Percy Jackson & the Olympians Boxed Set (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, 1)

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Sure, there are three friends going on dangerous fantastical adventures and saving the people they love slash the world. And yes, there are also lessons to be learned from these adventures. But that's where the similarities end. I had just attached a second jar of Greek fire to the control panels when I heard the pounding of feet on metal steps -- so many creatures coming down the stairwell I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign. Yes . . . but Percy, you'd be doing me a huge favor. It would be so much better if you were with us. Besides, there's something I want to talk --" She stopped abruptly. Apollo-Enough with the haikus Apollo. I can't wait to read The Hidden Oracle to get more of Apollo's weird personality. Thalia Grace-I've always loved Thalia. She kind of reminded me of myself in a way that is kind of hard to put into words, although Annabeth reminds me of myself much more. Thalia is such a strong and amazing character and I wish we got to see more of her.

Add to that almost all the dialogues feel cheesy, and the plots of all books have holes that may go unnoticed by a young reader but not by most , if not all , adult readers . The demigods rush to the rescue to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two powerful half-bloods whose parentage is unknown. But that’s not all that awaits them. The titan lord Kronos has devised his most treacherous plot yet, and the young heroes have just fallen prey. Now about it being compared to Harry Potter: The milieu are beautiful, bewitching and play on subtle humor BUT the characters don't grow on you much (probably coz none of the major ones die!) and since the series is extended into further books, you're left hungry for more. There's a finale but not the end. This Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition contains a folded full-color poster of all the gods, creatures, and monsters that Nico and Will encounter as they make their way through Tartarus.

I really wish I’d read this series when I was around twelve and feel a nostalgic connection towards it. Because if I can love it even at twenty three, I know I would’ve just adored it for the intended age. The same with Harry Potter.

It was almost dark by the time we spotted our target. The Princess Andromeda glowed on the horizon -- a huge cruiseship lit up yellow and white. From a distance, you'd think it was just a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan lord. Then as you got closer, you might notice the giant masthead -- a dark-haired maiden in a Greek chiton, wrapped in chains with a look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of all the monsters she was being forced to carry. It's a stupid finishing school for society girls, all the way in New Hampshire. Can you see me in finishing school?" A handbook no half-blood should be without: a fully illustrated, in-depth guide to gods, monsters, and all things Percy. This companion to the series comes complete with trading cards, full-color… Meat loaf sandwiches are good!" a second voice snarled. "But this is half-blood scent, I swear. They are on board!"

Hobbies

But as I read the rest of the series (one after another, without a break!), I became increasingly impatient. Not so much because the battle themes were repetitive (they were), but as Percy aged towards 16, one volume per year, the female characters in particular became harder to take. Every one of them, even the goddesses, started to act the drama queen, just as Percy became more and more the upstanding resolute hero. OK, I know Riordan is trying to catch the interest of North American teens here, but this is fantasy, and in pandering to his target market’s stereotypes, he really missed an opportunity for some role modelling. Chiron-Chiron was a great teacher for many great heroes and I am pretty sure that he became a father figure to many many heroes. The best part about the series is the intermingling of myth,legend and fresh fiction, woven around new characters. at last, Trials of Apollo& Magnus Chase is happening at the same time; they have crossovers sometimes. Grover Underwood-Grover is an amazing character. I love how his character was developed through the series. He is still pretty klutzy a lot of the time, but if he wasn't he wouldn't be Grover. He may be a scaredy-cat or well scaredy-goat, but he is still really brave if you ask me.

Seeing the ship again twisted my gut into knots. I'd almost died twice on the Princess Andromeda. Now it was heading straight for New York. Too long." He tapped his watch, which was our remote control detonator. "I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least." Nico di Angelo- Oh my gods, Nico. I really love Nico. One of my favorite characters of all time and probably ties with Percy for my favorite male character. He had to go through so much at such a young age. Only a few issues---Percy rides in a car with a girl in a bathing suit (probably pretty chaste, though) and there's a few "Oh my G's", as well as some monster deaths, and freaky magic---but most of it is bearable. Along the way Percy will confront powerful enemies, find out the truth about the lost god Pan, and face the Titan lord Kronos’ most terrible secret. The final war begins… with the Battle of the Labyrinth.

Creative Play

Add to that the wonderful setting, an urban fantasy based on Greek mythology. That's just box office . And the author used the setting very wisely so much so at times you are kept wondering what is actually mythology and what is inspired.

The original heroes from The Lightning Thief are reunited for their biggest challenge yet: getting Percy to college when the gods are standing in his way. I also felt Riordan’s location-naming became increasingly obsessive, reaching a fever pitch of precision in the final volume The Last Olympian where the battle for Mt Olympus (a fantasy structure, I should note, hovering above the Empire State Building) is catalogued intersection by friggin' intersection! Also, I was a little disappointed that he hadn’t made use of the USA’s actual Mt. Olympus, which I can almost see from the end of my street. That would have been cool, but maybe it wasn’t in his travel guide.)

Now, I know you're thinking, Wow, that was really irresponsible of him, blah, blah, blah, but Paul knows me pretty well. He's seen me slice up demons and leap out of exploding school buildings, so he probably figured taking a car a few hundred yards wasn't exactly the most dangerous thing I'd ever done. Something you want to talk about?" I asked. "You mean . . . so serious we'd have to go to St. Thomas to talk about it?"