Sadie and Carter are hunting for the three scrolls of the Book of Ra in order to summon him back from his retirement deep in the Duat. He is the only one with the power to defeat Apophis. Their top recruits, Jazz and Walt, join them in the Brooklyn Museum to gather the first scroll. When a fire spell is released (complete with creepy white demons) Jaz manages to banishes them, but quickly falls into a coma.
Hijinks continue on Sadie's visit home for her birthday. Let's just say her grandparents have been possessed, and a giant vulture and giant baboon end up chasing Sadie and her mates around the London Underground. They get by with a little help from Bast's friend Bes, the dwarf god. Sadie doesn't understand the hostility, aren't the gods supposed to be on their side? Don't they want to stop the rise of Apophis, and welcome back Ra?
One scroll down, two to go - but now Desjardins (newly appointed Chief Lector) knows they are searching for the Book of Ra. They get a tip that the second scroll is with Desjardins' right hand man, Vlad the Inhaler, in Russia. Upon arrival, they find more than they bargined for: it seems Vlad is working for the other side!
Carter has been searching for Zia since he discovered that the girl he knew was just a shabti. When he hears that she's been hidden in the ruins of her old village, even the rise of Apophis can't stop him from going to rescue her. (Love makes you do crazy things...) Can they possibly complete all their tasks, and make it to the Duat to summon Ra before the rise of Apophis the Chaos Snake?
Lots of familiar characters make an appearance (my favorite cameo is *cough*Set*cough*), and Riordan seems to continue to improve his writing. Highly recommended for fans of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, mythology, history, action, adventure, fantasy - almost anyone, in other words.
“The sign was spray-painted in Arabic and English, probably from some attempt by the farmer to sell his wares in the market. The English read: Dates-best price. Cold Bebsi.*Library Link*
'Bebsi?' I asked.
'Pepsi,' Walt said. 'I read about it on the Internet. There's no 'p' in Arabic. Everyone here calls the soda Bebsi.'
'So you have to have Bebsi with your bizza?'
'Brobably,'” (Riordan, 2011).
If you liked this, check out:
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles, Book 1)
Hero by Mike Lupica
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott (Secrets of Nicholas Flamel, Book 1)
Riordan, Rick. (2011). The Throne of Fire. New York, NY: Disney/Hyperion.
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.
ReplyDeleteRick Riordan is an awesome children writer. I say children because I have never read his grown up book...I am so behind in his books though :-(
ReplyDeleteThis an absolutely amazing book. I highly recommend it, though to higher level readers, because of the slightly confusing plot and the issues in it.
ReplyDeleteMica
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