Friday, July 08, 2022

81. The Lightning Thief


The Lightning Thief. Rick Riordan. 2005. 377 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Look I didn't want to be a half-blood. If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life. Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. But if you recognize yourself in these pages--if you feel something stirring inside--stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Premise/plot: Percy Jackson, our hero, is about to be thrown into quite the adventure. It will be quite the fight for survival. Though he doesn't know it at the start, he's a half-blood. His mother is mortal and his father is a god, one of the big three gods, POSEIDON. And well, his very existence is upsetting the order of things. (You see, the big three had a pact that they would not have any more children with mortals. Things get messy when they did.) Soon after the novel opens, he finds himself at camp with others like himself--other halfbloods. He'll be making some great friends--like Grover and Annabeth. Camp may be interesting, but, not nearly as interesting as the quest he's soon given. Percy and his friends have quite an undertaking before them...an undertaking that may even take them to the underworld....and hopefully back again. 

My thoughts: I would have thought I'd have so many reviews of this up on my blog. I guess I haven't reread it nearly as much as I thought I had. That being said, it was so familiar. Each chapter was like an old friend. I have vivid memories of a handful of scenes (like the casino, for example). I also remembered *who* at camp was going to end up fulfilling a certain prophecy that the oracle gave Percy. So a few of the twists and turns and surprises were no longer twisty-turny. But that's a small sacrifice to make for revisiting with such good friends.

I don't think I've reread the others nearly as much. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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