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The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

by Rick Riordan

4.13 · rating details · 155,111 ratings · 17,427 reviews

After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of t...more

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Published January 29th 2010 by Disney Book Group (first published June 28th 2005)

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Community Reviews

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Aug 07, 2008

Destinee Sutton rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Destinee by: The children of SPL

Shelves: juvenile, fantasy, harry-potter-alternative, guy-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When I was about halfway through this book, I started making a list of its similarities to Harry Potter. Here is a sampling from that list:

1. There are three young heroes: a brainy girl (Annabeth/Hermione), a funny screw-up type (Grover/Ron), and a somewhat troubled but very brave lead (Harry/Percy).

2. People freak when the Harry/Percy character says the name of a powerful character.

3. The main bad guy (Kronos/Voldemort) is seeking to return to his former pow...more

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Apr 04, 2010

Cara rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: reluctant readers

Recommended to Cara by: Gerson

Shelves: 2010, books-made-into-movies, fantasy, male-protagonist, series, recommended-to-me, books-i-own

Really is there something I could say that hasn't been said? Doubtful, but in utterly stupid human style I will write a review anyway attempting to tell people how cool this book is.

This is plainly an awesome idea. I had always wondered what happened to the kids of half gods/goddess and humans. Here's the story to quench your curiosity. Percy Jackson has been dumped around from border school to border school. He has never been quite like anybody else, but as the end of sixth grade ...more

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Nov 15, 2011

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everybody!!! (but especially people who like Greek mythology)

Shelves: 5-star-books, favorites

Hmm my old review for this kind of sucked. I feel like I've rewritten this review like twenty times, but oh well.

I guess I just can't do this book justice. Percy Jackson & the Olympians is one of my favorite series, despite the fact that I think it's probably aimed more toward 12-year-old boys, and ... well, I'm a 19-year-old girl. But I can't help it. I fell in love with these books when I was around 12 and I never outgrew them (which is something I can't say for most books I liked w...more

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Jul 18, 2011

K.D. rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Joyzi

Shelves: ya, series

I knew almost nothing about Greek and Roman mythologies prior to reading this book. So, while reading the first two chapters and when I had difficulty following what's going on, particularly who were those characters, I picked up and started reading Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. After finishing the first chapter of that book, I resumed my reading and then I could follow.

The reason for my ignorance was that my teachers in elementary, high school and college did not bother teaching about...more

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Jun 14, 2007

Namratha Kumar rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-fantasy, books-i-love-gollum-style

HALF-BOY, HALF-GOD, ALL HERO!!....the Tagline says it all. Percy Jackson is your quintessential pre-teen, dyslexic and suffering from ADHD. Getting into unexplainable scraps and shuffled from school to school, he pretty much accepts the fact that he’s destined to be......well, one big Loser.

Little does he know that he’s a ‘Half-Blood’, an off spring of a powerful Greek God and a mortal woman. And there is a special place for him, “Camp Half-Blood” which houses and protects other such...more

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Sep 03, 2009

Mark rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

My sister recommended this series and I was pretty interested in it once I heard a basic summary of the plot. I must say, I was thoroughly disappointed.

The concept in itself is very creative. Son of a Greek god in modern times. He is dyslexic because he is meant to read ancient greek. That's clever. The translation of Greek gods to 21st, some were pretty well done, except for a few details here and there (a greek god would sick robot spiders against his enemies? Really?) The concept ...more

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Nov 22, 2010

karen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: and-so-this-is-grad-school

this is a perfect book for young teenagers. if you were trying to devise a formula for writing a perfect book for this age group, you could not have done much better than this.

1) mysterious parentage. kids are totally self-absorbed. some never grow out of it, of course, but in younger people, it is more excusable - their internal life makes up the majority of their experience, they are used to being the center of attention and they spend a lot of time thinking about themselves and fan...morethis is a perfect book for young teenagers. if you were trying to devise a formula for writing a perfect book for this age group, you could not have done much better than this.

1) mysterious parentage. kids are totally self-absorbed. some never grow out of it, of course, but in younger people, it is more excusable - their internal life makes up the majority of their experience, they are used to being the center of attention and they spend a lot of time thinking about themselves and fantasizing. so having romantic, mysterious origins is the best thing ever - "maybe i am the son/daughter of a god/goddess/russian count, etc..." i still wonder about that, even though it is clear where i came from.

2) this book has excellent gender equality, so it appeals to both younger girls and boys. goddesses are just as cool as gods, and their children are equally badass. this is rarely the case in teen adventure lit. (see naruto)

3) this makes history class relevant.(or wherever it is that kids learn about those wacky greeks) personifying the gods and goddesses makes them more recognizable and immediate for kids; bringing old litterature aliiiive and all that. and they will definitely learn not to mix up chiron and charon.

4) but it is also wonderfully subversive. it is all about polytheism and it makes the point that what we consider mythology today used to be a very real belief system for tons of people. any bright kid is going to make the logical leap to thinking about contemporary religion and how one day, it may well fall under mythology for students of the future, and how any current religious disagreements will be just like poseidon and athena's quarrels. because of this, i am surprised that this series has not been more frequently challenged/banned. oh, i know why, because the people most likely to challenge shit are not themselves capable of making that logical leap; they operate solely on knee-jerk see-a-bad-word reactions.

but this book is great - it has fantastic pacing, the characters are incredibly appealing, i like the premise, and i really really like that it is five books only. i will definitely read the rest of these puppies when i get around to it. (less)

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Dec 25, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy

This was a pretty good book...but it should have been a very good book. I want to go slow here, I know this is a much enjoyed novel and it's very popular right now. I also want to take criticizing a writer's work seriously, I mean it's easy to be a critic, so the criticism I give here is "objective", it's from my point of view and it's my impression. I do plan to pick up the next book. I did find parts of the book very entertaining. I realize it's a YA book and not geared to adults... ...moreThis was a pretty good book...but it should have been a very good book. I want to go slow here, I know this is a much enjoyed novel and it's very popular right now. I also want to take criticizing a writer's work seriously, I mean it's easy to be a critic, so the criticism I give here is "objective", it's from my point of view and it's my impression. I do plan to pick up the next book. I did find parts of the book very entertaining. I realize it's a YA book and not geared to adults... now for the but; but, I think the author may underestimate the thinking ability of his audience.

As I said, a pretty good book, my first negative impression however showed up early on, and to discus it I will have to use at least a minor spoiler...so, my rating on the book is 3 stars, I intend to follow up with the next book. I enjoyed it mostly...did not hate or love it. Beyond this point there are a couple of spoilers so stop here if you haven't read the book and don't want to see the spoilers.

******* SPOILER WARNING, SPOILERS BELOW THIS LINE *******

Were my children still young, I'd go slow about recommending this novel to them...and would definitely read it with them. Why? Okay an example:
Early on in the book when Percy is "concerned" about getting in trouble at his present school, he mentions he's worried that they have discovered that he plagiarized (though he doesn't use the word) completely, his essay on Tom Sawyer from the internet. His only concern is that he will lose his grade or...worse.... "have to read the book". Do I need to go into what bothers me here? ADHD and/or dyslexia are not reasons or excuses for plagiarism. End of comment, the world should crash in on a kid who steals someone else's work for a grade. Maybe they would learn of consequences then and not later. (Yes I know, honesty and honor are "old hat" and "passe" in our wonderful new world. Just ask Bernard Madoff or Jayson Blair). What else? Well let me see. If I were going to recommend a book for my kids choosing between....oh, lets see, The Lightening Thief or Tom Sawyer which do you think I'd recommend? The idea that "Rick Riordan" is leaving with his readers is that reading Tom Sawyer (a book I found wonderful when I was young) would be some kind of punishment.

Nuff said on that score.

I also mentioned above that I thought the author was underestimating the "thinking ability" of his readers. There are many, many times in this book when Percy comes off as being about as thick as quick frozen pea soup. He can be dense, whiny, and annoying. There are times I think even a very young child would scream "get a clue"!

The books do intro (not always well) the Greek myths and mythological characters and it will....or could be interesting to see how he deals with this. There are times that the writing and story are quite good. When Percy ships Medusa's head to Olympus it's a good touch.

So, bottom line? Same as above. While I have some problems with the book, I neither hate nor love it and I plan to follow up the series and see how it goes. I recommend that if you have kids who will be reading the series you read along and be able to...guide. 3 stars. (less)

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Apr 23, 2010

Valerie rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Valerie by: Gerson

Shelves: male-protagonist, fantasy, books-i-own

I wanted to read this before I watched the movie and since I usually don't watch the new movies right away it wasn't a problem to wait for it to come from the library and read it through. I heard most people don't like the movie if they've already read the book, but I try to read the book first if I can.

Quick overview:Percy the main character of this story. He has been in and out of trouble all his 12 years of life, and he can't understand why. He finds out the truth and then is sen...more

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Sep 03, 2011

Leanne rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Reluctant readers

Recommended to Leanne by: My brother

Shelves: high-fantasy, hilarious, kick-ass-protagonists, better-than-expected, lived-up-to-the-hype, recommended-to-me

And so this is what my brother was talking about when he yelled at me: "LEANNE! YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK! IT'S SO AWESOME!!!".
Just to clarify, the only books that my brother has ever enjoyed were the Percy Jackson series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the Fudge series by Judy Blume. Yes, he is an 11 year old. And yes, he doesn't like reading. I gave him The Hunger Games to try and he couldn't get past the fourth page. And if The Hunger Games doesn't scream: "Pick me! Pick m...more

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Nov 23, 2009

Tyas rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Being a lover of Greek mythology, I approached Percy Jackson with interest. Will this series satisfy, or will it mess every thing I know there is about the Olympians and such and such?

Well, if you're not American, some things at the beginning may make your guts churn in protest. Wow, wow, whoa. The Greek gods are now in the USA because it's the centre of Western civilization now? It seems a bit silly I laughed, but my laughter stopped dead when I thought that, Well, if I were the...moreBeing a lover of Greek mythology, I approached Percy Jackson with interest. Will this series satisfy, or will it mess every thing I know there is about the Olympians and such and such?

Well, if you're not American, some things at the beginning may make your guts churn in protest. Wow, wow, whoa. The Greek gods are now in the USA because it's the centre of Western civilization now? It seems a bit silly I laughed, but my laughter stopped dead when I thought that, Well, if I were the author and I wanted to make the Greek gods to live in Indonesia right now, I would find a way to justify my story. And anyway, later a character will state that the Western civilization is deteriorating the world, so no more discussion on that from me for now. I need to read the other books to see whether Riordan really has something to say about this 'Western civilization' thing or it's just a way to explain the settings.

And you may protest of why the death of character may sound video-gamic. Blasting into dusts and disappearing? Perhaps you hope for corpses lying all around? But there's an explanation sufficient enough for all that, so again, hold your horses.

In my opinion, although I have read only one Percy Jackson book and er, some-I-forgot-how-many books of Artemis Fowl, I already begin to think that this series is more interesting than Fowl. I can't stop thinking about this because of the frequent comparisons between the two. (Well, we can't always have Harry Potter as a standard.) Percy Jackson is fast-paced, and because we see the world through Percy's eyes, the narration feels fluid and lively. That, and because Percy itself is an interesting character: dyslexic, suffering from ADHD, cynical, inevitably funny. (Yes, there's an explanation also for the godlings' dyslexia and ADHD.)

Another thing I like from the book is how the godlings - well, at least Percy and Annabeth at the moment - try to shake free of the inherited hate between their parents. Just because their father and mother are not in good terms, it doesn't mean that their children may not become good friends.

If there's anything that may ruin your fun in reading, it's how predictable some things turn out. But all in all, I recommend this book for lovers of fantasy and mythology. And now I have high expectations toward the next books.(less)

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Aug 17, 2011

jzhunagev rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Mythology Re-tellings

Recommended to jzhunagev by: Ace Jose, The Filipino Group

Shelves: adventure, award-winning-best-seller, fantasy, fiction-contemporary, from-book-to-film, young-adult-fiction, 2011-reads, childrens-or-middle-grade-books, comedy

A Lightning Read
(A Book Review of Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief)

The Lightning Thief is the first book in The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan for young, middle grade readers. I first heard of the book during the time when the movie based on it was released, however, I wasn’t too keen to read it then learning to approach with caution everything that comes surrounded with media hype. Watching its awful film adaptation further made me steer clear from th...more

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Oct 25, 2008

Kathryn rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Kathryn by: Annie & Tyler

Shelves: childrens-picture-books, fantasy-sci-fi

I enjoyed this book, though it took me rather too long to read it so I suppose I wasn't completely enamored. Still, I thought it a very clever and interesting premise--and it was fun to brush up on my mythology! I'm not sure why some people think it's Harry-Potter-esque; it's definitely more mythology-based than "magic" and even though there's a camp/summer school for the half-bloods, it's about Percy's QUEST more than anything else. So, kudos for not trying to be HP. I didn't love ...more

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Dec 24, 2011

Ela rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorites, favourite-heroes, movie-tie-in, fangirling-over

I'm slightly ashamed to say that I watched the movie before I read the book. But I'm even more ashamed that I watched the movie only to experience the hotness that is Logan Lerman.

But, come on! Someone tell me that this , is not hot:

Really. What did I tell you? (I do imagine that you probably won't read the rest of the review anf just stare at this gif instead, but that's no reason not to like my review! :D)

But, I really have to thank Logan. I r...more

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Aug 17, 2011

Joyzi rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Harry Potter

Recommended to Joyzi by: Youtube

Shelves: children-s, e-book, fantasy, fiction, watched-it, books-to-movies, reviewed, book-series, author-american, mythology, humor, 100-books-tfg

I first watched the movie version of this book that I really enjoyed and so I became interested to read the book.

So I just want to say that I rate it four stars because the story is about Greek mythology in the modern world, which is good because I loved mythology ever since.

I love the characters in the story especially Percy Jackson who in the story have dyslexia and ADHD, so in the story at first, he was not very good at school and he viewed himself as a l...more

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Aug 31, 2009

Rose rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya, greek

One of my favorite teens has been nagging me for _years_ to read this book, but, despite my long-standing fascinating with Greek mythology, I just couldn't be bothered. Then one Thursday afternoon at a library program, while I was sneaking looks at "The Last Olympian" (the fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson series), which she had on top of her stack of books (it just looked really _cool_), she finally ran upstairs to the teen section and came back to hand me "The Lightning ...more

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Jun 12, 2009

Becky rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, 2009, mythology, reviewed

I loved this book. I really love mythology and ancient Greece and stories about heroes and gods and mythical beings. I loved A Midsummer Night's Dream for its links to mythology and fairies, etc. I love the Playstation game God of War because of the mythology. (Although loving mythology is not the only reason to play this series of games. If you haven't played it or GOW2, go rent them. Now. Shoo! Then report back to me on how destressed but addicted you are and how AWESOME the game is! I'll wait...moreI loved this book. I really love mythology and ancient Greece and stories about heroes and gods and mythical beings. I loved A Midsummer Night's Dream for its links to mythology and fairies, etc. I love the Playstation game God of War because of the mythology. (Although loving mythology is not the only reason to play this series of games. If you haven't played it or GOW2, go rent them. Now. Shoo! Then report back to me on how destressed but addicted you are and how AWESOME the game is! I'll wait. There, wasn't that fun? Anyway, sorry... back to the review now.)

Anyway. I love mythology, although I wouldn't call myself a "scholar" or anything. I tend to lean toward the more entertaining aspects of the subject rather than the dry dates and facts and figures. Which is one of the major reasons I loved this book. Riordan took ancient mythology and modernized it and made it fun and cool. And even educational, in a "What?! Ares rides a Harley?? WICKED! I wanna know more about that dude!" kind of way.

It seems that everyone who has read this book says it's great, but then makes sure to say that it is for "younger readers". I don't get what this is supposed to mean. Yes, the target audience is probably 10-12 year olds, but so were the first couple Harry Potter books. That's the great thing about young adult books, they are fun for all ages. These books, and I'm going to claim this for the entire series, even though I have only just started it, have quite a lot of adult references. I mean, if you think about it, here you have an entire series of books with an illegitimate demigod bastard as a main character. This main character then finds himself in a camp solely in existence for other bastard children of the gods. And how did these kids come into being? Why, Mama goddess or papa god was bored and decided to have a little afternoon delight with a mortal, and then they run back off to Olympus, abandoning the mortal and the baby resulting from the one-night of unwrapped lovin'. (But I guess if you're a god, piddly little diseases like herpes don't worry you at all!) And if that's not an adult theme, I don't know what is.

But that's not to say I didn't like the book. I did. I loved it, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know more about Percy and Grover (who I'm fairly certain is NOT gone for good) and Annabeth and Luke and Poseidon and everyone else. I can't wait to start the next book and see where we go. And if that makes me a 10 year old again, well, then so be it. Last one to finish the series is a rotten egg! ;)(less)

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Oct 14, 2008

JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to JG (The Introverted Reader) by: Emily

Shelves: childrens, fantasy, fiction, read_in_2008, mythology, reviewed, just_plain_fun, on_the_screen, 5_stars

Percy Jackson tries to be good, but circumstances just don't allow him to be. Trouble always seems to find him. Let's not talk about what happens to his math teacher his sixth grade year... At the end of sixth grade, Percy and his mom take off for a trip to the beach. Late in the night, it sounds like a hurricane blows up and they're running for their lives. Percy winds up at Half-Blood Hill, a summer camp for the children of...Greek gods? An evil plot is afoot and Percy needs to clear his...more

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Jun 15, 2008

Ann rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of youth fantasy or mythology

Recommended to Ann by: Several people

Shelves: actionadventure, fantasy, young-adult, mythology

Several aspects of this book can be found, to a certain extent, in other stories. Percy learns that a world he thought was only from ancient mythological tales is indeed very much real and present, and that he is part of those "mythologies" now. He's got to learn about a new world and his place in it. He must face the fact that he's got to help save the world. And he gains a few friends to help him along the way.
That said, a good deal of the concepts are pretty standard for m...more

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Mar 31, 2009

Lisa Vegan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: 8-12 year olds & all the way up to adults, especially for kids with dyslexia & ADHD

Shelves: fiction, gr-groups-buddies, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, reviewed, childrens, novels, speculative-fiction, school-stories, young-adult

I really loved this book. I think it’s geared for 8-12 year olds but this is one of those books that the more you know about the world the more you like it. The premise is wonderful and very creative. The characters, especially the hero Percy, are very likeable. There’s so much humor, popping up at places where I least expected it and I absolutely enjoyed all of it.

The story was predictable and one of the main surprises/mysteries wasn’t one for me, but it didn’t really matter. In fac...more

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Oct 15, 2009

Jim rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kids

3.5 rating for an adult, but 4 stars for mid teens down to 10 years old. The heroes are about 12, so it would really capture that age group's imagination, I think.

Set in modern day US, but the Greek Gods are alive & well. Percy & his friends are dyslexic, ADHD & generally don't fit into our world or school well. They find out why & embark on a quest. There are some twists & turns along the way, with clues, so an astute reader will have some foreknowledge, but it's a very well don...more

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Jan 26, 2008

Donalyn rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Donalyn by: Kim Gardner- SKI librarian

Shelves: children-s-fantasy

This series has it all- cool, realistic characters, action sequences that thrill, references to modern culture (love the St. Louis Arch, and Las Vegas visits), and Greek mythology. I cannot recommend this series to enough readers. You're not cool if you do not know about Percy and Co.

Having met Rick Riordan twice- I can say that he is awesome, too.

Counting down to May when Book Four comes out...

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Oct 03, 2011

Dante rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, imaginative-lit, prose, novel, young-adult, fantasy

Finished this last night. I think this is my first Young Adult fiction, and I'm thankful to the Filipinos Book Group here in GoodReads for selecting this book. This is the group's choice for the third quarter of this year.

I liked the story. It's entertaining.

The plot, basically (Spoiler alert!)

The main character is Percy Jackson. He's a twelve-year-old kid who lives with his mom and stepfather in New York. He has dyslexia and ADHD, and he transfers from one sc...more

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Sep 13, 2011

Lissa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: boy-hero, children, fantasy, young-adult, 2011

A mostly interesting road trip across America and back as Percy is framed before anyone even realises he exists...

Yeah I suppose it was OK. It's not really my thing. I found it in our living room and was really drawn into the first few pages. But mostly I can't bring myself to admire people who build off someone else's mythology and take advantage of all that folk lore. Build your own mythology, damn it.

I suppose the idea was interesting enough, and I didn't find any majo...moreA mostly interesting road trip across America and back as Percy is framed before anyone even realises he exists...

Yeah I suppose it was OK. It's not really my thing. I found it in our living room and was really drawn into the first few pages. But mostly I can't bring myself to admire people who build off someone else's mythology and take advantage of all that folk lore. Build your own mythology, damn it.

I suppose the idea was interesting enough, and I didn't find any major plot holes. I was OK with the monsters coming back after they're been killed so the modern-day heroes could complete quests their ancestors did. I was OK with the idea of the Greek gods relocating themselves to America because it's apparently the 'hub' of Western civilisation. I was OK with the gods being literal and actually giving a crap about rich white kids in America when they could have pulled a Christian God and gone all fucking up Rwanda and systematically murdering African babies. I was even OK with the idea of Ares being some big bad biker badass even though that's SO unoriginal. Bikers are lovely people.

Well, except for Percy trying to tell me that Persephone really DOES affect the seasons and when it's summertime she's above ground and when it's winter she's in the Underworld... yeah, I'd buy that, except that I'm not American and I know the world doesn't revolve around America and I know that when it's summertime in America, it's winter in Australia. So explain that, punk!

That's probably the biggest thing to piss me off and if it wasn't casually written in so close to the end, if it was closer to the beginning of the book, I would have thrown it at the wall.

I hated the movie the first time I saw it. Most predictable piece of crap I've ever seen. I hoped the book would be better. I wasn't really convinced, although I do really like how Riordan wrote in dyslexia and ADHD as having some kind of benefit to half-bloods. It's about time I found a good evolutionary excuse for those learning disabilities, even if it is totally fictional. It's about time someone addressed 'troubled' students in a book like this and made them feel not like complete losers for sucking at school work. It's not their fault. They're secretly the offspring of Greek gods.

I'd happily read this to my children, but I think I'm far too old and cynical to be included in the target audience.(less)

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Feb 01, 2011

Malbadeen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-young-adult

The fact that I like this book at all defies logic. The fact that I kind of loved it is down right mystifying. I gave the Harry Potter books my best effort but couldn't get into them. I generally don't like Fantasy and I'm not a pre-pubescent boy, so why this one clicked, I'll never know.

My son had been wanting me to read it for months and I kept putting it off assuming it would be a chore and that I would politely tell him it was "good" regardless of what I thought. But on...more

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Jul 28, 2010

Tiffany who finally decided to change her name rated it

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Recommends it for: Everyone who would not be offended by the greek gods and stuff lyk that.

Recommended to Tiffany who finally decided to change her name by: Jennifer!

Shelves: series

Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos! NOT ENOUGH KRONOS! Anyways, Annabeth is sooo stuck up. I really am not a fan of Percy! He's kind of stupid. These first books are annoying because you're only finding things out! But it's pretty good..... There wasn't enough Kronos! Not enough Kronos! Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. E...moreNot. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos! NOT ENOUGH KRONOS! Anyways, Annabeth is sooo stuck up. I really am not a fan of Percy! He's kind of stupid. These first books are annoying because you're only finding things out! But it's pretty good..... There wasn't enough Kronos! Not enough Kronos! Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. I NEED MORE KRONOS! KRONOS WILL REIGN! *rains* Not that kind of rain! The almighty, I will defeat you reign...... *rains again* AHHHH! Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Too. much. rain. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. Not. Enough. Kronos. TOO MUCH RAIN! STOP RAINING, YOU! KRONOS WILL REIGN! *Suffocates in rain* Z-z-z eus.. I-i-isssss r-r-r-r-raci-i-i-istt--t-t. *faints*(less)

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Jun 24, 2008

Alexis rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of Greek mythology, boys age 8-13, or any readers of middle grade fiction

Recommended to Alexis by: lots of regulars at the B&N I worked at, and my brother

Shelves: middle-grade, mythology, my-reviews

Percy Jackson is a protagonist that lots of kids can relate to. He's got ADHD and dyslexia, he gets into trouble - a lot - and he can never seem to stay in one school long enough to really make friends. But deep down, he's a good kid who loves his mom and really wants to do well...except things just seem to constantly get in the way of that. After (barely) completing sixth grade, he makes a startling discovery: The Greek gods he has just learned about in school are real, and he is much more clos...morePercy Jackson is a protagonist that lots of kids can relate to. He's got ADHD and dyslexia, he gets into trouble - a lot - and he can never seem to stay in one school long enough to really make friends. But deep down, he's a good kid who loves his mom and really wants to do well...except things just seem to constantly get in the way of that. After (barely) completing sixth grade, he makes a startling discovery: The Greek gods he has just learned about in school are real, and he is much more closely entwined with them than he could ever imagine.

Learning this makes Percy's past clearer, but opens up a whole new world of danger for him to get swept up in, with exciting and humorous results. With two new companions in tow, Percy must travel across the country and back in order to complete a quest, dodge monsters, save his mother, and stay alive. No easy task when his first destination is to confront Hades in the Underworld itself.

After selling many copies of this book and promising lots of 10 year old boys that I would eventually read it, I finally did. And I can definitely see why it is such a hit among the 9-12 age group. In terms of good, engrossing reading material for middle grade boys, this is up there with Harry Potter. Percy gets put down a lot but doesn't stay down. He often stands up to those who are bullying him, although he knows when to hold his tongue, like when addressing a god that might smite him at a moment's notice. He's tough and brave, but he's definitely not the coolest kid, and in fact refers to himself as a loser. His character is consistent and very likable. He doesn't always make the smartest moves, but hey, he's twelve. We all did some stupid things when we were twelve.

I picked this book up for my brother around Christmas, and he read it and the sequel, Sea of Monsters, right away. Even though he's older than the target audience, I knew he would enjoy it, and he did. I finally got it back from him (finding it at the bottom of a huge stack of books by his desk) and finished it very quickly. It's a well-paced adventure story with lots of action and intrigue. I'm also a fan of books that portray mythological gods in modern-day settings, such as American Gods and Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu, and the Everworld series by K.A. Applegate. Mount Olympus on top of the Empire State Building and the Underworld under Los Angeles? Brilliant. (less)

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May 03, 2011

Renz rated it

· review of another edition

“Earthshaker, Stormbreaker, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God”

The Lightning Thief is the book one of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan and it is all about the Greek Mythology.

Back when I’m a 3rd year high school student, one of our lessons in English is the Greek Mythology. I have to admit that I hate that topic, too many characters and too many events to memorize. We also watched the Iliad and the Odyssey just to underst...more

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Nov 12, 2008

jake4evs rated it

· review of another edition

AWESUM BOOK!! a MUST READ

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Jan 31, 2012

Austin Ratner rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

The fountainhead of all story: the what-if. What if the Greek gods were still around? That question's been asked before in one form or another, in comic books and other places. But Riordan proposes a second what-if, one that's more unique (if something can be 'more unique'), a what-if that was hiding in plain sight: what if the Greek gods were still around and what if they were still consorting with mortals and siring demi-god children, like those half-divine heroes of old, Theseus, Perseus, ...more

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About Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan is an American author from Texas famous for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian). He attended The University of Texas at Austin in 1986, where he double-majored in English and History He also wrote The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles) and, most recently, The Lost Hero (Her...more

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Books by Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)

The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)

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“If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.” — 1,386 people liked it

“Deadlines just aren't real to me until I'm staring one in the face.” — 1,213 people liked it

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The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

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