The Throne of Fire

Sadie is the second point-of-view character and protagonist of the novel. Where Carter is more serious, Sadie’s personality shines in her narration, and she describes herself by thinking, “I’d be excellent at world domination” (418). Like Carter, Sadie grapples with how she’s changed since the events of The Red Pyramid. In the first book, Sadie secretly wished for a closer relationship with her father and Carter while loudly proclaiming she wanted little to do with them. In Book 2, Sadie has learned to appreciate her family, and while she still sometimes pushes Carter away, she mostly wants to work with him. As a result, Carter and Sadie’s teamwork skills have improved, and their strengths and weaknesses balance one another out. Sadie goes to great lengths to save Carter, even as she scolds him for throwing himself into danger and even though she herself does the same, such as when she tries to sacrifice her secret name so that he can go forward and raise Ra.

Sadie’s major character arc in The Throne of Fire revolves around learning to accept her magician nature. While she’s come to terms with needing to save the world, she begins the book angry that she has so much responsibility. Sadie refuses to hunt for artifacts on her birthday, her way of rebelling against who she is, which fails when Egyptian threats appear in London. Working with her friends to stop Nekhbet and save her grandparents makes Sadie realize that she must do what she was born to do and that being a magician doesn’t mean she has to completely give up on her old life. Her friends accepting her helps Sadie accept herself and represents The Many Forms of Family. Sadie, more than Carter, has strong bonds with those around them—her ba visits Jaz while Jaz is in a coma, and Sadie is the one who persuades Zia to join their cause. She is, however, still a teenager; this shows the most when she struggles with her feelings for both Anubis and Walt. Though Anubis kisses her and Walt shares the secret of his curse with her, she does not enter a romantic relationship with either of them.

Sadie shares a connection to Isis, who features heavily in The Throne of Fire. Isis’s betrayal of Ra has lasting consequences that impact Sadie, and Isis, like Horus, sometimes tempts Sadie into losing control. By the end of the novel, Sadie manages to channel Isis’s power without fully allowing the god to take over, signifying her growing strength and maturity.

Vladimir Menshikov is the main antagonist of The Throne of Fire. He is a descendant of the priests of Ra, those who cursed Walt’s family line, and a believer in ancient Egyptian prophecies that claim Apophis and chaos will triumph over Ra and order. Following his attempt to gain power by reading part of the Book of Ra years ago, his eyes are now “ruined pits of scar tissue, burned skin, and glistening corneas” (171), and they represent the danger of trying to harness godly power without taking all the necessary steps to do so.

Menshikov is a relatively flat character who changes little throughout the book. He is the third-strongest magician in the world, and he lusts for power. He aligns with Apophis because he believes chaos will give him the power he desires, and he falls for the classic villain blunder of believing he will be spared when an evil entity rises. He taunts Sadie and Carter, underestimating their tenacity while overestimating his own abilities. At the end of the book, Menshikov is destroyed while sharing a body with Apophis. The serpent is sent deep into the Duat, but it is unclear if Menshikov’s physical form was completely annihilated or if being bonded with Apophis somehow saved him.

Bes is the Egyptian “dwarf” god, one of the most beloved gods of ancient Egypt. Physically, he is a short, squat man with an appearance that’s considered traditionally “ugly”—flabby skin, wrinkles, gnarled toes, and so on. Regardless, Bes has “an enormous, colorful, ludicrous, wonderful personality” and represents the idea that appearances don’t dictate what a person is really like (440). Riordan updates Bes for the book by giving him a speedo that reads “Dwarf Pride” and having him yell “boo” while ripping off his clothes to frighten people away. Bes is an example of The Different Types of Power, as even though he is a powerful god, his strength does not come from brute force or battle capabilities.

Bes initially helps Carter and Sadie as a favor to Bast, whom he’s had a crush on for centuries. As Bes spends more time around the kids, though, he realizes they make him feel like he’s part of a family for the first time in a long time, representing The Many Forms of Family. Bes sacrifices himself during Khonsu’s game so Carter and Sadie can succeed, showing his trust in them. In the last chapter, he is seen in the gods’ assisted living facility, a shell of his former self. Sadie and Carter promise to restore him, which implies that Bes will reappear in the third book.

Walt Stone is one of Carter and Sadie’s new magician recruits. He is 14 years old and has dark skin like Carter but is “tall enough to play varsity forward” (8). Walt is a new love interest for Sadie and feels more in reach for her than Anubis, who is a god without a true mortal form. As a descendant of Akhenaton, Walt’s bloodline is cursed, and the magic in his body drains him; he has a year or two more to live.

As an example of The Difficulty of Making Choices, Walt represents living life to the fullest and making every moment count. He doesn’t know exactly how much time he has, but he doesn’t want to waste it sitting on the sidelines while the other magicians fight to protect order. Though using magic expedites Walt’s illness, he chooses to do so because he feels it’s the right thing to do.

Walt aids Zia in Brooklyn as Sadie and Carter awaken Ra. Though he initially wanted to keep his curse a secret from Sadie and Carter, by the end of the book, he tells Sadie that the Kanes have renewed his fighting spirit. Walt seems to have feelings for Sadie, giving her gifts and saying he wants to spend these last years with her, but he does not act on them. However, he is the one who suggests she put out another call for help, making him, in a way, the catalyst for the entire book.

The Kanes’ other recruit is Jaz Anderson. Her name is short for Jasmine, which she doesn’t use. She spends most of the book unconscious after casting a powerful spell to save the group in Chapter 2, but Jaz’s ren meets with Sadie’s ba in Chapter 12 to introduce the idea that names hold significant power.

Jaz awakens in time to take part in the magicians’ battle in Brooklyn. The siblings spot her fighting alongside Zia, Walt, and their other allies. Walt also mentions in his final scene that Jaz is helping him search for a cure for his curse. As the Kanes’ recruits, both she and Walt will reappear in the third book.

Michel Desjardins is the most powerful magician in the world and the leader of the Cairo headquarters. In The Red Pyramid, Desjardins was the main threat against Carter and Sadie, but at the end of the book, he realized the path of the gods Carter and Sadie took might be of use against the forces of chaos. Desjardins plays a smaller role in The Throne of Fire, and he is weakened as a result of Menshikov secretly casting spells to drain his energy. Throughout the book, Desjardins grapples with whether or not to help Carter and Sadie, illustrating The Difficulty of Making Choices. He openly states he dislikes them, but he agrees that, despite his past beliefs, they are doing the right thing in raising Ra. He surprises them by following them through the Twelve Houses to destroy Menshikov. As he dies, his body transforms into his name, which Carter notes is extremely rich with a long, complex history.

Desjardins’s sacrifice at the end of the book symbolizes magicians coming together for the final battle against chaos that will take place in The Serpent’s Shadow.

Zia Rashid is asleep for most of The Throne of Fire, but she has a large impact on Carter’s character arc and decisions. At the end of The Red Pyramid, Zia was revealed to be a shabti, and the real Zia had been hidden away for her own protection. Carter witnessed Zia’s shabti sending memories away. Magic would dictate that the real Zia should have gotten those memories, but when Carter wakes her, Zia remembers nothing of him after their initial meeting prior to her shabti being created. This means that Zia initially distrusts the Kanes when she wakes, as she still believes they are outlaws. Carter, who made the difficult choice to follow his heart instead of his duty to wake her, is disappointed that Zia knows nothing about the bond he formed with her shabti.

Zia comes around quickly, suggesting that her memories are locked away, rather than missing entirely. Unlike her shabti, Zia respects Sadie and, despite the awkward state of their relationship, appreciates Carter’s efforts to rescue her. She supports the Kanes, volunteering to defend Brooklyn while Sadie and Carter wake Ra, which shows her trust in them. At the end of the book, Zia returns to Egypt with Amos, hinting that she will play an important leadership role in the final book.