So in preparation for the upcoming Disney+ TV Show, I decided to reread ‘The Lightning Thief’. And, to nobody’s surprised, the book that has had readers obsessed with greek (and more) mythology for more than a decade holds up!
‘The Lightning Thief’ is an amazing start to the series. The premise is unique and exciting. The plot is very well developed. And the dialogue is very funny and charming. Rick Riordan’s writing style is the beating heart of this book. His ability to explore complicated social and personal issues in a way that kids will understand and learn from is amazing. He manages to include all the fun bits that Middle Grade readers are used to and love, while also discussing important topics in a way that they’ll easily understand without feeling talk down to. Furthermore, for the most part, the pacing in this book is perfect to keep his young audience engaged. Uncle Rick, as the fandom has lovingly dubbed him, is definitively born to write for young readers.
Besides plot and writing, the characters are also spectacular. The main trio, Percy, Annabeth & Grover, have amazing banter and chemistry. Plus, they have their own unique personalities and goals besides their common quest. This makes them easier to relate to and root for. The side characters and antagonists were also very well developed. I can confirm that even characters with small "screen time" like Auntie M will be remembered by readers for decades to come. I also love that the “villains” had well developed motives and were not “evil” just for the sake of it. Furthermore, even though there's still a lot of mystery regarding the "big bad" of the series, Riordan does a perfect job at introducing him. Uncle Rick does an amazing job at establishing what a great threat they are even though we still don't know much about them at all. Readers will feel the apprehension of what's to come. And, of course, I loved the representation of special needs and disabled people. Characters like Percy and his friends have inspired kids for more than a decade and will, hopefully, continue to do so for many more years to come.
However, the first arc's pacing was slightly slow and some of the monster encounters felt rushed. I also am not a huge fan of how "stereotypical" the demigods were at the beginning of the series (thankfully this will change down the road). With the power of hindsight, having read the rest of the series, I know that despite this book being great, it is not the best of Rick Riordan's work. The best is yet to come.
I would recommend this book to any fans of Riordan's other MG book series, mythology lovers & middle-grade readers. This is definitively one that all young readers NEED to read.
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