EyeWatched

     Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a series of adventure and fantasy books authored by Rick Riordan. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek mythology. The series consists of five books, as well as spin-off titles such as The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. The Lightning Thief, the first book, is the basis of a film called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which was released in the United States and Canada on February 12, 2010.

The protagonist is Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes. He learns that the legendary beings of Greek mythology still exist and have always existed, including monsters, cyclopes, empousae, Titans, and the Greek Gods (Olympians) themselves who dwell in Olympus, which is now situated at the mythical 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Percy is frequently attacked by monsters because he is a child of one of the "Big Three": the lord of the sky, Zeus, the king of the sea, Poseidon, and the leader of the Underworld, Hades, who made a pact after World War II to not have any more children because they were too powerful and unpredictable. Percy meets many other young demigods, both friendly and hostile, who are also in the process of discovering their ancestry and powers. The only other known demigod children of these "Big Three" in the series are Thalia Grace (daughter of Zeus), Nico di Angelo (son of Hades), and Bianca di Angelo (daughter of Hades).

As of February 9, 2010, the series has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's books for 134 weeks.

The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief is the first book in the series. It was released on June 28, 2005.

Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). After going on a field trip and being attacked by his math teacher, who is actually a Fury in disguise, he finds out that he is the son of a Greek god. He is brought to Camp Half-Blood (a camp for children with a Greek god as a parent, located off Long Island) by his best friend, a satyr named Grover, and his mother Sally. He soon meets Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and they quickly become good friends. Not long after his arrival, Poseidon, the sea god, claims Percy as his son during a game of demigod-style capture-the-flag. Percy is accused of stealing Zeus' masterbolt, the model for every lightning bolt made. He, Annabeth, and Grover are given ten days to return the thunderbolt to Mount Olympus in order to stop a war between the gods from starting and save his mother, who has been held hostage in the Underworld by Hades after being captured by the Minotaur. In the end it is revealed that Luke, son of Hermes, stole the bolt for Kronos, who is attempting to come back to life. At the end Grover goes off to find Pan, the lost Greek God of nature.

The book has recently been adapted into film under the title of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Chris Columbus and 20th Century Fox.

The Sea of Monsters

The Sea of Monsters is the second installment in the series, released on May 3, 2006.

In this book, the shortest novel of the series, Percy's empathy link between Grover and himself kicks in when he has a dream which is the reality of Grover the satyr. Grover has been kidnapped and taken to an island in the Sea of Monsters, known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle, a dangerous sea that is almost impossible to pass through getting out alive. Percy, Annabeth, and his new half-brother Tyson the Cyclops go and try to not only save Grover, but also to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The Fleece is the only thing that can stop Thalia's Tree from dying, which would leave Camp Half-Blood vulnerable to an attack by the Titans and Luke.

The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse is the third installment in the series. It was released on April 1, 2007.

Grover the satyr has gone undercover to a school in search for half-bloods, and finds two powerful siblings, Nico and Bianca di Angelo. While on this mission, they are attacked by a manticore, but are saved by the Hunters of Artemis, who arrive just in time to help. Annabeth falls off a cliff in an attempt to kill the manticore, and Percy soon learns that somehow she survived and has been captured by Luke. Bianca joins the Hunters and Nico leaves camp. Soon after arriving at camp, Percy learns that Artemis herself has been captured, too.

Percy, Grover, Thalia, Bianca, and Zoë Nightshade (Artemis' lieutenant) go on a quest to rescue them. They learn that Atlas has escaped his torment at the Mountain of Despair on California's Mount Tamalpais, and is intent on stopping the heroes from success. They defeat him, but not before losing both Hunters in the quest. At the solstice, Thalia replaces Zoë as Artemis' lieutenant. As soon as they return, Nico is told about Bianca's death. He blames Percy, accusing him of failing to protect her like he had promised. When a few undead skeletons appear, Nico thinks that Percy is now trying to kill him as well. He looks at them and they are banished to the Underworld, and runs away. Percy realizes that Hades is Nico's father. At first Percy, Annabeth, and Grover think that this goes against the promise of the Big Three, which is to never have demigod children, but then they realize that the two siblings had been in the Lotus Casino since before the pact was made. Percy now has a new enemy in Nico, son of Hades.

The Battle of the Labyrinth

The Battle of the Labyrinth, released on May 8, 2008, is the fourth book in the series.

After being attacked by monster cheerleaders at his new school, Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood and learns about "The Labyrinth", part of the palace of King Minos in Crete that, according to Greek mythology, was designed by Daedalus. During a game/battle with giant scorpions, Annabeth and Percy find an entrance into the Labyrinth. Percy soon learns that Luke had used the entrance and will lead his army through the Labyrinth straight into the heart of camp. To get into the Labyrinth, Percy has to find the Delta Symbol (Δ) on a passageway, touch it, and then enter the Labyrinth to find Daedalus.

Using the Labyrinth, Percy tries to find Daedalus so Luke cannot get Ariadne's string, thereby foiling Luke's invasion. He gets the help he needs from a mortal girl named Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who can also see a path in the Labyrinth leading to Daedalus. During their adventure she hits Kronos in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush. Kronos finds out that Nico di Angelo is a son of Hades and also could be the child of the prophecy. Luke reaches Daedalus and gets Adriadne's string which he uses to lead his army to attack Camp Half-Blood. Grover comes to the rescue and causes a Panic (a scream that symbolizes the wild god Pan) to scare away the enemy. After the battle, Daedalus sacrifices himself to close the Labyrinth, which is tied to his life.

The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian, the fifth book in the Percy Jackson series, was released on May 5, 2009.^[2]

Percy Jackson and his friends fight in a war resembling the original war between the Greek gods and the Titans and in a final battle with the powerful Titan, Lord Kronos. They ultimately defeat Kronos in the battle and Olympus is saved.

The gods grant Percy, Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson each a reward. Tyson becomes the General of the Cyclops army and the weapon they grant him of his own request is a "stick" (a.k.a. club). Grover receives a seat on the Council of Cloven Elders. Annabeth will be in charge of rebuilding Olympus. Percy is offered the granting of one wish as his reward, and he is told he can choose to become a god. Instead, seeing all the damage done, Percy makes the gods promise on the River Styx that they will recognize all of their children by the time the children turn 13. He also asks them to build cabins for Hades and the minor gods like Hecate and Morpheus, which is at the request of another demigod, Ethan Nakamura, who was killed during the battle, and whose mother is Nemesis, the goddess of revenge and balance.

Rachel becomes the Oracle of Delphi and makes the next Great Prophecy according to Apollo, and Percy and Annabeth share a kiss. Afterward, the other campers dunk them in the lake and Percy makes an air bubble, in which they share an underwater kiss. The story concludes when Annabeth and Percy race down the hill at Camp Half-Blood and for once, Percy does not look back, for he is no longer in the shadow of a great prophecy.

Companion books

The Demigod Files

The Demigod Files, also written by Rick Riordan, is the first companion book to the series. It was released February 10, 2009, featuring three short stories, interviews with the campers, and pictures.^[3] It is set between The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian.^[4] The book received mixed reviews, with some reviewers criticizing the lack of substantial material and others commending the writing of the short stories.^[4]

Demigods and Monsters

Demigods and Monsters is another companion book and was released on February 10, 2009.^[5] With an introduction by Riordan, it features essays written by various young adult authors that explore, discuss, and provide further insight into the Percy Jackson series. At 196 pages, it also contains information on the places and characters of the series as well as a glossary of Greek myths.^[6]

The Ultimate Guide

The Ultimate Guide is a companion book released on January 19, 2010. The third companion book to the series, it is preceded by The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. This book has a magnetic cover and holographic character pictures that change into four different characters. Its 156 pages include trading cards, full-color diagrams and maps.^[7] It also includes a dictionary of every monster Percy faces in the series, with pictures beside some, as well as various activities. The book tells of Percy Jackson's starting life as a half-blood, a tour of the Underworld by Nico di Angelo, and items used throughout the series.

Graphic novel

A Percy Jackson graphic novel is scheduled for publication October 19, 2010.^[8] Riordan posted "Many of you have asked about a Percy Jackson graphic novel, and I'm pleased to announce it is in the works too. The tentative release date is October 19, 2010. I've seen some preliminary artwork, and it looks awesome. I think you'll be pleased with how Percy's world comes to life in pictures."^[8]

Characters

Rick Riordan relies on Bibliotheca for his characters and plot. In three books, it provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic legends.^[9]

Listed are the major characters in the series. All ages are of The Last Olympian.

Themes

Origins and publishing history

Development for both The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series as a whole commenced when Riordan first began making stories for his son Haley who had just recently been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. His son had been studying Greek mythology in second grade and requested that his father come up with bedtime stories based on Greek myths. Riordan had been a Greek mythology teacher in middle school for many years and was able to remember enough stories to please his son. Soon Riordan ran out of myths and his son then requested that he make new ones using the same characters from Greek myths and add new ones. Thus, Riordan created the fictional character Percy Jackson and made the story of how he would travel across The United States to recover Zeus's lightning bolt. After he finished telling the story to his son, he then requested that his dad write a book based on Percy's adventures.^[10]

In June 1994 Riordan had completed his manuscript and began looking for agents. During that time, he visited multiple local colleges looking for good editors until he eventually found an agent.^[11] While he left his manuscript to his agent and editor to review, Riordan took his book to a group of 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders to read and give their critique. Ultimately he gained their approval, and with their help came up with the name of the book and created the way Percy's sword worked.^[12] In June 1997, Riordan signed with Bantam Books to prepare the book for publishing.^[11] In 2004, the book was sold to Miramax Books for enough money for Riordan to quit his job to focus on writing.^[13] After it was released on 28 July 2005 it sold over 1.2 million copies. The book was released in multiple versions including hardcover, paperback and audio editions.^[14][15] It has been translated into multiple languages and published all over the world.^[16]

Reception

Film

Chris Columbus directed and produced Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief for 20th Century Fox through 1492 Pictures.^[17][18] The film was released in 2010 in the United States, Canada and in the United Kingdom on February 12 and in Australia on February 11.^[19]

Columbus has stated that he was drawn to directing the Percy Jackson movie because it gave him the "opportunity to do a movie that we haven’t really seen before for this generation. When I was a kid, there were movies that dealt with Greek mythology, which in terms of visual effects was really primitive. So I thought this was an opportunity to deal with Greek mythology which children and adults all over the world are fascinated by and it was not a new genre but a new avenue, dealing with mythological creatures in a contemporary setting."^[20]

Video Game

A Percy Jackson video game based on Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was released on the Nintendo DS on January 11, 2010.

GameZone's Michael Splechta gave it a 6/10, saying "Percy Jackson might not make a splash when it comes to movie tie-in games, but fans of turn-based combat might find some redeeming qualities in this otherwise bare-bones game."^[21]

Sequel

• Add New Search
• Comments

Write comment

Your Contact Details:

Name:

Email:  

Comment:

Title:

Message:

Powered by !JoomlaComment 4.0alpha3

!joomlacomment 4.0 Copyright (C) 2009 Compojoom.com . All rights reserved."