I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to kneel or buy stamps from him or what. Then it occurred to me why he must be here. “Oh listen Lord Hermes, about Luke…” This thought process and fragment of internal dialogue epitomize why I really enjoy books in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. They have a clever mix of humour, Greek mythology, and action.Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters is the second book in this series. You can read my review of book one earlier in this blog. Book two certainly does not disappoint. The story opens with Percy trying to lay low on his last day in a regular school before he is due to return to Camp Half Blood but as early as page seven we know the events of this day will not go to plan.
In this book we meet some well known characters such as Annabeth and Clarisse along with Grover and Chiron but added to the mix this time is Tyson who incidentally is a Cyclops. Using skills learned from Hephaestus, Tyson makes the most fabulous parting gift for our hero Percy. There are hints all through the story that Tyson is making something and I couldn't wait to find out what it might be.
Once again our heroes embark on a quest (to retrieve the Golden Fleece no less) and as always there is a prophecy to unravel. This time they battle with sirens, the Hydra, Stymphalian birds, Scylla and Circe. I think the scene when this last character turns Percy into a Guinea Pig will linger with me for a long time.
This book is certainly another action thriller. You can read an extract. It can stand alone but you will make better sense of all the relationships and history if you read The Lightning thief first. Finally when you find yourself hooked on this series take a look at all the fabulous books on Greek Mythology in your school library. Knowing more about Zeus, Poseidon, Ares etc will add to your enjoyment.
1 comment:
It's interesting to see another cover on this one. In my library, it's always the orange book that we look for when we need Sea of Monsters!
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