The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan (2005)

The Lightning Thief




Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

What time is it?

RE-READ SEASON

Every year around the holiday season (from Halloween to the end of winter break, this year January 5th) I allow myself to re-read my favorite old books. This year was especially fun because there were several plots I'd forgotten completely!
I started off with the Percy Jackson series. Just like many books I'm re-reading, it's a lot better than I remember.

Premise
The Greek gods are real and are living in America. They still have children with mortals, who have to fight the reincarnations of the monsters of the past. The book is meant for kids, focuses on humor and suspense, and is sometimes criticized for its infantile writing style.



What I liked
Now that I'm older, I appreciate all the cameos more. My parents always loved the clever the introductions to certain gods, but I never really understood their enthusiasm until now. This must be Riordan's favorite part to write!

The premise, as well, is perfectly crafted to set up an engaging story. Think about it: in many books and movies, writers try to come up with convoluted explanations in order to put characters in situations worthy of fanfiction: why would kids ever need to be put in dangerous situations? why not use guns isntead of swords? But in the Percy Jackson series, all of that is already perfectly handled: the gods are in charge, and they're fickle, so Percy's dreams, dilemmas, and deus ex machina (quite literally) are all justified in whatever way Riordan wants to use them!

The writing fascinated me. It amazed me how well I could envision the story and how invested I could be in the world with so few words dedicated to description! Just the right amount of words were dedicated to the camp, each god, each character, etc. It truly does astound me that a story can be so full and so personal with such simple writing!

And, of course, what got me to read the series in the first place: the chapter titles. If you read the chapter titles, you'll know what I mean, and you will instantly want to have these books on your shelf!



What I disliked
Romance: I'm often unimpressed with romance in books, but I remember (**SPOILER**)Percy X Annabeth being a lot more...fun? I do appreciate that Riordan develops the romance well. He gives the characters time to get used to the fact that they like each other, gives them a reason to suddenly start liking each other (puberty), and even makes Percy's thoughts both tame and gushy at the same time (he blushes when she hugs him, he describes knots in his stomach. But something about it feels insincere. They never actually say what qualities they like in each other, Annabeth often acts quite irrational for a daughter of Athena, and in the end their teasing doesn't seem real...I can't entirely put my finger on it.

But I do still love the underwater kiss(**End Spoiler**)


The fact that (**SPOILER**)everyone ignores Percy's questions: I was initially amazed at how well Riordan spaced out the explanations of the premise, giving it to us piecemeal so that we're constantly engaged and never overwhelmed. Until I realized how he managed it; whenever Percy asks someone a question, his friends/teachers/gods brush it away. Really, quite a few times someone simply walks away from him or stares off into the distance after Percy asked a completely logical question. Other times Percy just doesn't ask because...politeness? (**End Spoiler**)





Overall, I definitely recommend a read. The humor will be good for kids, a bit harder to swallow as an adult. But by book 3 (The Titan's Curse) I was almost as hooked as I originally was. That's when the series really takes on its true character.


I didn't feel the need to explain the premise at first because I assumed you all have read it. But have you all? And, if not, have you heard much about it besides...how should I say?--interesting--reviews of the movie?
All questions, comments, and concerns are welcome. Happy New Year!