Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - A Review

Percy Jackson is like and young teenager living in New York, except for the fact that his father is the Greek God, Poseidon. Being the son of the lord of the ocean and of earthquakes has some great advantages, like the ability to manipulate and control water. The downside of this is that since he has come of age his is now a prime target for the enemies of Greek Gods, namely any monster from Greek Mythology that you can think of. And they are all pretty scary.Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is the first in a series of 5 books called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It centers around Percy and his discovery that he is a half-blood, or demigod, the son of a human and a god. He discovers that there are others that share this trait and they gather together in a place called Camp Half Blood.Percy meets with fellow demigods, centaurs, satyrs and other very-much-alive creatures of Ancient Greek Myth and even manages to rub shoulders with a few gods and a rather intimidating prophecy. Soon after he arrives at Camp Half-Blood however things start to fall apart. Percy is accused of stealing the God Zeus' master lightning bolt. After he proclaims his innocence his is given 10 days to prove it and return the bolt to Mount Olympus.Like any first book in an ongoing series, The Lightning Thief has to not only have a compelling story, but it must also set up the characters and more importantly the world which the characters inhabit as engaging and ultimately convincing. Riordan does so deftly.The premise that Greek Gods are alive (so to speak) and living in New York City, is delivered with great conviction and pacing. The story concludes wonderfully, offering a whiplash ending which will not only get young readers back for more but perhaps also get them interested in the mythology behind the story.A highly recommended read for tweens, teens and adult readers. The movie adaptation comes out early February so check that out too. dr seuss cat in hat history