I enjoyed The Red Pyramid so much that I immediately purchased its sequel, The Throne of Fire. Happily, the sophomore installment doesn’t disappoint.
ToF takes place several months after RP. Carter and Sadie Kane have turned their uncle’s Brooklyn mansion into a school for young magicians who wish to learn the ways of Egyptian magic. But the world is once again in danger, for Apophis (the serpent god of chaos) is on the verge of breaking out of his prison. In order to stop him, the siblings must awaken the sleeping sun god Ra. Their journey takes them across the world as they try to assemble the three fragments of the Book of Ra. Then, they must plunge into the depths of the Underworld as they seek Ra’s sleeping form.
Riordan continues to do a nice job of incorporating Egyptian mythology into the book, and he weaves a number of obscure legends into the story. I really like the fact that Riordan tries to maintain a reasonable level of accuracy, though I did notice one small error: the tale of the magician who parts the Nile is set during the reign of Sneferu, not Khufu. But overall, he’s done a great job, and I think this series remains one of the best portrayals of ancient Egypt in fiction.
My major gripe with this book has to do with the romantic subplots. They continue to feel forced, and it seemed a bit jarring to have Carter and Sadie mooning over their respective crushes when the end of the world is nigh. Then again, they are teenagers…
The third (and final) book in the series is due out next May.
Codex Lochianus 