Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review

Ten Unicorns!-Incredible characters, plot, and writing!

So, the Greek myths. Ancient gods and goddesses who control everyday life for the ancient Greeks. Monsters and demons that thrive in the Underworld, and in our world as well. Passed down from generation to generation through stories and song, these myths continue to be popular with readers to this day. And Rick Riordan takes a new spin on Greek mythology. The Lightning Thief was published in 2005, the first of the five book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Riordan wrote the story for his son, who liked the Greek myths and had ADHD and Dyslexia. This became the basis for demigods at camp Half-Blood. ADHD allowed demigods to survive in battle, taking in all details around them. And Dyslexia? Demigod minds are hardwired for ancient Greek, but struggle with English. Creative, don’t you think?

Plot summary:

 I’m not going to go into perfect detail about the series. That’s what the books are for. But I will summarize as best as I can.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief:

Percy Jackson lives with his mom and stepdad in Manhattan, New York. He has been expelled from all his previous schools, and is a “bad” kid. His only friend is Grover Underwood, who is strange and walks funny. One day, Percy discovers the truth. His real dad is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Percy now stays at Camp Half-Blood, a camp for kids like him. Kids who are half-mortal, half-Greek god. (Or goddess.) Percy meets his new mentor, (And centaur, half-man, half-horse.) Chiron. Chiron trains demigods to fight, use their magical god/dess powers and more. Percy also meets a number of campers. Annabeth Chase is one of them. She is the daughter of Athena. Annabeth doesn’t talk to Percy, until their first quest. The chief god, Zeus’s lightning bolt has been stolen. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, have been chosen to get it back.  They have many adventures, including facing the Gorgon Medusa, almost getting blown up on a bus, and a trip to the dark, dangerous, Underworld.

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters:

It’s the last day of school, and Percy is excited to get back to Camp Half-Blood. But at school, a group of Laistrygonian Giants attack Percy and his new friend Tyson, with deadly dodgeballs. Percy is shocked to discover Tyson’s superhuman strength and fire resistance. Finally, the last giant is killed by Annabeth, who came just when Tyson had collapsed. She is nervous around Tyson, and after returning to Camp Half-Blood, Percy can see why. Some monsters have attacked. (The magical borders were down, and the pine tree that was once a girl, Thalia, is dying.) Tyson easily defeats them.

Percy looks through the Mist, (The power that conceals ancient Greek powers from most mortal eyes.) and sees that Tyson is a monster too. But Tyson says he is a good monster. (Good old Tyson.) The new defence teacher, Tantalus, orders a quest to save the camp. Percy expects to be chosen, but instead it is his enemy at camp, Clarisse, daughter of the war god Ares. She leaves, and Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson sneak out as well. They board the Princess Andromeda. A cruise ship which carries monsters like Hellhounds, Dranceane, and others. Percy dreams of his friend Grover, a satyr, (Goat-man.) who is in danger. They escape the cruise ship and sail into the Sea of Monsters. They face the witch Circe, fight the song of the sirens, and finally come to the island of the Cyclops. Grover is held in a cave there. Percy and Annabeth save him and Clarisse, who winded up there too. They find the Golden Fleece, the fleece of a ram, that has healing properties, according to Rick Riordan. They bring the fleece back to Camp Half-Blood, and not only does it restore the borders, but it heals something, or rather someone else. That’s right. Thalia, daughter of the Olympian Zeus, is back in town.

Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse:

It’s been almost a year, and Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia are on a mission to find two demigods, a sister and a brother, who have been going to a school a little ways away. The three split up to look for the siblings, and Percy finds them first. (Of course he does.) The siblings are Bianca and Nico Di Angelo. But before Percy can explain what’s going on, a Manticore attacks. The beast takes them to a cliff. But before he can push them off, several things happen at once. Grover, Thalia, and Annabeth find them. Annabeth battles the Manticore and they both topple off the cliff. Then, a group of girls with bows and arrows come. They are the followers of the hunting goddess Artemis. They take the demigods back to Camp Half-Blood. Then, several hunters and demigods are chosen for a quest. Thalia, Grover, Bianca, and hunters Zoe and Phoebe leave at dawn. They are going to look for Annabeth and Artemis, who also disappeared and is presumably in trouble. But Phoebe gets a horrible rash, and cannot come. Percy goes instead. Together, the demigods make their way to the ruins of the titan’s (Older gods.) version of Mt. Olympus. Mt. Othrys. They save Annabeth and Artemis. (With the loss of two demigods, may I add.)

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth:

Percy comes back to camp. He discovers that the ancient Labyrinth is forming underneath North America. Kronos, the evil titan, and his army plan to use the Labyrinth to get into Camp Half-Blood. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson use the entrance at Camp Half-Blood and go on a quest. They find Nico Di Angelo, demigod son of Hades, and he slowly starts to trust them. But then they are separated. Percy and Annabeth join forces with mortal Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She guides them in the Labyrinth, straight to Mt. Othrys. (Also she hits the evil titan Kronos in the eye, with a plastic, blue, hairbrush. Go Rachel!) They meet up with Grover and Tyson, and Rachel goes back home. Then, the remaining five hurry back to Camp Half-Blood, where there is a battle. Daedalus, maker of the Labyrinth dies, and the Labyrinth dies too.

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian:

Percy is almost sixteen. The prophecy approaches. Nico and Percy start the book by taking a dip in the River Styx. Percy becomes invincible except for a small part of his back. (Good thing he didn’t choose his ankle! I’m looking at you, Achilles.) Then, Kronos attacks Mt. Olympus. (Currently at the six hundredth floor of the Empire State Building.) The demigods of Camp Half-Blood defend it. (The gods are at war with a giant named Typhon.) The campers have allies too. Hunters of Artemis, centaurs, nymphs, and satyrs all fight in the battle. Many are lost to Kronos’s forces. Percy faces Kronus, who is inhabiting ex-camper Luke Castellan. Luke and Percy fight Kronos, and Luke dies. Kronos is defeated. The demigods hurry back to Camp Half-Blood, and Rachel Dare is being made Oracle. Percy and Annabeth end up dating. (Hurray!) The End.

 

Not really. There are other Rick Riordan books. The Heroes of Olympus series continues the story, the Kane Chronicles involves Egyptian Mythology, and Magnus Chase involves Norse Mythology. The Trials of Apollo series takes place at Camp Half-Blood, but I really hated the first two books. (Plus, Apollo was such a brat.) Sorry Rick Riordan, you could do better without that series. The other series’s were incredible!

Characters:

Here are my favorites from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series!

Percy:

He’s different than other heroes. He’s someone we can relate to, not just a perfect guy who gets everything he wants. He’s kind, generous, brave, (Obviously.) and smart. He always lightens the mood, and is in some ways the comic relief. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, can not only wield a sword, but can create hurricanes and miniature storms. He can control water, which is a really amazing power. (One that I dreamed of having for a short while!)

Annabeth:

She’s smart, powerful, smart, ferocious, smart, awesome, and smart! She loves architecture and books. She wanted to go on a quest ever since she got to Camp Half-Blood when she was seven years old. (She never left until her first ever quest with Percy and Grover.) She is very independent and is killer with her dagger. (I mean killer.) She is very clever and always thinks ahead. I think she would be an awesome friend to have.

Grover:

Grover was such a funny character in the first few books of the series. He loved enchiladas and his dearest ambition was to find the nature god Pan. (Turns out Pan died when Grover finally found him. Sorry Grover.) He plays the Panpipes, and can sense emotions. That’s pretty cool.

Luke, why did you have to die?:

That’s probably the worst title I’ve made up so far. But why did he die? He was a hero in the end. He served Kronos, but he cared about his best friends Annabeth and Thalia. The three reached Camp Half-Blood at the same time with Grover, who led them there. Thalia sacrificed herself. Annabeth says to Percy later on, that Luke was never the same after that day. Luke stabbed himself with Annabeth’s dagger that was once his, (Hero’s soul cursed blade shall reap.) and died.

Tyson:

Who’s our favorite cyclops? Tyson, of course! Son of Poseidon, this cyclops also forges weapons and an awesome shield that Percy uses throughout the series. Tyson even helped Annabeth bake a birthday cake for Percy, even though it turned out looking like a brick. Tyson also rides his “fish-pony” (Hippocampus.) Rainbow throughout the series. This proves that Tyson is gentle with all creatures that he loves. Good old Tyson even appeared briefly in the Heroes of Olympus series.

R.E.D.:

Rachel Elizabeth Dare is a very unique character. She is fearless and smart, can speak prophecies, and can see through the Mist. Did you ever notice her initials spell out RED? Maybe this is because of her red hair, or maybe due to the fact that she sometimes paints herself to help support charities. Rachel is also an extremely talented artist, who lives in a cave when she stays at Camp Half-Blood. A nice cave, full of paintings that she drew on the walls. She is a pretty cool character, and once she and Annabeth get along, the two are pretty much best friends.

Nico Di Angelo:

He perhaps has the most growth out of all the characters. He starts out as a little kid, then develops his powers and becomes more social. He has a major secret which was revealed in the Heroes of Olympus series. I won’t spoil it, but in my opinion it makes Nico even more cool, and makes you feel sad for him. He also lost his sister Bianca during The Titan’s Curse and resents Percy Jackson for this, but the two resolve this by talking to Bianca’s ghost. Poor Nico.
Overall, this is tied for first place as my favorite book series. (Harry Potter being the other.) These are some of the most well written characters I’ve ever read, an intriguing plot, and a great writing style! Ten unicorns for being amazing!