Book Review of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Synopsis:

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is the first bestselling book in Rick Riordan's phenomenally successful Percy Jackson series - now with a new cover look.

Half boy. Half God. ALL Hero.

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God.

I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. Now I spend my time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive.

This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I've stolen his lightning bolt - and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.

Review:


The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Percy Jackson series. I loved it!

Percy Jackson is a fantastic character. He is a normal young boy with a learning disability. Or is he? He finds out that he is really a demi-god and the son of Poseidon, but his life is about to get even more complicated when he is accused of stealing Zeus's lightning bolt. I really liked this young man. He is not necessarily the strongest person, but when faced with a God's wrath, he certainly is the bravest!

I have watched the movie, but had not read the book, so I decided to get a copy to read. I downloaded a copy in audio format so that I could listen to it whilst doing chores.

I started listening to it and was quickly pulled into the story. I began to really enjoy the tale, but it was a little strange to note all the differences between the movie and the actual book. I understand that making a movie out of a book is not necessarily the easiest thing to do - logistics and time etc., but there were whole scenes that were chopped out in the movie, and others written in that were not in the book. The narrator of the story, Jesse Bernstein, did a wonderful job reading the story and bringing the characters to life. I couldn't help but envision the characters as portrayed by the actors in the movie; it made it easier to imagine.
However, I may be the only one to say this, but I think I preferred the movie to the book. This is not my usual finding after watching a movie, and then reading the book the movie is based on. The book is a lot darker than the movie, and I liked the feeling the movie had. Nevertheless, the story was really engaging and I found myself listening intently. I am looking forward to continuing the series.

Rick Riordan has written a wonderful and exciting novel (and series) for children that brings the old Gods to life. The mythology has been well researched and presented in such a way as to be educational, but have a modern take that will appeal to today's young readers. His writing style is fast paced, but not rushed, and is easy for young readers to follow.

I highly recommend this book to young readers aged 12 to 16 and to adults who love reading Young Adult novels. - Lynn Worton

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