I read this series when it was originally published and didn’t think about it much after I’d finished. I liked it, yes, but it wasn’t a new obsession for me and I never really planned on revisiting Percy’s world. Then I watched the teaser for the Disney+ show coming out next year and checked them out from the library and that’s how I spent my last two weeks.
The series follows Percy Jackson, who finds out he’s a demigod, the son of Poseidon and a mortal woman. So, yeah, Mount Olympus & the gods etc exist as the embodiment of Western Civilization and as such reside in the heart of the West, Manhattan. A camp on Long Island provides refuge and training for all the little demigods out there, since monsters love to eat demigods. So, danger and magic and being a teenager! Of course, there’s a prophecy and a quest and a very smart kinda prickly girl camper and a goofy but big hearted satyr best friend and all manner of villains and treachery and adventure.
If that sounds maybe a little familiar, well yeah, you can’t help but compare it to that other series by that author who shall not be named. But also to every other YA fantasy adventure series. And in that context, where the story beats are familiar for a reason, Percy definitely holds his own. The way Riordan references and modernizes Greek myth is fantastic. There’s some decent humor and urgency in the quest. Percy has a great voice and the books are empathetic and have a solid message behind them.
There’s a sixth book out now, but I think I’m going to do the entire Riordanverse in order? It has been a nice escape, especially on days when I’m too hot and tired to do much thinking. I bet these are fun on audio as well. And obviously, if you’ve got yoots in your life who like adventure stories, this would be a better series to support than Joanne’s.
