Presenting Author - Rick Riordan

[Prof. Astrid Black]

Name of the author: Rick Riordan

Main genre: Fiction/ Mythology/ Fantasy
Main audience: Young Adult

Rick Riodan has been praised many times over for his ability to bring ancient mythologies to a young audience in a way that is exciting and fun for them to read. He has written of several pantheons and has yet to miss with his target audience. I have read all of his mythology based books but have never gone into his mystery series as I have yet to find it.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian

The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades, The Blood of Olympus

The Kane Chronicles
The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, The Serpent's Shadow

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
The Sword of Summer, The Hammer of Thor (not out yet)

The Trials of Apollo
The Hidden Oracle, The Dark Prophecy (not out yet)

Short summary of the author: Brings ancient mythology into the 21st century in an updated and yet classic way. He holds true to the personality of each god and keeps each of their distinctive qualities to them. His characters are believable and relate-able in a way that makes them seem like real people. His stories are beginning to coalesce, showing a world that is inhabited by many different pantheons. He has brought up real life issues in his books and has had his characters deal with them in different ways to reveal to his audience how someone else may think of the issue or even help them understand. While his mystery series is great (from what I hear), Rick has found his stride with his mythology series.

Good points / bad points: Good points - highly readable with relate-able characters and good plot progression. Bad points - He doesn't really bring the ancient myths up much and when he does it's usually a cliff-notes version. It's normally brought up as a god talking about a memory or someone talking about a myth and how it pertains to the situation at hand.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Great choice, Astrid.

I've read the Olympians series and enjoyed it. (Actually, I read quite a few of the Olympians series ... haven't read all of them yet).

I read The Kane Chronicles -- The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, The Serpent's Shadow -- and LOVED them. Ended up buying them and putting them on my own shelves.

I don't know why I loved The Kane Chronicles so much when I just enjoyed the Olympians. It's the same author after all ... But it's a whole different cast of characters -- not just the brother/sister (family) thing but the deities are different too. Greece and Rome compared to Egypt? Maybe I don't care for the Greek/Romans deities so much.

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

Title of the book: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Yes (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
Main Genres: Fantasy / Mythology / Fiction
Main Audience: Young Adult

Short summary of the story (from Goodreads):

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.

Good points / bad points: What I really loved the most about this book is the inclusion of Greek Mythology. I think it is a clever and more importantly, a fun way to introduce the history and mythology to a younger audience. I do agree with Astrid who said that the characters are quite relatable, very nicely developed, and realistic while the plot does not drag on too much. The action and humor were also great.

I think that the only problem I have with the book is that I did not read it when I was its target audience. Not that it is bad to read, not at all, but I felt a certain disconnect at times which quite likely stems from me reading the book as an adult.

[Iverian Gnash]

Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson
Genre: Greek Mythology
This was my first time picking up Percy Jackson so I didn't know what to expect. This first book was really good in my opinion, but always being a HP fan, it seemed like it was the same story. A boy with a broken family finds out he's special and goes off to a magical school. And between the two, HP was better
The actual story in itself was good. My siblings are huge fans of Percy Jackson, so I'll go ahead and read the rest Basically, this boy, Percy Jackson, finds out he's a half blood and goes off to camp half blood where he goes on a quest to retrieve Zeus's master bolt and succeeds, making friends along the way.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Title of the book: The Red Pyramid
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Yes - The Kane Chronicles
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Adventure
Short summary of the story: Carter Kane, living with his dad, Julius Kane, for 6 years, is reunited with his sister, Sadie, who has been living with their mother's parents for the past 6 years. They had lived together with their mother (Ruby Kane) and father until the death of their mother, 6 years ago. That's when the family split up ... and the sibling got to see each other twice a year. The story opens with the family reunited on Christmas Eve. But the reuniting doesn't last long as Julius Kane vanishes, and the brother and sister discover that magic is real -- and can hurt them.
They learn about magic, they learn of their bloodlines, and they learn what they must do, and be, in order to help rescue their father.
Good points / bad points: I had read this book a couple of years ago or more and, while I didn't remember all parts of it, the feel of the story immediately was familiar. The mythologies of Ancient Egypt are quite different from the mythologies of Ancient Greece, and the gods and the people 'of' those gods are quite different. For some reason, while it is sort of obvious that the same person wrote both the Kane Chronicles and the Olympian books, it's almost like he's using a different mindset in the writing of them. I really enjoyed reading The Red Pyramid and am glad I did while I'm not tempted at all (at this moment anyway) to reread the Percy Jackson books!

Goodreads has this as a synopsis -

Since his mother's death six years ago, Carter Kane has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the globe with his father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. But while Carter's been homeschooled, his younger sister, Sadie, has been living with their grandparents in London. Sadie has just what Carter wants—school friends and a chance at a "normal" life. But Carter has just what Sadie longs for—time with their father. After six years of living apart, the siblings have almost nothing in common. Until now.

On Christmas Eve, Sadie and Carter are reunited when their father brings them to the British Museum, with a promise that he's going to "make things right." But all does not go according to plan: Carter and Sadie watch as Julius summons a mysterious figure, who quickly banishes their father and causes a fiery explosion.

Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. To save their father, they must embark on a dangerous journey—a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Title of the book: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Yes - Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Main Genres: Fantasy / Mythology / Fiction / Young Adult
Main Audience: young adult on

This is a re-read. I'd read it (and many of the sequel books) years ago and someone a couple of days ago read it and talked about it -- and somehow, of a sudden, I wanted to read it again. I enjoyed the book a lot more on this re-read. There was subtle humour which I'd missed on the first read-through. This book isn't just for kids! Oh oh.

I think some of the greatness of it is that the chapters have sub-titles. How can this miss? *ONE* - I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER. What what? Then it starts out with a warning not to read the book.
"Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.
If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now."

Well, I'm hooked. I think that a lot of the mythology, as presented, was more of a turn-off the first time I'd read the story. While a lot of research had obviously been done, I didn't like how they (the Gods) were presented. This time around, I mostly just shined on attempting to balance out the studies and what I already knew about them (and mythology around them) and focused more on 'this' interpretation of who and what they are -- and the story as it built.

I just now realized that the 'actual' Goodreads write-up is already above in another post, so looked for another viewpoint. To my surprise I found a review written by someone who is a published author and actually knows quite a bit about mythology - and is someone I know ...

You know, for a great reluctance in delving into the "modern, child's" take on Greek mythology, reading this book was a great deal of fun. I really did enjoy it from beginning to end, and Book 1 certainly has not put me off wanting to read the next installment.

Reading in Percy's point of view was probably the reason why it worked. His way of seeing things was humorous, and I practically sat there following his thought process (although I'd like to think that I was faster in getting with the program as far as the "mythological" allusions were). His sidekicks were not annoying (I love Grover and Annabeth!), and the story was fast-paced and easy to follow.

I'm still a little iffy on the "mythology" part, but that's mostly because I have problems with the whole modernized Underworld thing.

I'm going to continue on with the series. While it is true that I loved the Kane Chronicles (and actually purchased them), and so far don't feel a compulsion to buy this series, I think a re-read of at least the first few will be fun.

[Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis]

In the past few weeks, I read the Percy Jackson series for the first time. I figured that I could use a quicker read and I have always been interested in mythology, so it seemed like a good choice. I enjoyed all the allusions to Greek (and some Roman) mythology. The series is tailored for a younger audience, so the fine details weren't all there, but I still feel like I learned a lot. For me, it was neat that a lot of the action took place in New York. But since the series is very US-centered, it can be difficult for others to get into. It was amazing how Rick Riordan kept drawing more and more from Greek mythology. After the first book, I thought he already used everything I could think of, but there was more material for four more books! I felt the characters were easy to relate to, even some of the monsters. I really like how heroes having a fatal flaw is mentioned early on. Overall, a fun read with a suitable ending.

I was reading the final book, The Last Olympian, last night and got to this:
"It's August 18th," she said. "Your birthday, right?"

Sadly, when I looked at the time it was just past midnight. If only I had read a little faster or did not go back to read that one passage...

[Iverian Gnash]

Title: The Sea of Monsters
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Greek Mythology

Synopsis:
I read The Lightning Thief a while ago and didn't get into the Percy Jackson world then. This summer, after stopping at a bookstore on a road trip, my sister got The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse. With not too much else to do on the long car ride, I picked them up, read both, and loved them! The Sea of Monsters was about Percy Jackson who finds out he has a half-brother cyclops named Tyson. Percy's friend, Grover, is in trouble on an expedition to find the God of the Wild, Pan. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson set out to rescue him encountering trouble along the way in the form of Luke, a half-blood, who wants to fight against the gods. Percy and his friends rescue Grover in the end who was being trapped on an island by Polyphemus, a cyclops. When they finally got to the Golden Fleece, which they were trying to get because someone poisoned Thalia's tree and the safety barrier around Camp Half-Blood was weakening as the tree died, they took it and the whole island began to slowly die almost as it lost the power the Golden Fleece gave. This oddly affected me a bit cause they described the island as so pretty and I didn't like hearing that it lost its beauty (even if it has vicious sheep and a nasty cyclops on it) I really liked The Sea of Monsters because it brought in an entirely new challenge for Percy with family dynamics and finding out about Tyson. It was interesting to watch how his feelings towards him changed as the books progressed. With Grover gone, this book was pretty different from the first book since the first one had a lot of Grover in it and while The Sea of Monsters was centered around finding Grover, he wasn't with them on the quest.

[Iverian Gnash]

Title: The Titan's Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Greek Mythology

Synopsis:
The Titan's Curse is the third book in the Percy Jackson series. This one, in my opinion, had even more action than the last two. It was about Percy Jackson and his friends who find Nico and Bianca, two half-blood children, who they retrieve from the boarding school they attend. They're attacked before they even get out the doors and The Hunters of Artemis rescue them, but Annabeth gets taken. Bianca decides to join the Hunters. Artemis leaves the group to go on a quest and she is taken captive. The rest of them all head back to Camp Half-Blood. Percy, Grover, Thalia, Zoe, and Bianca leave camp to rescue Artemis and Annabeth from Kronos, the titan lord. They are able to get them back in the end, but with a few major casualties. The Titan's Curse was my favorite book in the series so far because Thalia was back and it brought in the Hunters of Artemis who were amusing and annoying at the same time XD Another game of capture the flag was played *loves that game* between the Hunters of Artemis and the campers. It was interesting to hear what camp was like when most of the kids weren't there too. The Percy Jackson series has introduced me to a lot of Greek Mythology that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. Tyson wasn't in this book very much because he was working for Poseidon, which I found kind of disappointing because I liked Tyson in the second book LOL I find it interesting how the second book took Grover away from the group and this one took Annabeth away from the group and introduced two more characters. The Titan's Curse really brought the uprising to a head and a lot of damage was caused, so I assume the next book might have even more issues XD

[Lizzi Long]

Title of the book: The Lost Hero
Authors: Rick Riodan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus
Genres: YA Fantasy, Mythology
Short summary of the story: This is the Goodreads synopsis
When Jason, Piper and Leo crash land at Camp Half-Blood, they have no idea what to expect. Apparently this is the only safe place for children of the Greek Gods - despite the monsters roaming the woods and demigods practising archery with flaming arrows and explosives. But rumours of a terrible curse - and a missing hero - are flying around camp. It seems Jason, Piper and Leo are the chosen ones to embark on a terrifying new quest, which they must complete by the winter solstice. In just four days time. Can the trio succeed on this deadly mission - and what must they sacrifice in order to survive?

Good points / bad points: I loved this book. What I really liked about this book is that it has representation, namely that Leo is Hispanic? (someone please correct me if I'm wrong), and Piper is Cherokee. I also liked that the Roman aspect is brought in, and that there are 2 different demigod camps, and their history. I am really interested in how it played out, and the history of the conflict between the camps. One downfall is that I need more Percy. I love that guy, and I know that he will appear in the next book, but I still need more Percy. Leo is honestly hilarious. I connect with this guy on a different level. His comments would be something that I would say. I do think that there are too much POV's. I think Rick Riordan should've chosen one POV and stuck with it, as their different voices are very similar in my opinion (could be just me to be honest). I do love being back into this world.

My Goodreads review (I know it's the same, but this is where I got it from)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2111706786

[Lizzi Long]

Title of the book: The Son of Neptune
Authors: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus
Genres: YA Fantasy, Mythology
Short summary of the story: This is taken from Goodreads

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem—when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wishes she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

Good points / bad points: Well, I did like this one. There is Percy, for once. Like, I love this guy and his comments. His witty remarks made my day. Some of my favourite quotes.

“Um...is that thing tame?" Frank said.
The horse whinnied angrily.
"I don't think so," Percy guessed. "He just said, 'I will trample you to death, silly Chinese Canadian baby man'.”

“Reyna sent me to get Percy," Frank said. "Did Octavian accept you?"
"Yeah," Percy said. "He slaughtered my panda.”

I'm fine!" Percy yelled out as he ran by, followed by a giant screaming bloody murder.”

I was laughing the entire time. Also, he has amnesia, and the only thing he remembers is Annabeth. This is cute. I also enjoyed where the story is going. It's a big different, but I do like it. Ella is amazing in her own way. She would be me in a sense. I also do like the rep in this book, with Frank being Canadian Chinese and Hazel being black. Her story is so interesting though. I would love to have her entire story. I am going to continue on with my reread, as I am missing the world of Rick Riordan. They are so good, and the characters are just so amazing. He is probably one of my auto-buy authors.

[Lizzi Long]

Title of the book: The Mark of Athena
Authors: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus
Genres: YA, fantasy
Short summary of the story: Thank you Goodreads for the summary

ONE FATAL PROPHECY

SEVEN BRAVE DEMIGODS
A QUEST TO FIND - AND CLOSE - THE DOORS OF DEATH.

Annabeth felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth across her neck. She heard that whispering laughter again, as if the presence had followed her from the ship.

She looked up at the Argo II. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight.Part of her wanted to kidnap Percy right now, get on board and get out of here while they still could.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. She couldn't risk losing Percy again.

Good points / bad points:
So, that ending. That was a big risk, and now I want to know more, even though I already read House of Hades. Why is this a thing? Why did this book end on the biggest cliffhanger possible? I'm in so much pain right now, and I need to read the next book. Also, Percabeth. They are so adorable in this book. They are the best fictional couple. Give me more of them.
On a different note, I did really like the book. I enjoyed that we gotten chapters from Annabeth's POV, but I think that they did not really add to the story. It was just ok. Give me more Percy POV, as those are great. But that's because I love Percy. I also did really like Leo, because his humour is on point. I'm totally on Team Leo. But also his struggles hit close to home sometimes, and thats why I like him so much. Jason, I don't know what to feel about him. He is like a ripoff Percy.

Again, there are some amazing quotes in this book. To list a few:

“On the bright side," Percy said, "both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up.”

“Delaying death is one of my favorite hobbies”

“We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again.”

[Lizzi Long]

Title of the book: Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes
Authors: Rick Riordan
Series: Companion book to the Percy Jackson World
Genres: YA, Retelling
Short summary of the story: This book is basically Percy telling the reader the stories of 12 demigods from Ancient Greece, from Hercules to Perseus and a lot more.
Good points / bad points: I loved this. I went through it very slowly, but that's because there is a lot of information in this book. The one fact that makes this book great is that its 500 pages of Percy Jackson. He is telling you the stories, but then in Percy's way. Which means that it's absolutely hilarious. His comments are great, and the humour included in the book is just great. I was laughing the whole time while reading this. And of course there are some great lines in this book, courtesy of Percy.

“Oops. Sorry, everybody. This book is not officially endorsed by the proper Muse. If it explodes in your hand, my bad.”

FEAR NOT, said a voice from the glitter. I AM ZEUS, LORD OF THE SKY. YOU LOOK FINE, GIRL. DO YOU WANT TO HANG OUT?”

“No one should know his entire fate. It's too dangerous and too depressing. Just keep going, do your best, and hope it's good enough. That's all any of us can do.”

“I hate Hera.”

[Lizzi Long]

Title of the book: The House of Hades
Authors: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus
Genres: YA urban fantasy/mythology
Short summary of the story: This is from Goodreads Hazel stands at a crossroads. She and the remaining crew of the Argo II could return home with the Athena Parthenos statue and try to stop Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from going to war. Or they could continue their quest to find the House of Hades, where they might be able to open the Doors of Death, rescue their friends Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, and prevent monsters from being reincarnated in the mortal world. Whichever road they decide to take, they have to hurry, because time is running out. Gaea, the bloodthirsty Earth Mother, has set the date of August 1 for her rise to power.

Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed. How will the two of them make it through Tartarus? Starving, thirsty, and in pain, they are barely able to stumble on in the dark and poisonous landscape that holds new horrors at every turn. They have no way of locating the Doors of Death. Even if they did, a legion of Gaea's strongest monsters guards the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth and Percy can't exactly launch a frontal assault.

Despite the terrible odds, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy, and the other demigods of the prophecy know that there is only one choice: to attempt the impossible. Not just for themselves, but for everyone they love. Even though love can be the riskiest choice of all.

Join the demigods as they face their biggest challenges yet in The House of Hades, the hair-raising penultimate book in the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series

Good points / bad points:
So, this book. A lot happened in this book. I don't know where to start. Maybe with that cliffhanger of that last book? Because that is just cruel. Why would anyone do that? Anyway, moving on. First of all, I really enjoyed this book. Especially the chapters from Percy's POV. Why can't the entire book be from his POV? Also, Percabeth for life. They are so cute in this book. Can't there be a novella or something with just Percy and Annabeth being cute. Because I would totally read that. Also, Leo. I love Leo. How could you not. He is amazing, and he never fails to make me laugh. I do wonder how the thing with Calypso will work out. Like, never leave. There is a lot of character development in this book as well which I can appreciate. Now with some awesome quotes from this book, because Rick Riordan has some of the best ones.

“Keep climbing,' he told himself.
'Cheeseburgers,' his stomach replied.
'Shut up,' he thought.
'With fries,' his stomach complained.”

“We’ve arrived,” Leo announced. “Time to Split.”
Frank groaned. “Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?”

[Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis]

Title of the book: The Serpent's Shadow
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Kane Chronicles
Genres: Fantasy, Egyptian Mythology, Adventure, Young Adult

Short summary of the story:
In the third and final installment of The Kane Chronicles, Carter and Sadie Kane figure out how to implement their plan to thwart the Chaos snake Apophis and prevent Doomsday.

Good points / bad points:
Overall, I feel that everything that I wanted to happen did happen. It was great to see more monsters and new characters introduced, as well as the return of some favorites. This book felt slightly more disjointed than the previous books because Carter and Sadie went on separate adventures to get what they needed for their plan. I also wish they had more time with their parents. There was a lot of traveling and battling. I learned new fun facts about Egyptian mythology and history. I hope the Kanes will appear again in a future Riordan book!

[Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis]

Title of the book: The Lost Hero
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Adventure

Short summary of the story: Link to above post
Jason, Piper, and Leo are on a field trip to the Grand Canyon for Wilderness Camp when a storm hits. They are rescued and brought to Camp Half-Blood where they are given a quest to be completed by the winter solistice.

Good points / bad points:
It was great to be back at Camp Half-Blood! I loved seeing familiar characters from the Percy Jackson series and learning more about the background of some of them. Of the new characters, Leo is definitely the most interesting to me. He is "fiery" and always tinkering with something. Jason was the most difficult for me to connect with, but he also didn't have his memories for the majority of the book. Piper is brilliant with her charmspeak and her fighting spirit. I love that appearance isn't the focus of a daughter of Aphrodite. Sometimes it was hard to remember who was narrating each chapter. They didn't seem to have completely distinct voices yet. Once again, the story was packed with adventure, travelling, and monsters. This time there were references to Greek and Roman mythology. It was fun to see the overlap and I can't wait to meet the rest of the heroes.

[Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis]

Title of the book: The Son of Neptune
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Adventure

Short summary of the story: Link to above post
Percy is alone and fighting off monsters until he makes his way into Camp Jupiter, where he meets Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque. The Roman god of war, Mars, appears at camp to claim Frank as his son. Mars also issues a quest to rescue Thanatos, the god of death, from a giant named Alcyoneus, who is hiding in Alaska, the land beyond the gods.

Good points / bad points:
It was really interesting to see the similarities and differences between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. Since I'm already familiar with Percy's story, it was nice that Riordan could delve a little deeper into the backstories of Frank and Hazel. Both of them have very complicated histories and really awesome abilities. The supporting cast was also quite colorful, like Arion, the gold-eating, potty mouth horse, and Ella, the harpy who remembers everything she reads. The Amazons definitely made an impression. It was great to see Nico, Tyson, and Mrs. O'Leary again! Can't wait to see what happens when the Greek and Roman worlds finally come together!

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Title of the book: The Burning Maze
Authors: Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Adventure
Short summary of the story: This is the third book of The Trials of Apollo series. I'd read the first one, where Apollo ticked off his father, Zeus, and was sent to the planet with the body of a mortal, 16-year-old boy. No super powers, no immense strength, no nothing to mark him as the extraordinary being that of course he is -- and to top it off he has teenage acne. He ends up in Camp Half-Blood - and the story goes on from there. This story starts where he has yet another extremely dangerous set of tasks to complete, but by now he has new friends (and yes, has acquired some new enemies), and is discovering some aspects of himself which means he might survive these new challenges. Apollo, excuse me, Lester Papadopoulos, writes with a strangely elegant voice, even whilst bemoaning being the servant of a young demigod, street urchin, girl, Meg.
Points: The story is told from first-person point of view. I found myself often amused or even laughing, reading the story. If you like books of these genre, give it a try. It's not the same as reading the Percy Jackson books even though it's set in the same 'world' -- Lester Papadopoulos is quite a different person than many encountered in the rest of the books of that series.


Goodreads has this to say about it

I was a god, once. Until I was cast out by my father, Zeus.
Now I'm an awkward mortal teenager called Lester. Bound to a difficult and dangerous demigod called Meg. Thanks a lot, Dad.
My way out? A series of scary and dangerous trials, of course. For my third mission I must:
Journey to the Labyrinth to free an Oracle who only speaks in riddles.
Defeat a vicious and bloodthirsty Roman emperor - the most vicious of three very vicious and bloodthirsty Roman emperors.
Is that all? No, I have to do everything without the help of any of my godly powers. Wonderful. Looks like I'll be needing all the help I can get. From friends new and old .

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Title of the book: The Tyrant's Tomb
Authors: Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Adventure
Short summary of the story: Book Four of The Trials of Apollo, The Tyrant's Tomb continues on the west side of the North American continent, in California. Lester Papadopoulos has found, much to his wonderment, that how he feels about mortals, about other gods and, mostly, about himself, has vastly changed since he was thrown out from Olympus down to earth by his father, Zeus. He's now in Camp Jupiter and meets a lot of demigods who he'd previously met, albeit as Apollo. SPOILER note - Really, do NOT read it if you've not read books 1-3 Bringing back the body of Jason Grace, to his fellow warriors, is very difficult ... actually arriving at the camp is even more difficult, because of the determination of several quite nasty people (including Caligula and Commodus) to thwart him and his endeavours. But he gets there, him and Meg, his master, and that's all in the beginning of the book.
Points: It starts with a bang (almost literally) and continues with moments of triumph and tragedy, interspersed with sheer magic of a very good book.

Goodreads synopsis

In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying.

It's not easy being Apollo, especially when you've been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo's aid to survive the onslaught. Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler . . . someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Title of the book: The Tower of Nero
Authors: Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Adventure
Short summary of the story: Book Five of The Trials of Apollo, The Tower of Nero is the last book of the series. He and Meg now go to New York to face Nero (Meg's step-dad). SPOILER note - Really, do NOT read it if you've not read books 1-4. They meet people new to him but with whom Meg is very familiar -- and suddenly the story takes on a whole new dimension and becomes quite the mystery. Even more people show up and some who you might expect to make an appearance do not show up until almost the whole story is ended (like Percy Jackson). Then, after Nero is dealt with comes the most nasty villain of all - Python.
Points: It is the last of the series and so it is something which a reader knows will result (hey, you can figure it out, right) in Lester Papadopoulos regaining his identity as Apollo. After being reluctant to start the book (the story would be done when it was finished), I was swept away into it and, again, enjoyed the triumphs and tragedies and tragedies-which-turned-into-triumphs. A very good book. The sadness was finishing it and knowing that this story was finished.

Goodreads says this about The Tower of Nero

At last, the breathtaking, action-packed finale of the #1 bestselling Trials of Apollo series is here! Will the Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth in the pathetic moral form of a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, finally regain his place on Mount Olympus? Lester's demigod friends at Camp Jupiter just helped him survive attacks from bloodthirsty ghouls, an evil Roman king and his army of the undead, and the lethal emperors Caligula and Commodus. Now the former god and his demigod master Meg must follow a prophecy uncovered by Ella the harpy. Lester's final challenge will be at the Tower of Nero, back in New York. Will Meg have a last showdown with her father? Will this helpless form of Apollo have to face his arch nemesis, Python? Who will be on hand at Camp Half-Blood to assist? These questions and more will be answered in this book that all demigods are eagerly awaiting.