Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: ---
Publication Date: 2010-2014
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
★★★★★
All five books in the blockbuster Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, in paperback, have been collected in a boxed set fit for demigods. Now with glorious new cover art and packaged with a special poster, this value-priced set includes the best-selling The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. Whether it is for readers who are experiencing Percy's thrilling adventures with Greek gods and monsters for the first time, or for fans who want to devour the saga again, this gift will be prized by young and old.
When I initially decided to review this series as a whole series, I'd thought I would do so as a general discussion of the merits of the story, its similarities to Harry Potter, and open up discussion of the characters.
I still want to do that. However, the further I got into this series, the more that I realized that any similarities to any other series were meaningless, because Percy Jackson is the best mid-grade series I've read to date.
Yes, that means I liked it better than Harry Potter.
(But do note that I also separate middle-grade fiction from young adult fiction.)
The main thing that I have to address about this series is that the series as a whole is better than the sum of its parts. I could not average my individual ratings of each book and achieve an accurate star-rating for the entire series that reflected my feelings about the series.
So I didn't. I assigned a five-star rating to the series as a whole because it deserves it. This is a series that I will read again. And again. And one that I will recommend.
There you have it. That's the simple part. But there's a lot more I have to say about this, so let's keep going, shall we?
There may be spoilers beyond this point!
First, I want to talk to you (and want you to talk back!) about how beautifully emotional this series was. There are layers of complexity to Percy Jackson and the Olympians that I didn't expect when I initially approached this series.
This series examines relationships in a very important way. It takes a good, long look at the way that Percy interacts with his mother and the things that she would do to protect him. It exposes the relationship between absentee parents and their children (and the fact that a parent can love his or her child in spite of lack of presence).
What I really loved about the relationships, however, was the extent to which Riordan went above and beyond to illustrate the relationships between fathers and their offspring. Dionysus's concern for his sons was remarkable, and the ongoing relationship between Hermes and May Castellan and his love for Luke is remarkable and touching.
I find that a lot of the time in fiction we get to see the mother's love for her child, but it is rare to see the emotional male and the strong, independent, and worthy female. Riordan gives us both, without compromising femininity or masculinity in order to do so.
In no way does Riordan blur the lines between what it is to be male and female. If you're reading this (as a parent who believes in traditional gender roles) worried that Percy Jackson will confuse your child, it won't.
What it does is demonstrates that a woman can be strong and powerful like Athena or Artemis, that she can be beautiful and cunning like Aphrodite, that she can be manipulative and angry like Hera, or that she can be soft and steady like Hestia. It demonstrates that a man can be masculine in every way while still looking out for his children like Poseidon, or that he can be angry and bitter like Zeus. He can be irritable and for all the world a rotten person but still love his children like Dionysus, or a bit on the softer side while still being bold like Hermes.
It's interesting how much Riordan was able to replicate stories of the Greeks in a way that demonstrates human nature. This story teaches us what we can be, and what we should strive to be, and that our decisions matter.
But let's be real: I don't read books for the life lessons that they teach me. I read them for the entertainment factor.
I found this series wildly entertaining. It's funny, Riordan's pacing is amazing (except in the last book), he's great at tying up loose ends so that there are no plot holes left in the series at the end.
This series was worth the three weeks that I spent reading it, and I will commit another three weeks to reading it again (probably next year). It's one that I highly recommend.
So, to open up discussion, let me ask a few questions! Please feel free to answer these in the comments on my blog, on Facebook, or on Google+!
Who was your favorite character?
Which book in the series was your favorite?
Which of the Olympians was your favorite?
Is there anything you would have changed about this series?
I still want to do that. However, the further I got into this series, the more that I realized that any similarities to any other series were meaningless, because Percy Jackson is the best mid-grade series I've read to date.
Yes, that means I liked it better than Harry Potter.
(But do note that I also separate middle-grade fiction from young adult fiction.)
The main thing that I have to address about this series is that the series as a whole is better than the sum of its parts. I could not average my individual ratings of each book and achieve an accurate star-rating for the entire series that reflected my feelings about the series.
So I didn't. I assigned a five-star rating to the series as a whole because it deserves it. This is a series that I will read again. And again. And one that I will recommend.
There you have it. That's the simple part. But there's a lot more I have to say about this, so let's keep going, shall we?
There may be spoilers beyond this point!
First, I want to talk to you (and want you to talk back!) about how beautifully emotional this series was. There are layers of complexity to Percy Jackson and the Olympians that I didn't expect when I initially approached this series.
This series examines relationships in a very important way. It takes a good, long look at the way that Percy interacts with his mother and the things that she would do to protect him. It exposes the relationship between absentee parents and their children (and the fact that a parent can love his or her child in spite of lack of presence).
What I really loved about the relationships, however, was the extent to which Riordan went above and beyond to illustrate the relationships between fathers and their offspring. Dionysus's concern for his sons was remarkable, and the ongoing relationship between Hermes and May Castellan and his love for Luke is remarkable and touching.
I find that a lot of the time in fiction we get to see the mother's love for her child, but it is rare to see the emotional male and the strong, independent, and worthy female. Riordan gives us both, without compromising femininity or masculinity in order to do so.
In no way does Riordan blur the lines between what it is to be male and female. If you're reading this (as a parent who believes in traditional gender roles) worried that Percy Jackson will confuse your child, it won't.
What it does is demonstrates that a woman can be strong and powerful like Athena or Artemis, that she can be beautiful and cunning like Aphrodite, that she can be manipulative and angry like Hera, or that she can be soft and steady like Hestia. It demonstrates that a man can be masculine in every way while still looking out for his children like Poseidon, or that he can be angry and bitter like Zeus. He can be irritable and for all the world a rotten person but still love his children like Dionysus, or a bit on the softer side while still being bold like Hermes.
It's interesting how much Riordan was able to replicate stories of the Greeks in a way that demonstrates human nature. This story teaches us what we can be, and what we should strive to be, and that our decisions matter.
But let's be real: I don't read books for the life lessons that they teach me. I read them for the entertainment factor.
I found this series wildly entertaining. It's funny, Riordan's pacing is amazing (except in the last book), he's great at tying up loose ends so that there are no plot holes left in the series at the end.
This series was worth the three weeks that I spent reading it, and I will commit another three weeks to reading it again (probably next year). It's one that I highly recommend.
So, to open up discussion, let me ask a few questions! Please feel free to answer these in the comments on my blog, on Facebook, or on Google+!
Who was your favorite character?
Which book in the series was your favorite?
Which of the Olympians was your favorite?
Is there anything you would have changed about this series?
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