Title: The Lightning Thief
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Books
ISBN: 9781423134947
Tags: Young Adult, Mythology, Gods, Heroes
Source: Library
Hearts: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school…again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
Review
The film adaptation of the second book, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters is currently running in the theaters. I saw the first movie a while back and quite liked it. However since the original books are about a twelve-year-old boy, I was not so keen on reading them. I mean how could a children’s book possibly capture the attention of a grown-up woman? Wouldn’t it be too simple for me?? So when I saw it standing on a shelf in the library I thought: Yeah so not the book for me and walked past it. Oh why not, there are gods and other mythical creatures featured in this book. And took it with me. I’m sooooo glad I did it! You don’t notice at all that the book is about a young boy and his friends. That its intended audience are middle graders. This book proves once again that books can be read by everyone ^^
It also proves that books are usually better than their movie adaptations. They left so many fun and important things out! The “real” story was also much and much better. It’s way more fascinating, funny and intriguing. You get to see more of the wonderous world of the gods. The movie even left out some amazing and great moments that I would have loved seeing on-screen. This makes me a bit curious to how this will influence the second movie, cause some events were quite important ^^
Like I said it’s a fantastic story, for young AND old. Especially for someone who loves to read about Greek Mythology. Rick Riordan really created an amazing world full of gods and other mythical creatures. He even makes it believable by introducing Mist. The veil that keeps the world of the gods from being seen by mundanes. It’s very funny when Percy’s veil was lifted and he could suddenly see everything that was kept from him. The story is also quite good and exciting. It’s a great puzzle to find out who did it. Who stole Zeus’s lightning. I loved the hints and dead ends I was given. The twists and turns. Even for someone who already saw the movie (and so knew how it ended 😉 ), I was never completely sure I got it right ^^
Conclusion
4 HEARTS. This book proves that books are usually better than movies and some stories can be read by everyone, regardless their age. It also proves that it never grows old to read about the Greek gods and their latest antics. It has an intriguing mystery, that will keep you guessing till the last page and a good dose of humor. A lovely book I can recommend to everyone ^^
Do you agree with my opinion, or not? Would you read the book?
Feel free to leave a comment ^^
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
- The Lightning Thief
- The Sea of Monsters
- The Titan’s Curse
- The Battle of the Labyrinth
- The Last Olympian
- Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades (Book 4.5)
- Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo (Book 5.5) August 27th 2013
Witchmag's Boekenplank 
Ik moet deze serie echt een keer gaan lezen. Ik hoor (of, nja, lees) er alleen maar goede dingen over!
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Dat is inderdaad iets wat ik aan kan raden ^^ Ik heb nu al twee boeken gelezen en ben nog steeds razend enthougsiast ^^
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I read the book because my son asked me to. My twelve-year-old began reading the series last year. As homework, he was obligated to read for 20 minutes every night. Usually, getting him to read was a chore. With Percy Jackson, he wanted to read way past the 20 minutes. Sometimes I had to force him to put the book down so he could go to sleep. It’s a wonderful feeling seeing your child totally caught up in a book. Anyway, when he finished reading the first book, he handed it to me and begged me to read it. So, that’s what we did for the rest of the series. When he finished a book, he gave it to me to read. Then we could talk about it together.
Great review!
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Oh, your comment brings back memories. Although I never had to be forced to read, my parents, too, had to take my books away. Otherwise I would have kept on reading ^^
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