The Serpent's Shadow (Riordan novel) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Serpent's Shadow

Cover of first edition
Author	Rick Riordan
Illustrator	John Rocco
Country	United States
Series	The Kane Chronicles (bk 3)
Genre	Fantasy, adventure, children's novel
Publisher	Disney Hyperion
Publication date	May 2, 2012
Media type	Print, audiobook
Pages	406 (first ed.)
ISBN	978-1423140573
OCLC	757484331
LC Class	PZ7.R4829 Se 2012
Preceded by	The Throne of Fire

The Serpent's Shadow is an exciting fantasy adventure novel from 2012. It's based on ancient Egyptian mythology and was written by American author Rick Riordan. This book is the third and last one in The Kane Chronicles series. Disney Hyperion published it on May 1, 2012.

The Exciting Story of The Serpent's Shadow

This book starts six months after the last one. Carter Kane and Sadie Kane travel to Dallas with their magic students. They meet J.D. Grissom, who leads the magic house there. They need a special scroll from a King Tut exhibit. This scroll will help stop the evil god Apophis. Apophis, the god of chaos, plans to rise in three days. He wants to swallow the sun and destroy the world.

Sadie sees a face in a wall that tells them to find a golden box instead. But the magic house is attacked, and the scroll is destroyed. To save everyone, Sadie uses powerful magic. She calls on Ma'at, the spirit of order, to push back the chaos. Sadie then passes out. When she wakes up, the magic house is gone. All its magicians are gone too.

Back in Brooklyn, they find out the golden box Sadie saw is a shadow box of King Tut. Horus, a god, visits Carter. He hints that shadows and statues are connected. Carter thinks there's a better way to defeat Apophis. He decides to ask Thoth, the god of knowledge, for help.

Sadie meets Anubis, the god of the dead. He suggests that a shadow is like a backup copy. Sadie gets an idea to use the shadow of Bes, a dwarf god, to bring him back. Bes had lost his soul.

A Russian magician named Leonid arrives with bad news. He tells them that rebel magicians have joined Apophis. Amos, the Chief Lector, tells Zia and Sadie to visit Bes. Meanwhile, Carter and Walt visit Thoth. Thoth helps them understand more about a ghost named Setne. They realize they need to visit the Land of the Dead. They must ask Osiris, the god of the underworld, for help.

Zia and Sadie visit the House of Rest. Sadie realizes Amos is using the magic of Set, a powerful god. Tawaret, a hippopotamus goddess, tells them where Bes hid his shadow. Carter, Sadie, Zia, and Walt meet up. They meet Osiris and convince him to let Setne go with them. Zia and Carter help Setne get the Book of Thoth. It is revealed that Ra, the sun god, has chosen Zia to be his host. She survives this powerful connection. Setne then tricks them and leads them to the Land of Demons.

Meanwhile, Sadie and Walt visit the goddess Neith. She says she will help them if they can survive her hunt until sunset. They use their magic amulets to escape. Sadie tricks Neith by telling her funny stories. Walt uses his remaining energy to bring Bes's shadow back. Walt then becomes the host of Anubis. Sadie realizes Walt had been using Anubis's powers for a while. Neith agrees to fight Apophis with them.

Carter and Zia can't read the map. They let Setne lead them to the serpent's shadow. They use magic to look like demons and follow him. They reach the Sea of Chaos. There's a small dock there. To capture the shadow, they must stand at the very edge. Their magic disguises start to fade. Horus tells Carter that Ra's power, through Zia, is protecting them. They manage to summon the serpent's shadow. They trap it inside a statue.

But Setne betrays them. He changes their magic disguise into a binding curse. He wants to control Apophis and destroy Egypt. He needs Carter and Zia's help because he's a ghost. Sadie suddenly appears and binds Setne. She frees Carter and Zia. Sadie captures the shadow. But Setne disappears. They have a bigger problem: an army of demons is coming!

Tawaret arrives with other gods and saves them. Bes returns to his normal self. They get on Ra's sun boat. Ra is old and weak, but he becomes stronger when he joins with Zia.

They arrive in Giza. Bast, the cat goddess, is fighting Apophis. Bes and Ra/Zia go to help her. Sadie and Carter help defend the First Nome, their magic house. Rebel magicians are guarding the Hall of Ages. Amos is trapped inside with a group of enemies. The Brooklyn House students fight their way through. Walt/Anubis helps with his special powers. Inside, Amos is fighting well because he is hosting Set. Sadie and Carter use the powers of Isis and Horus. They join the fight, but they are all held back.

The rebel leader, Sarah Jacobi, tries to hurt Sadie. But Walt/Anubis saves her. He calls on spirits of the dead to pull Jacobi away. Her helper, Kwai, channels Apophis. Kwai is defeated, but he casts a spell to destroy the Nome. Sadie uses Isis's power. She speaks the powerful Word of Ma'at. This restores the Nome, but Sadie passes out.

To defeat Apophis, they must face him directly. Carter/Horus calls on the gods. They march to meet Apophis. But Apophis is breaking reality. They are separated, fighting different parts of him. Sadie and Carter find where Apophis is strongest. He swallows Ra/Zia. But they still cast the powerful spell and destroy him forever. Zia escapes. The gods must leave, because chaos and order are linked. When chaos is pushed away, order must also step back.

Ra has returned. He offers Horus the throne. Carter also takes the throne of the Pharaoh in the First Nome. But Carter chooses to run Brooklyn House. Amos becomes the Chief Lector for the House of Life. Walt has been missing. Bast and Bes have also left. Their father is happy they are safe and saved the world. They return to Brooklyn House. Walt/Anubis is waiting for them. Because Walt is now Anubis's permanent host, he can stay with Sadie. Sadie is happy to be with both boys she cares about.

Carter takes Zia on a date. She tells him she will stay at Brooklyn House. They share a kiss and start a relationship. Setne is still free with the Book of Thoth. Brooklyn House has many new students. Carter and Sadie say they will be too busy for more recordings. The book ends by inviting anyone with pharaoh's blood to join the House of Life.

Meet the Characters

• Carter Kane: He is one of the main heroes. He hosts the god Horus. Carter is a descendant of ancient pharaohs. He has dark skin, curly dark brown hair, and brown eyes. He is good at combat magic. His favorite weapon is a khopesh, an old Egyptian sword. His girlfriend is Zia Rashid.
• Sadie Kane: She hosts the goddess Isis. Sadie has blue eyes and caramel hair. She has paler skin than Carter and a slight British accent. Her cat, Muffin, is actually the goddess Bast. Sadie is brave and bold. Her boyfriend is Walt/Anubis.
• Walt Stone: A young magician who has a special curse. He becomes the host of Anubis to stay alive. Walt is also Sadie Kane's boyfriend. He is skilled at making charms.
• Amos Kane: A strong magician who partly hosts the god Set. He is Carter and Sadie's uncle. He used to protect them. Amos becomes the most powerful magician in the world and the Chief Lector of the House of Life.
• Zia Rashid: A fourteen-year-old Egyptian magician. She is a friend to Sadie and Carter's girlfriend. She also hosts the Egyptian god Ra.
• Bast: The Egyptian goddess of cats. She becomes the protector of Carter and Sadie.
• Set: A powerful Egyptian god of deserts, storms, and disorder.
• Apophis: The spirit of Chaos and an ancient enemy of Ra. He is the main villain.
• Julius Kane: Carter and Sadie's father. He is an Egyptian magician and an Egyptologist. He hosts the god Osiris. He helped release the gods from their prisons.
• Ruby Kane: Carter and Sadie's mother. She passed away trying to seal away Apophis.
• Ra: The midday sun god. He was once the king of the gods.

See also

In Spanish: La sombra de la serpiente para niños