Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

This is the first of the Percy Jackson series and is about Percy finding out who he is and then saving the world from the rath of the gods. It was a brilliant book as it made me laugh so many times and you really begin to love the characters. i would definitely recommend that ANYONE reads this book. i am fifteen now and still love the series! Hope this helps.

bought it for the kids but enjoyed it for simple reading myself. The modern expressions are a bit much. But unfortunately that's how children speak today.

It is probably the best book I have ever read. it is really #1. I loooooooooooove it!! I have lent it to my best friend, and she absolutely loves it as well. Five stars. Fab.Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

this is a book that grips you and sucks you in if you think this is like harry potter think againe this is a thrilling an exciting read so get this book and be thrilled

If you know anything about Greek mythology, you'll know that their gods had a tendency to produce demigod kids by the dozen. So it's not too hard to guess what "The Lightning Thief" is about -- a boy who discovers that he's the offspring of a god, and the other demi-god kids that he gets to know at a very, very special camp. While the introduction is a bit rocky, Rick Riordan spins a clever fast-moving adventure that mines ancient mythology and gives it a modern spin. Percy Jackson has always been a troublemaker, but he's shocked when some truly strange things begin to happen in his life -- and especially when a minotaur appears and attacks his car. When he comes to, he learns that he's at a special training camp called Camp Half-Blood intended for demi-god children, and that his best friend Grover is actually a satyr bodyguard. Though Percy is understandably resistant to the idea, he soon makes friends in the sharp Annabeth and the bitter Luke (and enemies with the kids from Cabin Ares). Oh yes, and he finds that he's the son of the god Poseidon... which is a problem since the "Big Three" gods have sworn an oath not to father any more kids, due to a rather ominous prophecy. The problem is that Zeus and Poseidon are also having a feud at the moment, due to the loss of Zeus's master lightning bolt -- and Zeus believes that Percy is the culprit. And if things aren't patched up by the summer solstice, the forces of sky and sea will go to war. To save civilization -- and someone dear to him -- Percy must venture into the world of the dead... "The Lightning Thief" is all a little Harry Potter in concept -- ordinary kid discovers he has magical powers, and is taught in a specialized school/camp with other kids like him. Rick Riordan spends the first half of the book exploring the nature of Camp Half-blood and the various demi-god kids, as well as dropping hints about Percy's parentage. Although, given the number of times he makes water misbehave, you would think someone would have guessed. Fortunately the plot picks up about halfway through, when the whole matter of the bolt and thieving gods comes into play. Riordan has a snappy fast-moving style, and he peppers the story with plenty of plot twists and monstrous action. And he has quite a sharp-edged sense of humor -- the snarkiness is a bit annoying in the first chapter, but after that he produces some fun dialogue ("Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm." "Nonsense. Boy wouldn't feel a thing"). And he does a good job with the concept of gods and monster surviving over the center of the western world, as well as spoking some fun at the gods' behavior. Example: Dionysius whining "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly!" I found Percy rather annoying in the first couple chapters, but Riordan slowly evolves him from a rather bratty, rebellious kid to a reluctant budding hero. Annabeth is an excellent counterpart to Percy, smart and measured if rather haughty in attitude, while Grover is a likable little sidekick who is chewing his nails over the possibility of losing his job. And the supporting cast of gods and demigods is pretty well-drawn, especially the paternal Chiron and embittered Luke. It's not brilliant, but "The Lightning Thief" is a solidly written fantasy/adventure yarn, which leaves the door open for more adventures from Perseus Jackson. Hopefully the movie will be up to its standards.

After watching and enjoying the film i thought i would give the books a try. I am so glad i did, Rick Rordan does a supurb job of drawing you into the story, Creating emotional depth for the charecters and making you care for them. I can honestly say i cared for these charecters and smiled at parts of the story (Dont worry no spoilers) and wanted the best for Percy and his friends. The book is suitable for young teenagers but as a 21 year old i still enjoyed it, so it should be suitable for adults too. Rordan manages to merge greek mythology with the modern world flawlessly, i have been interested in greek mythology all of my life and an avid fantasy reader, this book gives me the best of both worlds, once finishing the books i went onto the internet to learn even more about the mythology. I read all 5 books in one week, that alone should tell you how good these books are. The Percy Jackson gets 5/5 from me and is highly recommended and in my opinion is ALOT better than the movie.

I'm a Greek Myth Nerd. I admit it. I sat through the Percy Jackson film, hoping against hope that they would 'get it right' and by and large they did. This encouraged me to read the books and hey! He 'gets it right' too! Greek Mythology is full of accounts of gods and goddesses producing children with human mothers/fathers. What no-one else has explored is what happened to these children? Not the ones like Helen of Sparta or Hercules whose exploits are well documented - what about all the others? Certainly half-blood children of the Greek gods and human mothers/fathers tend to come to sticky ends in the myths - there are very few happy endings. What Rick Riordan has done is very clever and I wish I'd thought of it (!). He's taken the concept one stage further and created a world where the children of the gods are identified and assembled in order to protect them from the monsters of the ancient world, which can kill them. The Big Three, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, had made a pact not to have any more children as their children tend to become too powerful. Rick Riordan drops in a couple of hints as to whom these children may have been in America's past, but doesn't over-do this connection. Percy, the eponymous hero, is the illicit son of Poseidon, who broke the rules. The book follows his 'rescue' from the world of monsters, his introduction to Camp Half-Blood, where all the demigods are safe, and his first quest to prove he is innocent of stealing Zeus's thunderbolt. I will say that the film diverged from the book in several major incidents, but that doesn't detract from either. I highly recommend both for anyone who's into Greek mythology and for those who'd like to learn more. Rick Riordan gets in a lot of information in a very un-schoolmasterly way, and is always accurate. Love him!

I am an adult in the children section. It is amusing as I got stared at by a few shoppers looking surprised to my presence. I simply could not take my claws of Percy Jackson and The Lighting Thief. The movie is enjoyable and I share the same praise for the book. Rick Riordan has encouraged children to read and that signals an encouraging message. The area of Greek mythology is a complex area, but he done a splendid job in simplifying the area to young readers. Some might claim Percy Jackson is another character sharing similarities to Harry Potter in a few ways. The character is so strong and many readers can draw sympathy due to his misfortunes. He suffers from dyslexia and has been expelled from six schools, due to behavioural problems and poor grades. Percy is about to embark on a new world and discover a few truths. It takes the reader on a journey the time Greek god and goddesses ruled the world. The author has nicely written the novel, with vivid descriptions, superb imagination and fine appreciation of Greek mythology. Percy Jackson & The Thief is an enjoyable read.

yes i love it the best book i have ever seen you must read it

I would recommend this book to anybody. I have already read 1, 2 & 3 and I am now reading N° 4. I read N° 3 in three days. If you read this book you won't be disappointed.