Percy Jackson & The Olympians; The Lightning Thief by: Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson thought of himself a troubled adolescent. He was kicked out of every school he had ever attended, a trouble maker with ADHD and dyslexia. Everything changed in his life one day on a field trip to the museum, he vaporized his math teacher. From that day he realized that he was different and now all of the myths that he learned about from ancient Greece are alive and well and part of his world. All of a sudden he’s being blamed for steeling Zeus’s master lightning bolt and World War III is about to break loose on western society. Not only is all of this news to Percy, but he’s being sent on a quest to retrieve the lightning bolt and get it back to Zeus within 10 days. Before the summer solstice he not only has to find the bolt, he also has to come to terms with his father’s abandonment, the oracle’s prophecy of a friend betraying him, and find away to free his mother from Hades’ clutches. It’s a big order for 10 days, even for a demigod.
What I liked: Good Character development. I liked Percy, he’s a good kid even though he’s fallen on some hard times in his short life, he’s a fun character to follow. Riordan did a great job of describing the relationship between Percy and his mom. I felt their bond between them. She is all he has family wise since his father left and you could tell that she loved him very much. It was dynamic. I also liked his friends Annabeth and Grover. The threesome stick together even though the road is hard, heck, they go to hell and back, literally. I enjoyed the exchanges between Annabeth and Percy. They act like brother and sister and it’s a fun relationship to watch grow.
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the plot. It was well thought out and excellently executed. I could feel the danger that our heroes were in and knew that they were going to overcome their obstacles.
Last but not least there was a good pay off at the end of book one. It had the feeling of more to come, we know there is a bad guy out there and our heroes plan to stop them since the gods won’t, but there was a twist at the end of this book that I didn’t see coming. I won’t ruin it for you, but it’s not over until the last page is turned.
Things to change? Why so young? I haven’t continued to the next book, but I’m curious why the heroes are so young. I can’t see adults letting young pre-teens out on America to go talk to the god of the underworld that is across the nation. Oh well, it happened, just a little farfetched. The age might go perfect with the series, like in Harry Potter, we watch that kid grow up through the series and therefore it makes sense that he is 11 in the first book. I’m excited to see the outcome and follow Percy through the rest of his adventures. I know there is more to come, so stay tuned for another blog.
Here’s just a thought I’m having. This book is solidifying my theory that there are no new stories out there. Let me see if this sounds familiar. A trio of kids set on a mission, from the outside they look totally normal to the rest of the world, but in reality they are more different than anyone can guess. The set is made up of 2 guys and 1 girl. The girl is wise, a know it all, the side kick is the comic relief, and the hero is from a troubled family, before he finds who he really is, he’s always getting into trouble but isn’t a bad kid. The truth is revealed to him by a wizened teacher that leads him to his destiny, but doesn’t choose it for him. Stop me if you have heard this before… I’m not picking on Riordan, Percy Jackson book 1 was great. I enjoyed it and am here to say that I recommend it as a book worth reading. I’m just saying, the more I read, the more I see that there are no original ideas that we just steal little ideas from the ones that came and wrote before us (I only say us, because I really want to write some day, not today, but some day). Just a thought that I’m fleshing out. Don’t throw stones, not yet anyway.
Differences between the movie and the book, are they good or bad? Good! I hate it when Hollywood makes big changes to great books. All that to say, I’m not that upset about the changes that were made to The Lightning Thief they were good changes. I think it went to the big screen great and I was entertained throughout. It was almost a different story with the same character’s names. Did this upset me? No. I guess I just have to remember that sometimes books don’t go straight to film well they need a little help from the screen writers.
So, what did you think? Have you read book 1, the series, or watched the movie? What was your opinion? Let me know and leave a comment, it will make my day!
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