Welcome to the first post! When Abby Kay reached out to me with this idea, I was in the middle of reading Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series and had just finished the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. To celebrate that - and because it is one of my favorite book series - I decided to start with this series! Throughout the month of January, I am going to review the five original Percy Jackson books, giving a character and plot synopsis before going into my own thoughts on the book and related media. If you want to know more about this series or any other Rick Riordan projects, visit his website https://rickriordan.com/ and follow him on various social media platforms!
This book was first published on July 1st, 2005 by Disney Hyperion and is recommended for kids ten years or older. It is the first of the five book series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” This character and plot sections will not contain spoilers for the book, but my personal thoughts will reference specific plot points. If you haven’t read it yet, I strongly recommend that you do that before reading this review!
Characters
Percy Jackson
Percy is our narrator for this story, and it is told from his first person perspective. He is a twelve-year-old boy whose entire life changes when he realizes the truth about his father. He is incredibly sassy and comedic, but he is also unswervingly loyal. He is not a perfect character, and he is very realistically written. This makes him a genuinely compelling character to follow and support throughout the book and series.
Annabeth Chase
Annabeth, unlike Percy, knows exactly who she is and has for a long time. She has already faced hardship, and she has a complicated past for a twelve year old. We get to see her - and all of the characters - through the lens of Percy’s perspective. She cares deeply about people, just as Percy does, but it is her nature to think logically and consider every angle before making a decision. She is generally less impulsive. She, like Percy, is also flawed, as she should be. She is also more guarded.
Grover Underwood
Grover is Percy’s best friend, but he also has a very long-standing friendship with Annabeth. He initially seems to be the archetype of the clumsy, fearful sidekick, but he soon proves to be so much more. He is always there when his friends need him, and he is at least as brave as Percy or Annabeth. He never once lets them down. His past is not quite as complex as Annabeth’s or Percy’s, but that isn’t to say that he isn’t an interesting and layered character.
Plot
Upon learning who he is, Percy moves from his home in Manhattan, New York, to a camp on the Long Island Sound. Immediately after settling in and making friends, he discovers who his father is and is issued a quest to find and return something he was suspected of stealing. Grover and Annabeth are by his side, and together they face many twists and turns, a new challenge opposing them everywhere they go. When they finally get close to the truth, things go sideways, and the true villain revealed is both expected and not. The book ends with tying up some of the loose ends while leaving enough open for the sequel, The Sea of Monsters.
Thoughts (spoilers ahead!)
The initial warning at the beginning of the book is amazing, and it immediately drew me in, ironically making me want to keep reading. Something I love about this book is its ability to be both funny and meaningful. Riordan uses Percy’s personality to narrate this action-packed story in exactly the way someone like him would. It feels genuine. The plot is well paced, and while there are a few things I tend to anticipate more than others, all of it is interesting. The prophecy aspect of the book is another layer to keep in mind. Almost nothing is exactly how it seems, but it all fits together seamlessly at the end to form a cohesive picture of what was really going on. I also personally love the creative liberty Riordan takes on old Greek stories. Names big and small in the mythological world are brought back in fun and interesting ways, and he does a great job modernizing the ancient mythology.
While the Medusa and Lotus Hotel chapters are probably the most iconic - largely due to the movie adaptation’s take on them - one of my favorites has to be the reveal of Luke as the villain of the book. Don’t get me wrong, the other two are amazing to read, and I always look forward to them, but Luke’s ultimate betrayal hits hard. Additionally, to have the villain be a friend of the hero’s the whole time makes for a dynamic that remains interesting throughout the entire series. Especially when Annabeth’s history with Luke is accounted for as well. The book may be short, but so much is packed into the 375 pages that I could never call it a boring read, nor could I call it an overwhelming one. Quite the opposite, the balance between action and down time is perfect. It’s one of the reasons I’ve reread it multiple times. It’s one of my comfort books, and for good reason.
I appreciate that the potential romance aspect between Annabeth and Percy is kept to the absolute bare minimum in this book, rarely going beyond Percy thinking Annabeth is cool or noticing that she’s pretty. While I am definitely a romantic, these kids are twelve, and the book is meant to be a children’s adventure, not a romance. It also prevents Grover from feeling like a third wheel throughout the quest, which is incredibly important. Grover has standing relationships with both Annabeth and Percy, to see him delegated to a barely-there sidekick would’ve been very disappointing. Instead, every character feels important, and everyone has a part to play in the inevitable conflict.
There is an elephant in the room when it comes to this book. The movie. Released on February 12th, 2010, and starring Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief is largely regarded as a poor adaptation. Personally, I think the movie is fine as its own standalone film. The soundtrack and acting are definitely solid elements. However, when compared to the books, I don’t think it did a great job. I know the story was changed slightly to accommodate this, but the actors - however talented they may have been - were too old to play the characters. The plot of the movie did resemble the books and gave a few absolutely iconic scenes, but without Riordan’s involvement it had several deviations that didn’t sit right with me. When I mention Percy Jackson to people and am met with “Oh yeah, I’ve seen that movie,” I immediately jump to recommend the books instead. I will say that the broadway musical was more accurate to the book than the movie was - personally, I enjoy the musical quite a bit - but it is very difficult to get a 100% accurate rendition in only a few hours. This can be said for any production with similar time constraints. Luckily, there is a silver lining: Riordan is partnering with Disney to release a Percy Jackson TV show on Disney plus, and he is 100% involved with the entire process. This makes me incredibly excited and hopeful for the series to come, so we can finally see these characters brought to life in a way that does the series justice.
Overall, I would give this book an 8.5/10. The characters and plot were solid, but it does ultimately feel like a book that serves to set up the rest of the series, and I know that the other books continue to get more interesting.
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