I wasn't all that impressed with book (apologies to Karin who loves it). I liked the concept: young demi-god (hero) living in normal USA must venture into classical mythology (gateway fantasy) to get Golden Fleece (quest) and defeat the powers of evil (villain). So it's another herioc quest story (aren't all fantasy novels?). Despite its popularity with kids and the way it's revitalizing children's interest in Greek/Roman mythology, I found the characters inaccessible and the whole thing just too contrived for my tastes. Still, it has real value for children (and they're lapping it up), so, "Go Rick Riordan."