The Kane Chronicles is a fantasy adventure trilogy by American author Rick Riordan that was first released on May 4th, 2010. It follows the story of Carter and Sadie Kane, and their discovery that they are the most powerful Egyptian magicians to be born in hundreds of years. As the Egyptian gods begin to awaken, the siblings must fight the forces of Chaos in order to maintain Ma'at . The North American cover art is done by John Rocco.
Origins
Rick Riordan, a former middle-school social studies teacher, stated that the idea for The Kane Chronicles originated from the fact the only more popular subject than Ancient Greece was Ancient Egypt.[1] The idea of having a brother and sister who were multiracial came from two siblings that he taught, as well as the fact that Egypt is an ancient multicultural society; however the European tradition has been to separate Egypt from African history.[2]
Books
The Red Pyramid
The first book in the series details how the Egyptian gods came to arise, and how the Kane siblings begin to realize their destiny as two of the most powerful magicians to be born since the fall of Ancient Egypt. They set out to stop Set from destroying North America and possibly all of the modern world and to rescue their father who has fallen into Set's clutches.
The Throne of Fire
The second book in the series details the journey of Carter and Sadie as they search for the Book of Ra, which will allow them to find Ra and gain his support in the coming battle against Apophis.
The Serpent's Shadow
The third and final book in The Kane Chronicles series. It was released on May 1, 2012. It contains the final battle against Apophis.
Brooklyn House Magician's Manual
A guidebook about magicians and Egyptian gods. It was released on May 1, 2018.
Graphic Novels
Connection to the Camp Half-Blood series
Rick Riordan has stated that due to the fact that the Egyptian gods exist in the same world as the Greek gods.
In The Red Pyramid, when the Kanes reach New York, Sadie asks Amos why his house isn't in Manhattan. Amos explains that Manhattan has other gods and other problems. In the graphic novel adaption, when Sadie asks this, the Empire State Building can be seen in the background with a large bolt of lightning over it, a reference to Zeus and Mount Olympus, which is on the 600th floor of the building.
In The Serpent's Shadow, Drew Tanaka and Lacy were in BAG same as Sadie. They made an appearance in The Heroes Of Olympus series as they are in Camp Half-Blood, a safe place where demigods like them can stay. They are both half-sisters because their mother is the Greek goddess Aphrodite, which explains why Drew is so vain and wears a lot of make-up. Drew was the former head counselor of Aphrodite cabin and was then replaced by Piper McLean.
The two series officially interact in The Son of Sobek, a short story in which Carter and Percy Jackson (from the Camp Half-Blood series) team up to defeat a monstrous crocodile terrorizing Long Island. It was released on May 7, 2013, and followed by a sequel titled The Staff of Serapis, this time starring Sadie and Annabeth Chase. Both stories concluded in 2015 with The Crown of Ptolemy, featuring the characters from the first two shorts. The three shorts are to be combined in to a novel released in 2016, titled Demigods and Magicians.
Trivia
- The Kane Chronicles is the first of Rick Riordan’s series to be completed in graphic novel format.
References
- ↑ Springen, Karen (5 November 2009). "Riordan Sets His Sights on Egypt". Publisher's Weekly.
- ↑ Farley, Christopher John (4 May 2010). "Rick Riordan's Gods and Monsters". The Wall Street Journal.