Rick Riordan's iconic book series, Percy Jackson, needs no introduction. The
series' debut novel, The Lightning Thief, begins by introducing the protagonist, Percy: a
misunderstood 6th grader with dyslexia who soon finds out that he isn't normal.
Following a series of supernatural encounters, Percy grows suspicious of his peers, and
eventually finds out from his friend, Grover, that he is 'half-blood', or a demigod. More
specifically, his father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, and this discovery is what
sparks the journey that the novel illustrates.
Once he was told this shocking news, the demigod embarks on a journey attempting to
save the world by stopping a war in the underworld. Along his way, Percy encounters
more supernatural obstacles where he uses his half-blood powers, repeatedly proving
himself as he escapes defeat. The tense, shocking moments that the novel creates is a
strong quality of the book that make it nearly impossible to put down.
In all, The Lightning Thief’s core identity can be seen through Percy’s character; that,
although he was labeled as a ‘troublemaker’ in a school setting, his half-blood journey
repeatedly proved him persistent and fierce. And, although his teachers would most
likely disagree, after reading Rick Riordan’s novel, their assumptions of him
underestimated his character. Although the book was written for a younger audience, I
would be lying if I said it didn’t have me hooked. If you want to find out the outcome of
Percy’s journey, whether or not he stopped the underworld’s war or not, read The
Lightning Thief.
(Sorry about the words surpassing the limit of the screen, I don't know why its doing that.)
I love these books. I love Percy's character development, going from the scrawny underdog to the person who challenges the gods on an average Tuesday.
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