Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Author: Rick Riordan

Summary:

The Lightning Thief
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.

The Sea of Monsters
After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war between the Greek gods, Percy Jackson's seventh grade school year seems unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson -- a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends. But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half Blood: the magical borders that protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia. Only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name . . . The Bermuda Triangle. Percy must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family -- one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

The Titan's Curse
When the goddess Artemis goes missing, she is believed to have been kidnapped.And now it's up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened. Who is powerful enough to kidnap a goddess? They must find Artemis before the winter solstice, when her influence on the Olympian Council could swing an important vote on the war with the titans. Not only that, but first Percy will have to solve the mystery of a rare monster that Artemis was hunting when she disappeared -- a monster rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus forever.

The Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse. In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth'"a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this latest audiobook promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.

The Last Olympian
Kronos and his vast armies of monsters and minor gods finally launch their assault on Mt. Olympus, which means attacking the island of Manhattan. Because the gods are away dealing with Typhon -- the worst monster of all time, who's escaped from his prison under Mt. St. Helens -- it is left to the vastly overmatched and outnumbered demigods, led by Percy, to protect New York and Olympus.

Comments: First, wizards (Harry Potter). Then vampires (Twilight). And now, demigods. I must say, I never expected to like the books this much. Rick Riordan did an amazing job with the story using Greek Mythology. It's no Harry Potter, of course. I mean, who can compete with J.K. Rowling, right? And heck, I gotta stop comparing every fantasy novel with the HP series. But I just couldn't resist saying that the series was way, way better than Twilight (sorry Twilight fans, but I'm an HP fan through and through - and, by the looks of it, a new PJ fan).

I saw the movie adaptation, but it brought no justice to the first book. I liked the movie when I first saw it, but that was before I read the book. And now, after reading, I could see there were a lot of scenes that were either deleted or edited which were important in the succeeding books.

I was sad that the series ended, but I take comfort in the knowledge that Rick Riordan may be writing a new series about Camp-Half Blood, hopefully to be released sometime this year. I just can't wait.

Rating: 5/5