Admittedly children's fiction is not usually my choice of literature but I read this pentalogy to support the reading of a nephew; he loves these books so I chose to read what he liked to engage in it more deeply. I did not initially intend to write up a blog about these books but since it did take up quite some of my reading time, I thought I may as well. Rick Riordan authored these books between 2005 and 2009, and my kindle edition was published by Puffin (Penguin). The whole series formed a 1149-paged text, so roughly 200 pages per book. I will summarise the content of the series (no spoilers), then look at a few general themes and share my personal reaction to the books.
The novels merge Greek mythology with contemporary American life, as Olympus has moved to America, the most powerful Western country in the world. We follow the adventures of Percy Jackson, who discovers he is a half blood (or a demi-god, like Hercules). This alters his experience of the world and towards himself, given that he begins as a "problem child", feeling unwanted both at home (due to his step-father) and at school (due to his ADHD and dyslexia). Discovering his new identity empowers him with a renewed sense of self-confidence and purpose. He finally feels important. Each book sends Percy on a new adventure to essentially save the (Western) world in incremental stages. They are written from a first-person perspective in the voice of Percy Jackson himself.
A major recurring theme in the novels is that of environmentalism. Riordan consistently makes reference to various types of pollution ad how it is destroying the planet. In one of the books he delves a little deeper into the notion of animal mistreatment though the solutions are often simplistic, i.e. planting more trees and not selling meat to the "bad guys". He hardly addresses the issue that the "cheeseburger culture" that America embodies, is also participating to this. There is not enough critique into the culture that creates this destructive environment in my opinion.
As with most action and fantasy fiction, there is a battle that the protagonist has to fight for and it is a battle of good versus evil. The battle in this series is essentially between saving or destroying the West as it is. While Riordan recognises that there are deficiencies in the West (namely pollution and bullying etc.) it still represents one of the best things in the world. This bias is understandable given the white American perspective it is written from but I cannot deny that it made me roll my eyes a little. However, in a more positive light, I did find the novels to be engaging simply due to the fact that there is a lot of action. It keeps the plot moving and the tense battle scenes keep up the suspense. In this respect, I can understand why young boys and girls may enjoy the series.
Relationships are important in this series. Percy's relationship with his parents is central to his identity, due to simultaneously feeling deeply loved by his mother and neglected by his father and step-father. His poor relationship with academia adds to his insecurities and sense of instability. He tends towards befriending vulnerable peers, to protect them from bullies and this indicates his innate goodness and heroic inclinations. Through the course of the series his relationships develop, as he goes from 12 years old to 16 years old. He therefore has more complex challenges to face and more profound questions to ask himself in order to protect relationships he holds dear to him.
Historical knowledge in relation to Greek mythology is given great importance in the plots of these novels. For those like my nephew, it compounds their interest in Greek mythology while for others, it may pique their interest in this alternative world. Having this knowledge saves the day in many of the encounters with mythological creatures, so I hope that this translates into a desire to take interest in research and learning for children; knowledge is power, after all.
A couple of things that bothered me about the books were firstly, the elements seemingly "inspired by" Harry Potter (which was most evident in the first book). I have not read all of the Harry Potter books so cannot go into detail with these comparisons but there were a whole host of things that were evident in the first book especially that just made me feel like this series was not all that original. Though in the case of my nephew it seems like Greek mythology made him like Percy Jackson more than Harry Potter. I also was fatigued by the constant repetitions and reminders of what happened in the previous novel in each of the texts. Since I read them straight after each other, it seemed obvious and like a wasted explanation. In that sense, the descriptions bored me. However, I did notice that the books were released a year apart so for eager early fans (not 15 years behind like me), I can understand the value of these reminders (but maybe a glossary would have also done the job?). I also just did not like the Americanisation of things, just how junk food was referred to as normal food made me uncomfortable. Maybe that's my 'healthy adult' bias in there though.
Overall, I cannot say that this series is my favourite or that it takes me back to childhood but I recognise how some young children may identify with the feelings of being inadequate and are waiting (hoping) for their own personal moment of self-discovery, when they learn their power and purpose in the world. I also see how the action creates suspense and therefore makes them want to read on. I am not a fan of the biases of the novel, but I do hope that the historical parts of the novel encourage children to learn and retain their learning to apply to the real world. The themes of relationships and history are interlinked given that your "history" is where you have come from, which also reveals your relationships.
