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| The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Miramax
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $6.95
You Save: $11.00 (61%)
New (36) Used (14) from $6.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  265 reviews
Sales Rank: 4158
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.4
ISBN: 064172344X
EAN: 9780786856299
ASIN: 0786856297
Publication Date: June 28, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 260 more reviews...
 Like a Hipper Harry Potter May 19, 2006
101 out of 106 found this review helpful
There's always the "what to read while waiting for the next HP" question for some of us, but...now don't get upset folks - I like Harry Potter as much as you do - "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" has a modern, hip, even urban style that people weary of Harry's earnest heroism may actually PREFER.
Plus, people with an interest in legends and myths will bug their eyes out with excitement, because the premise of "Percy Jackson" is that there are a handful of kids who are in fact the children of Greek gods and goddesses, who had come down to dally with modern Americans. These kids, called "half-bloods" in the book, grow up not knowing their origins, alienated by their disjointed lives and absent parents. (A nice conceit of the book is that many half-bloods have dyslexia, but only because their minds are wired for ancient Greek, and ADHD, but only because their minds are wired for hunting, a notion that should give a lot of comfort to real kids with these real problems.) But there are forces of darkness - monsters - whose aim it is to destroy such kids. They are only protected at a special camp - "Camp Half-Blood." Percy, who turns out to be a son of Poseidon, lands at this camp, but must eventually leave it and risk the monsters, to fulfill a Quest.
Even on the basis of this short description you can see there are a lot of superficial similarities to the Potter books - an orphan, with supernatural powers, who has two friends (one brainy girl and one geeky sidekick), several envious rival students. He goes to a special school and learns he is highly skilled at the school's favorite sport (in this case chariot racing). He is personally charged with a quest that, should he fail, will result in the ruin of the world.
Author Rick Riordan almost seems to be teasing the audience with these similarities - but he's having fun with it, and his style and humor are refreshing, humorous, and quite different from Rowling's. (He gets to the point MUCH faster - the action starts on page 1 and never stops!) My 12-year-old son, to be honest, prefers this, and identifies with it more readily. It's a clever enough read for adults to enjoy. Highly, highly recommended.
 A Fresh New Fantasy Tale For Children! August 1, 2005
32 out of 38 found this review helpful
Rick Riordan steps into the world of children's publishing after a successful adult writing career with the very well imagined new fantasy adventure; "The Lightning Thief". Percy Jackson is a 12 year old boy who up until he finds out that he is a half-blood (the son of a mortal and a god), thought that he was just a stupid loser with ADHD who kept getting thrown out of boarding school after boarding school. After a disaster filled year at his latest boarding school where he accidentally vaporizes his evil math teacher; Percy finds out that his best friend Grover is a Satyr, discovers the wonderful Camp Half-Blood where kids like him go for the summer to train against monsters, and also that he is accused of something so terrible that it just might cause the war of all wars between the gods. Percy is a realistic character who has a tougher edge than most fantasy characters out there with a sardonic undertone. He's been through a lot of bullying at his many schools and he's no whimp which makes reading about his adventure all of the more exciting. The supporting characters however are not as realistic and 3-dimensional. Grover the Satyr and Annabel, a daughter of Athena, accompany Percy on his adventure to stop the war between the gods and that seems to be the only reason that they are there; to make a trio. They do have some back story that makes them almost interesting, but not enough to reach the caliber of Percy. The real power of this story that makes it so great is the element of Greek mythology that has never really played a main part in books before as much as it does in this one. The creativeness that Riordan uses to blend the mythology with modern times is what really makes this book enjoyable for all children everywhere. This book is a great original read for kids, with a movie version already on the way. Although it has some flaws, it is very enjoyable, action packed, and full of creative ways that modernize the classic Greek myths. Children everywhere are sure to be clamoring for the sequel.
 Mixed Message January 16, 2006
23 out of 57 found this review helpful
The engaging and well-crafted main storyline in this novel earns it one star. The underlying message loses four stars. Percy Jackson, the hero of the story, adores his supposedly-wonderful mother. She has had an affair with Percy's father. She still loves him but purposefully marries a slob, using him as a cover for her son. Percy rationalizes why it is wrong for him to kill this bum, but leaves the means to do so in his dear mother's hands. She does the dirty deed herself. This is presented in the story as clever and funny. Our hero still adores his mother. I can forgive his short-sightedness - he is a kid. Unfortunately, the author of this book is not.
Who's yo' Daddy? May 6, 2007
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
Percy Jackson has always been different from other kids. He's dyslexic and suffers from ADHD, and is always getting into trouble. He's been expelled several times, and the only thing that holds his interest is Greek mythology.
We soon learn that Percy has close ties with Mount Olympus, and when monsters from mythology start popping up looking for his blood, he ends up at a very special school for kids like himself, where he starts to put things together to find out who he really is.
Before he knows it, he's off on a quest with his two friends, Grover and Annabeth, to recover a powerful lightning bolt, property of Zeus, which has been stolen, supposedly by Percy himself. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are having a little disagreement about the theft of the said lightning bolt, and unless Percy can retrieve it and return it in time, the resulting fallout will have earth-shattering consequences.
This great (albeit relatively unknown) first book of the series is an easy read, and is sure to encourage young readers to improve their knowledge of Greek mythology, especially the stories of the Minotaur, Medusa and the gods Poseidon, Ares, Zeus, Hades, Kronos, Athena and so on. Highly recommended for young readers in search of an original and imaginative adventure series.
Amanda Richards
Greek mythology mixed around in a pot July 2, 2007
18 out of 50 found this review helpful
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is one of the rare children's books I cannot recommend. I'm disappointed because I wanted to like the story, but it is so derivitive. Unfortunately, The Lightning Thief reads more like the story of young Hercules than an original work of fiction. Anyone who has read Greek mythology will recognize the many borrowed ideas. Anyone who has watched Hercules or Xena will know how the plot is going to work out.
Putting Percy Jackson in a more modern setting doesn't help much either, and the early set up of the story seems to be torn from the pages of Harry Potter where poor Percy is the subject of abuse and a misfit that doesn't fit in who later discovers a magical world. Instead of Hogwarts though, Percy journeys off to Camp Half-Blood where special kids like him go to train against monsters.
Reading this book was a chore and I couldn't wait until it was over. I'll read the others but only because I've already purchased them. My kids, however, says they're not going to continue. They give the story two thumbs done.
My advice on this one is to purchase the first book only. That way if you don't like it, you won't have wasted your money on the other books.
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