Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan

I know what you are thinking, 10 years too late to the franchise, where have i been? Living under a rock? Well quite possibly yes, that could very well be the case, as I have only just now picked up this book series *hangs head in shame* Of course I had heard of Percy Jackson, I was aware there were books, and of course I remember seeing advertising for a movie a few years back too. However, it was only when I became overly curious about picking up the Heroes of Olympus series that I realised they were by the same author. To which some characters are actually linked between the two series. I saw that quite a few reviews stated that it was best to start with the Percy Jackson series, even though it wasn’t really needed, but allowed some knowledge and setting for what Heroes of Olympus was all about. I was a bit reluctant as I was wary I was now too old to read this series, but then I thought, why not! It has great reviews; everyone seems to love it so why should I let my age matter. Safe to say I am SO glad I decided to pick this up.

I managed to read the first book (The lightning Thief) of the Percy Jackson series in less than a day, it was just that darn good, and so much more than what I ever expected! But before I go into that, below is the synopsis, for those out there that may be like me and have not read the series, or may not even be that aware of it.

‘Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.’

Now I do not claim to know a lot about Greek mythology, and am very oblivious to the majority of Greek Gods and the legends behind them, all be it that of Disney’s Hercules…(yep, that is my go to, top of my head pick right there) I haven’t really encountered anything that caught my attention long enough to learn more. Until this book series that is. I have genuinely learnt so much from just this first book alone, I can list Greek Gods, I know what abilities they are known for, so much history is taught within these pages and yet you don’t even realise you are learning whilst reading. Which is something that I absolutely love in a book!

This is the first book I have read by Rick Riordan and I instantly fell in love with his writing style. Just from reading the opening paragraph I was instantly gripped to Ricks writing style:

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.
If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now.  Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.
Being a half-blood is dangerous.  It’s scary.  Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. If you’re a normal kid, reading this because you think its fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. But if you recognize yourself in these pages - stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it’s only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they’ll come for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

This paragraph had me instantly hooked, and Percy’s humorous narration throughout this book was incredibly enjoyable, and kept it fun and engaging throughout. As much as this was an action adventure book, the humour in it really did make it a fun read, even in the darkest moments, a simple one liner would easily break that tension and I simply could not get enough of it.

The characters in this story are brilliant, there is so much detail and back story given for each of them that you would almost expect this book to be massive in size, yet the way it is done keeps it short, simple and yet informative, so that you feel like you have learnt a person’s life history to how they got to Camp Half Blood in 2 sentences at times.

You have the main protagonist Percy, an 11 year old troubled kid, struggling with dealing with Dyslexia and ADHD, who has spent the past 6 years in and out of various schools. You have Grover, Percy’s best friend/Guardian/Satyr who I found an incredibly interesting character. Annabeth, the enemy/friend and daughter of Athena, who is an incredibly bad ass female lead. Then there is resident bully Clarisse, daughter of Ares, so no wonder she is trouble, who wouldn’t be if their dad was the God of War. Chiron, teacher/Centaur who seems like a guardian of sorts for many of the camp residents that arrive. Luke, a camp leader and the son of Hermes, he takes Percy under his wing a bit when he first arrives at camp. There are so many other characters, and even the Gods that you learn about with such detailed descriptions that not once do you feel like you have been bombarded with information.

The whole plot and story of this book is that of complete adventure, and discovering who you are and building friendships in times of need. The world is so amazingly crafted that you are lost in this world of myth and legends that you simply cannot put it down. Even though it is aimed at a much younger audience and me being in my twenties, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and have every intention of reading the rest. I am almost saddened that I missed reading this when it first came out. Being at the age of 15/16 when it was first released, I clearly had missed the age range, and yet 10 years later here I am enjoying this great fantasy adventure read. Which is clear to say, age really is not a problem when it comes to a good book.

I have given this a 4 out of 5 star rating.