Jayson’s Reviews > The Chalice of the Gods > Status Update
Jayson
is on page 102 of 288
Notes:
(1) Percy and Annabeth summon the goddess Hebe by singing a karaoke duet of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy."
- Man, these pop culture references are all over the place! I doubt any single person would get them all, you know, outside of Rick Riordan.
- "Jealous Guy" is a pretty deep cut. I doubt you'd actually be able to find it on a karaoke menu.
(Continued in comments)
— Aug 31, 2024 06:45AM
Notes:
(1) Percy and Annabeth summon the goddess Hebe by singing a karaoke duet of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy."
- Man, these pop culture references are all over the place! I doubt any single person would get them all, you know, outside of Rick Riordan.
- "Jealous Guy" is a pretty deep cut. I doubt you'd actually be able to find it on a karaoke menu.
(Continued in comments)
43 likes · Like flag
Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is on page 268 of 288
Notes:
(1) As a distraction, Grover hula-hoops while playing "Get Lucky" on his panpipes.
- I know the song's a decade old but, as a reference, it feels brand new and shiny compared to all the oldies mentioned in this book.
- Possibly, it's Grover's way of wishing Percy good luck on his mission, or an attempt to will success into existence via song.
(Continued in comments)
— Sep 03, 2024 06:15AM
Notes:
(1) As a distraction, Grover hula-hoops while playing "Get Lucky" on his panpipes.
- I know the song's a decade old but, as a reference, it feels brand new and shiny compared to all the oldies mentioned in this book.
- Possibly, it's Grover's way of wishing Percy good luck on his mission, or an attempt to will success into existence via song.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 220 of 288
Notes:
(1) "Paul says [Bob] Dylan was one of the best twentieth-century poets. I mean, the guy can rhyme leaders with parking meters. I guess that’s something?"
- First of all, assonance, while no doubt lyrical, is not rhyming.
- Secondly, as someone who rhymes nearly all my reviews, I'm no poet. While no piece of cake, rhyming does not a poet make.
(Continued in comments)
— Sep 02, 2024 06:50AM
Notes:
(1) "Paul says [Bob] Dylan was one of the best twentieth-century poets. I mean, the guy can rhyme leaders with parking meters. I guess that’s something?"
- First of all, assonance, while no doubt lyrical, is not rhyming.
- Secondly, as someone who rhymes nearly all my reviews, I'm no poet. While no piece of cake, rhyming does not a poet make.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 152 of 288
Notes:
(1) Grover plays Duran Duran's "Union of the Snake" on his pan pipes to lure away snakes. Kind of like St. Patrick crossed with the Pied Piper, except he gets chased.
- Hmm, you'd think snakes would find snake songs charming, you know, snake charming.
- He also plays YMCA and The Beatles' "Help," so it probably didn't need to be snake-themed.
(Continued in comments)
— Sep 01, 2024 05:35AM
Notes:
(1) Grover plays Duran Duran's "Union of the Snake" on his pan pipes to lure away snakes. Kind of like St. Patrick crossed with the Pied Piper, except he gets chased.
- Hmm, you'd think snakes would find snake songs charming, you know, snake charming.
- He also plays YMCA and The Beatles' "Help," so it probably didn't need to be snake-themed.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 49 of 288
Notes:
(1) "[My mom] hummed as she worked—some Nirvana song, I think. 'Come as You Are'?"
- Well, in terms of pop culture references, it seems like Rick Riordan's graduated from the '80s to the '90s.
(2) This plot feels a lot lower stakes than usual.
- It's been so long since these books have been anything other than an "end of the world" situation.
(Continued in comments)
— Aug 30, 2024 06:45AM
Notes:
(1) "[My mom] hummed as she worked—some Nirvana song, I think. 'Come as You Are'?"
- Well, in terms of pop culture references, it seems like Rick Riordan's graduated from the '80s to the '90s.
(2) This plot feels a lot lower stakes than usual.
- It's been so long since these books have been anything other than an "end of the world" situation.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is starting
Notes:
(1) Okay, I've put off reading this book for way too long. This is one of those pre-order purchases I just forgot about because I was never in the mood or was otherwise preoccupied.
- But with the sequel coming out imminently I finally have my motivation.
(2) I've not been following the hype so I don't know what I'm in for.
- Well, except that Riordan's going pack it with '80s references, as has been his wont.
— Aug 29, 2024 04:00AM
(1) Okay, I've put off reading this book for way too long. This is one of those pre-order purchases I just forgot about because I was never in the mood or was otherwise preoccupied.
- But with the sequel coming out imminently I finally have my motivation.
(2) I've not been following the hype so I don't know what I'm in for.
- Well, except that Riordan's going pack it with '80s references, as has been his wont.
Comments Showing 1-2 of 2 (2 new)
date
newest »
newest »
Ibrahim wrote: "tbh the pop culture refrences in this book took me out of the story, especially because the original books took place in the early 2000s, so having this book take place in what?2023, doesnt make se..."To be fair, Riordan never mentions the year any of these books take place. The closest you have for a date is 2018 (re: the "Shallow" reference), which would be the earliest this book takes place.
So, you can either see this as taking place in 2018 and any reference to contemporary things in earlier books were actually references to older things, or see this as an alternate timeline where everything that happened between 2005 and 2018 took place over the span of only six years. 🤷♂️
- Percy being annoyed by boomers and mocking them is a running gag in these Hebe Jeebies chapters. I mean, what gives? Is Rick Riordan a self-hating boomer?
(3) "Hebe's expression turned from smug to 'resting goddess face,' which was not a good thing."
- I suppose "resting goddess face" implies all goddesses act like b-words. Which, given the totality of these books, isn't exactly wrong.
(4) Percy breaks the fourth wall and says he's typing this story, not just narrating.
- I wonder if he's been typing these stories the whole time? or at least the ones he narrates.
- There is precedent for this. Carter and Sadie Kane presented their books as audio cassette recordings.
(5) So far, this book has felt more like the companion short stories than the novels.
- Percy points out that this quest is entirely local, which would explain it. The travelogue component is a big part of the books, whereas there's no room for cross-country questing in a short story.
- Also, we're mainly dealing with minor deities here, plus the world's not ending. As I mentioned in a previous update, the stakes seem smaller.
(6) For homework, Percy has to read a short story "about that guy who liked to open cans."
- Riordan drops this reference twice, with no follow-up, as if it's obvious.
- Am I meant to know this? I'd like to think I'm fairly well-read, but I have no clue what he's talking about.
(7) There's this demigod Blanche, daughter of Iris. She rebels against her rainbow goddess mom by being all about black-and-white.
- I mean, if your demigod kid is named "Blanche," the fact that she has color-draining powers should surprise no one.