Last
week I read the first two books of the Kane Chronicles written by Rick Riordan:
The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire. I must admit that the books were a very
racy read. I could barely put them down.
I have
read practically all the Percy Jackson books and am a huge fan. I liked the
dual point of view of storytelling adopted by the author for the Kane
Chronicles Series. The story is told in the form of recordings by the siblings.
The brother and sister take turns to narrate the story.
Every alternate chapter is told
from the point of view of either the brother Carter or the sister Sadie. To
avoid confusion, beside the chapter headline is the name of whoever is telling
that part of the story.
Rick has
completely dispensed with not just a long winded introduction, but with any
introduction. He plunges his readers into the heart of the problem where the
siblings’ father, the brilliant Epyptologist Dr Julius Kane blows up the
British Musuem.
What the
author has given the readers is a ticket to a roller coaster ride. The readers
get to know the siblings as the story progresses; just bits and pieces about
their life.
Another
master stroke adopted by the author is the number of ancient Egyptian Gods who
make their entry throughout the books. The author has added oodles of appeal to all
the Gods. What I liked a lot was the author’s complete hatred for long winded
explanations about the myths and legends surrounding each and every God. Its
literally a case of , “Hi I am Bast, Goddess of
cats and I am here to help you two.”
The
author has blended Egyptian myths and history seamlessly into the story, facts
have been woven and what has emerged is a tapestry of fiction. Boredom has been
denied entry.
There
is action on every page. Every page sees the two siblings fighting fierce
monsters. These monsters have been sent by Set; a God of Ancient Egypt. Dollops
of humour urge the story along.
Improvisation is the name of the game where the author is concerned. A
god who drives an RV and travels by
plane. A blood thirsty monster (as the legend says) is given several pints of Salsa sauce, a
basketball loving baboon and a Dwarf who wears a blue Speedo and has trouble in his love life all make for an amusing and great read.
What do
you all think of Rick Riordan’s unique way of story telling and his take on the
Egyptian Gods and myth. Is there anything in particular you all have learnt
from Rick Riordan? Please share with us?
Rachna- This definitely appears as an interesting read! I had purchased a book on Greek mythology long back, but such a thought never struck me...:) :)
ReplyDeleteseem it is the great book..wish to read it...
ReplyDeleteGood review Rachna. Interesting how the author does not use an introduction--it certainly makes him use every word with intent.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of him so thank you for sharing about his writing style and him. I love the line a ticket to a roller coaster ride!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. About three or four months ago my sister and I were talking about the Percy Jackson books. We both liked them, but there was something a bit off about them. The story was good, the humor was there, as well as action and some romance.
ReplyDeleteSo to answer your question if there was anything we had learned from Rick Riordan is something that he didn't do in our opinion. For us, Percy didn't grow as a person. Fart jokes from book one were still there in book five. In other words he was the same. So having your characters grow is what Rick taught us.
He's got a great imagination, that's for sure. I hadn't heard of these books though--I'll have to check them out.
ReplyDeleteI love Rick Riordan! He's such a creative writer with excellent vision and ingenuity. I've learned about seeing my characters in my minds eye like I believe he does.
ReplyDelete*waving*
Hmm, my wife really liked these books, but I haven't gotten into them myself. I think you're winning me over on them however:)
ReplyDeleteI read the Percy Jackson books few years back without paying attention to what SBJones has brought to my notice, that Percy Jackson has not grown in the series. When a series is written, Character Growth should be paid a lot of attention to; and not just the chronological age, even maturity and lessons learnt must crawl into the character.
ReplyDeleteI do like the sound of these books. As a kid I used to love anything to do with adventure and ancient Egypt. Best combo ever.
ReplyDeleteThey sound like fun reads! My son loves the How to Train Your Dragon books.
ReplyDeletethe books sound wonderful. Thanks for introducing us to these books.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of his stories, but it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm going to have to give him a read. :-)
ReplyDeleteSounds like I need to get my hands on copies! I like the idea of being plunged straight into the action getting to know the siblings as the story progresses; just bits and pieces about their life.
ReplyDeleteSounds fab! :O)
I love his books Rachna......want to buy his latest book son of Neptune!!!
ReplyDelete