855 and counting …

• Posted in Books I've Read

Finished The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This is a young adult book and the first in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Percy Jackson always knew he was different. He just didn’t know how different until monsters started trying to kill him, including the Minotaur. Percy soon discovers that he’s a demigod or the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. And he goes to Camp Half-Blood, where he meets the children of the other gods, along with satyrs and other creatures straight out of a mythology textbook. Soon, Percy is given a quest to find Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and prevent a war between the gods. Too bad every god he meets wants to kill him …

I’ve heard lots of good things about this series, which is why I requested it for Christmas. Summer camp for the kids of the Greek gods? It’s a great concept, and it’s well executed. Percy is funny, brave, frightened, and sarcastic. He misses his mom and wishes he could change a lot of things about his life. The secondary characters are also well done and entertaining.

But as I was reading Lightning Thief, I was thinking a lot about the Harry Potter books. Young boy discovering a magical world, a wise mentor to guide him, a distant parent, secrets and betrayals … Lightning Thief contains a lot of the same elements as the Potter books.

Also, some of the stuff Percy does (like get on a plane and fly across country) seems a little too mature and outright implausible for a 12 year old in this day and age. Seriously, could anybody get on a plane with no ID? But it’s a fantasy. I’m willing to overlook it.

Overall, I enjoyed Riordan’s world and the clever ways he used the various Greek myths, gods, and monsters. If you’re looking for something fun for you or your kids to read, you’ll probably enjoy Lightning Thief.

So, thumbs up.

Up next: I’m not sure. Maybe Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn.

4 Responses to “855 and counting …”

  1. Brian says:

    If you get a chance check out the Jan. 28 issue of The New Yorker. In The Talk of the Town section Nick Paumgarten writes about Art Garfunkel keeping a list of all the books he reads. He started the list in 1968 and has read 1,023.

  3. Louise B says:

    Dear Jennifer,
    I didn’t comment immediately on your post because I’ve been mulling over your thought on The Lightning Thief. This book is also on my TBR pile. I have the sequels and am waiting for Book #4 to release in May before diving in. (Yes, I know there are 5 planned books to the series, but I don’t think I can wait longer.)

    The Lightning Thief is a young adult story that happens to be set in a fantasy/contemporary world. I think the fact that it shares the same genre as Harry Potter means it will share many of the same characteristics. At a workshop I once attended, the speaker pointed out the purpose the young adult genre was to explore the question of who I(the teenager) am? This implies there will be mentor(s), betrayals and secrets (being on my third teenager in the family, it’s all about angst.) The fantasy (magical) world is the chosen setting.

    Many people put down romance because the reader knows the hero and heroine will get together in the end. What a romance reader wants is the exciting journey. It’s part of the conventions of the romance genre.

    In the same way, a young adult book has certain conventions it must follow. I don’t know how many young adult books you’ve read, but when I read one, I like the emotional despair because out of it comes something stronger/better for the character–at least in the books with satisfying endings, which is what I prefer.

    This post is way longer than I anticipated. Sorry.

    Louise B

  4. Jennifer Estep says:

    Hi, Louise! Hope you are doing well.

    I agree with a lot of your comments. All genres, whether they are romance or fantasy or whatever, will feature some of the same plots/characters/themes. There’s nothing new under the sun.

    It just seemed to be like both books more or less followed the same path with a lot of the same elements. I’m not saying that’s bad. Just something I noticed.

    I did really like Riordan’s use of mythology in the book. He has some clever ideas in there that make the book his own.

    If you like the Potter books, you’ll probably really enjoy Lightning Thief. I did. Why wait? Start reading! 😉

    No problem about the post being long. Discussion is good! :bub:

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