The Lightning Thief – A Percy Jackson Review
Greek Mythology and the Heir to Harry Potter
Nov 10, 2009
There are books to read after Harry Potter and the Lightning Thief, the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, is a fantastic start to a memorable series to follow Harry Potter. Percy Jackson thinks he's a normal kid spending his time being shuffled from one private school to another trying to figure out why he keeps getting expelled. What he doesn't know is that he is the son of a god. Obviously, this would explain everything.
Percy Jackson and Harry Potter
It may be extremely presumptuous to call Percy Jackson the heir to Harry Potter, but he is an excellent replacement for readers eager to move on after finishing the great Harry Potter series. The Lightning Thief takes the same approach that Harry Potter did, but with obvious differences. The main character, Percy Jackson, is clearly different than all of his peers in schools, until one day someone tells him he is the son of a Greek god, also called a half-blood, or demigod. Very similar to Harry Potter's situation in the Philosopher's Stone.
Percy Jackson is also paired with two, close knit friends. His first friend, Grover Underwood, is a satyr (half goat and half human) who was sent to locate Percy and verify if he was a true demigod. Percy's second friend is a girl by the name of Annabeth Chase who is a daughter of Athena and one of the longest tenured campers at Camp Half-Blood for young demigods training to be heroes. No young hero is complete without two friends, each of the opposites sex, even if Grover is not actually human. The similarities tend to end there, but that is what sets the Lightning Thief apart.
Within a few days of being at Camp Half-Blood Percy is singled out after being blamed with stealing Zeus’s Master Lightning Bolt, which he didn’t do. He is quickly whisked away to fulfill a quest set out by the great Oracle of Delphi. Percy leaves with his two friends to go West to Los Angeles and find Hades who he suspects with stealing the Master Bolt in order to start a new war among the other gods on Olympus. It is a harrowing and often humorous quest filled with run-ins with other gods and dangerous monsters.
Greek Mythology of Percy Jackson
As stated above, Percy Jackson is the son of a Greek god set in present time. His mother is a human and living in New York. All the while Percy is thrown head first into a world of myth and completely unknown to him and possibly even the reader. Percy Jackson's great gift to literature is the attention author Rick Riordan gives to equating Greek mythology to today's world. Whether it is the new Mount Olympus being located in New York's Empire State Building or the Underworld of Hades being located under Los Angeles, Mr. Riordan has given great care to making his world seem real.
The overall appeal of the Lightning Thief is centered in the fact that it is based on legends and mythology that have entertained the world for over two thousand years, simply updated. No ten year old is going to snap open the Iliad or the Odyssey to get their fill of the great Greek epics and mythology. Percy Jackson has made Greek mythology interesting again, and quite accessible, without bending the original stories too much.
Of course, it would be ridiculous to tell the same stories over again, but that isn’t what Mr. Riordan does. He puts a spin on the original myths, but not without explaining what happened initially. It’s a carefully designed balance.
A Recommended Read for Harry Potter Fans
With a fast paced tempo and memorable characters, the Lightning Thief is a great start to a series that follows in Harry Potter’s footsteps. Following Harry Potter is no small task, but Rick Riordan does a commendable job. With a splash of mystery and consistent suspense, Percy Jackson keeps the reader focused and impressed. Be sure to follow the Lightning Thief up with book two in Percy Jackson series, the Sea of Monsters.
For books to read after Percy Jackson, please consult this article that has wonderful books to move onto.
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