Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
Rating: 
Genre: Fantasy, YA
First sentence: Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.
Favorite Quote From the Book:
Publisher:
Disney-Hyperion (March 21, 2006), Paperback: 400 pages / ISBN 0786838655
Percy Jackson, dyslexic and hotheaded, has been kicked out of yet another school. But stranger things are happening around him, and soon he finds himself at Camp Half Blood, a refuge and training ground for children of the Greek gods, who are still around and causing trouble for humans. He discovers that his dyslexia is caused by his brain being hardwired for Greek, and his hotheadedness is because, well, he’s a hero. All too soon he discovers which god is his father, and that he is a pawn in a titanic battle between the gods that may ignite World War III. Accompanied by a daughter of Athena and a young Satyr, Percy is sent to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt from Hades, who supposedly stole it. But things are even more complicated than he and the gods imagined, and there are dangerous plots afoot.
After Thoughts:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I have been a fan of mythology for a long time. There is a lot of real mythology in this book, but the author twists it and modernizes it to fit the story. I have no problem with that. It works. The story is fast paced and engaging, and an easy read. I was able to finish the book easily in a day.
I loved that while Zeus is in charge at Olympus, he doesn’t come off as the most important supreme being. (Although, I’m sure he would think that he does.) I love the personality’s that the author gave to the Gods. Each of them have become newly developed characters built with the traits that they are originally known for. There are a lot of little quirky tidbits that make the story fun; like how Percy and his mom go out of their way to eat blue food.
This is a great adventure book, and a terrific start for the series. Unlike a lot of book series, I felt like the story improved with each installment. The last book leaves you just as satisfied as the first one did, if not more so. The other books in the series include: The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.
