The Akhenaten Adventure
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| The Akhenaten Adventure | |
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| Author | P.B. Kerr |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Petar Meseldzija |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Children of the Lamp |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Orchard Books |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 355 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-439-67019-5 |
| Preceded by | (This is the first book in the series) |
| Followed by | The Blue Djinn of Babylon |
The Akhenaten Adventure is a novel by P.B. Kerr (an English author) and the first book of the Children of the Lamp series. It tells the story of John and Philippa Gaunt and their adventures of finding out they are djinn. The book earned a place on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's books and received generally favorable reviews. It precedes The Blue Djinn of Babylon.
[edit] Plot
The story starts as a prologue, on a hot day in Egypt with a man, Hussein Hussaout, digging illegally in a solitude desert for historical artifacts he could sell in his shop, assisted by his son, Baksheesh and his dog, Effendi. The hot desert climate slows down Baksheesh, so Hussein asks his son to take a break by going to their Land Rover and getting some food. Baksheesh obeys, however when he reaches the truck, it moves away from his out-streched hand. He tries a second time but the Land Rover moves once again, and the ground begins to shake; the beginning of an earthquake. A frightened Baksheesh enters the shaking car, however by the time the earthqake ends, he fears his father may have gone mad due to the way he was laughing; this was due to finding a mysterious stone in the ground, a stone that would apparently help them solve a mystery that had been pondered for centuries.
John and Philippa Gaunt lead an upper class life in New York City, New York. Their life changes when they have their wisdom teeth{also called dragon teeth by djinns} removed. Suddenly John's acne disappears, and they both have a sudden desire for heat as well as hitting a growth spurt. After some debate, the children are sent to spend the summer with their Uncle Nimrod.
Upon reaching their uncle, the children learn that they are actually djinn or Genies (more preferably djinni in the plural form). Their uncle begins to train them on how to use their powers. Nimrod, John and Phillippa are trying to discover where the 'Lost Djinn of Akhenaten' are hidden, which leads to the capture and binding of Nimrod, a murder of a man called Hussein Hussaout and a confrontation of Iblis, the leader of the most wicked tribe of djinn, the Ifrit. This could tip the balance in the on going fight between djinn who attempt to promote good luck, of which Nimrod is the nominal leader, and those who promote bad luck. After several adventures in Cairo, Egypt the book concludes with a battle in the British Museum where John, Philipa, and Nimrod successfully ensure that the djinn will not be used for nefarious purposes. After that they go to the Arctic and then go home from there (much to their mother's pleasure).
