The Lightning Thief: A Book Review

Title: The Lightning Thief (book one in the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series)

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Reading Level: 10 and up

Summary: What if the gods of Olympus were alive in the 21^st Century? What if they still fell in love with mortals and had children who might become great heroes — like Theseus, Jason and Hercules?

What if you were one of those children?

Such is the discovery that launches twelve-year-old Percy Jackson on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction – Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.

My Review: Well one things for sure. This book is definitely first class entertainment for fantasy fans. I absolutely loved it. It was fast paced, the plot was fun, and the characters were great, I think a lot of boys 10 and up will be able to relate to Percy. He is like the every boy, (despite the fact he's a demi-god, and has cool water powers) impulsive, strong willed, and he also has a pretty short temper. But he has a good heart, and his voice is a lot of fun to listen to (this is a first person narration). I loved all the old mythology seamlessly adapted into modern day situations. It made me want to look up all the original stories about the characters, which is amazing 'cause I found Greek mythology terribly boring. But this book makes it anything but, I look forward to reading the other books in the Percy Jackson series which I will be picking up as soon as possible.
Content: some crude humor, scary situations, and violence
Rating: 4 big stars out of 5
Recommend: Definitely, It's great for kids and clever enough for adults

Here is a trailer from the upcoming movie, and sure the guy who plays Percy doesn't look like he's seen 12 for a while and some of the scenes seem to be situated differently from how they were in the book, but the most important thing is that they keep the spirit of the book intact...right? It's such a great book I'd hate it if the movie didn't live up to it. But it's too early to judge so I'll just keep my fingers crossed.


Upcoming Review:Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors
Until the next book,