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silverthunder) wrote2010-06-09 09:38 am
silverthunder) wrote2010-06-09 09:38 am
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Percy Jackson and the Olympians
So, I recently finished reading the five-book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Which was pretty good.
Since I saw the movie first, I figured I knew what to expect from these books. And, well, in terms of the basic premise, I guess I did. But they were so different and had a much more original and interesting flavor than the movie. The characters in the film seemed a little bland; in the book, they were fun. The story was also a lot more engaging.
I haven't read a first-person narrative in published fiction for a while, so it took a little getting used to. It worked for this particular story, though. I get a real kick out of this kind of narrative when it's used properly and has the right tint of humor.
I know a few people on my friends list are going to call blasphemy on me, but I liked this series better than Harry Potter. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Harry Potter, but these books were even better. The action, the hero, the storyline, and the mythology were all just way more interesting to me.
Plus, I gotta say, Riordan does a much better job with the romance than J.K. Rowling did. Percy's ultimate romance definitely didn't feel like it was tossed in at the last minute, anyway. There was an actual gradual build-up. It was developed and fleshed out. And it had that lovely awkward adolescent edge to it that I adore so much.
Anyway, I suppose I should get to the point: the books.
This is another of those series where the hero ages during the course of it, so it has the benefit of being a coming-of-age story at the same time as it is a fantasy adventure. And for all his flaws, Percy is a likeable hero. Being in on his thoughts helps with that, too. Plus, the author didn't forget about the other characters; you still get to see their character growth through Percy's eyes.
The cast of characters is a pretty sizeable one, considering there's a camp full of demigods who interact with the main characters on a more or less regular basis. New characters were introduced in every book, and you had a whole pack of side characters to remember. I didn't have problems with it, though. There weren't too many times when I found myself wracking my brain trying to remember who was who and what their significance was. It also has a way of making you like characters you may have hated earlier. Which is cool.
At no point when reading the books did I find the story lagged or that my interest started to wander. When I was reading, I just wanted to keep going. The last book is pretty much one big battle, but it still held my interest (although I found it the least compelling of the five overall).
I'd also categorize this as a good re-read series. I suspect I'll pick up even more tidbits on future passes through it.
The author did a decent job in terms of making the book feminist-friendly, too, despite the fact that the main three Gods were all male (that's not exactly the author's fault, though, since this is all following Greek mythology). Lots of strong female characters around, and they don't get held back out of the fighting to be protected. Our main heroine Annabeth is probably more frequently saving Percy than the other way around (they kind of made her more the 'sultry but tough' chick in the movie, though - bleh). Thalia was also pretty awesome, and there were a bunch more who weren't as much in the spotlight who got some kickass moments as well.
All in all, this series was very fun to read. I'm glad I picked them up, and I recommend anyone who hasn't done so to... well... do so.
Since I saw the movie first, I figured I knew what to expect from these books. And, well, in terms of the basic premise, I guess I did. But they were so different and had a much more original and interesting flavor than the movie. The characters in the film seemed a little bland; in the book, they were fun. The story was also a lot more engaging.
I haven't read a first-person narrative in published fiction for a while, so it took a little getting used to. It worked for this particular story, though. I get a real kick out of this kind of narrative when it's used properly and has the right tint of humor.
I know a few people on my friends list are going to call blasphemy on me, but I liked this series better than Harry Potter. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Harry Potter, but these books were even better. The action, the hero, the storyline, and the mythology were all just way more interesting to me.
Plus, I gotta say, Riordan does a much better job with the romance than J.K. Rowling did. Percy's ultimate romance definitely didn't feel like it was tossed in at the last minute, anyway. There was an actual gradual build-up. It was developed and fleshed out. And it had that lovely awkward adolescent edge to it that I adore so much.
Anyway, I suppose I should get to the point: the books.
This is another of those series where the hero ages during the course of it, so it has the benefit of being a coming-of-age story at the same time as it is a fantasy adventure. And for all his flaws, Percy is a likeable hero. Being in on his thoughts helps with that, too. Plus, the author didn't forget about the other characters; you still get to see their character growth through Percy's eyes.
The cast of characters is a pretty sizeable one, considering there's a camp full of demigods who interact with the main characters on a more or less regular basis. New characters were introduced in every book, and you had a whole pack of side characters to remember. I didn't have problems with it, though. There weren't too many times when I found myself wracking my brain trying to remember who was who and what their significance was. It also has a way of making you like characters you may have hated earlier. Which is cool.
At no point when reading the books did I find the story lagged or that my interest started to wander. When I was reading, I just wanted to keep going. The last book is pretty much one big battle, but it still held my interest (although I found it the least compelling of the five overall).
I'd also categorize this as a good re-read series. I suspect I'll pick up even more tidbits on future passes through it.
The author did a decent job in terms of making the book feminist-friendly, too, despite the fact that the main three Gods were all male (that's not exactly the author's fault, though, since this is all following Greek mythology). Lots of strong female characters around, and they don't get held back out of the fighting to be protected. Our main heroine Annabeth is probably more frequently saving Percy than the other way around (they kind of made her more the 'sultry but tough' chick in the movie, though - bleh). Thalia was also pretty awesome, and there were a bunch more who weren't as much in the spotlight who got some kickass moments as well.
All in all, this series was very fun to read. I'm glad I picked them up, and I recommend anyone who hasn't done so to... well... do so.
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