Book Review – The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 1)
Book Review
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 1)
By Rick Riordan
Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars
The Lightning Thief is American author Rick Riordan’s debut novel. It is the first installment in the best-selling Percy Jackson & the Olympians adventure series. It tells the story of Percy Jackson, a twelve-year-old boy dealing with Dyslexia and ADHD, bounced around from school to school. Percy finally finds out that his bad luck is not all of his own doing. It turns out that monsters have been chasing him his entire life because of his blood. While his mom is human, the father he has never known is not. In fact, his father is a god, a mythical god of mount Olympus, making Percy a demi-god or half-blood. Percy is accused of stealing Zeus’ master bolt and it seems that every god and his minions are out to get him. So along with his faithful companions, he must head out on an adventure to prove his innocence, save his mother and avoid a war between the Gods…all while coming to terms with his father and his developing powers…oh and all before the summer solstice.
There are so many things that I love about this book that I don’t know where to start. Firstly, I love how the author uses a relaxed, casual, trendy first-person narrative. It comes off as a terrific personal journal that is almost believable. I also thoroughly enjoy the comedy embedded within the story…everything from the tongue-in-cheek chapter titles to the laugh out loud scenes throughout. I admire how Mr. Riordan blends Greek mythology with the storyline. It’s quite impressive. Also, the many characters are all have distinct personalities and are well defined. The reader gets to know and care for them. Finally, I am a huge fan of the vast amount of action sequences.
On a personal note, reading this book was a huge influence on my writing career. While reading Riordan’s work, I finally realized that I might be able to become an author myself. The seed was planted. I have read the book many times and finally decided to review it. It’s a non-stop fast-paced ride that is sure to thrill most young readers.
