Otis and Ephialtes? Really Rick, what were you thinking?

[Onthewall]

Is it just me, or are some of these battles getting out of hand. Titans dressing up as ballerinas? when I got to this part in the book it was as if Rick was making a big Parody of the whole series!!! The Movie that came out was already parody enough, and if they get to making a movie of this Book, non-Olympus loving fans are going to have a good time laughing their ass off than understanding what is actually going on. Harry Potter was able to maintain seriousness, with the occasional funny magic trick. This book on the other hand was was all joke, Rick went from Badass Luke and Kronos in Gold armor and blazing skills. Too lady gaga Titans that rather... what was the word?...pirouette...than stick Jason with a spear. Thank God Mr. D showed up, and put them in an actual Roman setting that was understandable, and after that the fight with Percy and Jason was good. The only reason I'm still reading this series is because of Leo and his jokes( that are mainly against Frank). Overall I thought I would be the last Person to question Rick and his writing, especially since lightening thief was really the first book book I ever read, and really got me into reading. I felt so emotional reading Son of Olympus( read it like 7 times), and Lost hero was a perfect twist( read it twice because Rick left a hug cliffhanger), but once I got to Son of Neptune everything went downhill, defeating a Titan with an obnoxious statues head didn't settle well with me? Why couldn't Poseidon help Percy with an ultra attack, like Zeus helped Jason defeat his Titan? I gave the book a 4 because I respect Rick, he has left me with good memories, but I guess its time for me to move on...Im going to read Game of Thrones now

[Grace]

I totally agree with the ballerina giant thing, but not about Leo making fun of Frank. I love Frank.

[Onthewall]

Grace wrote: "I totally agree with the ballerina giant thing, but not about Leo making fun of Frank. I love Frank."

I don't hate Frank at all, he has an awesome power, but it was funny when Leo talked to Percy about how they escaped, and mentioned that they were helped by a weasel.LOL From Dragon too giant fish too Weasel.

[BubblesTheMonkey]

I also agree that he made the giants super annoying. Maybe that was the point? There were some good qualities to the book, but this definitely was not his best book he has ever written. In addition, I loved the part in Son of Neptune where he bashed the giant with a statue head. I think the best parts in The Mark of Athena were with Annabeth. They were definitely the highlight of the book for me. In all, I think this book was more of a transitional book than anything else. I'm definitely not giving up on Riordan because I know he'll make House of Hades super epic.

[Rachel]

Onthewall wrote: "Is it just me, or are some of these battles getting out of hand. Titans dressing up as ballerinas? when I got to this part in the book it was as if Rick was making a big Parody of the whole series..."

I get what you are trying to say. But Otis and Ephilates were sort of exceptions as they were supposed to go against Dionysus and you can't have extremely serious and scary giants for that.Plus there is a giant for each of the Olympians therefore RR has the right to mess around with some of them. I do agree that Percy defeated Polybotes pretty easily but I don't agree with you that the books are not serious enough. I think Gaea is a worthier apponent then Kronos and RR put Percy and Annabeth in TARTARUS you don't get more serious than that.

[Grace]

Onthewall wrote: "Grace wrote: "I totally agree with the ballerina giant thing, but not about Leo making fun of Frank. I love Frank."

I don't hate Frank at all, he has an awesome power, but it was funny when Leo ta..."

That is true, but some of the things Leo said to Frank were really mean.

[[deleted user]]

Grace wrote: "Onthewall wrote: "Grace wrote: "I totally agree with the ballerina giant thing, but not about Leo making fun of Frank. I love Frank."

I don't hate Frank at all, he has an awesome power, but it was..."

They were funny though. . .you have to admit it!

[Julia]

I think you need to remember that Heroes of Olympus is actually not the same series as Percy Jackson and the Olympians. In PJatO, Rick Riordan built up the intensity, gradually increasing the bad-assness of each monster. And there were some funny events and silly battles in that series as well (Don't forget about Grover in a wedding dress. Don't ever forget that one.)

He's doing the same with HoO. It's a new series, the battles will get more epic as it goes along. And don't forget that they have another, very serious issue: the Romans (and, possibly, Egyptians? We shall see.) That matter is pretty heavy, and has to be balanced with some more fun scenes.

Personally, I thought the ballerina giants were hilarious. But I do enjoy silly every now and then.

[[deleted user]]

REaaly, ballerina giants? He should make the enemy actually terrifing, I would laugh if I saw ballerina giants.

[Andrea]

BubblesTheMonkey wrote: "I also agree that he made the giants super annoying. Maybe that was the point? There were some good qualities to the book, but this definitely was not his best book he has ever written. In addition..."


I totally agree

[Parker]

I think that everything about the book was wonderful. I still want to know how Percy jumped 120 ft. over a river in Tartarus. HE NEVER EXPLAINED THAT!

[Drew]

I completely agree. Although Rick's villains have never been really scary and serious (these are children's books, after all) they've always been at least CLEVER or really freaking awesome, or humorous. In The Heroes of Olympus series, however, they seem to be getting more and more ridiculous and dumb; I mean, Arachne was so stupid and Annabeth tricked her so easily I almost fell over laughing… but I wasn't laughing. I must say I'm a bit worried for Gaea and the Seven's battle in the last book, now. I hope Rick manages to pull through. It would be amazing if he surprised us with an epic villain for once in the series; it's about time that he did.

[Robert]

I think the ideas behind Otis and Ephialtes were ingenious. Adding a little bit of comedy to one of the fiercest creations in history isn't necessarily a bad thing, I think it was creative. It makes them seem more manageable. As the series continues I'm sure Mr. Riordan will enjoy his fair share or terrifying and death defying battles, along with his more comedic approach to some parts. Otis was just the little brother who is never sure of what he actually is. Showboating and trying to make a good time out of a creature that could destroy everything it sees s a good thing, and shouldn't be criticized as much as it is.

[[deleted user]]

I completely agree with Robert. I mean, because quite a lot of the series is battle and slaying monsters, you have to add a little bit of humour, a) to mix things up a bit, and b) to cater for those people who enjoy comedic books. Obviously Riordan has to always think of new ways to make these legends "his own" and sometimes by either exaggerating them, or completely antonymically changing them, it leaves a lasting impression on the reader (whether positive or negative).

[Tyler]

I think there is a point about O&E being a little ridiculous. I don't think everything was messed up though. The first book was the best, and I like how there were two Giants. I agree that the two giants in the next book were a bit easy to beat. The journey itself almost seemed harder. The two giants in the third book were pretty much one Giant so I can't even say I liked that. Then the way he dressed them up, plus they were kind of easy to beat again (being hit in the face with a pinecone stick thing) made the third book kind of a joke, no offense to Rick because I like him as an author. Except the parts with Annabeth and Arachne were good.

[[deleted user]]

A lot of villains in HOO are pretty much joke villains. It gets worse in the later installments.

[Anton]

I'll agree that some Giants are quite stupid. However I do have one question. Are the Giants supposed to be complete opposites of their Olympian counterparts, or are they just Giant versions of the Olympians?

[[deleted user]]

If you think Otis and Ephialtes are bad, wait til you see Gaea.

[[deleted user]]

The twin giants are pretty pathetic.

[Anton]

Tyler wrote: "I think there is a point about O&E being a little ridiculous. I don't think everything was messed up though. The first book was the best, and I like how there were two Giants. I agree that the two ..."

The "pinecone stick thing" is the Thyrsus, a staff of giant fennel covered with ivy vines and leaves, sometimes wound with taeniae and always topped with a pine cone.

It is Dionysus/Bacchus symbol of power similar to how the Caduceus is Hermes/Mercury symbol of power.

As the Thyrsus is owned by a god, it radiates power, so Dionysus could channel his power into the staff and use it to turn anything insane, drunk or into any object.

[annie]

I agree with you. I haven't read BoO yet, so I don't know how this matter came to be in it, but a lot of HoO antagonists are pretty pathetic. O&E and Arachne were sort of a disapointment. I expected Arachne to be EPIC but she was just sad.

HoH (view spoiler)[I felt the same about Nyx. The put up some pretty epic official art and, shit, she's an OLD goddess, they're supposed to be super powerful, but her scene was way too fast and ridiculous (hide spoiler)]

This makes me kinda sad. because, even with the humour tone in PJO, when things got serious they really, REALLY, got serious. Also, the books got darker. With HoO I just feel that he doesn't know how to balance the seriousness with the humour. A lot seems out of place.