Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Two series filled with action, adventure and characters you can relate to

Today, I’m going to write about two book series which are filled with mythologies, modern day adventures and great imagination. These series introduces Greek and Roman mythologies in a new and inventive way that will spark the readers’ imaginations.


Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a series of five books which follows Percy Jackson and his friends on quests of epic proportions. First, The Lightning Thief is where we meet Percy, a 12 year old boy who suffers from ADHD and dyslexia who discovers that his father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the ocean. Someone has stolen Zeus’ master bolt and Percy is accused of being the thief. Along with his companions, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and Grover, a satyr, Percy must find and return the bolt to prevent a war among the gods. Second, The Sea of Monsters opens with the Camp Half-Blood, the home of many demigods, is under attack. Someone has poisoned the tree which protects the borders. Percy, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, and Annabeth are sent to the Sea of Monsters to retrieve the Golden Fleece and save the camp. Third. The Titan’s Curse has Annabeth and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, kidnapped. Percy joins Grover along with new demigods, Thalia, Zoe, and Bianca on a great quest to find Artemis before the winter solstice meeting of the Olympian Council because the goddess is needed as the growing war with the Titans. Fourth, The Battle of the Labyrinth has Annabeth has been sent on a quest into the labyrinth to find Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth, and prevent the Titan army from finding the entrance to the camp from the labyrinth. Lastly, The Last Olympian is the final battle between the demigods and the Titan army. Percy finally hears the Great Prophecy which has been whispered among the demigods for years. Can Percy decipher the prophecy in time to stop the Titan army or will this be the end of Olympus?


The Heroes of Olympus is a second series which features all the characters from the Percy Jackson series as well as introduces new ones. In this series, the narration alternates between the characters, giving the audience a new perspective within the minds of the characters. First, The Lost Hero introduces Jason Grace, who has woken up on a bus without his memory and no idea who he is. Along with his friends, Piper and Leo, Jason is taken to Camp Half-Blood by Annabeth. They must discover who he is, who has stolen his memories and discover his connection to Percy, who has disappeared. A new threat in Gaea, a primal element of the creation of the final, is raising and wishes to take control of the world. Second, The Son of Neptune opens with Percy finds himself being chased by two gorgons and no memory who he is. He comes across Juno who offers him a deal. He agrees and finds himself at Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Camp Half-Blood. Percy, along with Hazel and Frank, goes on a quest to free Thanatos who has been captured which has kept death from occurring. Will this help Percy regain his memory and find his way home? Third, The Mark of Athena has the two camps joining together to confront a new quest. They must find the Mark of Athena, a statue that was stolen from the Greeks by the Romans and lost in time, in order to stop the Roman demigods from destroying Camp Half-Blood. Fourth, The House of Hades finds Percy and Annabeth in the depths of Tartarus as the rest of the demigods race to find the doors to Tartarus, rescue Percy and Annabeth and close them forever. Meanwhile, Annabeth and Percy must travel through Hell to the doors as they are confronted with many of the monsters they’ve battled before. Will they be able to close the doors in time? Lastly, The Blood of Olympus is the final push to stop Gaea. As Gaea’s powers grows, the team must race against time and giant monsters to save the world.


I thoroughly enjoyed these series. The Percy Jackson series covers five years and the Heroes of Olympus covers one year. Each book grows with complexity and adventure. I loved how Rick Riordan mixes modern day with the classical Greek and Roman mythologies. These series are filled with suspense and adventure. Mr. Riordan creates characters that the readers can connect to and eager to see survive their beyond belief adventures. While the characters are battling mythological monsters, they still face real world problems which readers may have faced themselves and may be able to see a solution to their own problems. I highly recommend The Percy Jackson and The Heroes of Olympus series. I look forward to Rick Riordan’s future series.

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