Percy Jackson & the Olympians

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This article is about the book series. For the film, see Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
 This article is written like a personal reflection or essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (November 2011)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Percy Jackson.png
The European logo of Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Author Rick Riordan
Illustrator John Rocco
Country United States
Language English
Genre Fantasy, Young-adult fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Publisher Disney Hyperion (formerly Miramax Books)
Published 2005–2009
Media type Print (hardback and paperback)
Audiobook
Ebooks
Followed by The Heroes of Olympus

Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a pentalogy of adventure and fantasy fiction books authored by Rick Riordan. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek mythology and deals with a demigod, Percy Jackson and his quest to stop the rise of the Titan lord Kronos. All 5 books are seen in Percy's witty and sardonic point of view. The series tackles themes like coming of age, love and teenage angst.

More than 20 million copies of the books have been sold in more than 10 countries.[1]

As of October 28, 2011, the series has been on the New York Times best seller list for children's book series for 223 weeks.[2] The first book is adapted to a film, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief which received a commercial success but mixed to negative reviews.

Contents

[edit] Origins

Rick Riordan, the author, at the release of The Battle of the Labyrinth

Development for both The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series as a whole, commenced when Riordan first began making stories for his son Haley, who had (at the time) recently been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. His son had been studying Greek mythology in second grade and requested that his father come up with bedtime stories based on Greek myths. Riordan had been a Greek mythology teacher in middle school for many years, and was able to remember enough stories to please his son. Soon Riordan ran out of myths and his son then requested that he make new ones using the same characters from Greek myths and add new ones. Thus, Riordan created the fictional character Percy Jackson and made the story of how he would travel across the United States to recover Zeus's lightning bolt. After he finished telling the story to his son, he then requested that his dad write a book based on Percy's adventures.[3]

In June 1994, Riordan had completed his manuscript for The Big Red Tequila and began looking for agents. During that time, he visited multiple local colleges looking for good editors until he eventually found an agent.[4] While he left his manuscript to his agent and editor to review, Riordan took his book to a group of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to read and give their critique. Ultimately he gained their approval, and with their help, came up with the name of the book and created the way Percy's sword worked.[5] In June 1997, Riordan signed with Bantam Books to prepare the book for publishing.[4] In 2004, the book was sold to Miramax Books for enough money for Riordan to quit his job to focus on writing.[6] After it was released on 28 July 2005, it sold over 1.2 million copies. The book was released in multiple versions including hardcover, paperback and audio editions.[7][8] It has been translated into multiple languages and published all over the world.[9]

[edit] Books

[edit] The Lightning Thief

Main article: The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief is the first book in the series. It was released on June 28, 2005. Percy Jackson lives in New York with his mother, Sally Jackson. During a field trip to a museum, Percy is attacked by a Fury disguised as his math teacher, Mrs. Dodds, and he kills her with a sword given to him by Mr. Brunner, his Latin teacher. After Mrs. Dodds is killed, no one remembers knowing Mrs. Dodds. At the end of the school year, Percy heads home and his mother decides to take the two of them on a vacation. Percy's best friend Grover arrives and reveals himself as a satyr. Percy tells him about Mrs. Dodds while his mom races them to [10]. While heading to the camp, they are attacked by the minotaur. His mother is taken captive before Percy can kill the Minotaur. He passes out and when he wakes, he finds himself in the camp. He meets his former Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner, who turns out to be Chiron (a centaur), and Annabeth Chase (Daughter of Athena). Percy is soon claimed by his Olympian parent, Poseidon. Later on he is accused of stealing Zeus's lighting bolt. Althought Percy admits that he didn't do it, Zeus still accuses him. And if he doesn't prove Zeus wrong there will be a massive war between the Gods. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are given a quest to retrieve Zeus' stolen lightning bolt as Zeus believes Percy stole it. After they get the quest, the trio initially believes Hades to be the thief and travel across the United States to San Francisco, where they know the entrance to the underworld is, facing numerous mythological monsters, including Medusa, Echidna, and the Furies. In the end, they learn the real thief was Luke (Son of Hermes), a camper who'd befriended Percy when he first arrived at [11]. Luke stole the bolt to allow Kronos the chance to rise again.

The book has been adapted into a film by Chris Columbus and 20th Century Fox, under the title Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

[edit] The Sea of Monsters

Main article: The Sea of Monsters

The Sea of Monsters is the second installment in the series, released on May 3, 2006.

On Percy's last day of school, he and his brother Tyson are attacked by giants. Annabeth appears and saves them before leaving for camp.When they arrive Percy learns that the tree protecting the camp is dying and Chiron has been fired. If the tree fully dies then the camp boarders wont be protected and more Monsters will start attacking them.This will continue unless the find another way to protect the camp borders or the camp will be overrun by monsters. To save the tree, a quest is given to find the Golden Fleece. Clarisse La Rue, a daughter of Ares, is given the quest to find the Golden Fleece. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson sneak off, not just for the Golden Fleece, but to find their friend Grover Underwood. They meet Luke on his ship but are able to escape. They soon join with Clarrise on her quest. Her ship is destroyed passing through the Sea of Monsters and Annabeth and Percy continue their search for Grover after becoming separated from the others. After encountering the sirens and Circe, Annabeth and Percy reach the Polyphemus' cave. They are able to rescue Grover and Clarrise and Tyson helps defeats Polyphemus. They recover the fleece and head to Miami. Clarisse heads to camp and the others are captured by Luke. They are about to be killed before Chiron rescues them and takes them to camp. The fleece is able to save the tree, but it also revives Thalia, whose spirit was in the tree.

This book is being adapted into a film by 20th Century Fox, under the title Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters, slated to be released on March 27, 2013.

[edit] The Titan's Curse

Main article: The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse is the third installment in the series. It was released on May 1, 2007.[12]

Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia are sent to rescue two half-bloods, Bianca and Nico. While on this mission, they are attacked by a manticore, but are saved by the Hunters of Artemis. Annabeth is taken captive when the manticore flees. The Hunters, Percy, Thalia, and Grover are sent to camp by Artemis and Apollo. Artemis is soon taken captive and a quest is issued. Grover, Thalia, Bianca and Zoë Nightshade, Artemis's lieutenant, go to rescue Artemis. Percy follows and soon joins the quest. Bianca is killed while facing an automaton. They learn that the Titan Atlas has escaped and was behind the kidnapping of Artemis. Atlas is defeated and returned to holding the sky, but Zoe is killed. Thalia replaces Zoë as Artemis' lieutenant during the gods' summit. Thalia's induction as a lieutenant of Artemis ensures that she never reaches 16, thus escaping the prophecy but leaving Percy as the only one who can fulfill it. They return to camp and Percy informs Nico about Bianca's death. He blames Percy, accusing him of failing to protect her and runs away. Percy learns that the underworld god, Hades, is Nico's father.

[edit] The Battle of the Labyrinth

Main article: The Battle of the Labyrinth

The Battle of the Labyrinth is the fourth installment in the series. It was released on May 6, 2008.

After being attacked by monsters, Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood and learns about the labyrinth. During an exercise, Annabeth and Percy find an entrance into the Labyrinth in camp. Percy soon learns that Luke had used the entrance and will lead his army through the Labyrinth straight into the heart of camp. Annabeth is chosen to lead a quest to prevent it. While in the labyrinth, Percy and Annabeth become separated from Grover and Tyson. They encounter Nico, who begins to forgive Percy. Percy accidentally causes St. Helens to erupt and lands on Calypso's Island. He returns and he and Annabeth recruit Rachel Dare to be a guide in the Labyrinth. Daedalus is shown to be alive and to have given Ariadne's string to Luke. They find Grover and Tyson and discover Pan, but he soon dies. They witness Kronos' return and flee to camp. Kronos' forces attack the camp but are repulsed. After the battle, Daedalus sacrifices himself to destroy the Labyrinth, as it's tied to his life.

[edit] The Last Olympian

Main article: The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian, the fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson series, was released on May 5, 2009.[13]

Percy Jackson learns Kronos' forces are preparing to attack Olympus. Seeking to defeat Kronos, Percy bathes in the River Styx, to make his body mostly invulnerable. Kronos leads a siege of New York City and puts its citizens to sleep. Percy leads the campers, Hunters, nature spirits, and centaurs to protect Mount Olympus from Kronos and his forces. While they protect Olympus, the gods are holding off Typhon as he makes his way to New York. Kronos, possessing Luke's body, forces his way into Olympus and he and Percy battle in Olympus' throne room. Typhon reaches New York but is defeated. Luke is able to overcome Kronos, and Annabeth, realizing the meaning of the great prophecy, tells Percy to give Luke her knife. Percy does, and Luke stabs himself in his mortal spot to destroy Kronos and save Mt. Olympus. The gods reward Percy and his friends, they offer him immortality but he refuses, but they grant him one request. He requests the gods to claim all their children. Rachel becomes the oracle and reads the next great prophecy. At the end Percy and Annabeth make their relationship official.

[edit] Supplementary Works

[edit] The Demigod Files

Main article: The Demigod Files

The Demigod Files, also written by Rick Riordan, is the first companion book to the series. It was released February 10, 2009, featuring three short stories, interviews with the campers, puzzles and pictures.[14] It is set between The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian.[15] The book received mixed reviews, with some reviewers criticizing the lack of substantial material and others commending the writing of the short stories.[15]

[edit] The Ultimate Guide

The Ultimate Guide is a companion book, second to the series, released on January 19, 2010. This book has a magnetic cover and holographic character pictures that change into four different characters. Its 156 pages include trading cards, full-color diagrams and maps.[16] It also includes a dictionary of almost every monster Percy faces in the series, with pictures beside some, as well as various activities. The book tells of Percy Jackson's starting life as a half-blood, a tour of the Underworld by Nico di Angelo, and items used throughout the series.

[edit] Graphic novel

A graphic novel based on The Lightning Thief was published on October 12, 2010. It follows a shortened version of Percy's adventures in The Lightning Thief with full color drawings. A graphic novel based on the second book in the series The Sea of Monsters will be released on September 4, 2012[17].

[edit] Demigods and Monsters

Demigods and Monsters is an unofficial companion book and was released on February 10, 2009.[18] With an introduction by Riordan, it features essays written by various young adult authors that explore, discuss and provide further insight into the Percy Jackson series. At 196 pages, it also contains information on the places and characters of the series, as well as a glossary of Greek myths.[19]

[edit] Main characters

Main article: List of characters in the Camp Half-Blood series

Rick Riordan relies on Bibliotheca for his characters and plot. In three books, it provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic legends.[20]

Listed are the major characters in the series:

  • Percy Jackson: age 12–16; demigod son of Poseidon; the protagonist of the series
  • Grover Underwood: age 28–32; the satyr best friend of Percy; shown as teenager since satyrs age slowly.
  • Annabeth Chase: age 12–16; demigod daughter of Athena; strong friend and girlfriend of Percy.
  • Luke Castellan: age 19–23; demigod son of Hermes; an antagonist of the series; allows Kronos use of his body
  • Thalia Grace: age 15, immortal demigod daughter of Zeus, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis.
  • Nico di Angelo: age 10–12, demigod son of Hades; ignored by Camp Half-Blood due to parentage; Bianca's brother; holds authority over the dead.
  • Tyson: age 13–15; Percy's half-brother; he is skilled with machines; acts like a child.
  • Clarisse La Rue: age 14–18; demigod daughter of Ares; does not get along with Percy; she is very combative.
  • Rachel Elizabeth Dare: age 14–16, a clear-sighted mortal girl who assists Percy; later becomes the Oracle.
  • Chiron: activities director of Camp Half-Blood; trainer of heroes.

[edit] Reception

The Lightning Thief received mostly positive reviews and won awards including the School Library Journal Best Book of 2005.[21] The New York Times praised The Lightning Thief as "perfectly paced, with electrifying moments chasing each other like heartbeats".[22] Author Rick Riordan said of the various awards:

"The ultimate compliment for a children's writer is when the kids like it."[23]

Like its predecessor, The Sea of Monsters won several prizes and received generally positive reviews as well.[24][25] It sold over 100,000 copies in hardcover by the time it was released in paperback[26] and reviewers have praised the storyline, themes and the author's style of writing.[27][28][29] Matt Berman, of Common Sense Media, praised the book, saying "The Percy Jackson series continues to be pure fun, with the author doing nearly everything right to produce a book that few kids will be able to resist."[28] Kirkus reviewed The Battle of the Labyrinth as, "This volume can stand alone, but no one will be able to read just one...look no further for the next Harry Potter, meet Percy Jackson as legions of fans already have."

[edit] Film

Main article: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Chris Columbus directed and produced Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief for 20th Century Fox through 1492 Pictures.[30][31] The film was released in 2010 in the United States, Canada and in the United Kingdom on February 12 and in Australia on February 11.[32] Columbus has stated that he was drawn to directing the Percy Jackson movie because it gave him the "opportunity to do a movie that we haven’t really seen before for this generation. When I was a kid, there were movies that dealt with Greek mythology, which in terms of visual effects was really primitive. So I thought this was an opportunity to deal with Greek mythology which children and adults all over the world are fascinated by and it was not a new genre but a new avenue, dealing with mythological creatures in a contemporary setting."

[edit] Video Game

To accompany the film, a video game was produced. Michael Splechta gave it a 6/10, saying “Percy Jackson might not make a splash when it comes to movie tie-in games, but fans of turn-based combat might find some redeeming qualities in this otherwise bare-bones game.”[33]

[edit] The Heroes of Olympus

Main article: The Heroes of Olympus

A sequel series, also based on Camp Half-Blood and the Greek mythology universe, was written and the first book released on October 12, 2010. Like the first series, there will be five books. Riordan has also stated that the time between the two occurrences of great prophecies is not as long as Apollo assumes it will be.[34] The series has been named The Heroes of Olympus, and the first book is The Lost Hero.[35] The official website requires a password, revealed as newhero. On June 1, 2010, the site went live.[36] A medal with a password was needed to unlock the first two chapters. The cover was revealed on June 20, 2010, along with the password.[37] The second book in The Heroes of Olympus, The Son of Neptune, was released in October 2011. The third book, The Mark of Athena is set to be released in October 2012. Rick Riordan has confirmed that there will be 5 books in this series, just like the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series.

[edit] See also

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[edit] References

  1. ^ "PRESS RELEASE: Disney Book Group Launches Rick Riordan's New Five-Book Series, The Heroes of Olympus, on October 12 with a Live Webcast from the Laydown Event for Book 1, The Lost Hero". Fox Business. 13 September 2010. http://markets.m.foxbusiness.com/quickPage.html?page=19532&content=42659808&pageNum=3. Retrieved 26 January 2011. 
  2. ^ "Best Sellers – The New York Times". New York Times. 28 November 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2010-12-12/series-books/list.html. Retrieved 2010-12-01. 
  3. ^ Riordan, Rick. "Where did you get the idea for Percy Jackson?". p. 1. http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/about-the-author/an-interview-with-rick-riordan/where-did-you-get-the-idea-for-percy-jackson/. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
  4. ^ a b Riordan, Rick. "What was your experience getting published?". p. 1. http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/about-the-author/an-interview-with-rick-riordan/what-was-your-experience-getting-published/. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
  5. ^ Riordan, Rick. "Did you share the Percy Jackson novel with any of your students before it was published?". p. 1. http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/about-the-author/an-interview-with-rick-riordan/did-you-share-the-percy-jackson-novel-with-any-of-your-students/. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
  6. ^ Rich, Motho (September 1, 2008). "Author of Book Series Sends Kids on a Web Treasure Hunt". The New York Times: p. 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/books/02rior.html?scp=7&sq=The%20Lightning%20Thief&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
  7. ^ "Hyperion: Percy Jackson". Hyperion Books. http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/popular/display.asp?id=42. Retrieved 2009-08-06. [dead link]
  8. ^ "Jesse Bernstein". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0077074/. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  9. ^ Mabe, Chauncey (May 14, 2009). "Rick Riordan: Percy Jackson vs. Harry Potter". Sun Sentinel. p. 1. http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/features/arts/offthepage/blog/2009/05/rick_riordan_percy_jackson_vs_1.html. Retrieved 2009-05-18. 
  10. ^ Camp Half-Blood
  11. ^ Camp Half-Blood
  12. ^ The Titan’s Curse on http://www.rickriordan.com/[dead link] Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  13. ^ "The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1423101472/. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 
  14. ^ "The Demigod Files". 5 October 2008. http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/2008/10/the-demigod-files/. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  15. ^ a b "The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series)". barnesandnoble.com. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Demigod-Files/Rick-Riordan/e/9781423121664. Retrieved 2009-10-18. 
  16. ^ "The Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Ultimate Guide (Hardcover)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1423121716/. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  17. ^ "[1]"
  18. ^ "Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series (Paperback)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933771836. Retrieved 23 December 2009. 
  19. ^ "Demigods and Monsters". Myth & Mystery. 28 March 2008. http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/2008/03/demigods-and-monsters.html. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  20. ^ Aubrey Diller, "The Text History of the Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus" Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 66 (1935:296–313) p. 296, 300.
  21. ^ "Best Books 2005". School Library Journal. 12/1/2005. p. 1. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6286432.html?industryid=47054&q=Best+Books+of+2005. Retrieved 2009-05-04. 
  22. ^ Shulman, Polly (November 13, 2005). "Harry Who?". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/books/review/13shulman.html. Retrieved 2009-05-04. 
  23. ^ Minzesheimer, Bob (January 18, 2006). "'Lightning' strikes with young readers". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-01-18-bchat-riordan_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
  24. ^ "Mark Twain Award Previous Winners". Missouri Association of School Librarians. http://www.maslonline.org/awards/books/MarkTwain/PrevWin.php. Retrieved 2009-05-27. [dead link]
  25. ^ Ruth, Sheila. "The Sea of Monsters". Wands and Worlds. http://www.wandsandworlds.com/blog1/2006/10/book-review-sea-of-monsters.html. Retrieved 2009-09-01. 
  26. ^ Nawotka, Edward (April 23, 2007). "Son of Poseidon Gaining Strength". Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6435452.html. Retrieved 2009-09-01. [dead link]
  27. ^ Piehl, Norah. "Kidsreads.com – The Sea of Monsters". Kidsreads.com. http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0786856866.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-20. 
  28. ^ a b "The Sea of Monsters review". Matt Berman. Common Sense Media. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/sea-monsters-percy-jackson-and-olympians-bk-2/details. Retrieved 2009-09-20. 
  29. ^ "The Sea of Monsters: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2. (Brief article) (Children's review) (Audiobook review)". School Library Journal. October 1, 2006. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-153360658/sea-monsters-percy-jackson.html. Retrieved 2009-09-20. 
  30. ^ Brodesser, Claude (June 23, 2004). "'Lightning Thief' strikes Maverick". Variety. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gmmoXAco. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  31. ^ Gilstrap, Peter (April 17, 2007). "Columbus struck by 'Lightning'". Variety. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gmn2hgI8. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  32. ^ "IMDb Release Dates". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/releaseinfo. Retrieved 2009-05-15. 
  33. ^ Splechta, Michael. "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief Review". GameZone.com. http://nds.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r39716.htm. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  34. ^ "News". MortalNet. http://www.mortalnet.com/. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  35. ^ "The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero (9781423113393): Rick Riordan: Books". Amazon.com. 2009-09-09. http://www.amazon.com/dp/142311339X. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  36. ^ [2][dead link]
  37. ^ Staskiewicz, Kieth (June 20, 2010). "Share 'The Lost Hero' exclusive! See new Rick Riordan book cover art, along with the first two chapters". Entertainment Weekly. http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/06/20/ew-exclusive-rick-riordan-percy-jackson-olympians-the-lost-her/. Retrieved December 31, 2010. 

[edit] External links

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