APOPHIS : the mighty red snake/ the Lord of Chaos/ the swallower of the Sun/ the architect of doomsday/ the initiator of the Apocalypse/ the writhing, fuming, hissing gargantuan reptile that makes dear ol’Nagini look like an earthworm that wriggled out on a rainy day....yep, ol’Apophis has risen.

And the only people who have a fighting chance against him are the young brother-sister duo of Carter and Sadie Kane. The twosome are strong Egyptian magicians, who follow the paths of Horus and Isis respectively, have incredible powers at their disposal, are befuddled by their confusing love-lives and have the oh-so-simple onus of saving the world on their weary shoulders.

Will the motor-mouthed Sadie and the super-grounded Carter provide us with a satisfying conclusion to all the Egyptian drama and chaos? Will they restore Ma’at? Will they have their very own happy-endings?
All this and much more in The Serpent’s Shadow  .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The third (and, apparently) last instalment of The Kane Chronicles is a meaty read. Every chapter that begins with Riordan’s trademark goofy titles, paves the way for non-stop action and yes, adventure. The Serpent’s Shadow is a roller-coaster ride that begs, wags it’s frisky tail and gets down on it’s front paws and grovels to be made into a Summer Blockbuster.

A little bit on our stalwart duo:
CARTER KANE : Studious, practical, home-schooled and burdened by the constant pressure to live up to his illustrious father (a famous Egyptologist who died and promptly became the host of Osiris. Over-achieving fathers, I tell you.), Carter has matured into a hero with some pretty impressive combat skills at his disposal. Whether he will be able to guide the young initiatives at Brooklyn House, rally the doubting magicians together, plunge into danger with the hare-brained schemes of his fiercely independent sister, defang the primordial essence of Chaos...all while trying NOT to turn into a blithering idiot in front of Zia, is unravelled in full technicolour detail.
SADIE KANE : I am in my 30s now. Which translates into the fact that I no longer imagine myself as a fierce, independent, smart-talking, butt kicking, YA heroine. Now I dream of being the fierce, independent, smart-talking, butt kicking mentor who guides aforementioned YA heroine. If I would channelize all things impressive and endearing into how a modern day young girl should be, she would have been a blend of Hermione Granger, Annabeth Chase, Luna Lovegood and now....Sadie Kane. As always, Sadie is a delight. She yammers away non-stop, casts powerful spells with a newly discovered aura of maturity, reverts back to a narcisstic teen in the throes of her love triangle and is as well-rounded as you would expect a  teenager to be.

It would be extremely gratifying to launch into a dissecting character sketch on each and every member of the supporting cast. But the palette is so rich and varied that I couldn’t let loose, without dumping a would-be reader with *SPOILERS GALORE*.

As your progress with the book; feel all warm and fuzzy with old favourites like Bes, Bast, Tawaret, Khufu, Ammit, Osiris, Amos, Thoth, Anubis and Walt. Roll your eyes with suppressed exasperation over Horus, Isis and toothless Ra. Feel a tad itchy and uncomfortable over the conniving Apophis and best of all, watch every word/step/move with the new villain, Setne.

The scenery is engaging. Whether it’s the antics at Brooklyn House or the battle for survival on the dry-throated plains of Cairo or the ever-baffling complexities of the Duat....Rick Riordan infuses each ambience with the right emotions.

Speaking of the good man, Riordan...as always, he delivers. He continues his non-yawn inducing insights into mythology, has a writing style that knocks the Gods off their pedestals without ever plunging into blasphemy and solidifies his innate ability to infuse death-defying situations with that essential element of humour.

Several broad hints are dropped about a possible sequel that will merge the world of Percy Jackson with that of the Kane siblings. Would I like to read it? I am unsure. On one hand, I know that Rick Riordan will never disappoint. His writing style appeals to me. On the other hand, do I want too many layers added to two splendid individual tales that worked just fine in their own separate niches? I really can’t say.

But as for now, The Serpent’s Shadow awaits all of you who want to lose yourselves in a little bit of whimsy, a whole lot of magic, gallons of action and the impending threat of *Big-Red-Snake gobble Toothless-God-in-Loincloth*.

Come away enchanted.