Book (Series) Review: Percy Jackson

According to Wikipedia, I'm almost a decade late in getting into this series. The first book was published in 2005, and I'm sure I heard people talk about it then, but it wasn't until this last year that I actually picked up the books. Thankfully, the last book was published in 2011, so once I started reading the series, I didn't have to wait for any sequels before I could finish it.

Here's a TV Tropes synopsis of the series as a whole:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an Urban Fantasyseries by Rick Riordan based on Greek mythology. In the books the Greek gods have moved to the United States, and their home, Olympus, is now located at the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. They have many demigod children with mortal humans. Unfortunately, these demigods attract mythological monsters, so they must travel to a safe haven in Long Island, New York, called "Camp Half-Blood", and learn to fight. The books get progressively Darker and Edgier throughout the series as a war with the Titans approaches.

Not gonna lie, I had some qualms about the whole premise. Everything from Greek mythology has moved to America while retaining its Greekness, the Greek gods are real and running everything, and they're sleeping around with mortals and having tons of kids like it's no big deal.

It's just a little sketch, if you think about it. I mean, all these kids are at camp with dozens of half-siblings, and none of them bat an eyelash at the idea that one of their parents has so little loyalty to the other. I wasn't sure if I wanted to endorse a "pagan" and "adulterous" cast of characters.

But then I decided to not be suck a stickler and just accept it as fantasy and give it a shot. At first, I found the writing and plot to be just a bit too juvenile for my taste. But I kept going, and I was reminded of how fun juvenile fiction can be. I got really into it and now I can say that I really love the series. Enough to be slightly offended at how untrue to the source material the movies turned out to be.

If nothing else, the fantastical elements are pretty awesome, I must say. Depending on their parentage, each kid gets a unique set of demigod powers. Rick Riordan had so much Greek mythology to pull inspiration from, and the way he adapted it to a modern setting is always unique and often hilarious. The way the gods adapted to modern American ways is especially humorous.

And the dialogue is gold. Every character gets at least one funny line, even the main antagonists. It's all terribly clever.

So if you're a kid, I'd definitely give this five stars and tell you to give the series a chance. It's excellent juvenile fiction and will keep you entertained. If you're an adult, it's still super entertaining, you just have to remember that it was written primarily for kids.

Just have fun with it.

Now on to Heroes of Olympus! From what I read of the first chapter of the first book, it's going to be awesome. Much more complex and aimed at an older audience than the Percy Jackson series. I'm excited to read it.