Percy Jackson is Awesome!!! discussion
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Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan- Our Fave Author
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First, thanks to everyone who came out for The Serpent's Shadow tour! I had a great time at the final events in San Antonio and San Marcos. The book is steaming along on the bestseller lists and I'm so glad for the positive feedback it's received from readers.
After returning home I dove straight back into the revisions for The Mark of Athena. It's going well, and the book will be released on schedule Oct. 2, 2012. Sorry for the wait, but it really does take that long to prepare a book for publication. I should be able to reveal the cover art in early June, so stayed tuned! Tour details for the book won't be available until about a month before the release date.
It's been a while since I've had the chance to comment on the books I've been reading. Lately, it's been quite a mix.
Reamde was the first Neal Stephenson novel I've read. I understand from Stephenson aficionados that it is somewhat different than his other work, but I found it a great point of entry to this author's world. It's a long book, over a thousand pages, and it did take some commitment to get into. Stephenson's research is incredibly detailed, and his interests are myriad. The amount of information he presents could easily bog down the plot if his writing wasn't so compelling and well-crafted. The plot zigzags breathlessly all over the world -- from urban China to the backwoods of British Columbia -- and the cast of characters is both quirky and compelling. The plot? Well, like most things in the book, it's complicated. Basically, it involves an on-line hacking attempt to hold hostage the computers of gamers in the ultimate MMORPG, T'Rain. When the young Chinese hackers inadvertently lock down a computer belonging to the Russian mob's accountant, things get interesting. You can expect gun battles in the wilderness, terrorist plots aplenty, Russian commandos, a tough heroine from the Midwest (and Ethiopia), gory deaths, lots of virtual gold, and a couple of wild animals. And really, that's just scratching the surface. If Tom Clancy and Carl Hiaasen collaborated on a book, it might look a lot like Reamde. It's a mix of deep and detailed background information, with a wild plot and even wilder characters. At the end, I felt like I'd run a marathon, but a marathon worth running, and I've already purchased more of Stephenson's books.
Another new author for me: John Scalzi. I love this guy! It's been a long time since I sat down and read some straight-forward science fiction, and Scalzi seems to have a direct feed to the recorded consciousness of the late great Robert Heinlein. Old Man's War introduces us to John Perry, a seventy-something earth man who has nothing to live for after the death of his wife, so he signs up for the army. You see, in the future, you can either die when you get old, or you can join the Colonial Defense Forces, get a new body designed for combat, and explore the galaxy protecting humanity. Only one problem: it's a hostile universe, and your chances of survival are slim to none. Scalzi's story is addictively readable. His dialogue crackles and he balances just the right amount of humor and pathos to keep his characters real in a very unreal world. After finishing Old Man's War, I went straight out and bought the sequel, The Ghost Brigades, which is every bit as good. I'm now starting in on book three, The Last Colony. I'm also very much looking forward to his forthcoming book in June, Redshirts, which is a send-up of Star Trek. You know, the guys in the red shirts always die. My older son Haley, 17, is reading this series along with me, and also loves it. Thanks, Mr. Scalzi, for some father-son geek bonding!
After reading Scalzi, I went back in time, so to speak, and read a sci fi classic that I somehow missed in my earlier years: Joe Haldeman's The Forever War. The main character William Mandella is among the first recruits sent off to fight an alien species. The only problem? The distances are so vast that every faster-than-light jump means decades have passed back on earth. With each campaign that Mandella fights, his home planet changes until it is almost unrecognizable. As many readers have noted, Haldeman's book is first and foremost a great novel of war and its effects on society. You can tell it was written at the close of Vietnam, as it speaks to the soldier's dilemma coming home from a divisive conflict. Some elements of the novel haven't aged as well as others. The idea, for instance, that sexual orientation can be determined by social conditioning is dated and comes across as a bit of a paranoid fantasy. But for the most part, the novel addresses timeless themes -- isolation, alienation, patriotism versus skepticism, and the possibility of love in a violent, unforgiving world. The ending is haunting, and I found myself thinking about this novel for weeks after reading it.
Talk about a change of pace! For my next book, I switched to nonfiction and went back to 1892 Chicago for the World's Fair. Erik Larson is an amazing historical writer -- one of those rare breed who can bring the past to life and make it seem immediate, fresh, intimate and amazing. The book is based on fact, but it reads like the best of novels, going back and forth between the team racing to put together the most important peacetime event in U.S. history, and a psychopathic murderer who is stalking the city at the same time, preying on young women with a cold efficiency that makes Jack the Ripper look like (excuse the pun) a hack. I had no particular interest in the Chicago World's Fair, but Larson is a teacher who can make you forget you are learning. Anywhere he chooses to take you, you can be assured the ride is worth the price of admission.
And finally, I was delighted to return to Tudor England with Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies. I loved her first novel Wolf Hall about Thomas Cromwell, Master Secretary to Henry VIII, and this sequel about the fall of Anne Boleyn is every bit as good. Her writing is diaphanous -- woven from the lightest bits of observation and dialogue, told in present tense, both immediate and translucent. I felt as if I were looking through a lace curtain, straight into the year 1536. How she does this, I'm not sure, but she brings Thomas Cromwell to life in full and sympathetic detail. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially about Tudor England, this is a must-read.
That's most of my reading since I last reported. You'll notice I've been sticking mostly to adult fiction and nonfiction, but I have several YA and middle grade novels on my to-be-read pile. I'll keep you posted on those.
In the meantime, happy reading!
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Well, John Rocco has done it again! Above is his fabulous cover art for The Mark of Athena. It was revealed yesterday in Publishers Weekly. If you missed the interview, you can read it here.
What is the scene on the cover? Is that who you think it is, about to fight?? Can't tell you, but yes, that is an actual scene from the book, and the meaning will be clear when you read it. Very soon, Disney will be launching a new site, GreeksvsRomans.com, which will let you choose your side -- Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter. More on that soon!
The first chapter is now available on Disney's Heroes of Olympus website. The book will be released Oct. 2, 2012. Why the wait? Well, ya know, proofreading, typesetting, proofreading again, printing (or formatting separately for each e-version) final revisions, etc. It takes a lot to make a book, and we want it to be as polished as possible when you read it.
Tour dates won't be announced for quite some time, probably about a month before the release date. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the cover and the sneak preview. Also, to whet your appetite, we'll be releasing The Demigod Diaries, a new collection of Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson stories, on August 14!
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Lol....what do you think about it? Why are Jason and Percy fighting? I can't say I'm surprised-clash of leaders.
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Only two months left until the Demigod Diaries arrive on August 14!
The book includes four brand new stories from Percy Jackson's world, including:
The Diary of Luke Castellan. This is a prequel to The Lightning Thief, told from Luke's point of view, in the days when he adventured with Annabeth and Thalia. Several questions that fans have asked over the years will be answered in this story.
Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes. An adventure with Percy and Annabeth, set in the days before Percy disappeared. Hermes is missing his staff, and only Percy and Annabeth can help. And what about the snakes George and Martha? Oh no!
Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford. A story set at Camp Half-Blood, from Leo's point of view, with Piper and Jason guest-starring. The trio has only a few hours to stop an explosion that could level Camp Half-Blood. Just another normal day at camp!
Son of Magic. My own son Haley's writing debut, and his take on the world of Percy Jackson, which he inspired. You'll meet a demigod son of Hecate who fought with Kronos in the Battle of Manhattan, and learn what he's up to after the war. What would it be like to be an outcast demigod? What sort of powers would a son of Hecate control? You'll find out!
And here, to give you a taste of what's to come, is the beginning of Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes. All you Percy/Annabeth fans, waiting for a reunion in The Mark of Athena, this story will hopefully give you something to enjoy until Mark of Athena is published Oct. 2.
Annabeth and I were relaxing on the Great Lawn in Central Park when she ambushed me with a question.
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
I went into red alert mode. It’s easy to panic when you’re a new boyfriend. Sure, I’d fought monsters with Annabeth for years. Together we’d faced the wrath of the gods. We’d battled Titans and calmly faced death a dozen times. But now that we were dating, one frown from her and I freaked. What had I done wrong?
More to come on August 14, when the book is published. I hope you all enjoy The Demigod Diaries!
Or you can check yourself at
rickriordan.blogspot.com