By Rick Riordan

This is a book that is very close to my heart. The story of how I found this book, starts when I was in primary school. I don’t remember if this class was art or Design and Technology, but I do know that I had to stand in line for the teacher to hot glue a piece together for my project. That was when I saw a postcard on the wall in line. The image was a flip phone with a red trainer with wings on the screen. The text on the postcard was “NEED HELP, CALL A DEMI GOD” or something like that.

A few weeks later I got a chance to pick out a book from the store. I recognised the winged shoes and the name Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. I had asked my dad to read it to me, but he wasn’t interested in it so I read it myself. I read the first two-thirds in one sitting. This was the first book series that I finished by myself. (I had a bad habit of putting down a book series and not picking it back up.) This was also the first book that I asked permission to stay up a little longer to finish the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do.

Here is the back of the book summary and a spoiler-free review before I tell you what I think withholding very little back.

“Look I didn’t want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek god.

I was just a normal kid, going to school playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my math teacher. Now I spend my time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive.

This is the one where Zeus, god of the sky, thinks I’ve stolen his lightning bolt – and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.”

I loved this book. It is one of those books that are still a great read as an adult. Also, Percy Jackson is a great gateway into researching the myths that are mentioned in the book. This book series has one of the best representations of ADHD and dyslexia. The books are even printed in such a way to be easier to read for people with dyslexia. Also if you are like me and like listening to a podcast discussing a book a few chapters at a time I recommend The Newest Olympian.

There are three thoughts about this book I would like to write about:  firstly the line “I didn’t want to be a half-blood.” This is the first line of the book, and the TV show and Percy’s first line in the musical. This is the thing that will catch hold of you and not let go. If you only knew that it was about the children of Greek gods, you would think that it was a great honour like the myths of old. Or like Harry Potter going off to learn magic. But Percy Jackson is different because while Harry has most of a school year to learn magic before facing his foe, Percy is in danger from Chapter 1 and gets maybe two weeks at camp before he must go across the country. And all he has is two friends, some supplies and not enough money. (How exactly were they supposed to get there on $100 Chiron?) So, you can see why that is the line that stuck with me.

My second thought is about Zeus. I find it interesting how paranoid the king of the gods is and how quickly he will lash out and hold grudges for two millenniums. He immediately jumps to blaming his brother because of something Poseidon did over 2000 years ago, which was an attempt to get Zeus to be a better king.

Still he goes after Percy with no other proof that he was the lightning thief, other than the fact that Poseidon claimed him as his son. Even when that son is trying to find and return his lightning bolt he has no issue with sending the mother of monsters Echidna and her chimera to kill Percy Jackson.

Zeus doesn’t have the right to be angry about Poseidon breaking the oath because he did it first, but he does. Here is a personal theory that the reason why none of the gods want to overthrow Zeus is not because they think he is a good king but more because they don’t want the job.

My third thought is about the Underworld and Hades. The first point of the underworld was described as the mix between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike. Something to remember is this book was first published on June 28, 2005, meaning airport security was still very complicated. There is something that hits hard about the chapter in the underworld where our three heroes have gone through the Asphodel Fields and seen Elysium. He thinks about how few people are in Elysium compared to the Asphodel Fields or the fields of punishment. Most people just lived.

Finally, Hades it is interesting to look at especially when for most of the book he is seen as the villain for a reason that he demolishes seconds after it is brought up. Unlike Zeus, Hades is angry at Percy because if this boy stole one of the god’s objects of power, why wouldn’t this thief also have taken his helm? The difference between Hades and Zeus is Hades for his reason does not believe that his family would not care about what was stolen from him. So, he is on his own to get back what is his.

I want to say so much more but that would spoil too much of the ending so instead I will say.

Happy reading to all and to all a good night.