The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) | Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) | Rick Riordan | lightening thief

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The Lightning Thie...

	The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) Rick Riordan Thorndike Press, 2006 - 483 pages average customer review:based on 258 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school . . . again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he's not even sure he believes himself.

Until the Minotaur chases him to summer camp.

Suddenly, mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. The gods of Mount Olympus, he's coming to realize, are very much alive in the twenty-first century. And worse, he's angered a few of them: Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy has just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property, and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. On a daring road trip from their summer camp in New York to the gates of the Underworld in Los Angeles, Percy and his friends?one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena?will face a host of enemies determined to stop them. To succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of failure and betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

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A Wow Story!

I am a senior citizen--a librarian--a woman-- who could not possibly be interested in the story of a 12-year-old boy whose ADHD behavior causes him to be moved from private school to private school or that he has momentary lapses when strange behavior takes over or that he finally learns that he is a half-blood (no, not a HP half-blood), but the son of a god. No, I could not possibly be interested in such a far-fetched story, but then again I AM interested in this story because--WOW--what a story!!

Percy Jackson (Perseus at that!) learns in this first installment of The Olympians that he is indeed the son of a god and not some little podunk god, but one of the big three--Poseidon, god of all the seas. As a half-blood, he is given a quest: to find Zeus's thunderbolt. Someone has stolen it, giving rise to the book's title: the Lightning Thief.

If all this seems really strange, then you are normal. After all, we thought Greek mythology was dead. How little we knew, when in reality, it is alive and well and operating in the New West---America. The reader gets so caught up in this new telling of the old myths, ahem, stories of the living gods, that it becomes fresh and vibrant again. In fact, Mt. Olympus is now located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building and accessible only through a special elevator ticket. You must have an appointment to get there.

Percy Jackson's pursuit of the lightning thief is just plain out fun reading. When I had to stop for any period of time, I couldn't wait to get back to the story. If the reader thinks it unrealistic that a 12-year-old is the hero, then put two and two together. Being a hero does not always take brawn--often thinking, intellect, strategy are required to solve a problem. It doesn't hurt that the hero's father is a god who nudges a bit.

The most exciting stop in the quest is coming before this horribly evil presence. I guessed its identity long before it was revealed (as any student of mythology will), so I am giving away no secrets here.

The most fun episodes occur when Ares, god of war, appears as a big ol' motorcycle punk in a black leather jacket. He must wear sunglasses to shield onlookers from his fiery eyes (literally fiery) and his macho, belligerent behavior. Hey! This is the god of war--how did you think he would act? A new piece of information comes out concerning Ares--Yo, are you paying attention?!!--Anyone in his presence suddenly becomes aggressive and must keep a constant check on his temper to prevent untoward behavior! Reader! Stop looking around--I'm right here on this page trying to tell you about Ares!

Does Percy find the thunderbolt? Do you really think I am going to tell you? Whew, that Ares is something else. Glad he is gone for now!

Anyway, quests usually end well, but not without cost, as is true here. Certain things must be addressed. Certain decisions must be made. Ah, this is all so vague. Whatever happens in Book 1, Percy Jackson is ready for whatever awaits in Book 2: "The Sea of Monsters."

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lightening thief

The book came in fantastic condition and my Grandson was delighted with his Birthday gift....thanks...

A fun read - even for fantasy-loving adults!!

My 10-year-old son started reading this series and was enjoying it tremendously, so I thought I'd skim it so we would have a common topic for discussion. Well, I ended up devouring it in record time! It was charming, well written, and had interesting characters. Plus, I've loved mythology ever since I was in school myself, so the whole Olympus/Greek gods tie-in was a major selling point.

The Harry Potter similarities weren't lost on me, but I never felt that Rick Riordan was just taking the cheap and easy way out. Instead, it seems he's giving anyone paying attention a literary "wink".

I'm currently on the third book in the series and I can honestly say that the second book and this one are every bit as enjoyable as the first.

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A New Take Into Mythology

The Lightning Thief has it all: wit, humor, facts, history, and fantasy. I think that's a mix that is rarely used but put to use well by Rick Riordan. I do not think at all that this is a young adult book. Kids all over, from six to twelve, from teenagers to adults, can read it and enjoy it. Percy Jackson is a boy who discovers something big - he is the son of Poseiden. Set in New York City, I believe this is a book that should make the author famous and proud.

My 13 year old son DEVOURED these books!!!!

The Lightening Theif was recommended to us by a book store clerk. We purchased the book at the beginning of the summer and it sat in our schoolroom for months. One day my 13 year old son said "I want to read that lightening book we bought at the bookstore." He read the book in about 3 days and begged for the second. The second book came from Amazon on a Friday afternoon and he finished it Saturday night! Again, he was begging for more. When the UPS truck arrived today he ran outside to get the package ripped it open and ran to his room to start reading. It takes a lot to grab a 13 year old boys attention away from xbox, and wii or playing football and basketball outside but this book series has done it!! Thank you Rick Riordan!

The following review is from my 13 year old son: "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Theif is a great book! I liked the book a lot!! It just kept on going with exciting things and right when you think it is going to die down more exciting things happen. It has a great story that is easy to follow after you get through the first two chapters. It is about a boy named Percy Jackson who lives with his Mom and his Stepdad. Percy gets kicked out of school and ends up going on a quest to find Zeus' master bolt which was stolen from Olympus. The Olympians blame Percy for the theft so Percy has to clear his name, and find the theif."

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