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Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1-5

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set

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The complete Percy Jackson & the Olympians series in hardcover, packaged in a gorgeous, reclosable “steamer trunk” fit for demigods. This perfect gift for Percy fans boasts a hidden compartment containing an exclusive Camp Half-Blood map and stickers.

1744 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2009

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About the author

Rick Riordan

249 books425k followers
Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.

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5 stars
25,303 (71%)
4 stars
7,316 (20%)
3 stars
2,239 (6%)
2 stars
386 (1%)
1 star
232 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,241 reviews
Profile Image for Tina ➹ lives in Fandoms.
440 reviews438 followers
April 10, 2023
before we start;
a READERS ATTENTION!:

Rick Riordan's series Order:

first, Percy Jackson
then Heroes of Olympus
at last, Trials of Apollo & Magnus Chase is happening at the same time; they have crossovers sometimes.

(or read in this order: Camp Half-Blood Chronicles)
I warned everywhere I could, because I'm nervous you might read in wrong order & you won't enjoy as much as you should.

anyway...
generally I love the fantasy which happening in our world, low fantasy. I call them: Fantasy in reality.

When fantasy elements bind in reality; we know a boring world of reality & then... magic revealed! or myths, travel between universes. I live in that world & I feel happy.
also familiar sense in other way like I know places & cities (I mean in almost all high fantasy stories I'm just confused with the strange names & wondering where they were.)
& even heroes have been shocked when they actually entered their fantasy world. (so they know that world with me & I can relate with their surprise, feelings, fears, etc)
so it made very easy to believe they can be real, somewhere, somehow, in a corner of this world magic exists (Harry Potter), you can travel to parallel universes (Pendragon) or mythology lives among us. (Percy Jackson)
my top fav series has another features too: they are about the subjects I actually love to know about in science. (magic, parallel universes, Myths) & also they involved many awesome characters.

& now whole review of one of my favourite series:

description

Complete 5 mythical Golden Stars

these whole books are a harmony of magic & action, myths & reality, fighting & superheroes

Idea: ★★★★★/5
I said thousand times that I love love love mythology, especially Greek mythology.
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World building: ★★★★★/5
mythology in fantasy, sign me in!
I love how myths wrapped up in reality & how this fiction built up. & monsters, rules of this world, Demigods, villains... everything seems real & realistic! I love realistic fictions. when you can just simply imagine the story is actually happening somewhere in this world. U know what I mean?😁
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Characters: ★★★★★/5:
so many great characters, I mean yeah my top favourite character is Percy (& Annabeth is my top fav female charcter) but there is so many great characters you simply Love & can't decide which one you love more & you enjoy the moments they make! characters like Tyson, Grover, Luke, Nico, Chiron, Rachel, Beckendorf, Clarisse (yeah I like her too!), Mr. D & his intentional wrong names, Calypso, Bianca, Ethane, more & more. I have 3 favourite gods (Apollo, Poseidon, Hades)

I always say:
Great characters make a great story, great!
(& great idea & written style & humor of course, but first I should find a character I care about.(here, in this series, are more than just one; also like in other Rick Riordan's series, Harry Potter, Pendragon & some more))

& their developments are very realistic & fantastic!

those parts when they are brave & inspire you to be brave in your life.
the "I can do it" power

& my top OTP is here!
description
description
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Written style: ★★★★★/5
even though it's 1st person, I love it & how Percy describes what he is dealing with.
/HUMOR!: ★★★★★/5
& the laughter is infinite!
/feelz: ★★★★★/5
happy & sad emotions are essential for every great stories. I love to have tears of Joy, or my heart wrenches during reading a book & Riordan knows how to make us cry, even over a not-important character we don't care about.
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plot: ★★★★★/5
Every pages my heart is racing. every events are adrenaline rush, & I love to feel the excitements!
& Riordan knows how to put a Plot twist! thrilling!
➖➖➖➖
< my reviews >: Golden Stars
the Lightning Thief : ★★★★(★)/5
the Sea of Monsters : ★★★★(★)/5
the Titan's Curse: ★★★★★/5
the Battle of Labyrinth: ★★★★★/5
the Last Olympian : ★★★★★/5

& did anyone notice that each book has a kind of reference retelling of a special Greek Hero? (I didn't either, I read somewhere & this just blown my mind! Riordan is a genius!)
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𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓎!
2 reviews5 followers
February 6, 2015
I am as obsessed as a person can be with PJ. Annabeth is so cool, Grover is so hilarious and Percy (at least in the movie) is SUCH a hottie! I watched the movie only hours ago and yes, it's true: they practically ripped the book apart. Where's Clarisse? That's what I ask. Where's Dionysus and Annabeth's dream of being an architect and relationship with Luke and Grover's obsession with Pan and the REAL way Percy came across the pearls? They were never Persephone's. I mean, Grover is white! Annabeth is blond with piercing gray eyes! You have no idea the disappointment I feel when someone tells me they've seen the movie but haven't read the book. You haven't experienced Percy's story UNTIL you've read the book. SO, let's chalk this one up. BOOK: 10 million points. MOVIE: Goose egg.
Profile Image for Arena♡.
404 reviews712 followers
October 3, 2020
Rick Riordan's series order:

I. Percy Jackson & the Olympians

II. The Heroes of Olympus

III. The Kane Chronicles

IV. Demigods and Magicians

V. The Trials of Apollo

VI. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard


Rick Riordan is definitely one of my favourite authors! He really made my childhood and it was his Percy Jackson series that got me reading in the first place! I'll honestly never be too old for his books!

Okay, so I'm not gonna talk about the plot cause then I'll just be spoiling it, but here's something about all the characters:

✨Percy Jackson: #seaweed-brain✨



⤷ Son of Poseidon
⤷ Sarcastic and Awkward
⤷ Saves the world at the age of 12

✨Annabeth Chase: #wise-girl✨



⤷ Daughter of Athena
⤷ Smart and Beautiful
⤷ Orphaned at a very young age

✨Thalia Grace: #i'll-blast-u-off-the-earth✨



⤷ Daughter of Zeus
⤷ Bold and Lethal
⤷ Turned into a tree

✨Grover Underwood: #goat-boy✨



⤷ Satyr, answers to Dionysos
⤷ Always hungry
⤷ Percy's best friend

✨Nico Di Angelo: #deaddeaddead✨



⤷ Son of Hades
⤷ Mysterious and Deadly
⤷ My baby

✨Zoe Nightshade: #ugh-boys✨



⤷ Hunter of Artemis
⤷ Loyal and Dangerous
⤷ Dies in the end

✨Luke Castellan: #i'm-the-bad-guy-duh✨



⤷ Son of Hermes
⤷ I hate/love him
⤷ *Alexa play Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood*

Overall, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a series you do not wanna miss out on! Its definitely one of my all time favourites and I would highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Julia.
594 reviews
March 8, 2010
This set was recommended to me by a 9th grader, and I'm giving the hardcover set to my granddaughter on her 10th birthday. While the writing style is not up to my J.K.Rowling yardstick, the books offer good characters and an unusual premise. Percy and others are "demigods", meaning that one of their parents is a Greek god. Thus, Riordan also brings young readers into the world of mythology while providing an entertaining action storyline.


As with the Potter books, one of my favorite characteristics if that the books focus on friendship rather than moving into any type of romance. In book one, THE LIGHTNING THIEF, Percy (short for Perseus) is 11, and becomes a year older in each book.

The set of 5 is rather uneven, with the third book, THE TITAN'S CURSE, being my favorite. Riordan may not have Rowling's great descriptive style, but he HAS provided a good storyline and some memorable characters.
Profile Image for TL .
1,966 reviews109 followers
May 29, 2015
Doing the review this way, rather than writing one for each book :)
----

This series is right up there with Harry Potter and Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander series as my top favorite series. Each re-visit is dropping in on some old friends and re-living their adventures/lives.

First time I saw this series, I was passing the book section at work and the movie cover caught my eye (I think the movie was out not long after I finished the book). The title and synopsis immediately intrigued me and on a whim I bought it on my next break.

So started the love affair :)

I loved Mr. Riordan's take on the half bloods and monsters, Percy was easy to root for (although sometimes you did want to smack him) and Annabeth/Grover/Nico/Tyson quickly became my favorites among the campers.
The Gods... haha, well... a love/hate relationship there. The banter between them was great but sometimes they reminded me of kids throwing a temper tantrum. Poseidon and Artemis were my top favorites (I probably would have joined the Hunters).

Ares reminded me of a bully at times but not a bad ally to have on your side I suppose...

Does series really need more reviews? Probably not :) I'm throwing my two cents in anyway :-P

I would recommend this for all ages, just a fun series with great characters and plenty of humor/drama thrown in to balance the other stuff out (a certain scene in the 5th book with a certain someone getting squashed by a certain something in battle always cracks me up).

The audiobook narrator Jesse Bernstein does a marvelous job bringing everyone/everything to life. He does all five books, which is great and I never had problems telling who was who when he was doing his thing... so check them out if you can :)
Profile Image for Katie.
16 reviews
September 23, 2011
So many reviews of this series compare it to Harry Potter (and with good reason) but as a fan of both (and a beginning skeptic myself) I have to say that though they are similar series, Percy Jackson stands on its own. In the Lightening Thief, Percy is so Harry Potter, the camp is so Hogwarts, Chiron is so Dumbledore- I completely admit that. In fact when this series first came out I refused to read it and criticized it for being a rip-off. But for some reason, I gave it a try (at the request of a friend) and really loved it. The further along the series goes, the farther away Percy Jackson is from Harry Potter. Percy's voice is the reason to read YA- it's clever and sweet, witty and touching. I think Riordan's greatest achievement in this series is the characters- especially Percy. You really begin to feel for him and you believe he is completely capable and brave but it's not overboard- he is not an adult-version of a 15 year old.

For me, the similarities between the two series boils down to generic similarities over the course of Percy Jackson. An extraordinary boy who never understood why he was so unaccepted and or different in his world, until it is relieved to him that he is powerful beyond belief (in some way or another). From here, he enters into a world where he is not only accepted by revered and has the weight of the world upon his shoulders. To accomplish a challenging and, in some ways hopeless, role he is helped by his loyal friends. That is Harry Potter. That is Percy Jackson. That is Ender Wiggin. Tweak it a little and that could be Jonah from the Giver or Thomas from The Maze Runner or really any YA dystopian for that matter.

My point is, if you are a fan of end-of-the-world, fantasy, powerful children, and YA, then you will really enjoy the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Don't brush it aside because of similarities to Harry Potter, enjoy it for it's own creative, witty world which is a true pleasure to explore.
Profile Image for Irina Elena.
707 reviews169 followers
January 3, 2016
Don't mind me, just getting used to sharing my thoughts with the world again.
Here goes.

This was pretty fucking awesome. Unexpectedly so, to be honest.
I never even considered reading this series until I saw the two movies back to back on TV on a random night, and I got so into them I just had to read the series. (You know you've written a lot of reviews when the GR html code comes naturally to your fingers even after an almost year-long hiatus. Huh.) Thank god I decided to start from the first book, because the movie producers basically ripped the whole thing to shreds and then used them to make something completely different – which is not necessarily a bad thing, since there would've been no way to fit the entire plot of The Lightning Thief in a 90 minute movie, but don't expect to be able to follow the actual series if you start from book 3.

That being said, I have two main points to make.
1. This is nothing like HP, and I don't know what people are smoking.
Sure, there are three friends going on dangerous fantastical adventures and saving the people they love slash the world. And yes, there are also lessons to be learned from these adventures. But that's where the similarities end.
The characters' personalities and backgrounds are completely different, the author's tone is much more dynamic, boyish and sarcastic, and the atmosphere is far from Hogwartsy. Do not go into this expecting to find what you've been missing since HP ended, because you won't. And this ties into my second point, which is:
2. Do go into this expecting considerable amounts of fun and excitement and something wildly refreshing. Okay, that last one mostly applies to me, I think, because I tend to shy away from both MG novels and works inspired by classical mythology because of mostly unfunded prejudices (get your shit together, Nina, good lord). So to me, this type of story was fairly new, and honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. All the adventure, and the fighting, and the monsters, and the life-or-death situations? I dig. A lot.

It's just good, guys. Genuinely, shockingly good, and gripping and funny and sad and all that awesome stuff. There is actual character growth, not a boring moment, and continuous surprises. What's not to love?
Okay, yeah, I had a few nits to pick, because otherwise I wouldn't be me, so it doesn't get a full five stars. But I read the whole thing in a week, and my final verdict is completely, overwhelmingly positive. On to Heroes of Olympus.
Profile Image for Sinead.
594 reviews80 followers
October 10, 2017
I really wish I’d read this series when I was around twelve and feel a nostalgic connection towards it. Because if I can love it even at twenty three, I know I would’ve just adored it for the intended age. The same with Harry Potter.

However, I’m still so glad I read it now. I always hear so many amazing things about this series so I am so happy I get to join in on the fandom!

This series is so fantastical and great, and Percy’s voice is such a fantastic one to experience. He grows so much over the course of the 5 books – he grows from an insecure 12 year old boy unsure of who he is and weary over this new world he’s entered to a confident young man capable of taking down a Titan. I was so proud of him by the end!

Rick Riordan has such an amazing imagination, and he brought the world of half-bloods and monsters to life with such ease, and it’s so easy to imagine that there really is a world of demi-gods out there which we don’t see because of the Mist. You fall in love with every character, and all we want is for our heroes to prevail.

I loved seeing Percy interact with his father Poseidon, and his bond with the other campers and his half-brother.

Annabeth and Percy were just great, friends naturally turned into romantic interests, (even though I wish it hadn’t happened at the VERY end of the series, it would’ve been nice to see them as boyfriend/girlfriend for more than a few paragraphs). But here’s hoping they turn up in the spinoff books!

I know this series probably doesn’t need any more reviews but here are my thoughts anyway. If there’s anybody not sure whether to pick up this book series or not, I say go for it. It’s a world you enter which you never truly leave.
Profile Image for JohnnyBoy.
141 reviews65 followers
June 3, 2016
No words to describe how much I have loved this series and has become one of my fav series of all time!! Excellent, brilliant, funny, action packed, fast paced, no boring parts whatsoever!
I cried at the end like a little girl hehe i didn't want it to end..I know there is The Heroes of Olympus now but it will never be the same but so excited to be starting it!! *big sigh*.........
Profile Image for Abla.
28 reviews18 followers
November 5, 2012
Loved these books, a little dissapointed by the movie for the lightning thief though. It shouldve been alot better since the books were amazing.
Profile Image for Smaug the Unmerciful Editor.
90 reviews34 followers
March 4, 2020
OH my GOSH! I read the entire series just a few months ago, and I highly respect Rick for being a mast storyteller. It's clear from the beginning that he has the ending of the series in mind, so nothing---NOT ONE THING---comes off as unnatural. Pair that with cool Greek powers and urban fantasy? Astounding!!
Only a few issues---Percy rides in a car with a girl in a bathing suit (probably pretty chaste, though) and there's a few "Oh my G's", as well as some monster deaths, and freaky magic---but most of it is bearable.
Astounding! Just astounding!
Profile Image for Alienor.
Author 1 book96 followers
July 10, 2013
Ok, so the Percy Jackson series is *readable. And yes, it gives an 'easy' way into Greek mythology to teenagers - although why teenagers can't read the actual thing since it is a rollicking great ball of fun, I don't understand.
But, hm. It's a bit glib. It is chockful of American private jokes, Dead'R Us and the like, which will not be funny to non-Americans. It also doesn't quite gel. If Percy knows he's going to have to fight monsters daily now and forever, why does he insist on going back to normal mortal schools (high school!) where he learns nothing because of his ADHD and from which he gets expelled each year anyway? Why, while he could be going to 'Camp Half-Blood' (don't like the name...) and practice fighting, thus, I don't know, saving his life!?
Grover is the perfect sidekick, not too smart, not too brave - and feels like 'the Black token', especially in the movies.
The gods expect their kids - whom they never even see! some kids don't know who their godly parent is! - to fight their own battles while they do nothing until the last book. Percy firmly enjoins a few characters to support their godly parent 'because he's your dad/mom'.
Hum, so what? What does one owe a parent one has never met?
Gods and mythical creatures are tossed around without a clear sense of coherence. Alliances are not built up, things keep popping up with the self-named 'heroes' running after them.
Also, I felt that when the story was in a tight corner, Rick Riordan would pull JKRowling-like themes out of his hat. Oh, of course, sacrifice, the death of a parent (faked in this case), the trio of friends, giant half-brothers, a school with 'houses' and a wise counselor, an evil guy who is very like the hero, the use of hidden and convenient prophecies, the use of magical artifacts that look mundane in the mortal world, the threat on the same mortals (but only in America)...etc do not belong exclusively to Rowling - but what can I say, she does it better. She creates a build-up with character growth, while Rick Riordan seems a little halfhazard in his choices.
Honestly, read the real thing, ie Mythology. It IS so deeply woven into our culture it will echo within anyone, and it's FUN and rich and beautiful and absolutely not moralizing. Percy Jackson just tastes like icing.
23 reviews
January 5, 2011
Oh My Gods!!!!!

Honestly, one of the best series ever, wont beat Harry Potter but seriosly, I am now obsessed with Greek mythology! It was a great series the author did a good job with the plot and it was pretty well written.

ANNABETH CHASE!!!!

At first U didn't want to read it because I didn't want to be a follower but eventually I gave in! So glad I did!
Profile Image for Will Ansbacher.
324 reviews93 followers
May 17, 2020
I read the five volumes of PJ and the Olympians to my 9 year old granddaughter. She absolutely loved them all, so this rating is an average of her 5++++ and my 3+ ish stars.

I thought the first volume The Lightning Thief was pretty good, excellent even, weaving the mythology of the Greek gods into the tale of Percy (short for Perseus), an 11-year old in New York with an attention disorder, who also happens to be a demi-god, the son of Poseidon and a mortal NY mother. He faces a dangerous mission, where the fate of the world appears to be in his hands, and it’s to be completed before he turns 16. The action is fast-paced although a bit repetitive for an adult reader, as Percy battles cleverly-arranged encounters with just about all the major gods, whose personalities are true to their Greek origins (I loved that they were enraged to be called “mythological” rather than actual 3000-year old beings) - and some minor gods (who are engagingly grumpy about their lesser status). Percy is aided by a motley band of other demigod outcasts, centaurs, cyclopes and so on.
In short - very imaginative, loaded with snappy dialogue, and touching on a number of social issues from bullying to step-parents without being at all preachy. I even learned a bit of Greek mythology!

But as I read the rest of the series (one after another, without a break!), I became increasingly impatient. Not so much because the battle themes were repetitive (they were), but as Percy aged towards 16, one volume per year, the female characters in particular became harder to take. Every one of them, even the goddesses, started to act the drama queen, just as Percy became more and more the upstanding resolute hero. OK, I know Riordan is trying to catch the interest of North American teens here, but this is fantasy, and in pandering to his target market’s stereotypes, he really missed an opportunity for some role modelling.

I also felt Riordan’s location-naming became increasingly obsessive, reaching a fever pitch of precision in the final volume The Last Olympian where the battle for Mt Olympus (a fantasy structure, I should note, hovering above the Empire State Building) is catalogued intersection by friggin' intersection!
To preserve my sanity (and where Ms. eagle-eyes wasn’t reading along) I omitted the exact route from the Williamsburg Bridge to downtown Manhattan, the giant pig’s taking a flying right “at East 42nd St to 5th Avenue” and many more. Did Riordan write this with a Lonely Planet guide open? Sheesh!
(Also, I was a little disappointed that he hadn’t made use of the USA’s actual Mt. Olympus, which I can almost see from the end of my street. That would have been cool, but maybe it wasn’t in his travel guide.)

OK, by the end my discreet eye-rolling phase was over, the narrative had redeemed itself somewhat, the ending was surprising and a pretty good one at that - and the drama from the females was much abated, so I guess I would recommend it!
November 29, 2023
Saga molto carina!

La storia è avvincente, i personaggi si fanno voler bene, si nota l'autentica passione dell'autore per la mitologia, l'impegno per creare una combinazione equilibrata fra realtà e mito, e anche la voglia di migliorare continuamente.
Ho apprezzato molto questa saga, ma (lo dico per amor di coerenza) non ho comunque potuto non notare alcune imprecisioni tecniche: narratologicamente parlando, ci sono alcuni problemucci specialmente nel primo volume. Non so in che misura si tratti di problemi dovuti all'autore, all'editor o a chi si è occupato della traduzione, ad ogni modo questi difetti non inficiano affatto la scorrevolezza del testo, che rimane assolutamente godibile.
Non definirei mai assolutamente questa saga una "versione migliorata di Harry Potter", come ho visto in giro, ma sicuramente si tratta di una serie di romanzi che si difende bene nel panorama attuale!

Prima o poi lo rileggerò sicuramente 💪🏽😊

Personaggi preferiti: Percy e Annabeth
Mezioni speciali positive: Tyson, Clarisse, Nico
Menzioni speciali negative: Ares, Gabe, Tantalo
Profile Image for delilah ☾*.
89 reviews11 followers
April 24, 2021
I adore this series!

Percy Jackson is an enjoyable kids book. I love most of the characters and it is always a joy to read the quests that Percy and the gang go on. My favorite book will always be The Lightning Thief because it flawless at introducing the reader to this new world. The weakest book in the series is Sea of Monsters. It feels like a filler book, not much happens until the end. The second book made me almost quit the series but after reading The Titan's Curse, I was back to loving the series. It has some flaws as it feeling repetitive but I overall loved the new character's introduced. The Battle of the Labyrinth was a refreshing book in the series even though it's another quest. However, it laid a lot of groundwork for the last book. Lastly, The Last Olympianwas the perfect conclusion to the series. It was action packed, everyone came together and ended on a happy note.
Profile Image for Aurore Persy.
84 reviews3 followers
August 8, 2021
Very rich and gripping work—deserves a 5/5 rating!

Here’s a personal rating of each individual book in this compilation:
- Lightning Thief: 4/5
- Sea of Monsters: 5/5
- Titan’s Curse: 3.5-4/5
- Battle of the Labyrinth: 3.5-4/5
- Last Olympian: 5/5
Profile Image for Mayara Mulato.
51 reviews16 followers
September 4, 2021
Muito feliz de ter dado chance a Percy Jackson. Que saga incrível! A forma que a mitologia entra na estória, o desenvolvimento dos personagens (e do casal) e todos os plot twists... não consigo pensar em nenhuma ponta solta ainda, tio Rick fez tudo. Recomendo demais!
19 reviews
September 17, 2019
I really liked the Percy Jackson series. It was so great because all of the stories in the books were so action packed and I just loved it. This changed me by making me love reading Greek mythology.
Profile Image for Dr Rashmit Mishra.
780 reviews92 followers
May 24, 2023
I read the whole series as a omnibus , so i made a decision to review the individual books separately and use this omnibus as a review for the whole series , it allowed me a chance to review the whole series as a separate entity , although i understand that it also increases my page count/books read numbers. But i'm willing to accept this cheating

WHAT I LIKED:

The writing for the whole series was very nice. Considering the target audience this felt like a book suited for young audiences , fast paced , easy vocabulary, quick witted , and overall civil.

Add to that the wonderful setting, an urban fantasy based on Greek mythology. That's just box office . And the author used the setting very wisely so much so at times you are kept wondering what is actually mythology and what is inspired.

The action and adventure that follow are equally wonderful and give the book a very fast pace .

WHAT I DISLIKED:

Unfortunately the book always feels like it was meant for young adults and no one else . It falls into typical YA book tropes and never really recovers , with events and characters action falling into a very childish behaviour, always risk free and filled with silly mistakes that really makes an adult reader groan .

Add to that almost all the dialogues feel cheesy, and the plots of all books have holes that may go unnoticed by a young reader but not by most , if not all , adult readers .

CONCLUSION :

The book series is good , its not perfect , but it's good and it's enough good for a YA audience , come at it late and you may not find things to enjoy , but at the right age this book will leave a lasting impact
Profile Image for Molly G.
240 reviews85 followers
September 14, 2013
Favorite: book IV - Battle of the Labyrinth

I majored in Greek mythology at college, so I can say happily, with some authority, that Riordan really knows his stuff and gets it right. No matter how brief the reference and how it's reused for the adventure, he gives snippets that kids, anyone, can latch onto and be consistent with more academic approaches. Also means, if you're already familiar with the mythology, he lets you feel very clever by letting you recognize a being a page in advance before he reveals who/what they are. (Catch the uncommented-upon Iliad homage sequence in Book V.) I like the idea of someone reading this as a child, going on to study the mythology more formally later on, and recognizing many of the elements and enjoying how the fictional use melds with the originals — and probably finding it all easier to follow and remember for that.

Of course, I can't help comparing to Harry Potter (though that's kind of silly, since kids-discovering-they're-really-some-kind-of-supernatural-being is a genre that existed long before). That's okay, PJ doesn't suffer by the comparison. Like Rowling, Riordan is excellent writing engaging adventures that are fast, enjoyable reads; and have plots that build consistently and elaborately to surprising reveals, within each book and across the series. A few contrasts that I really appreciate in PJ: I like the world continuity of using a single mythology (very well!), and the bringing of mythical Greek elements to present-day NYC are very clever, from cultural and humorous standpoints as well as educational. I also enjoy how the plot, without betraying any of the information that's established and developed through the book, usually ends up to be about something quite unexpected and different from the conclusions the characters and reader were drawing all along. Likewise, there's more room for characters to move outside expectations, sympathies, and archetypes, but never randomly or in betrayal of how they've been established.

A fun, fast read, which contains well-considered factoids you won't even realize you're picking up.



8/15/13: reread "Lightning Thief". As much as I enjoyed it the first time, seems even *better* compared to the movies. ;-) Seriously, as ever: very intelligent and awesome, and really knowns its mythology. Plots within plots, moral ambiguity/politicking, and thoroughly touching loyalties.

8/16/13: reread "Sea of Monsters". Book wonderful, doesn't deserve it but review will be overshadowed by having just seen the movie. I never understand the Lynch-Dune Syndrome: omitting awesome, cinematic action sequences from the book to be replaced with lamer made-up action sequences in the movie. Doesn't make it more exciting or anything... just dumbed down. Rereading the book, among other things, was a sequence of: "Ohhhhh yeah, that's why that bit makes sense…" One of the odder (and to me, more angering) things the movie did was keeping Grover in the wedding dress to fool Polyphemus, but have P. think G. was a "housemaid" rather than prospective wife. Seriously? That's along the lines of "PATROCLUS WAS NOT ACHILLES'S COUSIN, 'TROY'!!" …Although I do appreciate that Annabeth took the Odysseus role, from the Sirens to the Nobody ploy. Very cool.

8/17/13: reread "Titan's Curse". Bought it in the morning, read most of it on the beach, finished it in the bath. Which, all in all, is very appropriate. Another great installment—I can't tell if they get better as the series progresses, or it's just the awesome buildup of layers and complexities. Which may be the same thing, but is not a difference in the writing quality, just in having installments. There are bits of this that stuck with me more clearly from the first reading than almost anything in the previous books; the Di Angelos are so memorable, as is the unwritten prequel of the exploits of Thalia, Luke and Annabeth. And Artemis ROCKS. As does Apollo. As ever, love Riordan's really great depth of knowledge with the mythology and intensely faithful and clever ways he plays with it. And, something that's become a bigger issue for me since my first reading, these books kick almost everything else's ass in terms of passing the Bechdel Test and beyond. Name another series where in any given scene the female protagonists outnumber the male. As well as not only being cool but being different from each other. Thank you, Riordan; really awesome. May still be a male titular narrator, but still kicking almost everyone else's butt on the female-role-model-representation front.

8/20/13: reread "Battle of the Labyrinth". Don't know if it's still my favorite, but another cracker nonetheless! Guess they're all fitting together pretty seamlessly now so one doesn't stand out so much from the whole. I like the device of different focal gods per book; really helps set each individual tone. And as I've always said since first reading: DAMN is Riordan good with the source material (mythology). I think I will read Kane Chronicles for upcoming plane trip: I trust him on the Greek and Roman mythology I know a lot about, so I'm prepared to trust him on the Egyptian mythology I know very little about. Might be interesting to test my theory of "people who read this not knowing much about the mythology may pick it up".

8/22/13: reread "The Last Olympian". Happiness! Oh, I do love this one. So much I'd forgotten and what a joy to be reminded. I love the "Iliad" references so much—all the moreso for going entirely uncommented on in the narrative. I love the definitions/distribution of "heroism" (as theme, action, and characteristic). I love how the identity/nature of the "Last Olympian" fits into my undergraduate Classics thesis, for pete's sake. ("Homecoming" as the final requisite Epic Element.) The only downside is that I'm done with the series now. Alas. I suppose I could give one of Riordan's other serii a go…
Profile Image for Noelle.
88 reviews
August 22, 2020
Kind of basic but still good - its a pretty decent introduction to Greek mythology and weaves the Greek elements into the story quite well. Characters could have been developed further but I guess it would probably satisfy its young audience. The only thing stopping me from giving this 5 stars is Percy himself - he's just plain narcissistic and annoying and I could really do without his numerous smart-aleck comments and the one too many "I could feel the power of the [water/sea/ocean/waves] surging through me" / "I sliced and slashed through the enemy ranks effortlessly with Riptide - all around me, monsters crumbled to dust and snake women disintegrated" etc etc you get the idea
Profile Image for Payel Rana.
187 reviews
October 21, 2020
The best part about the series is the intermingling of myth,legend and fresh fiction, woven around new characters.
You dive into a world of gods,monsters,heroes and mortals with beautiful portrayl of friendship, courage, trust, acceptance of flaws and bravery.

Now about it being compared to Harry Potter: The milieu are beautiful, bewitching and play on subtle humor BUT the characters don't grow on you much (probably coz none of the major ones die!) and since the series is extended into further books, you're left hungry for more. There's a finale but not the end.

P.S.: Do read "The Demigod Files" in between the 4th and 5th book.
110 reviews
June 2, 2022
loved having all the books in one collection; very efficient

individual reviews:
the lightning thief x
the sea of monsters x
the titan's curse x
the battle of the labyrinth x
the last olympian x
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