Review by Geena LimGenre : Fanatasy
by Rick Riordan
What's the basic story line?
Percy Jackson has ADHD and dyslexia, and it bothers him greatly. One day, his mother is taken away, and he goes to Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods. There he finds that his father is Poseidon, and that he is a suspected criminal. Lately, Zeus's greatest weapon, the lightning bolt, has disappeared. Zeus has never had a good relationship with his brother, Poseidon, so naturally, the son of his "enemy" is the number 1 suspect. Percy just has got to prove this wrong. He also needs to get his mother back. To do this he must get the lightning bolt by the summer solstice. So, he recieves a prophecy and goes on a questto retrieve the lightning bolt with his best friend, Grover the satyr, and the daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase, who has longed to come out into the mortal world, where it is dangerous for demigods. He goes all over the U.S, to get to the Underworld, where they can find the number 2 suspect, Hades. However, it turns out that the thief is not Hades, but Ares, the god of war, and that it is Luke, a fellow camper in Camp Half-Blood and the son of Hermes, who gave him the idea for it. Luke had been angered by the gods, because they didn't seem to care for their children at all. Percy doesn't manage to defeat Luke in their fight, but he wins Ares, and gets back the lightning bolt as well as his mother.
Are the characters believable?
The characters cannot exactly be described as either believable or unbelievable. Because the story is based on a myth, the characters are obviously not the most believable ones. However, their personalities seem to be quite believable. The main character, Percy Jackson, is a loyal, rather humorous kid who cannot stay still. His friend Grover Underwood the satyr, is a more nervous "kid", who is quite generous and forgiving. Annabeth Chase is a lot like a regular teenage girl that you can find in lots of places. She is quite mature, smart, athletic, and she thinks boys are ridiculous. Luke is a boy who wants attention, and wishes that his father would care for him more than he does now. The gods have different personalities, some grumpy, some easy-going, some full of hatred. Other than the fact that msot of the characters are rather mythical, they are quite realistic.
On a scale of 1 to 10(10 being best), how would you rate this book?
I would give this book a 9 or 10. It could be because of my love for mythology, but I really enjoyed reading this book. Also, I think that many people could enjoy it. The story flows along naturally. It can also be seen in many ways. It is a mix of adventure, myth and fun, and it is so interesting. It makes you want to know what will happen next.
Nice review. I only know this series through the movie version of this book, and the reactions from the readers of the book were mostly negative. I like how you mentioned that the characters are not meant to be believable but that you pointed out that their personalities are authentic. Overall a fine review.
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