Jayson’s Reviews > The Lost Hero > Status Update
Jayson
is 28% done
Notes:
(1) Festus the dragon is in this book. Interestingly, it first appeared in a supplementary short story.
- Fairly rare for main book to reference a companion tale.
- Also odd since the short story is from different series, albeit a shared universe.
(2) Leo names the dragon "Festus," which is short for Hephaestus and also Latin for "happy."
- So it's simultaneously Greek and Latin, which is a theme of this book.
— Jan 12, 2023 04:30AM
(1) Festus the dragon is in this book. Interestingly, it first appeared in a supplementary short story.
- Fairly rare for main book to reference a companion tale.
- Also odd since the short story is from different series, albeit a shared universe.
(2) Leo names the dragon "Festus," which is short for Hephaestus and also Latin for "happy."
- So it's simultaneously Greek and Latin, which is a theme of this book.
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is finished
Notes:
(1) It's interesting reading my notes back from my first read of this book, because I feel pretty much the exact same way.
- It just further crystalized my opinions.
(2) I don't like that Piper and Leo became heads of their respective cabins, thus gaining seats at the camp council, both by acclamation.
- I was looking forward to a showdown between Piper and Drew. A real anticlimactic, albeit hostile, takeover.
— Feb 13, 2023 04:50AM
(1) It's interesting reading my notes back from my first read of this book, because I feel pretty much the exact same way.
- It just further crystalized my opinions.
(2) I don't like that Piper and Leo became heads of their respective cabins, thus gaining seats at the camp council, both by acclamation.
- I was looking forward to a showdown between Piper and Drew. A real anticlimactic, albeit hostile, takeover.
Jayson
is 93% done
Notes:
(1) Jason and Porphyrion have a boast battle, which seems purely for ceremonial intimidation; rather like a Māori haka.
- Unlike a modern rap battle, you only big yourself up, not tear the other guy down.
(2) For the second battle scene in a row, we get the villain explaining their entire plan to the heroes in great detail.
- I understand this is meant for the readers' benefit, but it's lazy and a tired trope.
— Feb 12, 2023 04:30AM
(1) Jason and Porphyrion have a boast battle, which seems purely for ceremonial intimidation; rather like a Māori haka.
- Unlike a modern rap battle, you only big yourself up, not tear the other guy down.
(2) For the second battle scene in a row, we get the villain explaining their entire plan to the heroes in great detail.
- I understand this is meant for the readers' benefit, but it's lazy and a tired trope.
Jayson
is 85% done
Notes:
(1) "'Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes.'
'Only by both,' Jason said. The giant’s smile faltered, and Jason saw in his eyes something like fear. 'It’s true, isn't it?"
- If only villains kept they mouths shut during battle and had better poker faces, they wouldn't be so easy to beat.
(2) For anyone familiar with "Super Smash Bros.," Jason essentially defeats the Enceladus with Pikachu's thunder attack.
— Feb 11, 2023 04:45AM
(1) "'Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes.'
'Only by both,' Jason said. The giant’s smile faltered, and Jason saw in his eyes something like fear. 'It’s true, isn't it?"
- If only villains kept they mouths shut during battle and had better poker faces, they wouldn't be so easy to beat.
(2) For anyone familiar with "Super Smash Bros.," Jason essentially defeats the Enceladus with Pikachu's thunder attack.
Jayson
is 73% done
Notes:
(1) "Leo fell in love with every girl he saw — as long as she was totally out of his league."
- At first I thought that meant Leo considers Piper in his league, since he's not in love with her, but I guess "totally out of his league" is a separate tier she doesn't qualify for.
- Possibly he considers "totally out of his league" a girl who's outwardly repulsed by him. That would actually fit the bill perfectly.
— Feb 09, 2023 04:15AM
(1) "Leo fell in love with every girl he saw — as long as she was totally out of his league."
- At first I thought that meant Leo considers Piper in his league, since he's not in love with her, but I guess "totally out of his league" is a separate tier she doesn't qualify for.
- Possibly he considers "totally out of his league" a girl who's outwardly repulsed by him. That would actually fit the bill perfectly.
Jayson
is 66% done
Notes:
(1) "Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.
'You're amazing, man,' Jason said."
- Gee, Jason's easily impressed. If you ask me, acquiring the right tool is a given when your tool belt provides you anything you can think of.
(2) Being out of action for nearly the whole book, I'd forgotten how annoying Coach Hedge is!
— Feb 06, 2023 04:30AM
(1) "Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.
'You're amazing, man,' Jason said."
- Gee, Jason's easily impressed. If you ask me, acquiring the right tool is a given when your tool belt provides you anything you can think of.
(2) Being out of action for nearly the whole book, I'd forgotten how annoying Coach Hedge is!
Jayson
is 62% done
Notes:
(1) I'm not down with Swanson's Hephaestus voice. He sounds less like the rough-hewn, hammer-wielding ball of muscle I imagined, and more like some nerdy science teacher.
- It does sort of fit with the inventor aspect of him, so I guess I can't gripe too much.
(2) You'd think with all these crash landings someone would get injured, or get whiplash at the very least.
- I mean, they're demigods, not unbreakable.
— Feb 05, 2023 04:45AM
(1) I'm not down with Swanson's Hephaestus voice. He sounds less like the rough-hewn, hammer-wielding ball of muscle I imagined, and more like some nerdy science teacher.
- It does sort of fit with the inventor aspect of him, so I guess I can't gripe too much.
(2) You'd think with all these crash landings someone would get injured, or get whiplash at the very least.
- I mean, they're demigods, not unbreakable.
Jayson
is 58% done
Notes:
(1) Unfortunately, when I hear the name "Medea" I think of "Madea" and those awful Tyler Perry films... at least, I think they're awful.
(2) It took a while, but we've finally got some meat-and-potatoes Riordan-style mythology going on.
- There was the meeting with Boreas and his offspring, and the battle with the cyclopes, but modern iterations of mythological figures is really what makes these books special.
— Jan 30, 2023 10:35PM
(1) Unfortunately, when I hear the name "Medea" I think of "Madea" and those awful Tyler Perry films... at least, I think they're awful.
(2) It took a while, but we've finally got some meat-and-potatoes Riordan-style mythology going on.
- There was the meeting with Boreas and his offspring, and the battle with the cyclopes, but modern iterations of mythological figures is really what makes these books special.
Jayson
is 53% done
Notes:
(1) "Jason was impressed [with Leo]. Taking out three Cyclopes with nothing but a tool kit? Not bad."
- Depends on what's in said tool kit. Leo's has anything he can think of.
- This Jayson isn't very impressed.
(2) Jason: "She’s trying to make you feel like a failure. But you're not. You're important."
Leo: "That’s what she said."
- Does it say something about me that I expected that to be a punchline?
— Jan 30, 2023 10:30AM
(1) "Jason was impressed [with Leo]. Taking out three Cyclopes with nothing but a tool kit? Not bad."
- Depends on what's in said tool kit. Leo's has anything he can think of.
- This Jayson isn't very impressed.
(2) Jason: "She’s trying to make you feel like a failure. But you're not. You're important."
Leo: "That’s what she said."
- Does it say something about me that I expected that to be a punchline?
Jayson
is 49% done
Notes:
(1) Leo kind of reminds me of Prince Harry, in the way he constantly brings up his mothers death and ensuing trauma as the key moment in his emotional development.
- Not to say that characters shouldn't do this, or real life persons for that matter, but both do it an awful lot, as a point of self-definition.
(2) Leo yells "Boo-yah!" which sort of dates this book.
- Do kids still say that? Seems very mid-2000s.
— Jan 29, 2023 11:15AM
(1) Leo kind of reminds me of Prince Harry, in the way he constantly brings up his mothers death and ensuing trauma as the key moment in his emotional development.
- Not to say that characters shouldn't do this, or real life persons for that matter, but both do it an awful lot, as a point of self-definition.
(2) Leo yells "Boo-yah!" which sort of dates this book.
- Do kids still say that? Seems very mid-2000s.
Jayson
is 45% done
Notes:
(1) Leo just happens to find a magic tool belt that can provide him any tool he can think of.
- Great! Another deus ex machina device to make sure life-threatening situations never result in any tension.
(2) There's an idea here with Piper's father, that Native American actors can pass for most non-white roles because they're so mixed racially they don't look like any one ethnicity.
- Surprisingly deep.
— Jan 22, 2023 06:45AM
(1) Leo just happens to find a magic tool belt that can provide him any tool he can think of.
- Great! Another deus ex machina device to make sure life-threatening situations never result in any tension.
(2) There's an idea here with Piper's father, that Native American actors can pass for most non-white roles because they're so mixed racially they don't look like any one ethnicity.
- Surprisingly deep.
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Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "I actually read the short story after reading this book, I'm not sure if it was published that way, now that I think about it, so this was my introduction to Festus!Oh, I hadn't noticed the whole..."
No, The Demigod Files were published in between the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, well before this. That said, it's still a fine introduction to Festus. It's not as if people who didn't read the short story are missing out on anything crucial. It's more that it's added value to people who have read it :)
Jayson wrote: "Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "I actually read the short story after reading this book, I'm not sure if it was published that way, now that I think about it, so this was my introduction to Festus!O..."
Well, there's that, I was the one that read them in disorder *lol* I like that it works well both ways, you know? Whether you meet Festus here or in the short story it'll always feel like a bit of a treat and be a nice little nod to whatever you read first.
Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Well, there's that, I was the one that read them in disorder *lol* I like that it works well both ways, you know? Whether you meet Festus here or in the short story it'll always feel like a bit of a treat and be a nice little nod to whatever you read first."Yes, exactly, there's added value either way. I still have the Magnus Chase short story collection to read, and hopefully things are similar with that. I'll admit, I've forgotten nearly everything about Magnus Chase, so I don't have any of that knowledge at hand 😅
Jayson wrote: "Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Well, there's that, I was the one that read them in disorder *lol* I like that it works well both ways, you know? Whether you meet Festus here or in the short story it'..."My brain just screeched to a stop, the Magnus Chase short story collection? I... I don't think I've read that one. Heck, I don't think I even knew it existed till this exact moment... What?
Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "My brain just screeched to a stop, the Magnus Chase short story collection? I... I don't think I've read that one. Heck, I don't think I even knew it existed till this exact moment... What?"Yes, it's 9 From the Nine Worlds. I know, not the most memorable title for a Magnus Chase companion. But it's supposedly nine short stories, so I guess it makes enough sense. Happy I could get it on your radar 😁👍
Jayson wrote: "Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "My brain just screeched to a stop, the Magnus Chase short story collection? I... I don't think I've read that one. Heck, I don't think I even knew it existed till this ..."Ahh, that's the one you were talking about, for a hot second there I totally deleted it from my radar and panicked XD I guess it didn't impact me enough to remember it much *lol*
Thanks for the link though! It would have been quite useful if my brain had been right about something for a change, lol.
Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Ahh, that's the one you were talking about, for a hot second there I totally deleted it from my radar and panicked XD I guess it didn't impact me enough to remember it much *lol*"Lol I feel the same way about the main series. Just looking at the book description, it follows characters that I don't have a clue about. I've been thinking that I might have to re-read Magnus Chase just to make sense of it 😅
Jayson wrote: "Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Ahh, that's the one you were talking about, for a hot second there I totally deleted it from my radar and panicked XD I guess it didn't impact me enough to remember it ..."Hahaha, who knows, maybe if you start reading things will come back to you, and that'll refresh your memory. It has certainly happened to me before. I'll say, maybe read one story and see if that jump-starts your memory just so you can save yourself the trouble XD
I think I read it at the same time I was reading the main trilogy so I knew who everyone was but right now I don't remember anyone aside from... three or four characters.
Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Hahaha, who knows, maybe if you start reading things will come back to you, and that'll refresh your memory. It has certainly happened to me before. I'll say, maybe read one story and see if that jump-starts your memory..."I figure that's going to have to be the case, I'm not going to do a full re-read for a supplement. Interestingly, one of my big arguments in the past week was with someone who said that I couldn't hold it against prequels to expect familiarity with the main series. For me, I can understand that reasoning for sequels, but I'd expect that prequels should be somewhat standalone.
It's tricky, because the 9 From the Nine Worlds stories are sequel stories, but I'm going to have to approach them as standalones, simply because the main series wasn't memorable enough to make an impression. That'll be an interesting experience when I do get to it. I'd expect that I'll be doing a lot of looking things up on wikis Lol
Jayson wrote: "Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Hahaha, who knows, maybe if you start reading things will come back to you, and that'll refresh your memory. It has certainly happened to me before. I'll say, maybe rea..."Hmm, yeah, I agree with your point that a prequel has to be able to stand enough on its own to be worth it. I mean, it's supposed to be an introduction to either the world, which should be in a different state than the main series, or the characters and those are perfect opportunities to separate. Sequels, as you also point out, can rely on past knowledge since you're expected to read the previous work to understand them. While prequels can play into the recognition bit as fun easter egg that's as much of the knowledge they should expect the reader/audience to have, I think.
I was about to suggest wiki as well XD It is a great tool once you don't fear being spoiled *lol*
Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Hmm, yeah, I agree with your point that a prequel has to be able to stand enough on its own to be worth it. I mean, it's supposed to be an introduction to either the world, which should be in a different state than the main series..."Yeah, another thing this person said is that books must be read in publication order, and that reading books in chronological order is incorrect and illegitimate. All I'll say about that is that plenty of things are read in chronological order. The Chronicles of Narnia famously has two official reading orders. The same thing goes for the Star Wars prequels, people often watch all the films in chronological order instead of order of release.
We have been conditioned to treat prequels as a new ground zero for extended series, and so to say that it's illegitimate is to bend reality to fit one's argument. Eventually I had to block that person and delete the entire back-and-forth since the conversation got pretty mean-spirited.
Jayson wrote: "Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Hmm, yeah, I agree with your point that a prequel has to be able to stand enough on its own to be worth it. I mean, it's supposed to be an introduction to either the wo..."I would say that there are several different series that you can enjoy in several different orders, chronological or publication or, sometimes, parallel, and they all add something to the story. Some of them, though, are more suited to be read chronologically, even intended to be read that way by the creators, even if the intended first part came out years later than the rest. More often than not, creators will add something to right in-between times to be read in that in-between time order. Chiefly, it comes to my mind Cassandra Clare that has published all her Shadowhunter Chronicles quite in disorder and while you can read it like that, in publication order, reading it in chronological order is quite a bit more fun XD
Seems like the healthiest way to deal with that, completely stopping the exchange and moving on :D
Alexandra Elend Wolf wrote: "Seems like the healthiest way to deal with that, completely stopping the exchange and moving on :D"Yeah, answering critics is one thing, but I don't have time for people who just want to argue and assert their opinion over others.
Oh, I hadn't noticed the whole Latin/Greek thing but it is pretty cool.