Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

First book in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

 

(taken from Amazon.com)

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.

This book starts a little slow, but the witty writing helps it along through the first several chapters, until you can get far enough into it to be pulled along by the plot itself. I liked the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone feel of how Percy is kind-of thrown into this world with no experience and no knowledge, but is clever enough to catch on and, by the end of the book, figure out the plot twist of who's really behind the crime. Sometimes the monster scenes with mythological characters seemed like a little too much, but they moved fast enough that it didn't detract too much from the story. You kind-of have to expect those scenes from a fantasy book based on mythology, and take it in stride.

Overall Rating: 7 / 10 Stars 

For a first novel under the ridiculous premise that Greek Gods exist in the contemporary American world, this book manages to exceed expectations by creating a cast of unique and loveable characters, and a plot storyline that doesn't disappoint.