Percy Jackson and the Olympians – Books #5-9

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| Title | The Lightning Thief (2005) |
| | The Sea of Monsters (2006) |
| | The Titan’s Curse (2007) |
| | The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008) |
| | The Last Olympian (2009) |
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| Author | Rick Riordan |
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| Genre | Juvenile Fiction |
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| Pages | 377, 279, 312, 361, 381 respectively |
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| Publisher | Hyperion |
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| Copyright | See above |
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a series of adventure and fantasy books authored by Rick Riordan. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek mythology. The series consists of five books, as well as spin-off titles such as The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. The Lightning Thief, the first book, is the basis of a film called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which is scheduled for release in the United States on February 12, 2010.

The protagonist is Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes. He learns that the legendary beings of Greek mythology still exist and have always existed, including monsters, cyclopes, empousai, Titans, and also the Olympians (Greek gods) themselves who dwell in Olympus which is now situated at the mythical 600th floor of the Empire State Building. He is frequently attacked by monsters because he is a child of one of the "Big Three" (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades). Percy meets many other young demigods, both friendly and hostile, who are also in the process of discovering their heritage and powers.

Why I read It
I saw the trailer for the new movie coming out and thought it looked interesting.


What I Thought About It
Great, fun read that the whole family has enjoyed. It is kind of a Harry Potter lite story but provides a decent beginners guide to who is who with the Olympic Gods. I can easily see this being a stepping stone to the classics for some kids (like the Iliad or the Odyssey) which is great. I imagine once the movies start coming these books will become even more popular. The best part is the ongoing story is complete in the 5 books available, so you can get the whole series at once and not have to wait around for years (aka Harry Potter). As I have inferred above, there are a lot of direct parallels to the Harry Potter series, but that is okay. They do tell their own story and actually seem educational at the end of the day.

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography

Riordan was born in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where he double-majored in English and history. For fifteen years, he taught in public and private schools in California and in San Antonio. He was awarded Saint Mary’s Hall's first Master Teacher Award in 2002.

Riordan is the multi-award-winning author of the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults; his The Maze of Bones reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list on September 28, 2008. His Percy Jackson and the Olympians series features a twelve-year-old boy who discovers he is the modern-day son of an ancient Greek god. Film rights have been purchased by Twentieth Century Fox and a feature film is in development. The film is set to be released on February 12, 2010. Riordan lives in San Antonio with his wife and their two sons. Recently, Riordan has stated that he is working on a new series based upon the Egyptian pantheon, which then turned out to be The Kane Chronicles, with the first book, The Red Pyramid, to be released May 4, 2010.