Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Publication Date: October 12, 2010; October 4, 2011
Reading Level: 13 and up
Synopses (from Goodreads) -
- The Lost Hero - Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.
Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.
- The Son of Neptune - Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring and bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth
Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem - when the Voice took over he mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for and evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.
Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery - although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely - enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.
Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophecy of Seven.
My Review:
Rick Riordan is a genius.
Let me back up - as a kid, I ate up anything I could learn about Greek mythology. Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Poseidon, Hades - loved every minute of it. Roman mythology - eh, yeah, I got into it to a lesser extent (mostly because I also loved astronomy and the planets are named after the Roman gods), but Greek was the way to go for me. I think that's where my love of fantasy originally stems from (that, and Grimm's Fairy Tales. Great stuff, that).
So when I discovered the original "Percy Jackson" series, I was in seventh heaven (also wondering "Why in the world couldn't I have come up with this?" You know, as I do). Setting Greek gods in the modern world and how their demigod children cope with life - add in a healthy dose of sarcastic humor - it's so much fun.
But then, "The Heroes of Olympus" comes out and I wonder how this is going to work. There was already a highly successful series and a satisfying conclusion - what more could Riordan do with this?
Answer - A lot.
First of all - he mixes in the Roman gods. Now, I always assumed that the Romans just appropriated the Greek gods and gave them new names, but kept the same stories. But in a fantastic showing of Having Done The Research, Riordan decides to work in the differences between Roman and Greek culture into the gods' personalities. Plus, there's a whole new demigod camp - Camp Jupiter - on the west coast to compliment Camp Half-Blood on the east coast (signifying that the western and eastern parts of the Roman empire were split up at one point and turned out very different cultures - who says popular literature isn't educational?)
The Lost Hero introduces Jason, Piper and Leo. Jason has lost his memory and ends up at Camp Half-Blood for Greek demigods and it turns out Jason is a descendant of... Jupiter. Which is the Roman version of Zeus. And that Roman aspect makes a HUGE difference. Also, Percy Jackson is missing (which has this little fangirl going "Ugh - REALLY?") The sarcasm is toned down a bit from the original series - it's not gone completely, however. This just makes for a slightly darker story and Riordan is able to tell the story by shifting points-of-view between the three main characters. It's been a few months since I last read The Lost Hero, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but it is an exciting new take on this world and from a fresh perspective of other half-blood kids.
The Son of Neptune reintroduces Percy (HOORAY!) but he's lost his memory as well (BOO!) Percy's wound up in Camp Jupiter, the somewhat more uptight (in my opinion) Roman camp for demigods, and he has a quest to complete with the assistance of Hazel and Frank (who are about as cute a pair of demigods you could ask for). They complete their quest - but are left with a big chunk of prophecy to think upon for the rest of the series. Oh - and Annabeth (the daughter of Athena that featured prominently in the original series and is Percy's girlfriend and is just made of general awesomesauce) is coming back, which may or may not be a good thing.
Like I said, Rick Riordan is a genius. He's come up with an entire world and mythology and has written one fantastic series from it and is now going back to do something new with it. Some would say that it's not wise to go back to the well too many times, but this works somehow.
The third book in the series, The Mark of Athena (eee! TITLE!) comes out next fall.
Programming Note: During my senior year high school, I was introduced to a series called The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. For those not familiar with it, this series is one of those Doorstoppers (thank you, TV Tropes) with a zillion books of similar length in the entire series (okay, okay, more like fourteen, when all is said and done). I had to stop reading when I got to college because of the sheer amount of work involved (in college, not reading WOT - though I suppose that would hold true as well) and only got to about book seven. But now that I am finished with school (HOORAY!!) I find myself with extra time to devote to those Super Awesome and Fun But Not Exactly Productive projects I always wanted to complete - which includes re-reading AND finishing The Wheel of Time. I am really excited about this because I got sucked into it the first time around and I was heartbroken when I had to set it aside for other pursuits. And if you know one thing about me, it's that I LOVE to get sucked into stories. Even when they monopolize all my free time (I should say Especially when they monopolize my free time). The point? I probably won't be able to review very much until I finish (or - most likely - take a break from) The Wheel of Time. There'll still be a few reviews here and there - but just so you know why I haven't been posting very much. That's why.
