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Thanks to Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, I can’t look at the Empire State Building in the same way anymore. I bet countless readers across the country feel the same. As we gaze up at the New York City skyline, look out across the Hoover Dam, or rest upon any other major landmark in the United States, there will always be an impulse in the back of our minds or in the corners of our eyes to search for hints of mythic Greek gods, monsters, and entrances to fabled underground labyrinths.
Now Riordan is about to revive another legendary pantheon. Disney-Hyperion Books will publish “The Kane Chronicles: Book One, The Red Pyramid,” on May 4, 2010, and this time, prepare for the gods and magic of ancient Egypt to invade the modern world.
The series features the globe-trotting adventures of siblings Carter and Sadie Kane, between whom the book’s narrative will be split. The brother-sister duo battle ancient Egyptian powers, and perhaps find some magic within themselves.
“In my research, I came across some fascinating things most people don’t know about Egyptian magic and how it came to be,” said Riordan. “Some of the earliest roots of magic go back to Egypt. Egyptian magicians were famed throughout the ancient world as absolutely the best.”
Ancient mythology, swords and sorcery, and global adventures? Count me in. I don’t care that the books are aimed at kids; I devour this kind of stuff. I always have, and I see no reason why I should miss out on the fun even though I’m older.
If you’re curious about this new author your children are crazy about, don’t hesitate to grab a copy of “Percy Jackson” or the upcoming “Red Pyramid.” Riordan’s work is funny, fresh, and contains some gripping storylines that resonate with people of all ages. For example, the complicated emotions compelling Hades to act as a sort of wild card between the forces of good and evil in the “Percy Jackson” quintet.
Despite my enthusiasm, I have some reservations. “The Red Pyramid” debuts scarcely a year after Disney-Hyperion published the last “Percy Jackson” novel, and the company has announced that the following books in the series will be published in successive years one after the other.
On top of that rather hectic schedule, this new series at times feels dangerously like a retread. The gods of an ancient mythology turn out to still exist, and now they threaten to unleash their chaos upon the modern world.
Riordan’s done that for Greek mythology and now he’s about to do it for Egyptian. He’s also said he’d be happy doing the same for Norse, Chinese, Indian, and other mythologies. I’m worried that with the breakneck speed Riordan’s publishing his books, the energy and excitement present in “Percy Jackson” will fade as Riordan churns out multiple series on similar topics.
Maybe I’m putting too much focus on originality. That’s something I’ve wondered about a lot lately, most recently when I contemplated the “Christmas Carol” remake. Why are new ideas the only ones considered worthy?
Riordan is getting kids interested in mythology, and thus the history and culture of the world. If he does end up writing about Eastern mythologies, that will give youngsters an introduction to cultures outside their own. That’s something I didn’t have growing up. So what if he systematically works his way through every ancient pantheon? Not only will kids be reading, but they’ll also be learning in the process, and in some respects, that may be more valuable than originality.
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