The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I may be Charlotte's # 1 Rick Riordan fan. The Son of Neptune is a good reason why. It's the latest in The Lost Hero series. AND--blow the trumpets--Percy Jackson is back in this one!!

Percy has two major problems as this book starts, though. First, he can remember who he is, where he comes from or why he has a pen that becomes a sword. Second, he's being pursued by the Gorgons, the two immortal sisters of Medusa. Why do they want to kill him? Why do they reform as soon as he kills them? The Gorgons eventually pursue him to Camp Jupiter, a place for demigods but with a big difference--everything in this camp is based on ancient Rome. In this camp, Percy meets two new friends, Hazel and Frank, who have strange powers of their own and some deep secrets. But soon they find that Gaea, the spirit of Earth, is waking and has sent an enormous army of monsters to destroy Camp Jupiter. If that's not bad enough, Death has been chained in Alaska or the monsters can never stay dead. Percy, Hazel and Frank are given the quest to unchain Death and return in five days. Can they get from California to Alaska and back in that short amount of time? Can they survive in an area that's outside the protection of the gods? Even if they do this, can they get back in time to save the camp? You'll have to read it to find out!!

If you do, you'll be in for a good time, as you always are with Rick Riordan's books. They are enough thrills, action, fights, danger, monsters, heroes, and impossible quests to satisfy any guy reader. PLUS--Percy Jackson returns in all his wisecracking and heroic glory! And when Percy is around, there's not only adventure, there are laughs! Just wait until you read about the Gorgon who wants to tell everyone about the low, low prices at Bargain Mart, the Roman ghost whose name means Mr. Underwear, or why why there is a feast for tuna. Thrills and laughs--how could you miss with a book that has all of these? Check this one, guys! Go Percy! SPQR!!!!

Needless to say, if it's by Rick Riordan, it's One Terrific Book!

A New Friend Tells Us About a Truly Terrific Book!

I'm always excited when a new reader guy sends us a review and today a new friend, mathfan, has written to us for the very first time. He's going to tell us about a book that I really enjoyed. Let's hear it, mathfan!


THE LOST HERO


Imagine flying horses, goat men, and horsemen hovering around your cabin as you came out for breakfast. This is what it would feel like to be in the Lost Hero. Through my many years of reading, I have enjoyed many books, but the Lost Hero by Rick Riordan stands out.

The nail-biting fast-paced action, in-depth details, and the hints of Greek Mythology in Rick Riordan’s The Lost Hero impresses me immensely. The action is spread out all over the book; for example, Jason (the main character) and the sky-spirit Dylan battle it out in hand-to-hand combat. Another instance occurs when Jason impulsively jumps off of the edge of the skywalk to go save Piper, who falls off by mistake. When Jason jumps, he finds out his amazing power of being able to fly.

Given the fact that the book involves Greek gods, centaurs (horse people), and satyrs (goat people), I am instantaneously fascinated. Also, the really in-depth details bring these characters to life. For example, let’s describe the satyr. The satyr is half goat and half human. If you have friends who have really long hair (to cover their horns), always wear pants (to cover their goat legs), and eats cans and tin foil, you are likely to have a satyr on your hands. I like those characters because I am fascinated with Greek Mythology.

Another aspect of the book that I am fascinated about is the fiction and fantasy and that it is not like a boring history textbook. Rick Riordan is able to also push the limits by making fantasy sound like reality. For example, the setting of Camp Half-Blood may seem like a fantasy if someone else describes it, but the author makes the place seem like home. Camp Half-Blood is full of people in different cabins and is full of weird goat people. The Apollo Cabin practices archery and the Hephaestus cabin makes a celestial bronze sword. Jason thinks, “There is no way I can fit in here.” But he just has to wait and see. This is how the fiction and fantasy affects the book.

Having always enjoyed reading Rick Riordan’s books, I know that he is always going to be in the Hall Of Fame for writers. As you climb back into bed, overwhelmed with the sights, you now know all about the animals that live on the made-up land, of The Lost Hero.


Thanks, mathfan! I've always enjoyed Rick Riordan's books too and The Lost Hero is indeed full of "nail-biting fast-action." AND---did you know the next book in the series comes out soon? Like on October 4? Like in only fifteen days?? It's called The Son of Neptune and I can't wait!! And did you know you can read the first chapter online? You can go to the Heroes of Olympus website and click on the Sneak Peek icon. (although I had trouble getting it to work today) You can go the library's website at www.cmlibrary.org and reserve your copy if you live in the Charlotte/Mecklenburg county area. Or visit your local library or bookstore if you're out of town. Either way, be sure to get The Son of Neptune. From what I've read of the Sneak Peek, this one will be every bit as good as The Lost Hero.

Thanks, again, mathfan! I enjoyed your review. Let us hear from you again soon.

The Lost Hero or Why There is Only One Rick Riordan

I ran out of time in my last post to tell you about a truly terrific book that I read over spring break vacation. It was The Lost Hero by the one and only Rick Riordan. This book ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS AND ROLLS!!

Jason wakes up on a bus. He has no idea where he is, why here's there or even WHO he is! He learns that he's on a field trip to the Grand Canyon with a camp for troubled kids. Two campers, Leo and Piper, say they know him but before he can find out anything, the campers are attacked by venti, storm spirits who throw Piper into the canyon and shoot Jason with lightning.

And that's just the first two chapters!

There's a lot more. The war with Kronos and the Titans has awakened older, larger and more powerful foes. Not only that, these ancient enemies have captured Hera, queen of the Olympians. If she is not rescued, the result could be so terrible that even Chiron is afraid. Leo, Piper, and Jason must go on a quest to free Hera or else--or else--oh, man, it's too awful to think about! On top of that, one of the giants has captured Piper's father and promises to kill him if she doesn't sabotage the quest. On top of that, Percy Jackson is missing! Could things get any worse? You've got to read this one to find out what becomes of these three heroes!

Once again, Rick Riordan packs more adventure, danger and humor between two book covers than any author I know. There's enough action, fighting, mysterious goings-on, and, as always, funny stuff to grab the attention of the most reluctant or enthusiastic reader guy. This book is a worthy successor to the first five Percy Jackson books. It might be even better in some ways--the monsters are more fierce and the stakes are higher. The characters are every bit as interesting and heroic. A few of the old characters make brief appearances (Annabeth goes looking for Percy, for instance) but this book is about the new campers. And what characters they are!! Jason is a hero indeed and a gutsy fighter. So is Leo--and he's a true wise guy! And don't let Piper fool you--she becomes tougher than celestial bronze when her friends are threatened. Then there's Coach Gleeson Hedge, who's always ready to take on the world but can end up with his feet in the air! (and I've never seen any character look forward so much to a dinner of veggie enchiladas and cloth napkins!) If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson books, then you will definitely have a good time with this one. If you haven't read them, you could jump right into this one and not get confused. (But you'll get so much more out of it if you read the others first)

This book is the first in a new series. The next one will be The Son of Neptune and will come out this fall. Can't wait!! In the meantime, check out the Heroes of Olympus website.

A lot of you have probably already read The Lost Hero since it came out way back in October. What did you think? Did you like it? Were you as "wowed" as I was? Go to the Comment tab under this post and let us know!

The First Two Chapters of The Lost Hero--You GOTTA Read This!

The incredible Rick Riordan has done it again!! If you go to Rick Riordan's blog, (which you can find on the left-hand side of the page under "Links," you'll see a link to his new Heroes of Olympus site. If you click on the "About the Series" link, you'll see a "Sneak Peek" box. Click on that and you can read the first two chapters of The Lost Hero, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, which continues the adventures of the Camp Half Blood kids. Does Percy Jackson show up? Will you meet new campers? Well---you're just going to have to go there to find out!! I will tell you that you'll find all the excitement and humor you loved in the Percy Jackson books. If these two chapters are an indication of how the rest of the book will be, then this one will be un-believable!! The book comes out October 12 and the library will have copies. (although we may not have them on the shelves that day--it usually takes a while) I've got one on hold now!! CANNOT WAIT!!
PS--there's also a link to the book trailer--take a look here.