Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

If there is such a thing as a spin-off series in books, then this is possibly one. Heroes of Olympus takes us to Percy Jackson’s world minus Percy Jackson.

The story starts with Jason finding himself on a bus heading to an unknown place with some delinquents he doesn’t recognise, but who know him. He doesn’t know how he got on the bus, why he is there or even who he is. Jason even has an attractive girlfriend he can’t remember, and she is not easy to forget. The only one who doesn’t seem to know him is the coach. Leading the bus trip, now why could that be?

Jason is one of three half bloods on the trip, the only problem is, despite his strong powers, he really doesn’t know who he is and danger is on its way. He is surprised when the coach turns into a mythical creature and even more surprised when one of his classmates turns into something resembling an evil angel and hits him with a lightning bolt, but not as surprised as he should be when the gold coin in his pocket turns into a golden sword.

It doesn’t take long to find out who the lost hero might be, as after the evil monsters arrive, Annabeth arrives on a chariot looking for none other than her boyfriend Percy Jackson. She takes Jason, his girlfriend Piper and best friend Leo back to Camp Half-Blood, the only safe place for the children of the Greek gods. The camp doesn’t seem safe for the newcomers though as monsters roam the woods and demigods practice archery with explosives and flaming arrows. There are also rumours of a terrible curse.

Now the three of them seem to be the chosen ones and are sent on a quest which must be completed by Winter Solstice, in just four days time. The quest is to save Jason’s patron, Hera from the giant Porphyrion. Can the trio succeed on their deadly mission and learn to unlock their powers? Also what does the strange tattoo on Jason mean and why does he know the Roman names for things rather than the Greek god names?

Rick Riordan has started another great adventure series featuring ancient gods in a modern world. Although the book is written in third person, it alternates between the points of view of the three main characters, with each chapter headed by the name of the person whose point of view is expressed or story is told. It is an exciting fantasy, mystery – thriller for young adults and doesn’t require reading the Percy Jackson series in order to be enjoyed, although some prior knowledge of Percy Jackson’s world would be beneficial. Those who loved the Percy Jackson series will also love this book, even if the hero they are used to takes a back seat in this series.

RRP $26.00
Published and distributed by Penguin Group under the Puffin title

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Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune is the second book in the Heroes of Olympus series, set around special camps for children born of relationships between gods and mortals. There is a camp for the children of Greek gods and another for Roman Gods. Fans of Percy Jackson who have been left wondering what happened to him will also be left wondering no more as the son of Poseidon has found himself in the roman camp for half-bloods.

The Son of Neptune opens with Percy Jackson being chased by the Gorgon sisters who intendto kill Percy to avenge the death of their sister but Percy has amnesia and doesn't understand why they are chasing him. He barely escapes and stumbles upon an old lady named June who gives him a choice either he can carry her across the highway, through the Caldecott, and across the Little Tiber river where he will lose the Curse of Achilles, feel pain, loss, and misery beyond anything he's ever known and slowly regain his memory, or he can retreat the safety of the sea and live a long, happy life.

Percy chooses to carry her, and when he gets to Camp Jupiter, , he meets two other demigods: Hazel and Frank. Percy saves Frank from the Gorgons by creating huge hands from the water of the Little Tiber. Percy is taken to the camp, because of his age (16) he is asked if he has seen another demigod, Jason who featured in the first book of the series and who is missing, but Percy is still suffering from memory loss.

In fact there is just one name Percy remembers from the past, Annabeth.

Percy's questing days aren't over though. Percy, Hazel and Frank must face the most important quest of all, .the Prophecy of Seven. If they fail, it is not only the camp that is at risk but Percy's old life, the gods and the entire world might be destroyed.

Rick Riordan has once again created a thrilling adventure combining ancient myths and gods with the modern day world. In this book he also has written a novel that will appeal to fans of both the Percy Jackson series and Heroes of Olympus series.

RRP $26.00
Published and distributed by Penguin Group under the Puffin title
 

The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
 

Apart from being siblings, Carter and Sadie have nothing in common. Their father is a brilliant Egyptologist and their mother was a famed archaeologist who died under mysterious circumstances when they were young.

The siblings barely know each other, but one night their father brings them together at the British Museum, promising a research project that will set things right for their family. His plans go horribly wrong though, causing an explosion that unleashes the evil Egyptian god of chaos, Set. Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin and forces the children to run for their lives.

Now orphaned,. Carter and Sadie must embark on a dangerous quest that will take them from Cairo to Paris and the American Southwest in order to save their father and to stop Set from destroying everything they care about.

Rick Riordan showed with his Percy Jackson series that he is a master of combining ancient gods and the modern world in action packed and entertaining novels. Even though the characters are different, this novel proves to be just as exciting. Boys from eight to twelve in particular will enjoy this book which will have them hooked and intrigued from the first page.

RRP $25.00
Published and distributed by Penguin Group under the Puffin title

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Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

For Percy Jackson fans, this book is sure to be on their must buy list, but for those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, and as a prophecy predicts, bad things are happening to him as all sorts of mythical creatures pop into his life and try to destroy the world. Only he can stop them, mainly because most humans can’t see through the magical veil that hides the mythical creatures from them. It does pose problems though when he is trying to be just a normal teenager.

In this adventure, Kronos, Lord of the Titans attacks New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. If that isn’t enough, Percy also has to deal with the dreaded and enormous monster Typhon. Can Percy save Olympus, the world and himself?

This book, like the rest in the series is an interesting blend of Greek Mythology and the modern world, making exciting and extraordinary adventures. Rick Riordan also injects humour and characters readers can relate to into his amazing adventures, making very readable, thrilling adventures.

RRP $19.95
Published and distributed by Penguin Group under the Puffin title

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Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Yet another in the Percy Jackson series about the half boy, half God hero, in which Zeus, God of the Sky thinks Percy has stolen his lightning bolt. This understandably makes Zeus very angry. This is a very bad idea since Zeus is also King of the Gods. It is up to Percy to find the lightning bolt before a fully fledged war of the Gods erupts.

The book starts with an event that many students have no doubt imagined at some point, vaporising a teacher. This is only the start of his problems however. Not that it was the start of his causing trouble, and some of his other exploits mentioned in the book will no doubt give readers a good laugh. The students in his class are characters that readers will relate to, and as for Percy himself, if it wasn’t for his unusual parentage, he would be a very unlikely hero, after all he is an average student with learning difficulties and a temper.

Strange things certainly do happen to Percy though. He sees things that no-one else seems to see, and then there are things like vaporising a teacher that no-one else has heard of with a pen that turns into a sword. It all makes for an amazing and entertaining adventure.

RRP $19.95
Published and distributed by Penguin Group under the Puffin title

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Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan

This is a graphic novel version of one of the books in the Percy Jackson series about the half boy, half God hero, in which Zeus, God of the Sky thinks Percy has stolen his lightning bolt. This understandably makes Zeus very angry. This is a very bad idea since Zeus is also King of the Gods. It is up to Percy to find the lightning bolt before a fully fledged war of the Gods erupts.

The book starts with an event that many students have no doubt imagined at some point, vaporising a teacher. This is only the start of his problems however. Not that it was the start of his causing trouble, and some of his other exploits in the book will no doubt give readers a good laugh. The students in his class are characters that readers will relate to, and as for Percy himself, if it wasn’t for his unusual parentage, he would be a very unlikely hero, after all he is an average student with learning difficulties and a temper.

Strange things certainly do happen to Percy though. He sees things that no-one else seems to see, and then there are things like vaporising a teacher that no-one else has heard of with a pen that turns into a sword. It all makes for an amazing and entertaining adventure.

This format will introduce the adventure series to a new audience of readers over 11 who may have been put off by the size and text in the original, including those who prefer more visual stories and might even have some learning difficulties like Percy himself.

RRP $26.00
Published and distributed by Penguin Group under the Puffin title

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