Demigods, Monsters and Weapons of Mythological Destruction: A Review of the Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

Demigods, Monsters and Weapons of Mythological Destruction: A Review of the Percy Jackson Series by Rick RiordanPercy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1-5
Also in this series: The Lightning Thief
on 2011
Pages: 1824
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
three-half-stars
All five books in the blockbuster Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, in paperback, have been collected in a boxed set fit for demigods. This value-priced set includes the best-selling The Lightning ThiefThe Sea of MonstersThe Titan's CurseThe Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. Whether it is for readers who are experiencing Percy's thrilling adventures with Greek gods and monsters for the first time, or for fans who want to devour the saga again, this gift will be prized by young and old.

I read the first Percy Jackson novel (The Lightning Thief) and I wasn’t the biggest fan. But after re-watching the films a few weeks ago, I was suddenly quite sad that they weren’t planning on adapting the rest of the series for the screen. There was so much which was left unsaid and mysteries that I was desperate to see how they played out.

So I grabbed a copy of the second book (Sea of Monsters) and started reading. And I devoured books 2-5 in a matter of days. I’m not sure if it was because I knew what to expect with regards to the writing style or as the characters grew up the books felt a little less young but I enjoyed getting to see how the series played out.

This is a really fun series to read. The characters are both consistent with what we get to know about them but at the same time they grow a lot over the five books. Percy has the weight of a prophecy upon him as well as trying to stay in a school longer than a year and surviving the wrath of the Ares cabin. It’s not easy being the only son of Poseidon – until he finds out that he has a Cyclops for a half-brother. Percy’s friends – Grover and Annabeth – stand by his side but not blindly so. They each have their own problems and sometimes their quests don’t align with Percy’s. But their friendship is one I loved reading as it evolved and changed over the novels and the years in which they span.

The gods are every bit as contrary and ambiguous as I’d always imagined them to be and I liked how Riordan brought them into the modern world. They don’t have the same motives as humans and it shows with their disregard for the young demigods safety and the lives of the humans in the world below them.

I’m not going to go into too much detail about the plot and goings on in each individual book. I don’t want to spoil the series for anyone who is planning on reading it – just to say that I think this is a series you have to be in the right frame of mind for. I was willing to give up after the first book but I’m delighted I persevered and finished it. It’s fun with a lot of adventure and action. The mythology is a great modern take on that of old and there’s a sprinkling of romance involved too.

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