First, happy Earth Day!

Second, look! I’m reviewing a book that isn’t an old favorite! Unfortunately, I read it about two weeks ago, so the question is, can I remember it properly? I can easily remember that Rick Riordan has written two previous books in this series, and that they come highly recommended for boys and reluctant readers. They center around Percy Jackson, a hero in the demi-god sense, and his friends, some of whom are also demi-gods, others of whom are cyclopes and satyrs.

The book, if I remember correctly — okay, I checked — starts with Percy and a couple of his friends going to check something out for the heads of the camp. The heads believe that there might be a couple of unknown half-bloods at a military-type school in upstate New York, and it turns out there are. However, things go a little bit wrong, and Artemis and her maidens end up saving their skins. Shortly thereafter, Annabeth disappears (one of Percy’s halfblood friends), and a quest is set up to go find them, including some of Artemis’s girls and some of the halfbloods. Will they be able to save her? And, well, what on earth is going on with the cow serpent thingy?

Seriously, the cow-serpent thing was my favorite part of the book. I had trouble imagining it at first, and then I just decided to take Riordan at his word: a cow head with Cecil the Sea-sick Sea Serpent’s rear end. It’s somewhere between adorable and profoundly disturbing. No kidding, though — it’s actually something out of Greek mythology called the ophiotaurus.

This book starts, in earnest, to explore two things: the prophecy that (like Harry Potter’s) could be about Percy, and the romantic possibilities. The prophecy is equally applicable (like Harry Potter) to two people, one of whom is Percy, and of course he’s the accidental hero. When I was reading this book, that aspect was not irksomely like Harry Potter, but in retrospect, it’s a little bit odd, especially considering Percy’s black hair and green eyes. Although ancient Greek times are much better known for prophecies than, say, an artificial yet composite wizarding community, it still feels a bit as if Riordan came second.

The romantic aspects remain mostly theoretical, as Percy is perhaps fourteen, but the most major exploration of it involves Artemis’s Hunters. They are given immortality and a point in life, and in exchange they have to forswear men forever and live as a maiden. Apparently enough females find this a good trade, because the Hunters exist. Several females in this book (and in Percy’s life) consider this life for themselves, and a large portion of it is the fact that they’re tipping into adolescence and hormones and that whole mess. Although most young females these days generally don’t have a celibate lifestyle choice (not that many women enter nunneries anymore), it’s still an interesting discussion.

Again, the overarching plot involving Titans and the end of the world is advanced somewhat, but primarily the plot is the disaster du jour. The book even starts very similarly to the previous two: an incident in a school building. Although it’s getting a little bit formulaic, I’m still happy with this series and would recommend it — although not without having read the previous volumes. 4/5 stars.