn on his magic boat called Brooklyn House or the 21st nome.

Bast Viria

Bast, the cat goddess, who took the form of Muffin

He shows them the Great Room and they see the Per Ankh symbol. In the middle stands the statue of the god Thoth. Then they meet Khufu, the resident baboon. Who challenges Carter to basketball to which Carter tells him he'll do it later. Amos then leaves and says he'll check up on them the next morning. Carter dreams of a man outlined in fire talking about building a temple in the middle of a desert in Phoenix. Carter awakes to see Khufu, Sadie, and Amos. Amos tells him to eat and Carter sees something in the pool. Amos replies it is an albino crocodile called Philip of Macedonia. Amos explains that Egyptian gods are real and that there are many structures and symbols in America to prove that like the Washington Monument which is an Egyptian obelisk. He says that he and his dad were both magicians. He tells them that Julius's family hadn't practiced magic for generations until he married their mom. He explains that they combined the bloodline of two very powerful families. Despite their disbelief, Amos told them that the gods were just powerful beings and that magicians constantly fight them. He said that Julius Kane wanted to summon Orisis to bring their mom back from the dead. Sadie and Carter were raised separately because the House believed raising the two siblings together would cause them to become much too powerful. Carter recounts his dream to Amos and Amos says that dreaming like that means they traveled through the Duat. He believes that they are gaining power faster than he thought and goes to Phoenix to look around. He leaves them there to search around the house, but tells them not to go to the library.

They decide to go into the library anyway due to Sadie's recklessness. Sadie used a ha-di spell to blast opens the doors, but that nearly makes her pass out. While in the library, they learn from Doughboy, their dad's shabti (a living wax figurine), that in order to save their father, they must defeat Set and that the Demon Days start in 2 days. Set's warriors, the longnecks or seropards, attack the house and Philip of Macedonia fights them off. The crocodile and the monsters fall down into the river below. The seropards come back from the river and Khufu tries to bite the longnecks, but is knocked into the river as well. Then Muffin turns into Bast the cat goddess, who was disguised as Sadie's cat, Muffin, defeats the monsters helps them escape. Bast tells them that Brooklyn House was well guarded by magic and the longnecks shouldn't have been able to break in. She speculated that a magician of the House of Life sabotaged the magic defenses. Then 4 metallic humanoids in skirts chase them. Bast tells them that they are wearing clothes ready for a magician since animal products interfere with magic. Bast summons a glowing avatar, used combat magic, and with Carter's help, defeats them all by hacking them into smaller pieces. Meanwhile Sadie tries to open a portal with no luck.

Just then, they see scorpions and Bast stays to fight Serqet, the scorpion goddess while Carter and Sadie go to the temple. They run to the museum and not shortly after, they meet Zia Rashid, and see those scorpions swarm at them again. They recognize her from the museum in London, and she says that the next portal can be opened at high noon. Zia asks Carter to draw a circle around them while Sadie puts the Sons of Horus on the cardinal directions to make a protective circle. Serqet appears and demands Carter and Sadie, but Zia thinks otherwise. She steps out of the circle and attacks Serqet. Then she uses the Seven Ribbons of Hathor and binds Serqet and defeats her and forces her to leave her host. A black cloud comes out of the host's mouth and starts forming into a giant scorpion. Carter, Sadi, and Zia decides that it's a good idea to escape through the portal.

Time in the First Nome[]

Zia Rashid

Zia Rashid, the magician who saved Carter and Sadie

Zia takes them to the House of Life in Egypt, to be trained as magicians. They arrive at the airport in Egypt and are taken down underground to the First Nome. Carter encounters a ba of a dead magicians who calls him 'good king'. They meet Iskandar, and Desjardins, and while Desjardins wants them destroyed, Iskandar believes to have them be trained first. Sadie and Carter are taken to seperate rooms, and at night, Sadie uses the sahad spell to open her door. She wanders into the Hall of Ages despite the warnings of Zia. She enters one of the memories where Orisis was tricked into a coffin by a deceitful game that Set devised. Set proclaimed the god who could fit in this box would have his power multiplied by ten-fold. Orisis fit in, but Set trapped him in there. Sadie remarked that the box was the same one that Set used to trap her dad. She then sees the wife of Set come out and restrain him long enough for Isis to escape. Sadie then realizes that she as the goddess Isis and was fleeing from him. Iskandar pulls her out just in time before her mind could overheat and explode. He explains a little to her about her mother and the way of the gods.

That same night, Carter dreams about Amos being captured by Set and being frozen. He wakes up and gets out of bed, and spots Zia with a black cloud around her. She opens a hidden doorway in the wall and Carter follows. She says some words in Ancient Egyptian before finding Carter is there. Carter sees the photos of her past with her parents. She tells him that her father was an archeologist and accidentally summoned a monster that destroyed their town. She was the only survivor and was found by Iskandar and other magiciains. Carter asks Zia out on a date after they defeat Set and Zia tells him that the black cloud around her was an invisibility spell and that only powerful magicians can see through it.

In the morning, they are woken up and given water to drink from Thoth. They get a magic kit and start to learn a little a bit about magic. After a little bit of training, they duel each other. Sadie summons a lion that attacks Carter. Carter summons a giant hawk avatar that easily slices the lion. Zia tells them that their dad was descended from Narmer, the first pharaoh, and their mom was descended from Ramesses II. Zia believes that they are hosting gods. Then they learn Chief Lector, Iskandar, has died, and is replaced with Michel Desjardins, the Kanes have to flee again, as the House of Life sees them as a threat.

Escape from the First Nome and Desjardins's House[]

They run toward the obelisk and try to use it as a portal. Carter gives Sadie his staff and they hear the portal open. Out steps a magician that summons sphinxes that were frozen in stone. Sadie manages to summon a portal and hops through. Carter defeats one sphinx, but the other two breaks his ribs as he tries to reach the portal. He finally leaps and goes through the portal. Unfortunately the two sphinxes got through the portal with him. Before they did any further damage, Bast appears and defeats the two sphinxes.

Bast tells them that during the fight, she turned into Muffin and escaped into another layer of the Duat. She tells them that they are godlings, meaning they host the gods Horus and Isis (hosting the gods is against the beliefs of the House). They go to Paris and arrive at Desjardins' place; they speculate that Desjardins is actually the host of Set because he was around London the time the Rosetta Stone was unleashed and the Set in Carter's dream spoke in French. They turn into birds and fly into the house. Unfortunately, Sadie cannot turn back into human form. Carter pulls out Doughboy to help him retrieve the Book of Thoth which tells them how to defeat Set and save their dad. Carter pulls out a book on the art of summoning fruit bats and then takes the Book of Thoth. There was a trap though, and a flock of fruit bats started to attack Carter and Sadie. Carter takes the book, stuffs it into his bag, and flies off. They land back next to Bast and take off running to the Louvre where the next portal is as they hear people chasing them. They reach the Louvre and Sadie opens the portal just before sundown as the bats were overwhelming them despite Carter's wand. Bast tosses them into the portal as they go to a platform above Washington D.C. next to the Washington Monument, which Bast explains, is the biggest obelisk ever, so naturally, the default portal in America.

Carter says that Bast, Doughboy, and him couldn't decipher the Book of Thoth and needed Sadie's help. They had a picnic and Bast told them that she was imprisoned in a deep layer of the Duat with a creature of Chaos that she was supposed to battle for eternity. Ruby and Julius Kane released her, but sealed the monster inside.

Nut, the Set Animal, and Thoth[]

Nut GN

Nut, the sky goddess.

In Sadie's dreams she meets Nut, the sky goddess and Nut tells her that Set was once Ra's strongest lieutenant and that he is not completely evil. However, she comments that Apophis, the embodiment of chaos, was real evil. She advises them to visit Thoth in Memphis, Tennessee and gives them first class tickets. She also tells her that she is forbidden to see her husband Geb by her father Shu, and that Set's minions were closing in on her. She asks them to consider where the fifth goddess went, as there were five deities released from the Rosetta Stone and she asks Sadie to give her husband Geb, an envelope.

The creature that appeared was called the Set Animal and is described as big as a horse with rabbit ears and a forked tail. It's face was like an anteater, but with forked teeth and greyfur like a greyhound. Carter notices that the animal has glowing eyes, which Bast says must be because it has found them. Bast distracts the animal while Sadie and Carter turn into birds and fly to the airport. Despite their efforts, when they land, Sadie is unable to turn back into human again. As they are about to get taken by an officer, Bast appears and tells them that they are going to a falcon-racing competition. Bast tells Carter about the Duat locker, and that he could store and take things from that locker. Carter quickly creates a combination and puts his bag into the locker. Just as they get past airport security, the Set Animal charges in. The regular people see it as a rabid moose. Carter tells Bast and Sadie to go ahead while he fights the Set Animal. To annoy it, Carter names it Leroy. The Set Animal attacks and Carter is bitten, but turns into a falcon-headed avatar again. He underestimates the Set Animal's weight and gets knocked over. Despite being disadvantaged, Carter manages to push the Set Animal into his Duat locker. He reaches Bast and Sadie just in time and Bast heals Carter's arm.

On the plane, Carter dreams of someplace in Arizona. He zooms in and sees a giant pyramid the color of blood-red under construction with hordes of demons as the builders. Carter recognizes the way they're being built is the same technique as the Giza pyramids were built, but this one was going at a surprising rate. He sees Set and a demon, Face of Horror, discussing the construction of the pyramid. Set demanded the pyramid be completed by dawn of his birthday. Carter could also somehow feel his dad's presence and Set said things like the final tomb of Orisis and using Amos Kane.

Carter wakes up on the plane to find Sadie back in human form. Carter tells them about his dream and Bast says that if the pyramid is set to be finished by the dawn of his birthday, it would give Set a lot of power. Also, Set has managed to enslave other gods, and using the power of those gods, he could create a lot of chaos. They land in Memphis and rent a convertible. Bast says that she won't be going since Thoth and her don't get along well, but she says that Thoth would be somewhere near a place of learning. Sadie suggests the University of Memphis, so they drive off to there.

At the University, they meet Khufu there who tells them that he swam back to Brooklyn House, but went to Thoth after they didn't come back for a day as all baboons are under his protection. Khufu insists that Carter play with them to show his basketball skills. Carter played really bad, and later gave up to go see Thoth. They meet Thoth and he tells them that he has discovered that Memphis, Tennessee is not Memphis, Egypt. They ask Thoth for help and Thoth tells them that Isis is power-hungry and before, and that Thoth helped them defeat Set before. He said that he wanted to mediate peace, but Isis convinced him not to. He said he even gave Horus an eye of moonlight when his eye got poked out, and healed Isis when Horus decapitated her. He also believed that Isis and Horus had fully possessed their hosts, but thought otherwise when Sadie told Isis to shut up. Thoth explains the tale when Isis dethroned Ra by poisoning him through a snake made from Ra's spit. She forced Ra to give her his secret name in order to heal him, so Ra did, but Isis banished him and let her husband, Orisis, become king. Since Set was Ra's strongest lieutenant, he hated Orisis for that, and that was how the rivalry began.

Thoth gives them a test to get an item of power, so he could help them. He transported them to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. Carter noted that there weren't any guards or tourists, but they guessed Thoth drove them away. They walk towards the building and see two magicians with staffs and wands coming towards them. They quickly go into the house to hide, but the magicians have gotten near. They go into the 'Jungle Room', a room Elvis decorated to annoy his dad, when Carter tells Sadie to go look for it while he fights them off. He summons his combat avatar, but one of the magicians blasts him into a lizard. Sadie takes him and goes into Elvis's trophy room to look for it. There, she summons four Elvis suits to go attack the two magicians. The magicians fight them off, but Sadie still hasn't found the items yet. They find her, and the one that turned Carter into a lizard tried the same trick on her. She deflects it, but the magician turns his staff into a komodo dragon. Sadie defeats it with Isis's help, and knocks that magician out. The other magician knocks her staff out with air magic. She uses her rope and uses the tas spell to tie him up. She then turns Carter back into a human, and Carter sees that they are shabtis and believed that Thoth sent them. Sadie uses the hi-nehm spell to fix the house. They go to Elvis's tomb and sees an ankh chain, the symbol for eternal life. They see a scroll of the cat of Ra fighting the serpent Apophis attached to it. They decide that is the magic item and take it back to Thoth.

Thoth

Thoth, the god of knowledge

Thoth accepts the ankh necklace and tells them that the spell would banish Set into the Duat for centuries in a weakened state. He also tells them that they need the Feather of Truth from Anubis. He tells them that they must sail into the Land of the Dead. He tells them that all pharaohs had a boat, and shows them the Egyptian Queen sailing down the river with Bast on board. They see her and an ax-headed demo called Bloodstained Blade, which was their captain. They order him to sail into the Land of the Dead, and Bast tells them that this is the boat that she and their father discussed a deal after he and his wife released him. The Kanes ask Bast if she was fighting Apophis before in her prison. Bast says that she was the Eye of Ra, and that he ordered her to fight Apophis in there. She was proud to do so for centuries and even millennia, but she realized that Ra planned for them to fight away until both faded from existence. She realized that she was losing the fight and Ruby Kane saw that, so they released her, but sealed Apophis in there. Bast and Julius both thought that it was enough to keep Apophis contained, but over the years, they doubted that.

Getting the Feather of Truth and Sobek[]

Carter then drifted off into sleep and Horus showed him a scene where Zia, Desjardins, and a couple other magicians were on a plane. The plane was being attacked by Set, and breaking apart. They quickly repaired the airplane and landed. Another scene showed Isis finding the coffin in which Orisis's body was in. Then Set appeared and shattered the coffin along with the body of Orisis. Isis and Horus had to flee again while Set chased them. Horus told Carter that even after finding all the pieces, Isis's magic wasn't strong enough, so Orisis became an undead god where he could only rule over the dead. Then Sadie woke him up and told him they had arrived in the land of the dead.

They navigate the river, and Bloodstained Blade said that this is very delicate work, and was using the The Book of the Dead, a guide for dead people when they reach the Underworld. They see a lot of souls that Bast explains were lost souls waiting for Ra to come. She said that before Ra would travel through the river each night and get renewed in the morning. But not Ra retired to the heavens and when he is too tired to live, Apophis will rise and consume the world in Chaos.

Then they meet the Orisis's Guard, Shezmu. Sadie flirts with him a little to distract him while Carter searches for his secret name in the Book of the Dead. But in that conversation, Sadie learns his secret name which was Slaughterer of Souls, Fierce of Face. Sadie recites it and Shezmu disappears into the river. Next, they met the ba of Iskandar who froze the time for everyone except Sadie and he explains that he was mad when Cleopatra lost Egypt to the Ptolemaic rulers, and blamed it on the way of the gods. He discussed it with Thoth and they agreed that the path of the gods was too dangerous. After two thousand years, Sadie's mother convinced him that the path of the gods must be learned and used again as a new threat rises. He says that he is the gatekeeper and is supposed to asses if Sadie had courage or not, in which he said she had a lot of, so he let them pass. Sadie unfroze her friends and explained everything.

Anubis-Viria

Anubis, the god of funerals

They then sail onto land where the Egyptian Queen drops them off and are approached by a jackal which Sadie found cute. Then the jackal turned into the god Anubis whom Sadie found 'drop-dead gorgeous'. They asked Anubis for help against Set, but Anubis refused but decided not to kill them as they traveled with a baboon. Anubis led them into the Hall of Judgement where the scales used to weigh the dead are broken. Anubis said that Orisis had gone off too long and he shows the Ammit the Devourer. He takes Sadie into a graveyard, alone since he doesn't like Horus. He explains that his mother Nephthys gave him to Isis when he was young because she didn't want him to know his father, Set. He was reluctant at first to give the Feather of Truth, but after learning that giving it to Sadie can help them release Orisis and return him to the Land of the Dead, he gave it to her, but asked her to answer three questions first. He warned her that telling a lie while holding it would make her combust into flames. After passing all three questions, Anubis let Sadie with the Feather of Truth and go back to where Carter was. He advises to ask Nephthys what Set's secret name is.

Bast a RV and started driving towards Phoenix. Carter noticed that Sadie was behaving weirdly, and went outside to practice his swordplay. After an hour, he sat down and an image of Horus appeared next to him warning of an enemy that would come to them before Set, an enemy that has tried to kill Horus before. Then the image is replaced by that of Zia. Zia warns him not to follow the path of the gods and try to listen to Desjardins. Carter refuses, so Zia says that Desjardins split them into two groups of two, and she could try to let her teammate not attack them. Her image became blurry, so she warned Carter not to trust Amos. Zia's image disappear as they stop.

They approach a river as they believe that is the best way to find Set's secret name. Carter and Khufu sense something lurking in the weeds, but reluctantly let Sadie try to communicate with Nephthys. She communicated, but the voice was weak and spoke of being trapped in a 'sleeping host'. Carter then spots a giant crocodile attacking a family. Carter hears Bast cry out and see that the crocodile hat hit her in the head and that she passed out. Enraged, Carter easily defeats the crocodile, but the the god Sobek appears. Sobek claims he is working for Set since Set is powerful. Bast and Carter both summon combat avatars, but Sobek defeats them easily. Bast then attacks Sobek and start fighting into the water. Then, the body of a dead Muffin appears and crumbles to dust. Sobek's crocodile minions surge forward, but then a giant white crocodile repels them and Amos appears.

Run-in with the House of Life and Sekhmet[]

Sadie wakes in New Mexico with Carter and Amos next to her. Amos explains that Set doesn't need a host as long as the pyramid is there to manifest in a physical form. Amos said that Set placed a spell on Amos, so Amos was frozen. The magic eventually wore off, so he gathered his energy and burst free when the demons were sleeping. Since it was easy for Amos to get out, he believed he was let out on purpose. Sadie falls asleep again and meets Geb, the earth god. Sadie gives Geb the envelope which showed Geb Nut's face for the first time in millennia. Geb advised Sadie to the place of the crosses, and then Sadie woke up. She wakes up and Carter thinks they should go to Las Cruces to wear Zia is. Amos is skeptical, but Sadie realizes that Las Cruces is Spanish for the the crosses, the place Geb advised them to go. Sadie and Carter are both suspicious of Amos since he was supposedly let out by Set and wouldn't tell him anything about how they plan to defeat Set. They hop on Amos's magic boat and drive off to there.

Sekhmet Gn

Sekhmet, the lion goddess and the Eye of Ra

They arrive at Las Cruces and spot Zia there. Zia mistrusts Amos and wishes to talk to Carter in private, but suddenly other magicians including Desjardins himself comes to attack them. Amos and Desjardins engage in a duel while Amos uses storm magic, which is Amos has never used before and is a force of chaos. Zia sides with the Kanes and summons a pillar of fire that goes after Desjardins. It is revealed to be the most impressive feat a fire elementalist can perform and will hunt down its target for 6-12 hours. The downside is that Zia will be unconscious until the pillar wears out. While Desjardins is retreating, he summons seven arrows and throws them at Amos, summoning Sekhmet.

Amos distracts Sekhmet briefly before she starts chasing them and shooting flaming arrows. They run and Zia spots a salsa factory, and went inside. She tells them about before when Ra sent Sekhmet to destroy the wicked people of Egypt, she went out of control and started killing the good people too. They knew she wouldn't stop until she was full of blood, so the magicians tricked her by giving her a large bowl of red liquid. She drank until she was full and fell asleep. Ra recalled her and turned her into a cow to make the goddess Hathor. Sadie distracted her while Carter found the salsa. Then he called out and slashed open the salsa container, and Sekhmet drank all of it until she realized it was not blood, but then she turned into the goddess Hathor.

Carter then asks Zia how to animate his coat, so he could make it drive them to Phoenix. She said that first, they must smash a shabti into it first. Carter uses Doughboy, and after chanting the words Zia instructs him, the coat turns to life and starts driving them. On the car, Zia tells Carter that she knows Set's secret name. Carter inquires how and thinks that Zia might've hosted Nephthys as she was there when the Rosetta Stone broke. She disagrees as the other magicians hadn't detected it yet. Then Amos appears and says that they should head over to Set's pyramid.

The fight with Set[]

In the back of the truck Sadie dreams of talking with Isis, and Isis shows her London in ruins. She says that unless Sadie stops Set, this will happen and that once Set is defeated, they have to put Horus back on the throne. Sadie wakes up to Zia poking her and learned that the city is being evacuated and using magic is getting harder. She also says the GPS is down and Carter and Amos went to ask for directions. Zia believes that Amos still cannot be trusted, but Sadie disagrees to that. Then Amos comes back saying that they're really close to the pyramid. As they approach, they realize they need to hide and that going in the truck is too dangerous. Amos turns them all into black dust to hide them despite their protests. They get closer to the pyramids and revert to human form. They see Set's forces putting the final piece on the pyramid, the golden pyramidion. They discuss how to get inside the pyramid without being spotted, so they decide for Carter and Sadie to turn into birds, Zia using her vulture pendant, and Amos going his own way.

They arrive at the boat and take out the demons there with Amos reverting back from a fruit bat. This causes the pyramidion to drop, thus preventing the pyramid from full completion. Then forty to fifty winged demons attack and Amos holds them off while the rest of them sneaks in. Carter closes and then seals the door with the Eye of Horus symbol. They venture in and Carter and Zia notice that the tomb drawings are not that of a proper tomb and Zia explains it is to create more chaos. They reach the throne room at the center and see the coffin where Orisis/Julius Kane lay. Then Amos jumps from the ceiling and says that he had defeated the demons for a while. While Carter and Sadie ask how to release their dad, but then Amos falls to his knees and smoke starts coming out of him. The smoke then manifested into Set.

Set laughed as he said that now all other of his four siblings were here. He implied that Zia hosted Nephthys, but Carter believed that nothing Zia emitted was godly, so he disagreed with Set. After being slammed and pinned by Set, he and Horus decided to stop fighting and act as one as they had a common enemy. They summoned the combat avatar and attacked Set in unison. Carter/Horus and Set traded blows and destroyed their surroundings, but Carter realized that it would crush Sadie, Zia, and Amos, so he imagined Set as a fruit bat and turned him into one. He himself turned into a falcon and took Set out of the pyramid. Set turned back into human and showed Carter the House of Life fighting their way through Set's forces, but his demons were too much and they were being beaten. Then Carter saw the pyramidion being carried up by four serpent-headed giants. Then Set struck him with the ha-wi attack and blasted Carter down the pyramid.

Set

Set, the god of evil

Meanwhile Zia told Sadie that even though she isn't hosting Nephthys, she can communicate with her in a way, and told Sadie that Set's secret name is Evil Day. Sadie then saw her dad's coffin and was tempted to open it first, but Isis insisted they defeat Set first. Sadie touched the coffin anyways and saw she was at the Hall of Judgement and Anubis was there. He told her that she shouldn't be there and that the restoration of Ma'at must start there. Then she was at the throne of the gods and saw Bast there. Bast told Sadie that if Set won't take control, who will? Sadie was then transported to the First Nome where Iskandar was kneeling by the empty throne of the pharaoh. Iskandar told her that someone must become the pharaoh to which Sadie replied it can't be Carter. Iskandar said that the fate will depend on the entire Kane family. The scene then changed to her parents at Cleopatra's Needle to where they were about to release Bast from her prison. Sadie let go of the coffin and started to blame Isis for what happened. Then her father's spirit came from the coffin and told her not to blame Isis and that if she merged with a god, she might've burned up. He then told her not to release him first and defeat Set since the power of the pyramid would've consumed Orisis's spirit and hasten the process of destruction. Sadie then merged with Isis like Carter had done and flew to the top of the pyramid.

Carter saw Desjardins fly out of the crowd and knock the demons carrying the pyramidion out, and tried to destroy it. Unfortunately, Set whacked Desjardins down the pyramid before he could destroy the pyramidion. Carter rose again and fought Set once more, but Set struck his staff against Carter's ankle and sent Carter down the side of the pyramid again. He picked up the capstone and headed for the top, but then Sadie appeared. She summoned a giant portal that transported everyone hovering over the Washington Monument, and damaged parts of the pyramid. Doing this rid the pyramid of its energy source, the desert. Sadie summoned the Feather of Truth and started chanting. Set tried to interrupt her, but Carter held him back. Sadie was a line away from finishing the spell, but she heard her mother warn her to 'watch for the enemy'. She looked at the pyramid and saw a giant snake there. She stopped the spell and then Set's assistant, Face of Horror, tried to kill Sadie. Carter threw his sword and killed him. The snake's body flew up to the sky, and both Sadie and Carter realized that it was Apophis. Apophis said that he was now breaking free from his weakened prison. Using Set's secret name, Sadie forced him to swear to side with them against Apophis, and Set agreed.

The Aftermath[]

Zia is revealed to be a shabti and a blue light escapes from its mouth. Carter and Sadie release the gods they are hosting, and Desjardins states that they shouldn't cross the House of Life again. They return to Brooklyn House and spend the next weeks repairing the house. Then Anubis appears and summons a portal for them to the Hall of Judgment with Julius as the king there and decides to stay in the Duat as Osiris with their dead mother, Ruby Kane. Orisis gives them a djed amulet, the symbol of Orisis. Horus reclaims the throne as the ruler of the heavens and then Horus and Isis reward them by repairing the rest of Amos's house and reviving Bast. Amos is still broken from his experience hosting Set, so he heads off to the First Nome to get healed. Carter and Sadie then go to recruit others to their group of magicians in Brooklyn to be trained.

Characters[]

Humans[]

  • Carter Kane - Age 14, Carter is the descendant of Ancient Egyptian Magicians; he is one of the main protagonists. Described as always dressing 'impeccably' in khaki pants, dress shoes, and a button-up shirt. The host of Horus; his main weapon is a khopesh, an Ancient Egyptian sword favored by guards of the Pharaoh. His specialty is combat magic.
  • Sadie Kane - Age 12, Sadie is Carter's sister, and also shares his magical ability. She was raised in England by her grandparents after her mother died. She has light skin, caramel colored hair which she usually dyes with streaks of bright colors, blue eyes, and never goes anywhere without combat boots. She is a powerful and natural magician who can read hieroglyphics and understand Ancient Egyptian. She becomes the host of Isis.
  • Julius Kane - Carter and Sadie's father and husband to the late Ruby Kane, PhD in Egyptologist. He has dark brown skin, piercing brown eyes, a bald head and a goatee. He becomes the host of Osiris.
  • Amos Kane - Brother to Julius Kane, described as dressing in a classy suit with sunglasses, and has the appearance of a barrel shaped Jazz musician. He is a powerful magician. He was the temporary host of Set, until he was done with using him.
  • Zia Rashid - A powerful magician who Carter Kane has affection for. Considered the most promising student in the First Nome. She is the unknowing host to Nephthys. In this book, Zia turns out to be a Shabti created by Iskandar.
  • Michel Desjardins - Current leader of the first Nome, strongly opposed to using the power of the gods.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Faust - The grandparents of Sadie and Carter.
  • Iskandar - The Chief Lector before Michel Desjardins. He lived during the reign of Cleopata VI and specialized in Statuary Magic. He created Zia's shabti.

Gods[]

  • Serqet - Goddess of scorpions
  • Isis - Goddess of magic and wife of Osiris. Her host is Sadie Kane, formerly her mother Ruby Kane.
  • Horus - Falcon-headed son of Osiris, destined to reclaim the Throne of Ma'at. His host is Carter Kane.
  • Bast - Goddess of cats, her host is Muffin, Sadie Kane's cat. Also a deadly combat mage. She is sworn to protect the Kane siblings.
  • Set - God of evil and chaos, represented by the color red. Possesses Amos Kane when he is Set's captive.
  • Osiris - God of the dead. His host is Julius Kane. Father of Horus.
  • Anubis - God of funerals and assistant of Osiris, takes the form of a human with a jackals head, or an attractive teenage boy. He and Sadie show strong and mutual feeling towards each other.
  • Thoth - God of wisdom and thought, illustrated as a 'mad scientist' character.
  • Nut - Goddess of the sky. Her children are Osiris, Set, Horus, Isis, and Nephthys.
  • Geb - God of Earth, husband of Nut, children are Osiris, Set, Horus, Isis, and Nephthys
  • Sobek - Crocodile god. Servant of Set. His sweat creates rivers and oceans.
  • Sekhmet Lioness goddess. Goddess of destruction and healing.

Others[]

Chapter list[]

  1. A Death at the Needle
  2. An Explosion for 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 Flamethrower
  12. A Jump Through the Hourglass
  13. I Face the Killer Turkey
  14. A French Guy Almost Kills Us
  15. A Godly Birthday
  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.

Awards[]

  • School Library Journal Best Book of 2010.[1]
The Red Pyramid Graphic Novel

Graphic Novel[]

Main article: The Red Pyramid (graphic novel)

A graphic novel was released on October 2, 2012.[2] The graphic novel is adapted by Orpheus Collar.

Trivia[]

  • The book makes occasional references to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, as it takes place in the same world.
    • In the beginning of the book, Amos states that Manhattan has its own set of gods and that they must be kept separate from Egyptian gods. He says this while looking at the Empire State Building, the current home to Mount Olympus.
    • Later in the book, Thoth mentions that the Greeks would confuse him with Hermes, something he takes offense to as Hermes is apparently of a very different character.
  • The Hall of Ages that Carter, Sadie and Zia's shabti walk through has five ages. In The Lightning Thief, Chiron talks about the four ages preceding the Age of the West, including the reign of Kronos during the Fourth Age.[3] In The Throne of Fire, we are told that a sixth age has begun. This coincides with Hyperion mentioning the dawn of the Sixth Age during The Last Olympian.[4]
  • Upon arrival at the First Nome, Sadie witnesses a magician using magic to control brooms. She notes similarities to The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment from the Disney film, Fantasia. Zia remarks that it was based on an Egyptian story.
    • This may be a reference to Philopseudes, a Greek version of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. In this version, the Sorcerer is an Egyptian mystic, a priest of Isis called Pancrates.
  • The plot is loosely based on the Osiris myth, and features similar elements to it:
    • Set traps Osiris/Julius Kane in a coffin.
    • Isis/Sadie embarks on a quest to find Osiris.
    • Horus/Carter battles Set.
    • Osiris dies and is reborn as the ruler of the Land of the Dead, this time with Julius as his permanent host.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. "School Library Journal Best Books of 2010". School Library Journal.
  2. "First Look: The Red Pyramid graphic novel"
  3. The Lightning Thief: I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus
  4. The Last Olympian: I Meet Some Fishy Relatives

External links[]

The Kane Chronicles
Core Series: The Red Pyramid | The Throne of Fire | The Serpent's Shadow
Crossovers: The Son of Sobek | The Staff of Serapis | The Crown of Ptolemy | Demigods & Magicians
Main Characters: Carter Kane | Sadie Kane | Ra | Anubis | Apophis | Bast | Bes | Horus | Isis | Zia Rashid | Set | Walt Stone | Setne
Secondary Characters: Julius Kane | Ruby Kane | Amos Kane | Vladimir Menshikov | Leonid | Sarah Jacobi | Kwai
Minor Characters: Michel Desjardins | Iskandar | Jasmine Anderson | Sean Ryan | Julian | Alyssa | Cleo | Felix Philip | Shelby | Khufu | Muffin | Mr. Faust | Mrs. Faust | Percy Jackson | Annabeth Chase
Egyptian Gods: Ra | Geb | Nut | Shu | Osiris | Horus | Set | Isis | Nephthys | Anubis | Sobek | Bast | Thoth | Serapis | Ptah | Nekhbet | Wadjet | Babi | Tefnut | Tawaret | Khepri | Khnum | Neith | Khonsu | Sekhmet | Hathor | Serqet | Shezmu | Hapi
Demons and Magical Creatures: Ammit the Devourer | Bau | Bloodstained Blade | Criosphinx | Carriers | Face of Horror | Griffin | Uraeus | Serpopard | Switchblade Demons | Tjesu heru | Petsuchos
Other: House of Life | Magic | Magician | Kane Family
Related Content: Rick Riordan | List of Terms | The Kane Chronicles: Survival Guide | Brooklyn House Magician's Manual | Film Series | Mythomagic, Inc | Netflix
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