Review of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan

Review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: 

The Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan

As a kid I found Greek mythology to be fascinating, so when I saw the Percy Jackson book was kind of like Harry Potter with Greek Mythology, I knew that I wanted to read it. This first book works well as a somewhat standalone book, but also sets up the overarching story that will take place across the five-book series. The first few chapters do a great job of introducing us to who Percy is, as well as slowly reveals this world that is inhabited by Greek mythological characters and creatures.

The story is a typical hero’s journey, with the two best friends, and the mentor figure, and Percy at first rejecting this new world, but then accepts the quest. I like that Percy is not just an overpowered character who is good at everything. Percy has his strengths, he’s naturally good at sword fighting, but not the best, and he also has his weaknesses, which are mainly due to him being an unexperienced twelve year-old kid. Annabeth and Grover also have their strengths and weaknesses and the three of them complement each other well on this journey.

The middle of the book has the trio on the quest, battling monsters at different locations throughout the country. I like seeing this trio of kids defeating these Greek monsters, and it’s an interesting way to explore how the Greek mythological world fits into the “real” world. At first the encounter with Ares, the God of War, seems like a side quest, but I like that it ties into the ending of the book. I think the narrative structure and flow of the story is well done. The plot is always moving forward, and we get bits of information as needed throughout the story progression. The one thing I would complain about is the villain is not present enough, and a few scenes feel rushed, in order to keep the pace moving.

One of the things that I enjoy about this book, is the fun of the magical world, and how Greek magic works. Camp Half-Blood is a fun place to explore, and I like the concept that humans see what they want to see, it’s called “the mist”. I like how the magic is used and incorporated into the quest and the real world. Like Percy using his pen that is a sword, Riptide, or Annabeth and her invisible baseball cap. The world building in this book is well done, and leaves plenty of room to expand in later books. This book also sets up threads that will be explored more in the next book, and beyond.

The twist at the end of the book, is mostly well done, although I do feel that the climax of the book is a bit rushed, and we don’t spend enough time with the big three gods, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, despite the big deal that is made about them not being allowed to have anymore half-blood children. We briefly meet each of the big three, but they don’t leave a huge impression that makes us care about whether or not it’s special to be a child of the big three. Nor do the Olympic gods and Hades come across as likable characters, which actually helps to empathize with Luke’s motivations.

When I first read this book I really loved it, and immediately wanted to read the rest of the series. On this reading, I still really enjoyed the book, and found a few surprises that I didn’t remember, because I’ve seen the movie version more times than I’ve read the book. I really enjoyed the middle section with the trio on the journey battling monsters in pursuit of the quest. I think even though there are parts where the story feels rushed, overall it is well told and the characters are interesting.

Thank you for reading my review. Let me know what you think about Percy Jackson in the comments section, and stay tuned for the next review, the second book in the series, “Sea of Monsters.”