Booktober: Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series Review

Greetings to all mortals, demigods and Greek gods and goddesses that have decided to read this post. I figured it was time for me to sit down and review a book series that I haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy for a long time now. Plus, with a Masters in Classical History, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about this representation of the Greek Gods in the modern era. So if you’ll pardon the pun, it’s time to dive into a review of the Perry Johnson series…. Peter Jordon…. nah, just kidding it’s the ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ series by Rick Riordan and, considering it’s getting made into a TV/On Demand series, I would once again like to petition that Logan Lerman appears as Poseidon. I mean look at the man and tell me he doesn’t look pretty much exactly like how Rick described Poseidon in the books. Please? Also, there was never any movies of any of these books made, am I clear? 

Alright, so initially in ‘Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief’ we are introduced to Percy Jackson as a dyslexic with ADHD who lives with his mom, Sally, and Gabe Ugliano, the person Sally Jackson married. Unknown to the mortal world, Zeus’ master bolt is stolen and the prime suspect is none other than Percy; who is in actuality the son of Poseidon, though he doesn’t know that himself. After making it to Camp Half Blood (a safe haven for demigods to train and find refuge from the monsters of the world), Percy learns about his famous father and the quest laid out in front of him. It falls on Percy, Grover (Percy’s best friend from school and satyr protector) and Annabeth (a daughter of Athena) to travel across America to the entrance of the Underworld in L.A. and face off against a Greek god and the real traitorous thief in an effort to prevent an all out war among the gods atop Olympus which is housed on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building.

In the sequels, we are introduced to more demigod campers, gods and even the Titans. I won’t spoil the plots of the novels but there are run ins with the Hunters of Artemis, the Lost God, Cereberus who just wants to be played with and a maze that will drive you mad. But perhaps the most important part is a teeny tiny prophecy about a child of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) either saving or destroying Olympus at the age of 16. Hmm, wonder who that could be? Seriously, the first time I read the series, I genuinely questioned who our chosen one would be at times and I loved every moment of trying to figure out how it all came back to Percy.

Now, I will admit that the books are aimed at a younger audience but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy them and, if you have read them before, this is your reminder to read them again (as if you needed a reminder). Rick Riordan has created a world so immersed in reality that it’s almost believable that the Greek Gods are among us…. Maybe they are. Looking at you Michael Phelps… pretty suspicious that one person can win 28 Olympic medals for aquatic sports. Anyone else getting son of Poseidon vibes? Hmmm. Just kidding but, seriously, Rick Riordan’s books are still re-readable because those heart wrenching and heartwarming moments still pack a punch and every time you end up rooting for our heroes.

Riordan’s bibliography reads like a who’s who of ancient mythology as he not only delves into the worlds of the Greek and Roman gods but also the Egyptian and Norse Gods too. His first novel was Big Red Tequila from the 7 part ‘Tres Navarre’ series. “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” then appeared as Riordan’s breakthrough novel in 2005 and became book one of the five part series ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’. The Kane Chronicles trilogy based on Egyptian mythology and, the sequel to the Percy Jackson series, ‘The Heroes of Olympus’ appeared. Riordan has continued to write and his full bibliography including all his book series and all the individual book titles can be found here.

These books amazed me when I first read them. They were about something I thought no one but me loved, Greek mythology, and I absorbed them all. And then, this year, I decided to revisit the series for Booktober. The first thing I realized was that it gave me an insight into what dyslexia might be like (even just a little) which I’d never noticed before. I sat there reading the jumble of letters that Percy saw and, I admit, I struggled sometimes to get the correct names. Honestly, reading about Camp Half Blood was such a homey experience. Most importantly, this book series still made me laugh. It still made me worry about Percy, Grover and Annabeth and how they were going to escape their latest task and, above all that, I still couldn’t put it down. Even while I was adulting, I was still reading at least a book a day and starting the next one. It felt so good to dive into a book world and become so immersed in it that I didn’t want it to end again. So will I be continuing my Percy Jackson binge? Of course I will. Try and stop me.

Well I think we’ll leave it at that for Percy’s book series. This didn’t really feel like a review to me but I’m not able to hide my bias on this topic so, for now, this wannabe daughter of Athena is signing off and wishing you all a wonderful Booktober. Peace!