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niori_1709When I first saw the movie trailer for the movie The Lightning Thief, I was super excited; I have a love of mythology, especially that of ancient Greece (Thank you Xena!). When I found out that the movie was actually an adaptation for a book, it got even more exciting (I’m the kind of person that has to read the book before they see the movie). While the movie sucked, I’m glad to report that the book was as amazing as I wanted it to be.
The Lightning Thief is book one in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The book revolves around Perseus Jackson (named after the Greek hero), a twelve-year-old boy who turns out to be a demigod (who has a mortal mother and father who is a god). Now, if you know anything about Greek mythology, you know that the gods having children with mortals was far from rare (the Greek gods were far from models of good behaviour), so there’s plenty of other half bloods around. What is rare about Percy, is that his father is Poseidon, god of the sea (the three big gods –Poseidon, Zeus and Hades- all swore not to have mortal children after WWII, so Percy isn’t supposed to exist). Not only is Percy in trouble for being born, but he had also been accused of stealing Zeus’s master lightning bolt. He has monsters coming at him every which way, including harpies, chimeras and gorgons, and in order to prevent a war from breaking out amongst the gods, he has to go on a quest to find who really took the bolt and return it before the solstice.
The Lightning Thief is brilliantly written, the epic Greek adventures mythology into a modern setting. Even though it’s based in the US, the traveling of the heroes is no less than ancient Greek heroes sailing across the Aegean Sea. Having a working knowledge of mythology is a plus, but you don’t need it to enjoy the book- enough of the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why) are explained to give you an idea what’s going on. The book also gives a great twist ending, which as someone who enjoys mysteries, was a great addition to the plot. It also sets up the basis of the rest of the series, which had me intrigued from the moment it was set up. The movie might have been awful, but I still thank it for leading me to this amazing series.
The Lightning Thief is book one in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The book revolves around Perseus Jackson (named after the Greek hero), a twelve-year-old boy who turns out to be a demigod (who has a mortal mother and father who is a god). Now, if you know anything about Greek mythology, you know that the gods having children with mortals was far from rare (the Greek gods were far from models of good behaviour), so there’s plenty of other half bloods around. What is rare about Percy, is that his father is Poseidon, god of the sea (the three big gods –Poseidon, Zeus and Hades- all swore not to have mortal children after WWII, so Percy isn’t supposed to exist). Not only is Percy in trouble for being born, but he had also been accused of stealing Zeus’s master lightning bolt. He has monsters coming at him every which way, including harpies, chimeras and gorgons, and in order to prevent a war from breaking out amongst the gods, he has to go on a quest to find who really took the bolt and return it before the solstice.
The Lightning Thief is brilliantly written, the epic Greek adventures mythology into a modern setting. Even though it’s based in the US, the traveling of the heroes is no less than ancient Greek heroes sailing across the Aegean Sea. Having a working knowledge of mythology is a plus, but you don’t need it to enjoy the book- enough of the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why) are explained to give you an idea what’s going on. The book also gives a great twist ending, which as someone who enjoys mysteries, was a great addition to the plot. It also sets up the basis of the rest of the series, which had me intrigued from the moment it was set up. The movie might have been awful, but I still thank it for leading me to this amazing series.
