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The Lightning Thief

(Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

by
4.24  ·  Rating details ·  1,747,044 ratings  ·  54,084 reviews
Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth ab ...more
Paperback, First edition, 377 pages
Published March 1st 2006 by Disney Hyperion Books (first published June 28th 2005)
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Popular Answered Questions
I really didn't like the movies, should I read the books? :s
Juli Brom Yeah, pretty much everyone here is 100000000% correct, and by now you should have already read the book, but add to everyone here DUDE THE MOVIES…moreYeah, pretty much everyone here is 100000000% correct, and by now you should have already read the book, but add to everyone here DUDE THE MOVIES BRING SHAME TO EVERYONE'S RICE FEILDS AND COWS THAT MADE NO SENSE BUT STILL THE BOOK IS LIKE *AHHH FLOATS DOWN FROM OLYMPUS*(less)
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I have seen the movies and have been thinking about reading the books too, but I'm afraid that it'll be boring and childish. I love Greek mythology, though. Should I start reading these books or not?
Makenzie First off, the movies do not do the books justice :)

But yes, definitely read the books! I'm a teenager and I read the books a few years ago, but to…moreFirst off, the movies do not do the books justice :)

But yes, definitely read the books! I'm a teenager and I read the books a few years ago, but to this day it's one of my all-time favorite series. Riordan is an amazing writer, and once you start his books, you can't put them down! He does a great job with combining mythology with the modern day, so the stories seem all the more realistic.

While the first book is projected towards a younger audience, it's still action-packed and captivating. As the series progresses, Percy, the main character, grows and gets older so by the final book in the series he's 16, so as he matures, the books get older as well.

I also recommend these books because Rick has a follow-up series, called the Heroes of Olympus Series, which is for an older audience. Some of the characters from the Percy Jackson series carry over, so I recommend reading the first series to better understand the second (and I definitely recommend reading the follow-up series because it's just as good, if not better than the first).

Hope this helped!(less)
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Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. RowlingThe Lightning Thief by Rick RiordanTwilight by Stephenie MeyerThe Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsThe Giver by Lois Lowry
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Community Reviews

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4.24  · 
Rating details
 ·  1,747,044 ratings  ·  54,084 reviews


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Kseniia Okhremenko
Sep 30, 2018 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: 3-с-половинкой-или-до-4-не-дожали, Флэшмоб2018-на-livelib
Первое что начал мой мозг, после начала чтения этой книги, так это сравнивать эту историю с небезызвестным Поттером. Ну и как ? Да, есть сходство, но незначительное.
Еще вспомнилась экранизация, которую я смотрела уже очень давно, что забыла о чем там. Одно было понятно, книга и ее экранизация сильно отличаются друг от друга.
В общем о впечатлении от самой книги.
Не знаю даже, что сказать. Вроде бы и интересно, но порой и скука наступала.
Затянутое начало. Так как экранизация была просмотрена ра ...more
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Vitta
Sep 23, 2013 rated it liked it
Shelves: childhood
Вполне достойная замена для тех, кто попрощался с серией о Гарри Поттере. Но для того, чтобы без проблем читать о Перси Джексоне, нужно как минимум поверхностно знать греческую мифологию. Только в этом случае, зная все перепетии борьбы за власть олимпийских богов, можно получить полное удовольствие от приключений сына Посейдона и его друзей.
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Nikita Melnyk
Feb 23, 2019 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Очень интересная книга, затягивает из-за быстрого течения сюжета. Ставлю 4 потому, что не так себе представляешь древнегреческих богов, им не идёт подгонка под XI век. И смертный, пусть и полукровка, ранил бога? И есть ещё несколько мелких минусов из-за чего я ставлю 4.
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Sergey
Apr 25, 2019 rated it it was ok  ·  review of another edition
Банально, по-детски и сеттинг унылый. До хорошего фентези очень и очень далеко.
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Hanna
Jun 17, 2018 rated it liked it
я, кажется, уже слишком взрослая для этой книги
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Maks Maksimov
Mar 14, 2014 rated it really liked it
Весьма интересная книга, но есть одно "НО"
Сюжет, да и герои, слишком похожи на сюжет и героев "Гарри Поттера"
А так события в книге - захватывающие, да и книга полезна для тех, кто изучает греческую мифологию.
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Nickolai
Feb 23, 2014 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Очень интересная книга, хотя немного детская. Был бы помладше, был бы в огромном восторге. А так - просто занимательно.
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Alexander Suzdaltsev
Jul 16, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Первое знакомство с известной серией про детей богов :) поставил 5, хотя, так как видел фильм, то было немного неинтересно. За отличный веселый перевод твердая пятерка.
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Александр Каримов
Nov 12, 2014 rated it it was ok  ·  review of another edition
очень детская и наивная сказка под современные обстоятельства. Взрослому не очень-то интересно.
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Discuss This Book

topics  posts  views  last activity   
Teen Readers: Favorite Percy Jackson Character 16 55 8 hours, 44 min ago  
Who is your favorite Character? 17 52 10 hours, 11 min ago  
Why do people hate Percy Jackson? 651 2265 10 hours, 29 min ago  
everything percy jackson 1 1 Sep 15, 2019 09:09AM  
PERCY JACKSON HATERS! 17 64 Sep 11, 2019 02:40PM  
Should I give this book another chance? 5 20 Sep 03, 2019 01:23PM  
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About Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan
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Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Please follow him on Twitter and via his official blog.

Other books in the series

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (5 books)
  • The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)
  • The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)
  • The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)
  • The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)

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 Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)
The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3)
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Trivia About The Lightning Thi...

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Quotes from The Lightning Thief

“If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.” — 8335 likes
“Deadlines just aren't real to me until I'm staring one in the face.” — 5606 likes
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