Book Review: Percy Jackson & the Olympians – The Lightning Thief

“Well,” he told me, “it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans.”

─ Rick Riordan

“Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn’t mean anything.”

─ Rick Riordan

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Book Information

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney Hyperion, New York

ISBN 978-078683865-3

Genre: YA Fiction, Fantasy

Ages: 9-12

375 pages

Book Summary:

Percy Jackson has always had trouble in school. It wasn’t enough that he was dyslexic, or couldn’t seem to sit still, he seemed to attract trouble. The result being kicked out of yet another school. The latest school seem no different, with the exception of a good friend and a latin teacher that expected him to be better.

During a field trip to the museum to study Greek mythology, Percy is faced with a monster out of the textbook. The first of many strange events that change his life as he discovers who his father is, and why monsters keep trying to hunt him down. To top it off, he must go on a quest to find and return Zeus’s stolen property to stop a war between the gods that someone has framed him for stealing.

Book Rating 4/5

Riordan gives a new twist on Greek mythology. While not giving a complete retelling of the myths, Riordan interjects small snippits of the relationships, grudges, and details of the Greek gods. Leaving plenty of room for any curious reader to look up and discover the myths without spoiling them. Riordan shows how ancient Greek mythology connects with the civilized society, and how symbols of it are still used today. While much of the background is enriched by Greek mythology the focus is on Percy Jackson’s experiences.

My only real complaint about the story is also something I liked about it. The sparse detailing of ancient Greek mythology. Riordan refers to a few Greek myths that I didn’t remember. While giving enough detail that I could go read that myth if interested, it didn’t bog down the overall story by relating it again. My issue with this was if I remembered the myths referred to, I think it would have enriched the story more. At some point I will refresh my knowledge of some Greek mythology mentioned, and most likely reread the series.

Percy Jackson is an ordinary kid that seems to find trouble despite his best efforts to be good. Like everyone else the study of Greek mythology was just about stories in school. While he found it interesting and the teacher was cool, it was still stories, not real. Or so he thought until monsters out of the textbook started to appear trying to kill him.

I found the depiction of Percy Jackson an endearing and likeable character. He is presented as ordinary, if somewhat troubled kid struggling with coming to terms with himself, his family and the world that is quite different than he believed. Percy learns he is special by his parentage, and later abilities. This brings it own type of trouble into his life. While the emotional struggles are simplistic, it is recognized within the story, such as anger and resentment against his father.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief has been made into a movie with the same title, released in 2010. I personally like the movie and it was the reason I wanted to read this series. I will note unsurprisingly that there were differences between the book and movie. Many of these changes speed up the momentum of the book by combining certain elements. Overall, it wasn’t an issue for me as I didn’t think it changed the feel of the story. If you are a person that gets upset if the movie doesn’t follow the book completely to the letter, you will notice.

The Lightning Thief is book one in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series containing five books. The next book in the series is Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters which I will be reviewing next.

For those interested in the author and discovering other books he has written you can visit the following sites for more information:

https://www.readriordan.com/

www. http://rickriordan.com/

Riordan has written other series involving mythology, including the Greek, Norse, and Egyptian gods.