Monday, December 13, 2010

The Lightening Thief

By Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book one


Percy Jackson would really like to forget about his last school trip, during which he was attacked by his math teacher (who then disappears, and whom no one seems to know ever existed), saved by his Latin teacher tossing him a magic pen (or is it a sword?), and thrown out of yet another school (his sixth in as many years, I think.) Unfortunately, that won't be possible. As soon as he gets home, his mom takes him on a trip to the beach, during which his best friend, Grover, shows up (minus pants, plus furry goat legs) pursued by the Minotaur (a half bull, half human monster, for those who aren't familiar with Greek mythology), who is actually looking for Percy. After fighting the Minotaur, who kills Percy's mother, Percy winds up unconscious and when he wakes up, he is at Camp Half-Blood. Turns out, Percy is a demigod: half human, half Greek god. Yup, you heard right, his dad is a Greek god. Unfortunatly, any chance of normality, even for a half-blood, is pretty much out of the question. Zeus's thunderbolt has been stolen, and Percy is the main suspect. Now Percy and his new friends have ten days to find the thunderbolt, solve a mysterious prophecy that warns of betrayal, and uncover an evil plot that threatens the gods themselves, and the rest of the world with them. I don't usually do very popular books like this on here, for some reason, but this was just such a good book. Exciting, exasperating (Is Percy stupid, unlucky, or does he just have a death-wish?), and funny, this is a simply wonderful book. Seriously, read the book. READ IT OR I WILL UNLEASH MRS. DODDS AND THE OTHER KINDLY ONES ON YOU!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!