My babble on The Red Pyramid
May. 5th, 2010 05:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greenconversesOkay, it took me a bit longer than usual to read this because of finals, but I just finished. And this book? Five hundred pages of awesome.
If you enjoyed Percy Jackson, you're definitely guaranteed to like this series. The set-up is very much the same as the first PJO book; it even seems to be following the plot of The Lightning Thief pretty closely for a while there too (parent gets kidnapped by a god, kids discover they have magical heritage, must decide to save world or parent) which is kind of annoying for the first 100 pages, but then things start to diverge, and it gets really, really good.
I took a class on Ancient Egypt last semester, which was a blessing for this book, really because it is mythology heavy. Sometimes it almost feels too weighed down by it because RR pulls out almost everything to do with Egyptian mythology in this book, but it's still fun and I was always interested in seeing where it wound up. The way he used the mythology was different too - the Egyptians gods can't take form in our world unless they have some kind of host (doesn't even have to be human either) and most of them have been dormant for a while so they haven't been missing with human civilization like the Greek gods have been. If it came down to a fight, the Greeks would probably win because they have the advantage of having their own forms but the Egyptians are older, sooo...
Anyway, RR uses the same formula for PJO: first person narrative, but he splits it up between Carter and Sadie Kane, two siblings. The switching POV is actually kind of fun, and I loved both of them, although Sadie's Brit speak was occasionally wince worthy. The narration was just as smart and funny as PJO (even had the same crazy chapter titles!) but definitely wasn't as great as Percy's narration. This line was pretty good:
"Hold up." Carter glanced at me. "I cut off her head?"
I got better, Isis assured me.
A Monty Python reference in my children's literature? HELL YES.
The characters were great all-around. Unlike PJO, we get to spend significant amounts of page time with the gods and Bast in particular was my favorite, although Horus had his moments when he got to be a snarky bastard. There were plenty of fierce female characters to be found, which is one thing I absolutely adore about RR. His books never fail to pack in all the well-rounded, kick-ass women they can. We had Sadie, Bast, Zia, Isis, Ruby, and a couple other goddesses who hung around for a bit, and they were all awesome, although the first three have a particular place in my heart. Carter was cute, if a bit stuffy at first, but I warmed to him eventually. Anubis = ♥
Um, ships? WELL. I am hardcore on the Anubis/Sadie train right now. THEY'RE JUST SO CUTE AND SNARKY TOGETHER. And Carter/Zia because it reminds me of Percy/Annabeth except Carter is way less oblivious and book wormy than Percy. Maybe some Bast/Amos Kane if they get to hang out more in the next book.
And I'm totally going to write fic about Anubis and Nico hanging out in that New Orleans graveyard together. BECAUSE IT SO WOULD HAPPEN. (Anubis/Nico is my cliche crossover OTP as of now, just saying)
Since I'm on this tangent, a Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles canon crossover MUST happen. This series practically demands it, not only with the shout outs because with the re-establishment of the Egyptian gods' power, I could see some major trouble brewing in the mythological world. Okay, really, I just want a world-wide, mythological cage fight match because it would be epic. Not only do we have acknowledgment that the Egyptian gods know the Greeks exist, but they've met before and they probably don't get along, at least according to Thoth:
Thoth looked offended. "In Ancient Egypt, it's a perfectly fine name. The Greeks called me Thoth. The later they confused me with their god Hermes. Even had the nerve to rename my sacred city Hermopolis, though we're nothing alike. Believe me, if you've ever met Hermes - "
SEE. There has to have been some epic fight back in the day, and there's probably going to be some kind of epic fight off screen now that the Egyptians are getting back power. RR had some throwaway line about the gods in Mexico too so you know the Mayans biding their time too. Like I said, EPIC MYTHOLOGY CAGE FIGHT. I want to see this in canon so bad. FANDOM: DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME.
And that's my ramble on The Red Pyramid. Thoughts?
If you enjoyed Percy Jackson, you're definitely guaranteed to like this series. The set-up is very much the same as the first PJO book; it even seems to be following the plot of The Lightning Thief pretty closely for a while there too (parent gets kidnapped by a god, kids discover they have magical heritage, must decide to save world or parent) which is kind of annoying for the first 100 pages, but then things start to diverge, and it gets really, really good.
I took a class on Ancient Egypt last semester, which was a blessing for this book, really because it is mythology heavy. Sometimes it almost feels too weighed down by it because RR pulls out almost everything to do with Egyptian mythology in this book, but it's still fun and I was always interested in seeing where it wound up. The way he used the mythology was different too - the Egyptians gods can't take form in our world unless they have some kind of host (doesn't even have to be human either) and most of them have been dormant for a while so they haven't been missing with human civilization like the Greek gods have been. If it came down to a fight, the Greeks would probably win because they have the advantage of having their own forms but the Egyptians are older, sooo...
Anyway, RR uses the same formula for PJO: first person narrative, but he splits it up between Carter and Sadie Kane, two siblings. The switching POV is actually kind of fun, and I loved both of them, although Sadie's Brit speak was occasionally wince worthy. The narration was just as smart and funny as PJO (even had the same crazy chapter titles!) but definitely wasn't as great as Percy's narration. This line was pretty good:
"Hold up." Carter glanced at me. "I cut off her head?"
I got better, Isis assured me.
A Monty Python reference in my children's literature? HELL YES.
The characters were great all-around. Unlike PJO, we get to spend significant amounts of page time with the gods and Bast in particular was my favorite, although Horus had his moments when he got to be a snarky bastard. There were plenty of fierce female characters to be found, which is one thing I absolutely adore about RR. His books never fail to pack in all the well-rounded, kick-ass women they can. We had Sadie, Bast, Zia, Isis, Ruby, and a couple other goddesses who hung around for a bit, and they were all awesome, although the first three have a particular place in my heart. Carter was cute, if a bit stuffy at first, but I warmed to him eventually. Anubis = ♥
Um, ships? WELL. I am hardcore on the Anubis/Sadie train right now. THEY'RE JUST SO CUTE AND SNARKY TOGETHER. And Carter/Zia because it reminds me of Percy/Annabeth except Carter is way less oblivious and book wormy than Percy. Maybe some Bast/Amos Kane if they get to hang out more in the next book.
And I'm totally going to write fic about Anubis and Nico hanging out in that New Orleans graveyard together. BECAUSE IT SO WOULD HAPPEN. (Anubis/Nico is my cliche crossover OTP as of now, just saying)
Since I'm on this tangent, a Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles canon crossover MUST happen. This series practically demands it, not only with the shout outs because with the re-establishment of the Egyptian gods' power, I could see some major trouble brewing in the mythological world. Okay, really, I just want a world-wide, mythological cage fight match because it would be epic. Not only do we have acknowledgment that the Egyptian gods know the Greeks exist, but they've met before and they probably don't get along, at least according to Thoth:
Thoth looked offended. "In Ancient Egypt, it's a perfectly fine name. The Greeks called me Thoth. The later they confused me with their god Hermes. Even had the nerve to rename my sacred city Hermopolis, though we're nothing alike. Believe me, if you've ever met Hermes - "
SEE. There has to have been some epic fight back in the day, and there's probably going to be some kind of epic fight off screen now that the Egyptians are getting back power. RR had some throwaway line about the gods in Mexico too so you know the Mayans biding their time too. Like I said, EPIC MYTHOLOGY CAGE FIGHT. I want to see this in canon so bad. FANDOM: DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME.
And that's my ramble on The Red Pyramid. Thoughts?
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-05 11:26 pm (UTC)How does he handle the bit about Set cutting off Osiris's penis and chucking it into the Nile, and then Isis making Osiris a new penis out of clay?
no subject
Date: 2010-05-05 11:32 pm (UTC)Okay, so he didn't cover everything in Egyptian mythology. He does touch on the incest briefly though.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-05 11:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 12:07 am (UTC)Now I definetly have to go pick it up.
LOL, Brit speak, I'm definetly going to laugh at that.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:00 am (UTC)OMFG. I will die. Please,please, please let RR do a Mayan series. PLEASE
There were plenty of fierce female characters to be found, which is one thing I absolutely adore about RR.
Yes.Nice to see he continues this.
And this series sounds amazing.I cannot wait to pick this up.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 03:51 pm (UTC)I agree with you on the myth overload. It's only cause of my class that I was sort of able to keep up. It still seemed jammed packed with info though.
BUT YES. ANUBIS/SADIE - TOO CUTE. I got the category added on FFN yesterday. >_> I'm waiting for some them fics now.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-09 04:59 pm (UTC)I know Egyptian mythology is lesser known and a little more complicated than Greek, but I think he could've cut down on the amount of it in this book. I think they met almost the entire pantheon, when Percy met everyone a lot slower.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-09 12:31 am (UTC)Thought you'd like to know but someone is already taking a stab at a crossover fic where PJO meets Kane Chronicles. They posted up a story today. It doesn't seem half bad, so maybe you'd wanna check it out.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-09 05:01 pm (UTC)I'll have to check that crossover out, thanks for telling me!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-10 03:12 pm (UTC)I can read and comment now that I'm finished.
no subject
“You didn’t need to tell me.” Anubis’s face was grave. “I’ve learned to fear that sharp tongue.”
Sadie looked outraged. “Excuse me?”
SOOOO CUTE!
please please please please please please do a fic about those two (if its smut better) and the nico and anubis hanging around and complaining about rachael and sadie, soooo made of win!