The Red Pyramid Narrator:

First Person (Central Narrator): Carter and Sadie

The narration in this book is a double-whammy of first-person intensity. On the one hand, Carter narrates half the chapters in his matter-of-fact, descriptive tone. On the other hand, Sadie brings the action she narrates to life with her British slang and general disdain for the objective truth.

For instance, when Carter's telling us about the Eye of Horus amulet his dad gave him, he says: "In fact my dad says the modern pharmacist's symbol, Rx, is a simplified version of the Eye of Horus, because medicine is supposed to protect you" (1.104). How very matter-of-fact and informative. Thank you, Carter.

In contrast, Sadie has this to say about her amulet: "I fiddled with the necklace Dad had given me. I'd never been sure what the symbol meant. Carter's was obviously an eye, but mine looked a bit like an angel, or perhaps a killer alien robot" (3.17). Sadie's voice is a lot more colorful. It's also—and there's no nice way to say this—less knowledgeable than Carter's voice. Sadie is far from stupid, but she's got way more street smarts than book smarts.

The difference between the two narrative styles keeps us on our toes, but it also helps demonstrate the differences in the characters' personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. The siblings make a good—if unlikely—team, in part because they complement each other so well. Except when it comes to stubbornness: we're pretty sure they're evenly matched there.