Percy Jackson and the Olympians

So my first review is going to be of a series in general. There are most unfortunately spoilers as to plot, but they're clearly noted, and you can skip right over them if you want to.





Rick Riordan's popular children's series takes an interesting spin on Classical mythology. The Greek gods are very real, and very alive in modern day society, still having children with mortals, and sticking to old patterns, sort of. Mount Olympus has merely shifted with the shifts of Western civilization. So at the moment, it's centered around the USA, and Mount Olympus is sitting at the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Similarly, all the old Greek monsters are still around too. They don't permanently die, instead reforming after a few years of being "killed."

The series consists of five books: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. Throughout the books, the main character, Percy Jackson, realizes his true identity as a half-blooded demi-god, and prepares for the dangers that ensue.

*CAUTION: HERE BE SPOILERS*

The bulk of this series centers around Percy and the other half-bloods preparing for a war that threatens Olympus. The Titan lord Kronos, father of most of the Olympian gods, is stirring in the depths of Tartarus and preparing to wage war on his children, like he did before. A great prophecy foretells that a child of the so-called "Big Three" gods, that is to say, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, will make an important choice when they turn 16, that will either save or destroy Mount Olympus. 

Now, this prophecy was made several years before the series starts. Around the time of the prophecy, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon made an agreement: none of them would have any more kids with mortals, to prevent this prophecy from coming true.  However,  both Zeus and Poseidon break this pact. And eventually, Hades even has a couple of kids that the prophecy could refer to. But, around the time of the third book, it's pretty clear that the child in the prophecy is in fact Percy.

Of course things are infinitely more complicated than that. A bitter child of Hermes, named Luke, sides with Kronos and the Titans, building an army of monsters and disgruntled half-bloods to fight against Olympus. He eventually also severs as a new body for Kronos to inhabit around book 4. 

All of the events in each of the books serve to feed the slow rise of Kronos and the looming war, and events of one book have clear ramifications in later books. For example, in the fourth book Percy and his friend Annabeth cause Mount St. Helens to erupt, leading to the monster Typhon escaping from his prison, creating a major problem for the gods.  Everything culminates in the final book, where it's all out war, and the great prophecy is fulfilled.

Spoilers over. 

Despite being meant for children, these books have elements that pretty much anyone will enjoy. They're simple to read, so they go by quickly, and lots of fun. They're all told in first person, from Percy's point of view, so we get to figure everything out as he does. Each book has a sense of urgency about it, as some sort of deadline is usually in place, and we are given clear reminders that things are never as they seem to be in the world of Greek mythology.

We really get to watch Percy grow up throughout the books, and grow into his role as a clear leader of his fellow half-bloods. By the time The Last Olympian comes around, Percy's learned from his mistakes, and does his best to not let his own flaws and the past mistakes of others affect things.

One of the things I love about this series is the way Riordan handles the mythology aspect. I'm a bit of a mythology buff, so all these modern day movies that twist and manipulate the plot of Greek stories (like the Disney movie Hercules.......) really annoy me. But this series isn't like that. Riordan stays true to the original stories, while making slight twists and tweaks to fit his characters and universe. We meet each of the twelve Olympians, each one with a distinct personality that is simultaneously ageless and modern. For example, Zeus is wearing a fancy business suit, and Apollo can make his chariot look like a sports car. While the theme of the books tends to lean towards the fact that history repeats itself, it still happens in different ways. Percy (named after the hero Perseus), is a teenaged combination of Odysseus, Heracles, Theseus, Jason, and a few other heroes, repeating some of their famous tasks as a part of the journey he's attempting to complete. These other heroic tasks just end up being side-plots. A means to an end, if you will. 

 *CAUTION: SPOILERS* 

In case you were wondering, some of the heroic tasks Percy replicates throughout the books include: "slaying" Medusa (monsters never really die), battling the Nemean Lion, the Stymphalian Birds, cleaning out stables, dealing with Procrustes, encountering his own form of the Land of the Lotus Eaters, battling Polyphemus, dealing with Circe, being stranded on the Island of Calypso, recovering the Golden Fleece, holding up the world for Atlas (in a way), and, of course, descending to the Underworld.

Spoilers over!

 At the end of the day, these books are definitely worth reading, especially for children who have any sort of interest in mythology. Actually, kids in general should read these books. Similarly, young adults, and even adults, who like simple reads that are still thrilling and entertaining should definitely check these books out. 

The universe continues in Riordan's second series, The Heroes of Olympus, the first book of which, The Lost Hero, I will review at a later date. Similarly, Riordan has another series, called the Kane Chronicles, which takes place in this same universe but centers on Egyptian mythology. Reviews of that series will also come at a later date, most likely.