Percy Jackson is back. Most of him is, anyway. The modern demigod hero (first written about in a series of popular Greek-mythology-laced books by Rick Riordan) didn’t figure much into the first book of the author’s new series, “Heroes of Olympus,” but the second installment finds Percy fighting monsters again—though he can’t remember much about who he is or where he comes from. He’s also not sure why monsters he slays don’t stay dead. His only fragment to cling to is someone named Annabeth, who, as faithful Riordan readers will know, is his girlfriend. Still, Percy slogs forward to Camp Jupiter, a West Coast, Roman-based equivalent of the East Coast, Greek-based camp where he came into his own, even if he can’t recall it. At Camp Jupiter, he meets Hazel and Frank, two more demigods to add to the growing roster, and they ultimately embark on a quest to attempt to free a chained Thanatos—enforcer of the Underworld—from a giant working to wake the titan Gaea and pretty much destroy everything.
At this point, the world Riordan created is as large and complex as that of any epic fantasy novelist. Here, he weaves classic mythology with historic New Orleans and Chinese lore. If it sounds confusing in summation, it isn’t in execution—though loyal fans will have a head start when it comes to grasping how the whole god-demigod-titan-monster world works. About the only thing missing here is the Egyptian pantheon, which Riordan has covered with his ongoing Kane Chronicles.
“What Kids Are Reading” is a regular feature in the Sun, highlighting children’s books available for young readers in Santa Maria. This week’s recommendation was made by Executive Editor Ryan Miller.
This article appears in Mar 15-22, 2012.
