The Lightning Thief

Title: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Miramax Books for Kids, 2006

Pages: 377

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school … again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief, he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of a betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I have now read this book twice. I went to the theater to see the second installment of this series, and I wanted to reread the books because there was a lot in the movie that I didn’t remember At All. However, after reading The Lightning Thief, I remember how different the movie was from the book. So that’s probably why I didn’t recognize any of the plot for The Sea of Monsters; I’m fairly certain it didn’t happen that way in the book. And oddly enough I’m totally fine with that. Today, at least. It might irritate me tomorrow. But today, I’m good with it, Hollywood.

Let’s be real, I love mythology. One of my very favorite courses was Ancient Civilizations because of how thoroughly we covered mythology. All kinds of mythology. Maybe because they’re all centered around narcissists like me. Probably because they all discuss beings with superpowers. Whatevs.

Anyways, if you hadn’t already guessed it, this series puts a neat spin on Greek mythology. Think Clash of the Titans kid-style, and book-style… So Percy (aka Perseus) is the son of Poseidon. He has to save the world, obviously. While his gross step-dad is calling him a crazed lunatic on the news, and while monsters and gods are trying to kill him. Pretty impressive for a 12-year-old. When I was 12 I was only worried about ‘N Sync and when I would be getting my braces removed. So my 12-year-old self says, “Way to go, Percy, you totally make me look like a loser.”

But my nearly adult self says this is a great book. It’s a lot of fun! Who doesn’t love a good epic?? You have to remember it was written about a 12-year-old, most likely for other 12-year-olds. So it’s a very quick read. I especially recommend this to parents and young-ins!! But if you’re an adult bookworm with a love for fiction, I’m sure you’ll appreciate it too.

Ratings

Cover: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Writing: 4/5

Individuality: 5/5

The Whole Shebang: 4.6/5