The story takes off around six months after Apophis broke away from his prison. However, the Chaos snake has yet to discharge an all-out assault on the mortal world as everyone expects.
The siblings and their initiates at the Brooklyn House are of the belief that Apophis is destryong all the copies of a specific version of The Book of Overcoming Apophis, the ones written by a certain Prince Khaemwaset, more popularly known as Setne. However, the Kanes or anyone for that matter still has no clue on how to defeat Apophis.
The powers of the siblings as well as their initiates have been growing and it can be seen in the book. At the first couple of chapters, Sadie tried to summon Ma'at and she was able to do so! It was challenging enough to use hieroglyphs to produce objects such as a weapon. Moreso when one is trying to muster an element like earth or air. However, calling upon Ma'at, which is Order, which in turn is a concept, is just unheard of. Luckily, Sadie didn't die from doing so. Well, actually she almost did.
Carter's responsibilities have also increased. Since their Uncle Amos has become Chief Lector, Carter is the one officially in charge of Brooklyn House. He is the one who decides and calls the shots (of course, he consults with Sadie, Walt and Bast). If you ask me, that seems like a pretty heavy burden to put on the shoulders of a teenager. But, if someone has to do it, better it be Carter.
There's is a sense of normalcy in Brooklyn House though. Everyone (except Carter, that is) is now going to a normal mortal academy - the Brooklyn Academy for the Gifted - during the day. Their afternoons and weekends are spent for studying magic. Everyone is happy with the arrangement - the girls are glad to have additional friends (and boys to flirt with); the guys could be in actual school sports teams instead of playing with Khufu; even Bast is delighted to have some peace and quiet around the house for a few hours.
Since it is a school for the gifted, the Brooklyn House kids didn't have a hard time passing themselves off as one. Alyssa made sculptures since earth magic is her specialty. Walt focused on making jewelry since he's good in making amulets. Cleo was a writer because she's good in recalling and telling stories (even the long-forgotten ones) and drama was just innate for Sadie.
Speaking of Sadie, she still has her boy problems. She's still torn between Anubis and Walt. If I were her, I wouldn't be able to choose either. I have always sides with a "team" in these love triangles from the novels that I read but in this case, I, myself, simply cannot decide who I like more!
As for Walt, he is still trying to prolong his life by using his magic less. It isn't enough, though. He is still dying. However, he and Anubis are conceiving something. Maybe something that would help Walt so that he wouldn't die.
Again, I learned something about Egyptian beliefs in the book, particularly, their concept of the soul. For them, the soul have five parts - the first part is the ba or ones personality, when we dream it can depart our bodies or it becomes a ghost after our death; the ka, when we die it is the life force that leaves our bodies; the heart or the ib, it is where our good or bad deeds are recorded and the one that is weighed in the scales of justice when we are judged in the afterlife; the fourth is the ren, which is ones secret name; and the last is called the shadow or sheut, we can never get rid of it because it is the silhouette of the our soul.
I think that this is a great third book of the adventure of the Kanes. The war against the Chaos snake has reached its conclusion. Questions were answered (at least with respect to the conflict with Apophis; even the case of Walt). As a reader, I wouldn't be left hanging if no other Kane chronicle comes out after this. But the Kanes left enough latitude that may be in the future they might send out recordings again.
A person's shadow stood for his legacy, his impact on the world. Some people cast hardly any shadow at all. Some cast long, deep shadows that endured for centuries. If a person cast no shadow at all, he couldn't be alive. His existence became meaningless. - Carter
Rating: 4 of 5 STARS
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