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| The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4) | 
 enlarge | Author: Rick Riordan
Creator: Jesse Bernstein
Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)
Category: Book
List Price: $37.00
Buy New: $9.49
You Save: $27.51 (74%)
New (27) Used (9) from $9.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 98359
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 9
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 073936474X
EAN: 9780739364741
ASIN: 073936474X
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Best Installment So Far!! May 8, 2008
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is the fourth installment of the Percy Jackson series, and the most engrossing since the first one. Percy Jackson and his friends try to explore the Labyrinth in order to find the inventor Daedalus and prevent Kronos from controlling the Labyrinth. This book has a lot of the humor of the first three installments, but it does take itself serious at times. A lot of the plot threads like Pan finally come to end. I am glad that the series has not run out of steam, and I wait steadily for the final installment.
Love The Old Myths Mixing With The New World June 13, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH is the fourth book of Rick Riordan's projected five-book opus, PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS. The series began with THE LIGHTNING THIEF and has constantly picked up steam as it's progressed. I've been reading the series to my son, and we're looking at the fifth and final book coming out next year with a mixture of anticipation and dread.
We want the next book. We want to know how everything turns out for Percy, Grover, Annabeth, and the rest, but we don't want the adventure to end. Riordan's imagination and zest for action is matched only by his wit and humor. We've become fans and end up talking about the books and Greek mythology quite often.
If you haven't read the series yet, you've missed out on a lot. And you'll probably want to stop reading this review now. Otherwise you're going to trip across some spoilers for the earlier three books. Riordan's books, Percy's adventures, are an organic tale, growing and adding to canon with each new volume. Things just don't stay the same in Percy's ever-changing world.
Well, nothing stays the same except Percy's continuing bad luck with schools. At the beginning of this one, Percy's mom has a new boyfriend that gets Percy into a well-respected school that Percy normally wouldn't have a shot at with his past record of suspicious destruction. Sure enough, almost as soon as Percy sets foot on school grounds, he's attacked by demonic cheerleaders (the empousai, from Greek myth) and the school BURNS.
I couldn't help laughing throughout the section as I read it. Friends of Percy are going to be blown away by the sequence even though they're expecting it. My son and I kept cracking each other up for days afterward. These books just keep on giving!
The book turns more serious, to a degree, when Luke's plans to invade Camp Half-Blood are revealed. Luke, Percy's arch-enemy, is still trying to bring the Titan Kronos back to life so he can wreak vengeance against the Greek gods. Camp Half-Blood, because it houses and trains so many of the demi-gods - the children of the gods with mortal parents, is a prime target.
As always, Riordan establishes the roots of his story in traditional Greek myth. This one deals with Daedalus, the famed inventor that created the Labyrinth that housed the Minotaur. According to Riordan's story, the Labyrinth has become - to a degree - a living thing that continues growing throughout the world and time. I loved the concept and my son was totally engrossed in the idea that the world was honeycombed with magical tunnels. This is the kind of thinking I've come to rely on the author for.
There are other adventures that take place before Percy, Annabeth, and Grover find an opening to the Labyrinth and climb down inside it, but once they're in place the adventure kicks into high gear. They're chasing after Nico, the son of Hades, that no one else at the camp knows about. Percy feels guilty about the death of Nico's sister and doesn't want everyone weirding out about the younger boy. Percy still believes he has a chance to set things straight between him and Nico.
Grover's situation has gotten more dire regarding his hunt for the god, Pan. With all the failures Grover has racked up, the satyr community is thinking about pulling Grover's searcher's license, which means he can't continue hunting for Pan. A lot of things are at stake in this one.
Tyson, Percy's Cyclopean half-brother, stars in this one as well. I have to admit, Tyson is one of my favorite characters in the books. Tyson, with all his childish innocence, has won a special place in the hearts of my son and I. Every time Tyson's on stage we're just waiting to see what he's going to say or do. In this one, Tyson gets to meet Briares, one of the Hundred-Handed Ones, an ancient from Greek myth. Briares's reaction to his jailer is hilarious and I don't want to spoil it, but my son and I went around doing it for days, to the point my wife believed we'd taken leave of our senses. She hasn't quite gotten into the Olympian view yet.
In addition to all the great imagery and dialogue, Riordan continues piling on the Greek mythology in this one. I love how he twists it and brings it into our world. And he dangles each cliffhanger and reveal of the plot with evident glee and precise precision. This next year of waiting is going to be a long one.
Astounding May 8, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is by far one of the best series I have ever read! It ranks right up there with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. It's writing is so original! Somehow it manages to be sarcastic and funny and sound like a teenager without getting tiring. I finished it in two days and wandered around for about an hour wishing I was still reading it!
Awesome Book! May 16, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is one of the best books I've read recently. It is cool because it has all the Greek Gods. It is a fast pased adventure/fantasy book with great dialog. I would recomend it to anyone.
Still like these better than Mr. Potter. May 20, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Percy and friends have it hard this time. Annabeth has been chosen to lead a team into the labyrinth, which they have discovered an entry in Camp Half-Blood. Grover has been given a week to fine the God, Pan, or his searcher's license will be revoked. Luke is an ever present threat, as well as Kronos. But I can't tell too much more, or I will give it all away.
This series is still good. In fact, it's so good. I devoured this book in about two sittings and now I should reread it because, wow... it's so good! I feel like Riordan is starting to go downward on his story arc, so I believe we can expect one, maybe two more books, and that is it. That said, these are quite popular, and Riordan may be compelled to pull an L. Frank Baum and just continue to write the series.
These are still one of my favorites. I like them more than Harry Potter, still, because it's Greek mythology and that has always been a favorite of mine. I will be sad to see these go. That said, we have a little while before that happens. I'm so glad that Riordan continues to write this, and I am so glad that it is snowballing in popularity. I love these books. I loved this book. I am so happy about it all.
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