Ok. So today we are going to share our book love with the wonderful middle grade fantasy series by the author, Rick Riordan. (Who, for your information, holds the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller children's chapter book list for The Red Pyramid.)
Those of you who didn't read the books and only saw the movie, you don't get to comment this time. :o) The movie was no comparison to this series. For those of you who read the books, I can't wait to hear your comments.
Personally, I loved Percy Jackson for his wit and humor. The voice that comes through in his writing is sooo good. I'd also loved Greek mythology as a kid and really enjoyed how he took what I learned in school and turned it onto its head. He had fun with history and gave it a whole new look. Love his creativity.
Why do you love Percy Jackson?
And just to mix things up a bit, name a character--that isn't Percy--that you loved.
One of my favorite characters was Nico di Angelo. Because...well, he was just so dark and awesome.
11 comments:
Ack. I love love love this series, but it's been so long since I read it and I'm horrible with names. My favorite characters are Percy's female friend - the daughter of Artemis - and his satyr buddy who went on a quest to find Pan.
Nico rules, but I love, love, love Grover. Movie Grover was a bit too much for me, but Book Grover is the perfect mix of anxiety and bravery.
Also, Hades is hilarious :)
LOL I agree - LOVE Annabel and Grover, and yes Hades is hilarious :D This is an awesome series. He has got some of the best one-liners and opening lines I've ever read. (I did a post a while back about the opening lines in this series). I devoured them all and have been enjoying the new Kane Chronicles and Hero of Olympus series also. Can't wait for more!
Oh man. I haven't read Riordan. I wonder if they're my big GAP BOOKS.
I read these during my last pregnancy and ate them up!! A great distraction from last trimester aches and such! Annabel was my favorite (they ruined her in the movie), and Grover is a close second (ruined him, too). Kudos to Rick for including an intelligent (extremely so) blonde female character.
Like you, I really liked the voice in these books, from the first page, and also the infusion of Greek mythology. What a fun way to be introduced to Greek myths! I wasn't as impressed with the dual-voice in The Red Pyramid, but I may give it another chance in the future. My husband loves all Rick's books and we do have only sons, so we'll be reading a lot of boy books for the next few decades. :)
I didn't like Red Pyramid as much either. But I still think Riordan is awesome.
I loved PJ for the wit too and especially for Dionysis and the fellow who takes over Camp Halfblood in book 2 (name alludes me but he can't eat). Though their voices are a lot funnier in the audio books! What I found hard to get passed in the PJ series was that he has dyslexia and couldn't write or read, except in greek. So how come he had such a great vocabulary and descriptive sense for a boy with a learning disability? Aren't writers supposed to make the voice credible? His voice should have sounded more rough like a street thug. Although they were a great read, I really had to suspend my belief for this aspect.
Hi Katrina,
Found you with a Percy Jackson google alert. I read the first PJ and liked it. I'm now reading Hunger Games, and after that Ready Player One.
Amazing story about you and flying!
I've written a little fantasy series for young readers, maybe you can check it out. It's called Conor and the Crossworlds.
Let me know if you ever need an interview or a guest commentator...
KG
I started reading this series so I could talk to my son about it. We've read the first 4 and our about to read the 5th (so no spoilers, please!). I think they're great. Well-written, well-plotted, good characterizations. Writers of MG can learn a lot from this series.
My son informed me yesterday that for Halloween he wants to be the Cyclops from The Sea of Monsters who wants to marry Grover. LOL! I'm partial to Zoe, myself.
As to the movie - so disappointing. But my kids will still watch it over and over. (And now I read Chiron with Pierce Brosnan's voice in my head.)
My daughter (age 11) and I have loved reading these books together. She won the coin toss and gets to read Son of Neptune first.
My favorite characters have been the gods. I like how much they seem like characters, with all their foibles, predilections, personal biases, etc.
I know Riordan caught flack for riding on Harry Potter's coattails. And I see the similarities: boy meets magic world, school year structure, group of friends (one male, one female). But honestly, Riordan does it so much better. Harry is so good that he bores me senseless. Percy is a good guy, but faces struggles. He's real. He's funny. He rocks.
Percy Jackson is awesome. Even though i just got obsessed recently, i have:
All the PJO books
All the Heroes of Olympus books (So far)
The Demigod Files
both movies
first Kane book
a pen (yes, a pen)
My favorite characters are Percy, Annabeth, Leo, and Nico. They are EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Favorite books were tied between the battle of the labyrinth and the titans curse, with last olympian close behind. Least favorite book i think was sea of monsters, too short. But Percy Jackson = better than any book series ever!
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