Percy Jackson (1) - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
And now to a book which was originally written for children of both sexes at the age of 10-12, but manages to be beloved by all kinds of people, no matter which age - Lightning Thief, part 1 of 5 of the Percy Jackson Novels by Rick Riordan (in French Le voleur de foudre, in German Diebe im Olymp) I read it in German where it contained 439 pages. Originally published 2005.
Percy Jackson always knew he was a magnet for problems, but when his Math teacher turns into a Fury and tries to kill him, even Percy's surprised. And it doesn't get any less confusing when his best friend looses his pants and a minotaur chases them through New York… to a camp in which demi gods learn how to fight. Yes, demi gods. As in children of the Greek Gods, who somehow still exist. And it gets worse: Percy himself shouldn't even exist by demi god standards – and Zeus is convinced that Percy's the one who stole his symbol of power...
I really like this book. The humour is just gorgeous, especially the names of the chapters. The humour takes the sting off the more horrible scenes and makes them actually funny, to a book children can read without any chance of nightmares – but it still manages to stay tense. That's a very thin line to walk, but managed perfectly.
The characters themselves are realistic and good heroes.
We have Percy, the main protagonist. He is an only child, adored by his mother and hated by his step father, he has a problem with authorities and… well, kids of his age. He doesn't seem to fit in anywhere, he usually acts before he thinks due to his ADS, has problems keeping up in school even though he is intelligent, and, despite his charm, teachers hate him. But Percy's also insanely loyal and has the heart at the right place, he doesn't care if a connection to someone his social suicide (well, not in this book, at least) and he likes to help someone out.
Grover is a satyr and a protector. He is supposed to bring Percy to Camp Half Blood and protect him from the monsters, but he… well, Percy doesn't exactly make that easy for him. Grover's trusting and easily nervous and intimidated, but otherwise, he's cool. He has his moments.
Annabeth is the third member of the party. She's a daughter of Athena, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom – Annabeth herself is eager to prove herself, likes to be in charge and basically knows everything… but she's actually still a nice person, if you get to know her. She's responsible, loyal and creative, and she can be very loving. She just hates to loose.
Well, the side characters are interesting as well. Gabe sucks, but the way the kids play him is nice – as well as with Ares. I love the fighting scene. But the best persons are Sally and Chiron. Chiron is the typical father/teacher and Sally is a mixture of mother, best friend and big sister. She's protective of Percy up to the point where she gets hurt, but she doesn't put him in a cage. Instead, she trusts him and lets him make his own decisions. She's a good Mom, really.
Well, the gods themselves are interesting. Mr. D is simply grumpy, Hades dutiful and sometimes a little cold-hearted, Ares hotheaded, Poseidon cool and Zeus… well, he's an a**.
To the mythologic background itself. Most of you may know Percy Jackson already or at least some basics about the Greek pantheon. If you don't, you're going to be a lot wiser after reading this book, because it's a fabulous introduction to a really complex and totally different world view from what we have today. It's explained step by step and in a way that we get it – even if we are 12 and sick. But it doesn't make you, I don't know, convert or anything like that.
The missions the group has to perform are very interesting and the solutions nicely done. I like the Lotus' Hotel, but most of all, I like the magical items. I'd love to have a pen like Percy's and a cap like Annabeth's! But Grover's shoes have something as well… until the Underworld, that is.
I haven't seen the solution to the basic problem coming. Sure, I first read it when I was twelve and sick. But even after reading it again it's still not that obvious who it was. You can guess it – it's not the last-two-pages-character. Actually, the thief turns up in the beginning, as does his motive. And you do get further hints. But it's not that obvious. Like “XY cackled a nasty laughter of evilness and gives me a blood red apple” or anything alike. It's really a book that can be enjoyed by adults as well as by children. And that's what I love about it!
In brief:
I give this book one star for characters, one for the ideas, another one for content, one for style and the last one for the mythological background, which was really easy to understand even though it's complex. Plus SoGH.
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