Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Camp Half-Blood Chronicles
Publish Date: June 3, 2014 (originally published June 28, 2005)
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Format: Paperback
Goodreads Summary:
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.
Review: I’ve never been happier to reread a book from my teenage years.
The entire Percy Jackson series is so weird to me, because it came out right when I was aging out of reading Middle Grade, but it was so enticing that I wanted to keep reading it. And the first one has always been a favorite of mine for a variety of reasons.
The Lightning Thief is a creative way to open the world of mythology to readers who may have never been exposed to it before. It’s a sanitized version of the tales, very much not getting into detail with some of the more… violent and ranchy stories. But, as an adult reader, it’s surprising just how much is implied, without being overt with the details. It’s done very well.
The three main heroes from this first tale are all dynamic and can stand on their own. Percy may be the main character, but he is far from perfect. He makes it out of situations by sheer dumb luck, or by coming up with plans on the fly. That’s not saying it’s a bad things, oh no. It makes sense. He’s twelve. He’s just finding out about the world, he literally watched his mom vanish before his eyes, he’s having a bad month. Annabeth has the skills and knowledge, but she’s been held back for years. By the time she meets Percy, she’s a bit jaded by life. But she comes to life on the pages. Grover’s past slowly comes to light in a sensible way, first with his drive to earn his Searcher’s License, and then his past with Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia. It serves to make his character stronger, though he does end up as the comedic relief in several scenes.
One of the things I really liked is that the story doesn’t take itself seriously. There are obvious logical leaps and choices that police/media would never make, but I’m okay with it. The fact that Ares feels so threatened by Percy is honestly hilarious, to the point they have a battle on a beach in California of all places. And something that made me smile is that while Percy does come out the hero at the end of the novel, he’s still pretty low on the Camp Half-Blood totem pole. He’s made some friends, but also massive enemies. It’s realistic.
Rereading this has brought all sorts of good memories back to my mind, and it makes it just that much more special. I cannot wait to continue on with the series.
(As a quick aside, I have watched the first movie, and though it is a total dumpster fire, I did enjoy Logan Lereman and Alexandra Daddario’s takes on the characters. And that’s about it on that subject.)
Rating: 5/5
Goodreads Goal 3/52
[Edit Update: This novel was originally read on March 10, 2022.]