#Kane chronicles my beloved Riordan series | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rattytshirtspaintsplatteredjeans · 7 months

Text

Three ways to read the Riordanverse's series

Whether you are a new fan or a returning one, you might be confused about the reading order of Riordan's books (especially since there are more than twenty of them, even without counting extra books - with those there are nearly forty). If so, you are in the right place. Here under the cut are 3 ways to read the Percy Jackson series, each one providing a different experience. (this took me so long to make you have no idea)

Obs.: You don't necessarily have to read the extra books, but some of them contain short stories that are relevant to the plot and beloved by the fans. I heavily recommend you read at least those (which will be marked with a ☆)

Obs. 2: We usually use a 3 or 4-letters acronym to refer to Riordanverse's series and books. Thus, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series would be PJO, The Lightning Thief (1st book of the series and the one they're adapting right now) would be TLT and so on. I'll try to avoid them but if you see them that's what they mean lol.

Obs. 3: Rick Riordan is currently releasing a new 3-books long series due to the show release which is being branded as a continuation of PJO. However, they contain spoilers of the second main series. Thus, they'll be marked as PJOX here for identification purposes.

Obs. 4: A lot of people will stop reading the series because they can't get through the first two books of TOA. I beg you to keep reading. The third and the last book of the series are two of the best ones Rick Riordan has ever written (with the last book being my favorite of his by far).

Recommended for: anyone

Release order

The order in which the books were released. Pretty straightforward.

The Lightning Thief/TLT (Percy Jackson and the Olympians/PJO)

The Sea of Monsters/SoM (PJO)

The Titan's Curse/TTC (PJO)

The Battle of The Labyrinth/BotL (PJO)

The Demigod Files (PJO Extra ☆)

The Last Olympian/TLO (PJO)

The Ultimate Guide (PJO Extra)

The Red Pyramid/TRP (The Kane Chronicles/TKC)

The Lost Hero/TLH (The Heroes of Olympus/HOO)

The Throne of Fire/ToF (TKC)

The Son of Neptune/SoN (HOO)

The Kane Chronicles Survival Guide (TKC Extra)

The Serpent's Shadow/TSS (TKC)

The Demigod Diaries (PJO/HOO Extra ⁠☆)

The Mark of Athena/MoA (HOO)

Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo (PJO Extra - hard to find in print especially if you're not from the US, I genuinely recommend you to look for a PDF version)

The House of Hades/HoH (HOO)

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods (HOO Extra)

The Blood of Olympus/BoO (HOO)

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes (HOO Extra - afaik it doesn't exist in print in Brazil, might also be the case for other countries)

The Sword of Summer/SoS (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard/MCGA)

Demigods and Magicians (PJO × TKC Extra ⁠☆ - Collection of 3 short stories and a crossover between PJO and TKC. Hard to come by in print, I recommend you to get the eBooks. You can also read the 1st story = The Son of Sobek between MoA and The Singer of Apollo, the 2nd story = The Staff of Serapis between HoH and Greek Gods and the 3rd story = The Crown of Ptolemy between BoO and Greek Heroes)

The Hidden Oracle/THO (The Trials of Apollo/TOA)

Guide to the Norse Worlds (MCGA Extra)

The Hammer of Thor/HoT (MCGA)

The Dark Prophecy/TDP (TOA)

Camp Half-Blood Confidential (TOA Extra)

The Ship of The Dead/SoD (MCGA)

Brooklyn House Magician's Manual (TKC Extra)

The Burning Maze/TBM (TOA)

9 From the Nine Worlds (MCGA Extra)

The Tyrant's Tomb/TTT (TOA)

Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal (TOA Extra)

The Tower of Nero/ToN (TOA)

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure/TSatS (Stand-alone)

The Chalice of the Gods/CotG (PJOX)

Wrath of the Triple Goddess TBR 2024 (PJOX)

3rd PJOX Book TBR 2025 (PJOX)

Chronological order

Recommended for: anyone

The chronological order of the stories, mainly following the guide made by taetaae_v, eliascsc, riordanverso and percyjstan (all on Twitter). The only thing NOT included is the first story from the extra book "The Demigod Diaries", as it contains spoilers/heavy foreshadowing about the first series, including the end. If you are reading for the first time, I advise you to not buy the book until you finish PJO and to read the story afterwards. If you are rereading the series, the story is chronologically located before everything else, so start by reading it.

Refer to the release order to know when to read the extra books (outside from the stories included below), since they contain content that can't really be placed. Also, Rick Riordan is not the best writer when it comes to consistency, so some of the short stories might actually contradict what is said in the main book series when placed where they are, even if it is the only reasonable time to place them.

(For rereaders) 1st Story (from The Demigod Diaries)

The Lightning Thief/TLT (Percy Jackson and the Olympians/PJO)

The Sea of Monsters/SoM (PJO)

The Titan's Curse/TTC (PJO)

The Battle of The Labyrinth/BotL (PJO)

Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon (from The Demigod Files)

Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot (from The Demigod Files - alternatively placed between TTC and BotL)

Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades (from The Demigod Files)

The Last Olympian/TLO (PJO)

(For 1st time readers) 1st Story (from The Demigod Diaries)

Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo (PJO Extra - hard to find in print especially if you're not from the US, I genuinely recommend you to look for a PDF version)

The Staff of Hermes (from The Demigod Diaries)

The Lost Hero/TLH (The Heroes of Olympus/HOO)

Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford (from The Demigod Diaries)

The Red Pyramid/TRP (The Kane Chronicles/TKC)

The Throne of Fire/ToF (TKC)

Son of Magic (from The Demigod Diaries, by Haley Riordan - not strictly part of the series but adds some depth)

The Son of Neptune/SoN (HOO)

The Mark of Athena/MoA (HOO)

The House of Hades/HoH (HOO)

The Blood of Olympus/BoO (HOO)

The Chalice of the Gods/CotG (PJOX)

The Serpent's Shadow/TSS (TKC)

Demigods and Magicians (PJO × TKC Extra ⁠☆ - Collection of 3 short stories - The Son of Sobek, The Staff of Serapis and The Crown of Ptolemy - and a crossover between PJO and TKC. Hard to come by in print, I recommend you to get the eBooks)

Wrath of the Triple Goddess TBR 2024 (PJOX - might take place before The Crown of Ptolemy)

3rd PJOX Book TBR 2025 (PJOX)

The Sword of Summer/SoS (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard/MCGA)

The Hidden Oracle/THO (The Trials of Apollo/TOA)

The Dark Prophecy/TDP (TOA)

The Burning Maze/TBM (TOA)

The Hammer of Thor/HoT (MCGA)

The Tyrant's Tomb/TTT (TOA)

The Ship of The Dead/SoD (MCGA)

The Tower of Nero/ToN (TOA)

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure/TSatS (Stand-alone)

Greek Mythology First order (Personal Favorite)

Recommended for: those who want to read the main series first before going to the Egyptian/Norse mythology spin-offs.

Besides Rick Riordan's three main 5-books series about Greek mythology, there are also two other 3-books series about other mythologies and following other characters. Although there are crossovers between the main series and the other two and they sometimes reference each other, there's absolutely nothing lost by reading the main series first and you can do that without receiving any spoilers.

The books are organized following the chronological order of the series, so PJOX comes before TOA. The extra books that aren't relevant for the story are added at the end of their series. You can also read TKC between PJO and HOO and MCGA either before or after TOA (TKC can actually be read at any point, but MCGA needs to be read after HOO).

Greek Mythology

The Lightning Thief/TLT (Percy Jackson and the Olympians/PJO)

The Sea of Monsters/SoM (PJO)

The Titan's Curse/TTC (PJO)

The Battle of The Labyrinth/BotL (PJO)

The Demigod Files (PJO Extra ☆)

The Last Olympian/TLO (PJO)

Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo (PJO Extra - hard to find in print especially if you're not from the US, I genuinely recommend you to look for a PDF version)

The Ultimate Guide (PJO Extra)

(Optional) Demigods and Magicians (PJO × TKC Extra ⁠☆ - Collection of 3 short stories - The Son of Sobek, The Staff of Serapis and The Crown of Ptolemy - and a crossover between PJO and TKC. Hard to come by in print, I recommend you to get the eBooks)

The Lost Hero/TLH (The Heroes of Olympus/HOO)

The Demigod Diaries (PJO/HOO Extra ⁠☆)

The Son of Neptune/SoN (HOO)

The Mark of Athena/MoA (HOO)

The House of Hades/HoH (HOO)

The Blood of Olympus/BoO (HOO)

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods (HOO Extra)

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes (HOO Extra - afaik it doesn't exist in print in Brazil, might also be the case for other countries)

The Chalice of the Gods/CotG (PJOX)

Wrath of the Triple Goddess TBR 2024 (PJOX)

3rd PJOX Book TBR 2025 (PJOX)

The Hidden Oracle/THO (The Trials of Apollo/TOA)

The Dark Prophecy/TDP (TOA)

The Burning Maze/TBM (TOA)

The Tyrant's Tomb/TTT (TOA)

The Tower of Nero/ToN (TOA)

Camp Half-Blood Confidential (TOA Extra)

Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal (TOA Extra)

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure/TSatS (Stand-alone)

Egyptian Mythology

The Red Pyramid/TRP (The Kane Chronicles/TKC)

The Throne of Fire/ToF (TKC)

The Serpent's Shadow/TSS (TKC)

The Kane Chronicles Survival Guide (TKC Extra)

Brooklyn House Magician's Manual (TKC Extra)

Norse Mythology

The Sword of Summer/SoS (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard/MCGA)

The Hammer of Thor/HoT (MCGA)

The Ship of The Dead/SoD (MCGA)

Guide to the Norse Worlds (MCGA Extra)

9 From the Nine Worlds (MCGA Extra)

3 notes · View notes

legolasghosty · 2 years

Note

I love interacting with random blogs & saw you be logged the “ask me anything” post, so let’s go!! Do you have book/show/movie recs?? I’m trying to read/watch some new stuff!

Well hello there! Let's go!

Okay, as far as movies go, Mitchell's vs Machines is pretty cool, it's on Netflix, great animation and stuff. Very fun art style!

Shows - I'm a short series with an ongoing plot type person, so my top 3 at the moment would be the BBC series of Pride and Prejudice (Hulu I think), Julie and the Phantoms (Netflix), and Heartstopper (Netflix).

Books... Okay, call me obsessed, cause I am, Heartstopper again. You can read the books, or everything that has been released so far is online, on Tumblr or Webtoon. It's super cute and fluffy and gay!

I'm going to assume by your username that you're all caught up on Rick Riordan's stuff, but if you haven't, then read those! Kane Chronicles my beloved!

Yeah, hopefully that gives you some starter points, I can probably get more if you want! Have a good one!

6 notes · View notes

coolbeansbuddyofmine · 2 years

Note

What fandoms/ships do you write for?

oh thank you, op, truly.

i've been meaning to make a post like this but never got the time to, but now i have a reason to do it!!

let's divide this nicely by type of media:

book/book series:

percy jackson series/heroes of olympus/magnus chase/the kane chronicles/the trials of apollo-anything rick riordan basically-i only write the canonical ships, but i'm willing to try rarepairs as well

the harry potter series (books and movies)-my ships include drastoria, jily, hinny, scorlily :))) also willing to do certain rarepairs like daphnextheo and the like

the hunger games series-mostly really finnick x annie tbh, but willing to do katniss x peeta and works with johanna as well

divergent- same thing, mostly canonical pairs

the maze runner series- primarily thomesa actually

the lunar chronicles- the canonical pairs again

oh, any other popular series works as well like the chronicles of narnia

there may be other ya series or just book series im missing. you can prompt and ask and i'll probably have read it. or dm me as well!! my dms are always open!!

movies/movie series:

any book to movie adaptions are fair game.

inception- i'm obsessed with arthur x ariadne and saito x cobb, dont @ me

mcu!!! i'll write for tasertricks, drukkari, yonvers, sambucky, stucky, stony, pepperony, thorbruce, gilgamesh x thena, shangchi x katy, fosterson!!! all of those are fair game. otherwise, while i'm an avid watcher for the whole universe and i'm familiar with all the characters, i may or may not write for them. if it's a tv show or a movie, send me a prompt, and i'll 9 to 10 odds answer it and write something.

actually, also realized i'd write dc-verse too. diana x steve, bruce x clark, clark x lois, the usual. i do both current dc verse, and the nolan movies (for batman) and even older like the michael keaton movies. i actually watched them all, so idm.

any and all romcoms and chick flicks. like 10 things i hate about you, yes. legally blonde, yes. dont even think twice and just ask.

tv shows (american/british):

sitcoms!! love them.

here's the ones i'll write for: parks and rec (benslie my beloved), nhie (benvi ples), the office (pam x jim mostly but angela x dwight too!), the good place (literally anything. just no eleanor x jason, like that's the only notp), b99 (peraltiago, im a whore). send me a sitcom and i've probs watched it tbh-superstore, kim's convenience, and whatnot. all of them work.

any mcu show or dc-verse show. all of them are fair game. i'm into cloak and dagger, arrow, the flash, jessica jones, daredevil. yk your usual

for british tv shows, it's your usual. sherlock (sherlolly mostly but johnlock works too), merlin (literalLY ANYTHING-they're all so hot), doctor who (10th doctor and rose, im basic yes).

shows/graphic novels (other):

i write other bc this includes anime, manga, kdramas, jdramas, cdramas, t-dramas, and even thai dramas. so im a woman of wide interests as you can see.

anime/mangas:

kaichou wa maid sama- usui x misaki

ouran high school host club- anything with kyoya. i have mostly read oc or reader inserts and i'm not ashamed.

kiss him not me- all ships are fair game, but i prefer the GAY ONES.

your lie in april-canon only ples, and i dont acknowledge the ending so [redacted] doesnt happen

blackbird! i love the main couple, but like im in love with zenki ngl

seirou opera! main couple,,,, enemies to lovers vibe so true

actually any romance manga is fair game, i'm an absolute hedonist when it comes to romance- fluff, smut, angst, i take it all.

wolf girl and black prince- ik it's bla bla blah, dont @ me. i'll write kyouya x erika.

kdramas:

i'm not even joking when i say this but literally anything.

anything i've already written. anything that has aired after 2010 is fair game. i'm obsessed is an understatement.

do not even hesitate please! drop that prompt! ships, well, usually i write canon. that's the only caveat. i write canon. (dm me bc i have some cross-show ships)

actually i'll write for lots of kmovies as well.

thai dramas:

i liked u-prince dont @ me. i do not see it. and i will write it.

and most recently, f4.

for taiwanese dramas, chinese dramas and japanese dramas, drop me a dm or an ask with a prompt and i'll contact you depending on whether i've seen it.

so yeah,,,,, that's all :)))) hopefully this gives you some prompting cushion, op

#my writing #ask box answered!

10 notes · View notes

kinstein-art · 2 years

Note

What fandoms are you into?

oh god where do i even start.....literally SOOOO many i cant even keep track of them anymore and they keep changing all over the place, but here are some of my main fandoms off the top of my head:

star trek!! definitely!!! all the star trek

also star wars <3

mha, demon slayer, jujutsu kaisen (only got into em pretty recently tho but im a HUGE fan)

lotr/the hobbit. my beloveds

uncharted, darksiders, skyrim. just video games !!! yes !!!

red dwarf and kinda sitcoms in general - b99, schitts creek, get smart, parks and rec, new girl, etc etc

supernatural, doctor who, sherlock. yes. the dreaded superwholock ☠

marvel/dc woot woot! basically all superhero stuff

percy jackson/heroes of olympus, kane chronicles, magnus chase, anything rick riordan

ANYTHING EMILY RODDA!!! LOVE HER!!!

dunno if web comic series have fandoms but ive read a few that i absolutely love <3

does jurassic park have a fandom? if so then i am definitely part of it, i have rewatched those movies about 65 million times

well thats all i can think of atm but there are a billion more lol. basically just everything on my blog (excluding some requests) is what im into! and im sure i will only add more fandoms to my little collection as time goes on....

#aaaahhhh thank you for the ask im geeking so much!!!!!#yeah i have a lot of fandoms lol 😅 i just like stuff yknow?#ask #asks #anon

2 notes · View notes

just-a-cup-of-anxietea · 3 years

Text

Tag 9 people to learn about their interests!

Tagged by @daydreaming-optimist 💖Thanks twin!

MUSIC

Fave genre? depends on: the weather, the time of year, the most recent artist(s) I have listened to, and the vibe of the book I last picked up. (But movie scores are always great)

Fave artist? Tay Swift or Cristophe Beck

Fave song? Depends on the vibe I'm seeking in a particular moment. Thomas Newman's Nemo Egg is probably one of my all-time favs. Moonlight Sonata too tho. AHH THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD SONGS.

Most listened song recently? One by Sleeping At Last

Song currently stuck in your head? Say Goodbye by Katrina Rose Dideriksen and Rob Rokicki

5 fave lyrics?

“Grace requires nothing of me." -One by Sleeping at Last

“Write what you know so they say; all I know is I don't know how to write or the right way to write it." -Watch What Happens by Kara Lindsay

"I wanna break every rule and cross every line. I wanna show all the stars how stars oughta shine. I wanna do as I please and knock the world to its knees, and go wherever the breeze is going" -Next Stop Anywhere by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater (+ Mandy Moore, Eden Espinosa, and Zachary Levi)

"I may fail but it doesn't mean that I won't try" - Try by Rob Rokicki (+ Jorrel Javier, Chris McCarrell & Kristin Stokes)

"Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die; I don't belong, and my beloved, neither do you. Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry. I'm setting off, but not without my muse" -the lakes by Taylor Swift

BOOKS

Fav book genre? travelogue or sci-fi probably?

Fav writer? Rick Riordan, Andy Weir, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, or Rachel Carson

Fav book? This is going to change in seven seconds. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Fav book series? The Lunar Chronicles, PJO, Gaia Girls (going wayyy back to childhood)

Comfort book? Jessica Day George books (specifically the Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy), PJO, The Kane Chronicles, A Wrinkle in Time

Perfect book to read on a rainy day? Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Fave characters? how much time you got? Annabeth Chase, Rachel Dare, Mark Watney, Hermione Granger, Cress Darnel (I swear I'm not copying your answers @daydreaming-optimist we just have so much in common it's ridiculous), Lazlo Strange, Dr. Ellie Sattler (it took me forever to type that bc my L key glitched)... I'm gonna leave it at seven. Seven seems a good number.

5 quotes from your fave book(s)** that you know by heart?

“The planet has survived everything in its time. It will certainly survive us.” (Jurassic Park, Micheal Crichton)

“Dream up something wild and improbable" (Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor)

“The sediments are a sort of epic poem of the earth.” (The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson)

"It's no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then." (Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll)

"Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people." and "Otherwise he was glad we had missed our landing, for he still had three books to read." (Kon Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl)

**I added the (s) there. That wasn't in the original question but I wrote all these quotes and THEN realized my mistake. But I liked the quotes too much to change it to book singular.

*depends on the book

TV AND MOVIES

Fave tv/movie genre? fantasy, documentary, sitcom

Fave movie? Like favorite book, this also fluctuates every seven seconds. Rn tho? Jumanji: The Next Level

Comfort movie? Ratatouille, Finding Nemo (p much anything Disney) , The Princess Bride, old Barbie movies, The Sound of Music

Movie you watch every year? Tangled

Fave tv show? Uhhhhh rn? The Good Place

Comfort tv show? Friends, The Good Place, and The Office (I know I know. very standard answers)

Most rewatched tv show? Friends (I'm seeing some overlap in these answers hmm)

5 fave characters? This is simply impossible. I love too many. Mary Margaret-Blanchard, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chidi Anagonye, Woody Boyd, Katniss Everdeen (that's SIX i know but god I want to say SO MANY MORE SSKJGKJH)

tagging (no pressure): @the---hermit @kakooii @oh-toasty @c-avenged @of-the-elves @jellyfishwaters @unashamedly-enthusiastic @sous-la-mousse @alienlamp

#baking buddy #daydreaming-optimist #tag game #get to know me

11 notes · View notes

hearty-an0n · 3 years

Note

oh man percy jackson my fuckign beloved im much overdue for a reread. battle of the labyrinth is so good i agree have you read any of riordan’s other series?

-aj anon

all of them i believe! pjo, hero’s of olympus, kane chronicles, magnus chase books, and trials of apollo up to the fourth book ^-^

#<3 answers!#aj anon!!

3 notes · View notes

whydoubleu · 4 years

Text

Indonesia mythology story?

I’m a big fan of rick riordan stories, of course it all started with percy jackson series, then the second mythology series that been written by him is the kane chronicles but im not continue to read it after several pages because i think its not that interesting as the percy jackson world mythology. After few years, rick riordan have new series inspired by nordic mythology, named magnus chase series and magnus is as sassy as percy lol so i do really enjoy to read it. The latest series is back with greek mythology with the point of view from apollo the god turning into human named Lester as the punishment from his father Zeus, it bring all memories about percy jackson and friends.

This year pandemic that happen all over the world is not only affecting my beloved favorite motogp riders, f1 drivers and musician but also me,myself and i,HA! My classes in college turn into online classes as everyone being stay at home. So, being quarantined, its not that hard as im a fulltime homebody person if “the homebody mode is started “ but beside having the online classes and scrolling my twitter timeline and instagram, and watching youtube videos, I also discover a few things like i can operate my printer by dowloading the software from the internet lol, then because of my phone network is really bad but have to catch up with danny ric ig live and luca marini ig live, so i found ig extension in google chrome that allow you watching ig live videos through the instagram web via computer yay!hahaha.

I also trying to stay fit by following 30 days challenge by michael italiano who is the trainer for danny ric that my attempt only last for a day, and watching movies that been in my computer movie folder for a few months and finishing the books that been unread or only the first pages-read, and it works! I finished read the rise of nine from i am number for series and now currently reading the kane chronicles and starting to get interested of the series, while having thought that what if im writing stories based on Indonesia mythology that could be published by rick riordan publisher, and introducing the beauty of Indonesia to the world through the mythology and the culture,etc,what a dream, but yeah keep pushing!

#rick riordan #percy jackson #f1 #motogp #magnus chase #kane chronicles #trials of apollo #indonesia #any ideas for indonesia mythology stories?

8 notes · View notes

uniquejennyessays · 7 years

Text

Greek Myth In Contemporary Society

For years I have been liking Rick Riordan (Rick)’s works, it seemed like I have not written a review on it yet. So, here’s one on my favorite book series of all time.

HOW AND WHEN DID I START ON THIS SERIES?

It all started during my first year of high school, when I had a fixation on Greek Mythology. I admired the humanized personality of different gods, the adventures of heroes with their tragic end, and the inconsistent romance (either a happy or a miserable end). The passion led me to discover the first series of the Chronicles, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO). I think I borrowed the first two books from the school library and bought the rest from the bookstore. I pretty much spend most of my time reading these novels forth and back.

Then it came the Heroes of Olympus (HOO) series, which Rick introduced Roman Mythology. With a set of new characters and old friends, I was even more absorbed into the series throughout my high-school years. I waited anxiously whenever a new installment was published, and was really content when I got to know the continuation of their adventure (which the author is a troll for cliffhangers, just like how they do for Attack on Titan Season 2). The Blood of Olympus (BOO) was published during my fourth year, which the moment I read it I had a mixed feeling of joy and sorrow. The ending was extremely shocking, from Leo’s plotted death to his revival (He’s the Percy Jackson’s Jesus), I nearly wanted to punch the author. But then, Rick created many mysteries inside the book itself. For example, Apollo’s punishment, the prophecy Ella recited, Nico and Will’s relationship, and Leo and Calypso’s whereabouts. These unexplained mysteries just made me go ‘What the hell’ at the end of the book. There were conspiracies that Rick would make a new series, with all these hints. Yet I fulfill all my needs through fanfictions, seeing what people predicted the future ‘book’ will happened.

Good news rained down on me in my last year of high school. During his tour for Magnus Chase series in 2015, he announced his new Greek Myth series, Trials of Apollo (TOA). The Hidden Oracle (THO) came out when I was studying my A-Levels, I went to the bookstore on the day when it was published. Since shipping required an amount of time, I was informed that the book will arrived one week later. Eventually, I waited patiently, and finally I received it. The book was still amazing as ever, with a God as the narrator and the main character. The other main character, the daughter of Demeter (which I predicted accurately) who can perform badass sword-fighting at the age of 12, sometime out of the ordinary Demeter child people would imagine.

During my A-Levels period, my taste has turned to Victorian classics. Besides, I have started on anime. Thus, my need for the series had lessen. Even I bought the Dark Prophecy (TDP) months ago, I managed to finish it. However, this does not stop me from loving the author’s style of writing and sense of humor.

(Additional note: I have finished TDP on Percy’s birthday.)

(picture of the troll)

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT?

After pouring all my love for the chronicles, so what are the series all about? Americanized Greek Mythology in the modern world. These demigods live in training camp named Camp Half-Blood (another word for demigod) during summer or for the entire year so they can prepare themselves for the dangerous outside world full of monsters. Since it has 3 different plots for each series, I need to introduce them in detail separately.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2005-2009)

The gateway to the demigod universe. It started off with the Lightning Thief (TLT), through first-point of view of our beloved hero, Percy Jackson. He discovers himself as the remaining demigod son of Poseidon, the Greek god of sea. Due to a great prophecy predicted one of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) children will bring to the fall of Olympus, his presence was a threat to the Gods. He was also set to vanquish Kronos, King of Titans who is under the aid of another demigod, Luke Castellan.

The five books of the series described his journey to be a living legend, with an amount of betrayals, deaths of his trusted partners, slight romance and awesome fighting scenes. His humorous jokes and comments presented Rick’s unique style of writing, giving the readers memorable images.

The final book, The Last Olympian (TLOl), is the greatest among them all. brings up another prophecy which is the key to the next installment. No matter how much Luke is a villain, his devastating childhood stories and his anger towards the Greek Gods made the readers understand his resentment and yearning for a familiar love. Besides, it also revealed another prophecy, which is the key to the next series.

Heroes of Olympus (2010-2014)

The sequel of the previous series, narrating seven demigods on a quest to defeat an ancient deity in the ancient grounds of Greece and Rome. They meet challenges from the worst monsters, mortals and deities, sailing to stop the wrath of Gaea, the Earth goddess.

This series, is my favorite series among the three. It does not focus on a main character, or written in 1st person point of view. Instead, we got a third person omniscient from 9 different people, who are the seven main demigods (with Nico and Reyna in the last book). We do not get our beloved son of Poseidon in the first book, but we were given a new set of characters with different background. We also discover the Roman Version of Camp Half -Blood, Camp Jupiter, a rigid military-like camp full of Roman demigods and their descendants. The series narrated two parallel sides of the Greco-Roman Mythology working together against a common enemy.

Unlike the previous series, this brought up many backstories of characters even more tragic than Percy’s. The narration was still amusing, yet there’s a sense of seriousness inside. There was an obvious character development when the series goes on. For example, Piper McLean, who refuses to recognize herself as the daughter of Aphrodite, later accepts her identity and able to use her own inherited powers. Frank Zhang, an insecure demigod with a bad reputation, turned into a confident Roman praetor.

The thing I would like to complain about is the final fight scene in BOO. It was a few pages long with Piper, Jason and Leo putting Gaea back to her slumber. It was not as majestic as people expected it would be. It could be as fantastic as TLOl!

Trials of Apollo (2016-?)

The latest sequel for the previous series, which feature the sun god Apollo as a powerless mortal, finding his way to gain back immortality. Rick had converted back to the first-person point of view style, with the sun god as the narrator. His choice of narrator gives us an insight to a deity’s mind and opinions, how he sees the world compared to how mortals, having an ephemeral life, perception on their life. It’s a philosophical matter which discuss about life and death, and living an eternal life.

In THO, readers could see the improvement on Apollo’s personality. From the arrogant and narcissistic god who cannot accept on his ‘ugly’ condition, finally learns how to be humble and trying to see the world as how mortals would. We also witness the psychological abuse of Nero on Meg McCaffery. Letting her believe her abuser is another person from her adoptive father, but what she does not know Nero and the ‘Beast’ are the same person.

The second book, TDP, probably is my least favorite of the series. There was not much Leo-Calypso endearing moments that I expected it should be. The first half of the book narrating Apollo doing various pet tasks, and remembering his ex-lover, Emperor Commodus. However, I am pleased that Rick put a lesbian couple in the story, which I had no idea that even same-sex relationship is prohibited as well for the Huntress of Artemis. There are old friends from the previous books, which I am delighted to see again.

The third book, The Burning Maze (TBM) will be released next year.

Companion books

As much as the companion books are light and consisted with short stories, I explored the little things that were never mentioned in the main series. Besides fillers, there were information on the demigod world, giving readers a clearer sight of the Greek Mythology and Percy’s world.

The Demigod Files (TDF), narrates how Percy assisted Clarisse on her Ares rite of passage; the discover of the bronze dragon (which later Leo named him Festus); and the children of the Big Three Gods finding the newly forged weapon of Hades (Gods do like causing unnecessary trouble and giving quests to their half-blood offspring).

The Demigod Diaries (TDD), explains the adventure of Luke and Thalia in a trapped mansion, finding Annabeth on their way; the task given by Hermes during Percy-Annabeth’s one-month anniversary date; Leo and his friends’ encounter with the drunken followers of Dionysus; and an extra story written by Rick’s son, with impressive writing style for someone diagnosed with dyslexic and ADHD.

Camp Half-Blood confidential (CHBC) is a collaborated guide ‘made’ by the campers, due to the horrible orientation film directed by Apollo. Poor Nico is the only one who suffered from the film and accidentally humiliates himself in public.

Percy Jackson’s guide to Greek Gods and Greek Heroes are separate two books as a guide introducing to Greek Gods and Heroes. People could actually score Greek Mythology with these two non-boring lecture books.

Rick also made a crossover on Percy and his Egyptian Mythology counterpart, Carter Kane. They work together to defeat Setne, an Egyptian magician who thirst for divine powers. It was like an official crossover fanfiction.

Diverse Demigods with Dazzling Characteristics

I love the characters in the series, they were just full of animation and so on. I’ll state my top 10 favorites and that one character I truly despise.

First come with my favorite characters of the series:

(art by viria, she makes the old official arts belongs to the pit of Tartarus)

10. Frank Zhang

One of the cinnamon roll of the series, and the tamest among Mars/Ares children. I’m glad that Rick put a Chinese demigod in it. His Chinese name, Fai Zhang, probably based on Zhang Fei from the Romance of Three Kingdom. He is the only demigod who can read and write normally. He has shape-shifting abilities, inherited from his ancestors, is adapted from the Monkey King from Journey to the West. Like the Greek hero Meleager, his life is depended on a wooden stick, showing his pyrophobia.

Frank started off as shy with low self-esteem. He was raised by his military mother and his strict grandmother who told him various tales of their ancestors. His mother died in a war, giving him a start to train himself as a Roman demigod. In the Son of Neptune (SON), we first see him doing tasks that are undesired by the other campers. He is officially welcomed into the centurion of the fifth cohort, after he was claimed as the son of Mars. His first quest to Alaska causes him slowly gathers courage and discovers his family power. The funniest makeover he has was in the House of Hades (HOH), when Triptomelus rewards him with a buffer and taller figure, saying goodbye to his chubby self. Finally, he is upgraded to praetor.

The dynamic between Leo and Frank plays a vital role. Frank, who is initially afraid of Leo because of his fire power while the latter keeps making fun of him. We can see in the Mark of Athena (MOA), his act of jealousy towards Leo due to his similarities with ‘Sammy Valdez’, Hazel’s first love. As the series continues, Leo gives him a fireproof cloth for him to keep the wood, as a baby step for Frank to give him trust.

I heard that he will be in the subsequent book, as the Dark Prophecy stated him as the ‘changeling lord’. I might see him as a mature praetor on duty alongside with Reyna.

9. Hazel Levesque

Another cinnamon roll in the series. Despite being a daughter of Pluto/Hades, she is the less miserable version of Nico. Originally, she is known to have the abilities of controlling metal and valuables. Her magical abilities in controlling the mist is known in HOH, becoming another useful weapon. Like any child of Hades/Pluto children in the series, Hazel was from the pre-20th century. Her mother, Marie was hungry for wealth, causing her daughter having a cursed ability of attracting metals. Despite Hazel resented her greedy mother, she saved her from raising Gaea. Her heroic deed gave her a token to Elysium, yet she gave up her position to refrain her mother suffer from eternal punishment. As the child of death, she wandered around Asphodel for decades. Until her Greek half-brother discovered her and brought her back to life, giving her another chance to live again, in the 21th century.

In SON, it is revealed that Hazel’s half-brother is Nico. Originally, he wanted to bring his biological sister, Bianca back to life, seeing that the Doors of Death was opened. It was hinted Bianca had chosen a new reincarnated life than staying in the Underworld. Eventually, he learnt about Hazel’s presence and decided to take her back instead. Initially, we thought Hazel as a replacement for Bianca, judging Nico as a selfish person. Slowly, he shows brotherly affection for her in HOH by kissing her forehead, something he would not simply do. In BOO, he accepts Hazel’s relationship with Frank and teases them. He even comforts Hazel when she cries for Leo. It’s a coincidence that their mother almost shared the same name.

As she lived in an era where colored-race were low-key discriminated, with her unusual ability, she was a target of bullying. Her only comfort among these mishaps was Sammy Valdez, who sees her as a diamond. As Leo shares the same looks and last name as Sammy, believing as his reincarnation, she has slight romantic fondness for him. Later, they discover Sammy is Leo’s Great Grandfather. She finally settles down with Frank, treating Leo as her friend.

Her curse, which will be washed away by a descendent of Poseidon/Neptune, which readers are not sure if it is Percy or Frank. Besides, she probably learns some interesting 21th century stuff she had never seen before. Hopefully she does not craze for fidget spinners (those things are just all over the place!).

8. Annabeth Chase

The Brainiac of the group. Our favorite Wise Girl who is Percy’s love interest and strategist. The architect of Olympus. Someone you would choose as your girlfriend. After meeting her, you will change your views on blonde hair people.

No matter how beautiful and smart she is, she has her own fears and flaws. She has Arachnophobia, based on the feud her mother and Arachne had. In MOA, she faces her greatest fear, mother of spiders Arachne. With her clever trick, she easily defeats Arachne, possibly the first Athena demigod to do so. In SOM, she reveals her fatal flaw is hubris, believing her intelligence and power are beyond the Gods.

She ran away from home at 7, believing that her father and stepmother had disliked her part god status. On her way, she met Luke and Thalia, who presented her one of her signature weapon, the Celestial Bronze dagger. They were like a parental figure to her, and the first demigods she encountered. In the beginning of TLT, Percy figures Annabeth develops a crush on Luke, who turns out to be a backstabbing traitor and a threat to Camp Half-Blood and Olympus. Her feelings towards Luke varies in the PJO series, we see compassion, sympathy, love, respect, hatred, and regrets. In TLOl, she settles with having a sibling love towards Luke, choosing Percy over him.

The Percy-Annabeth relationship is one of my favorite hetero fictional couple. They treat each other as equal, rather than having Annabeth as his personal sidekick. With her, as the intelligent girlfriend; and him, as the brave puppy-dog boyfriend. We surely remember the first thing she tells Percy in TLT is ‘You drool when you sleep’. Even the rivalry between their parents, Annabeth still treats him as a friend, with one or two disagreements. Of course, I shipped them before they are officially together. In the Titan’s Curse (TTC), we get hints on Percy starting to fancy Annabeth, with Aphrodite’s appearance and her teasing. Next, there was the infamous kiss scene in The Battle of Labyrinth (TBOL), confirming the start of Percy’s romance journey, which becomes true in TLOl (that underwater kiss is so romantic!). After dating for months, Percy is swapped place by Hera/Juno, without any previous memories except for Annabeth. In MOA, she gives him a judo-flip (I laughed at that scene for hours) and spend a night with him in the Argo II stables (Frank does not deserve to see this ‘intimate’ moment).

Besides, do you know that she has a Norse Demigod cousin? Check out Rick’s Norse Myth series to find out.

7. Luke Castellan

You would probably ask why I place him as Number 7, for someone like him as a traitor who almost destroy Olympus and the host for Kronos. He is the anti-hero in the first series, but I like the fact that Rick created someone like him.

Luke is not an entirely a bad person. Normally, he can pass as a protective older brother, a swordsman mentor, or that mischievous and charming friend you want to hang out with. His ambitions to destroy Olympus and feeling of resentment the gods, due to the injustice of the Olympians to their demigod offspring, makes him an antagonist in PJO. He is one of the demigods who can see the flaw of the lawful system, the one who questions the authorities.

Luke constantly seeks for familiar love which his parents failed to give him, with him living with an insane mother and an absent godly father. After he ran away, he was paired with Thalia and Annabeth, giving him a new meaning of family. However, Thalia’s death added as a fuel of his bitterness. His became the head of the Hermes Cabin, leading his half-siblings, but his anger had not fully stopped, with Kronos’s constant impure motivation. He also feels compassion towards minor godly children who have no place in Camp Half-Blood, which most of them serves him during the Titan War.

For most horrible deeds he has made in the PJO series, he finally died as a hero, oppressing Kronos who possessed him. Inspired from his wish, Percy refuses his eternal life by demanding fair treatment for every demigod child.

I ship him with Thalia, which they share a few romantic tensions in a short story in TDD. He is the reason why Thalia declined her offer as a hunter in the first place, and also the reason why Thalia settles down as the lieutenant of Artemis in TTC.

6. The Grace siblings (Thalia and Jason Grace)

It’s a tie. Yes. I could not separate them like how Juno/Hera does. The Grace siblings are the improvised version of their father. We see their father as a womanizing, dramatic and disloyal King of Gods. They showed his best qualities, like leadership. The siblings are very loyal to their partners and masters, like Thalia to Luke and Annabeth in the beginning and Artemis in TTC. Jason, a loyal and supportive friend to his Argo mates and his girlfriend (He did admire Reyna before, but thanks to certain goddess).

Thalia Grace is that cool-looking sister in punk. Her name is from Thalia, one of the Muses. The irony is that she has a great fear of heights, but she can control lightning. Like Percy, Thalia was destined to be the child in the prophecy. She fought the monsters sent by Hades to her death, protecting Luke and Annabeth. Then, she is reborn in the Sea of Monsters. Luckily in TTC, she joined the Huntress. She also been through a rough childhood, with taking care of her baby brother and her irresponsible mother, then with the disappearance of Jason. She had to take the role that her parents failed to perform, yet the Gods accused of her existence before Percy showed up. It’s pretty much Zeus/Jupiter’s fault for not stick with the oath. Not once, but twice! Worst of all, he named his son Jason, like the mortal hero, so he can make his wife happy! Best Dad award for him!

Her brother, Jason, with blonde hair and blue eyes, the typical American boy. The ‘perfect’ boy with duties and leadership, he could live a perfect Roman demigod life in Camp Jupiter. Then, Hera/Juno interfere again. From the Lost Hero (TLH) to BOO, we can see a few changes of him. The rule-following golden boy to a slightly laid-back person with nerd glasses. Most fans expected Percy and Jason had a death-match against each other in MOA, with Percy replaces his position as the praetor in SON and Jason, the legendary son of Jupiter. Unexpectedly, they become best buddies on first sight and gang up against Octavian (We also got that one scene with them fighting while being possessed by eidolons). He also has the most passed out scene in MOA (hence the birth of Brick x Jason). His sympathetic character cares for Nico when he is forced spit out his crush on Percy (who does not have a crush on him, I mean, it’s obvious to fall in love with the greatest hero). He does not question or having a prejudice on the boy’s sexuality. At the end of BOO, him and Piper sit on the roof, remembering his ‘dead’ friend Leo.

These polar-opposite blood-siblings are a unique element of the series. I would like to see more of their interactions, or Thalia spilling out more embarrassing stories of Jason.

5. Leonidas ‘Leo’ Valdez

I called him the second Percy Jackson, with that same level of humor and that friendly attitude. He has a pair of magical hands that can create things and repair broken stuff. In TLH, he modified a simple paper into a small flying helicopter. Leo was partly raised by Hera/Juno, who makes him do dangerous tasks in his childhood (This woman is nuts!). When he was eight years old, Gaea made him believe he caused a fire that kills his mother in her workshop, leaving a scar in his heart.

Leo probably knows himself as the third-wheel, constantly the one being left out. There was a period of time he is jealous of Jason’s charisma and excellent leading abilities, while he is a low-profile mechanic, with no one cares about him. Otherwise, he is a good friend to people who are nice to him. In BOO, Nike/Victoria predicts either Frank, Hazel, Percy or Leo will die in the war. Leo, helping the idea of getting the Physician’s Cure while secretly plotting his own death and his chance of survival.

This guy has a tough time catching the girls’ attention, he keeps falling for the wrong person. In the beginning, he has the hots for Khione, the cold snow goddess who side with the Titans. Next, he falls for Jason’s sister Thalia, who tries her best ignoring him. He has a small chemistry with Echo, a camouflaging nymph who is cursed to repeat people’s sentences (I feel hurtful when Echo disappears). Hazel mistakes him as her first crush Sammy, who happens to be his great-grandfather. Finally in HOH, the Titaness Calypso despise his sudden appearance on her island, later they find themselves being attracted to each other. He is also the first hero who can return to Ogygia and claim Calypso as his girlfriend, and the first demigod known dating an ancient being.

I need more interaction of Percy and Leo, which was rare in HOO. I expected them to be joking buddies, but in MOA Percy yells at Leo for setting New Rome on fire, not a good start for best friends. Leo also dislike Percy for abandoning Calypso behind, which turned out to be a misunderstanding. I finally get a scene of them making Nike and Adidas joke they made in BOO.

By the way, Team Leo for the win.

4. Piper McLean

I do not get why people would dislike someone like her. There are several fans disliking her characteristics, including an ex-classmate of mine. They think her as the most useless and bland character. I love Rick’s arrangement of her characteristics! What is the point of making her the main character if she does not contribute anything? I mean, she singlehandedly defeats Khione and the Boreads in HOH. When Khione degrades her, she confidently argues with her, proving her strengths.

People stereotyped daughter of Aphrodite as living Barbie dolls, who do nothing but looking into their reflections and gossiping. Sometimes, they either pair people up or break others’ hearts. She breaks that idealistic view as a tomboyish girl who cares less of her look or fashion. She is one of the boldest Aphrodite child who fights for people she loves (the other one is Silena). She is very down-to-Earth about her father’s job as a Hollywood actor, until she is cornered by others. She is also the first person who dauntlessly challenges the cabin leader and oppose the Aphrodite’s rite of passage of breaking other’s heart. Piper is not a dumb-beauty, she already has an abundance of knowledge on Greek Myth and Cheeroke legends which play extremely useful information to other.

That ex-classmate told me Piper is possessive towards Jason. For me, it is very normal for her to be possessive to her ‘boyfriend’, or someone whom she loves, as long as it’s not Yuno Gasai level (see Future Diary for references). Besides, Jason is not the only one she cares about. There is Leo, and her father who is captured by the Giants. There are people dislike her because in MOA, she thinks Percy as cute, but average. Everyone has their own opinion, not everyone fancies the greatest hero on Earth. I really adore her and Percy as best friends, rather than her being another Percy’s admirer.

I would say she has the second-best character development. In TLO, she has the image of an insecure girl. Her adventure as a demigod makes her grow, mending her weaknesses. I love her chemistry with Annabeth in BOO, when fear and phobia prevent Annabeth’s logical reasoning from functioning properly, her feelings guide her to overpower them.

3. Reyna Ramiez-Arellano

Most of the major female characters are taken (except Thalia, the huntress and Rachel, the oracle), she’s the only major female demigod character in the series without a romantic partner. She made a minor appearance in the Sea of Monsters (SOM) as Circe’s apprentice, but soon

Her first appearance in SON gives a dignified and mysterious aura, we barely know her last name and such. She is fearless in battle and a wise leader. In fact, the last book reveals her fear towards ghosts, leading to her haunted childhood of physical abuse. She has moved from home to home, and settles as a praetor in New Rome. Her former sin for patricide might lose her power and trust in New Rome, thus she never speaks of it to anyone except for Nico.

I am really entertained with the fight between Orion and Reyna. Orion, being the male chauvinist, comments the greatness of male dominance. Reyna proves herself that she can perform as well as a man could do, defeats him by herself while avenging the fallen huntresses and Amazon warriors. ‘You will die at the hands of a girl’, that sentence literally gives me the chills.

She has a successful career, blessed by two divine beings, and having an excellent characteristic. One thing that she does not own is romance, just like Aphrodite/Venus tells her that she will never find romance in half-blood. There might be a chance for her having a mortal lover, or catching the eye of an immortal being.

2. Perseus ‘Percy’ Jackson

He is the key character for us to fall in love with the demigod world with Greek Gods and monsters. He was not only charming, but having a great sense of humor. The dark hair and green eyes of his makes him fall into the category of the stereotypical hot-blooded protagonist with a tragic backstory and secret powers, like Eren Jaeger from Attack On Titan, or Hyakuya Yuuichirou from Seraph of the End. The character is based on Rick’s own son, Hayley Riordan, who suffers from ADHD and dyslexic. Rick used to tell him Greek Mythology as his bedtime stories, until the child gave him the inspiration to create his world with Greek Myth as the base.

In TLT, he is shown as a troublesome child who gets kicked out of school frequently. He has an abusive stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, a nasty gambler. He does not have any friends except for Grover, who has difficulty in walking, and stands up for him. He nearly loses his mother from a Minotaur. His unfortunate past changes when he knows of his identity as a demigod. From SOM to TLO, we can see improvements in his mortal life, such as gaining a new stepfather, Paul Blofis, able to attend high school, and getting loyal friends. In TOA, it is known that he will have a baby sister.

Besides his heroic acts and his brave deeds that we all know, he is pretty goofy and sarcastic. We all know of his personality through that first-person point of view about his views on others and the description of his adventures. He is moderately smart and observant, but he can be oblivious in simple stuff around him, like his own romantic encounters. He needs years to realize he is in love with Annabeth, which most of the readers get the clue before him. Reyna confesses her feelings to him in SON, which Percy needs minutes to figure it out. In BOO, when Nico opens up to Percy, Annabeth already gets the point right ahead, leaving him still in a daze.

Percy, despite being the best demigod alive, he acts quite modest and selfless. Most Greek Heroes we all know are portrayed as prideful, arrogant, womanizer or ungrateful. Him, as the son of Poseidon who technically saves the world, he never looks down on anyone. He barely sells himself, except when it’s needed, or in a very sarcastic way. He makes friends with everyone, including non-humans. In SOM, he is a little ashamed that his half-brother is a Cyclops, in the end he accepts him as his brother. The most significant moment is in TLOl, when Zeus offers him immortality. He considers at first, but then realizes the price of it, and turning it down. Instead, he asks for minor deities’ equal rights to claim their demigod children, including Hades, who is not welcomed in Olympus. If I were him I would probably do the same thing, except I might face the wrath of the King of Gods.

**Before revealing my top favorite character, here’s some honorable mentions:

Zoe Nightshade, Bianca di Angelo, Will Solace, Charles Beckendorf, Rachel Dare, the Stolls brother, Ethan Nakamura, Grover Underwood, Tyson, Blackjack, Chiron, Silena Beauregard, Gleeson Hedge, Clarisse La Rue, Calypso

Now here comes my favorite character:

1.Nico di Angelo

I am so sorry, I must put him at number 1 because of my personal bias.

This character has the most noticeable character change and development. He is debuted in TTC, which he is portrayed as carefree 10 years old boy who loves Mythomagic and very curious about everything. The death of his sister, his only known blood relative, caused him fall into despair. Soon, he learnt about his parentage, separating himself from the other demigods.

Despite him as the serious, angry son of Hades with depressing background, he gets a few hilarious moments. He is turned into two types of plants; the Spiderman referenced quote ‘With great power…comes great need to take a nap’; his imagination of Percy joking about farturas; and his confession to Percy.

His personality is mostly seen from other demigods’ views. In TTC, Percy sees him as an annoying little brother and full of curiosity of the demigod world. He seems excited with everything he is involved in, and very eager in participation. He also shows concern for his sister Bianca, asking Percy to protect her. His twist of personality comes in when Percy brings the news of Bianca’s accidental death. In BOTL, he becomes the gloomy, antisocial, and angry child who seeks for revenge and performing necromancy. He also crowns himself as the Ghost King, which the name sounds very Chuunibyou-ish (Chuunibyou is a Japanese term for people who acts like a know-it-all adult and look down on real ones, or believe they have special powers unlike others, see the anime Love, Chuunibyou and other Delusions for more info). In TLOl, he tricks Percy into his father’s lair, which makes Percy angry. He is one of the important ally who aids Percy gaining his Styx River immortality and convincing Hades to fight the Titan army.

There are more demigods involved with his description of personality and people’s opinion of him in HOO. Hazel, seeing him as her savior and brother, showing an amount of respect and admiration. Annabeth, doubting him having a crush on her (which he does not), only sees him as a younger brother. Leo is scared of his necromantic skills, trying to avoid him as best as he could. Frank shows respect and fear to his ‘brother-in-law’, but unexpectedly sharing the same interest in Mythomagic. Jason, originally suggests abandoning him to the Titans while proceeding their main task in MOA, receiving many objections from the other crew members. In HOH, Jason has a sense of sympathy to Nico when Cupid forcefully make him spill out his feelings. He approached the younger boy to befriend him. We also have Reyna, who forms a big sister instinct towards him, and also feels his pain.

We get Nico’s own point of view in BOO. We could not help but to sympathize with his old memories and feelings. We can see his unrequited feelings towards Percy, his moments with Bianca, his hatred towards the Hunters, his intense feelings with his father and the most importantly, his concern towards other demigods. He is not entirely a cold-hearted, unemphatic person like others believed him to be. The way he describes Will, it definitely sounds like a typical boy meets boy fanfiction. Using comparison to other demigods like Jason and Octavian, he has a sense of fondness to the child of Apollo. The Percy-Nico-Will mirrors the Luke-Annabeth-Percy relationship. Both Luke and Percy are the heroic figure to Annabeth and Nico, they are years older than them (technically Nico is older), and they the first demigod they encounter. Annabeth had a love-hate relationship with Luke due to his betrayal; while Nico hates him for breaking their promise and admires him at the same time. Annabeth bickers with Percy like how Nico argues with Will, and they are opposite attractions. In the end of the series, Annabeth tells Luke she sees him as a brother and starts to date Percy in PJO; Nico confesses his past crush towards Percy and sets his eyes on Will, which they end up dating.

I am glad that Riordan arranged Will as his boyfriend. There is a slight change of his personality after they are dating. For example, in CHBC, him and Percy team up and tease Annabeth. In THO, he becomes more participating in camp activities, and willing to socialize with other campers. Plus, he gives an excuse for himself to sit with his boyfriend in the Apollo table. Nice job kid! The loophole of two demigods of the opposite sex cannot stay alone in a cabin gives them a nice chance to spend nights in Hades Cabin, doing stuff.

The character I despised the most, is none than other:

Octavian

He is purely whiny and annoying, like a fly. I knew he was up to no good when I first know this person. I do not care if he is the descendant of my favorite god (Apollo), this puny auger is terrible. In SON, he reminds Percy as Luke Castellan. In BOO, Nico describes him as a watered-down, unhealthy version of Will Solace. Leo also states he has a girly screaming voice. These descriptions give reader an image of an undesired person, also adding humor in the series.

Octavian is extremely xenophobic. He immediately dislikes Percy, insulting him as graecus scum. He does not show any sign of welcoming to the arrival of the representatives of the Greek camp. Ironically, he fears for Nico, who is a powerful Greek demigod. He discriminates Rachel Dare, Apollo’s chosen oracle, believing she is a fraud who practice sorcery.

His sadistic and prideful side is portrayed in many scenes. For example, he rips off stuffed animals as an offering to the gods. He hopes Percy feel the pain of getting his new SPQR tattoo. When he is in charge as Pontifex, he picks people who are brutal like Bryce Lawrence and strong like Mike Kahle. He casually tells people that his family is wealthy in New Rome and he is a descendent of Augustus.

In the end, his own pride and lust for fame and power blinds him, giving him a death sentence. His death is graphic and funny. He might receive eternal punishment in the Underworld. My favorite scene of him is when Piper, Jason and Percy tells him to shut his mouth in MOA.

(I almost forgot Gabe Ugliano, who happens to be the worst parent and husband in the fictional world. This man is gone for good!)

Groovy Gods of Olympus

The Greek Gods in Percy Jackson’s world rules the world, which all of them have humanistic personalities. Greek Gods mirrors human’s behavior with their vice and virtues, like Hera’s jealousy, Hephaestus’ diligence, Zeus and Aphrodite’s lust, Hestia and Artemis’s chastity, Zeus and Ares’s wrath, Hestia’s kindness and Dionysus’s sloth. They moved their base from empires to empires, until they found their spot in United States, the world’s superpower nation. Olympus is based on the top floor of the Empire state building, while the entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles. These settings probably make us never see those things the same way again. The gods, adapted to the 21st century lifestyle, with their area of power matches the modern professions.

Rick still sticks to the original description of the gods, with Athena’s greyish eyes of wisdom, Aphrodite’s changing beauty (depends on different people), Ares’ ruthless behavior, Apollo’s flashy and handsome looks and Hephaestus’s unappealing image. Not all the gods are divine as they should look. Dionysus/Mr. D in PJO series acts as a sluggish camp director. He is banished to Camp Half-Blood due to his flirtatious manners on an off-limit nymph. He does not contribute much to the camp, except for having naps or playing poker with Chiron and a few satyrs. Apollo, the prideful and narcissistic sun god, turns into a mortal by his father in TOA series. He has lost his former glory and powers, leaving him a mortal identity and body to live on Earth. Hestia, the former Olympian in the appearance of a young girl, is easily neglected due to her status.

I would admit that Greek Gods does not make excellent parents. Zeus forbids the gods from visiting their mortal children, except in a few occasions (he is also the douche who broke the oath twice and have 2 demigod children, and he passes most of the blame to Poseidon). Hera, expecting an ideal family, abandons her child Hephaestus because of his ugly appearance. In TLOl, Hades openly declares he prefers Bianca over Nico. However, some gods do care of their children. Poseidon in the series acts as a caring father to Percy (we barely see his angry side like in the myth). Hermes, who has multiple jobs, and countless children, he cares deeply for them. He even kisses Luke on the forehead before the Fates carry his body away. In BOO, it is revealed that Hades has a deep affection for his children, which most of them do not have a happy life. The antisocial and awkward god has difficulties in showing fondness, thus he provides his children gifts (Pluto gave Hazel colored pencils on her 13th birthday while Nico gets a French zombie chauffer).

Usually, gods conceive children like normal human beings. In BOTL, children of Athena are born in a unique way. I was curious at Annabeth and the other Athena’s children birth since their mother is a virgin goddess. There was a story in Greek Myth which she and Hephaestus had a child sprang from her handkerchief (of course they do not have any intimacy). It is told that children of Athena are born from the mind and pure love, not through intimate love and pregnancy. In THO, the daughter of Apollo Kayla Knowles has two fathers. I had to stop and reread that part, and it is true. I still do not get how demigod children are born from same-sex parents. Subjugate mothers? Or maybe like Athena children, sprang out from something. (I need to stop thinking about this or else the complexity will burn my brain cells).

Controversies

There’s a few controversies I have heard around.

Similarities of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter

This one was all over the place. People keep comparing Percy Jackson to Harry Potter. Some complaint that Rick copied the characters Rowling owned. These are the examples people brought up.

1.Percy has green eyes and black hair, living with an abusive parent. He does not know of his parentage. Harry, who has green eyes and black hair, living with abusive relatives.

2.Annabeth plays the smart one in the first trio. She is constantly compared to Hermione, the brightest witch in the Wizarding World.

3.Grover is the timid person of the trio, and the first supporter and companion to the main character. Another character in Harry Potter with the similar personality, Ron Weasley.

4.Chiron, the knowledgeable and caring mentor in the series, like Dumbledore in Harry Potter.

5. Luke, blond hair, the anti-hero. Draco, the anti-hero to Harry.

6. The mischievous Stolls brother, who keeps pranking on people. The Weasley twins, pranksters duo of Hogwarts.

7. Camp Half-Blood that is invisible to mortal’s eye, a haven for Greek demigods to learn defensive skills. Hogwarts, unknown to muggles and where young witches and wizards lean magic.

Maybe the author was not stable with the characterization in the first place, he might get references from the series itself. However, Rick has not confirmed that his characters are based on the Harry Potter series. The characterization became better later.

To be frank, I prefer Percy Jackson than Harry Potter. I love the diversity shown in the book, with good humor in it. Otherwise, Harry Potter gets the best language form.

The Percy Jackson movies

Movie adaptations are barely good, this is one of the examples. Even Rick himself acknowledge that the movie is horrible. I watched both movies, the plotline itself is good, but it cannot satisfy us fans.

The producers casted young adult actors for the roles than 12 years old. They could actually make the actors grow up with the movie, just how they did for Harry Potter. I’m alright with the Percy Jackson actor, I have no prejudice over Movie Grover’s race, Luke’s actor is fine (where’s the scar). I just have problems with the casting on female characters. Firstly, Annabeth Chase. In the first movie, she’s a brunette with blue eyes. I legit thought that’s a random daughter of Aphrodite. Where is the blonde hair and blue eyes? It does not mean I dislike the actress herself, it just her signature curly blonde hair with grey eyes are gone! This mistake was soon corrected in the 2nd movie. In the SOM movie, the Clarisse’s actor looked like a Victoria Secret Super Model, rather than the buff, mean-looking leader of the Ares Cabin.

There is a stark difference from the movie settings and the book settings. Instead of having cabins based on their godly parentage, each member has their own cabin. What is this? Luxury camp for the godly children? There is also no rule on camp clothing, where’s the orange camp shirt? The worst of all, why do they have advanced technologies? It is said that technologies attract monsters, which is unusable for demigods.

All of these flaws made me prefer a sophisticated anime adaptation than a real-life movie or TV-show.

LGBT+ characters

(whoever made this edit deserves a thumbs up)

This is a recent controversy after the publicize of THO. Mostly from parent readers, they complained on the god’s sexuality and Nico and Will dating. I understand that some parents don’t want their children to knowing much about human sexuality at an early age. What makes me feel mad about the people who complained about having same-sex couple or characters in the LGBT+ spectrum does not realize that homosexuality is accepted in the ancient times.

It is true that Apollo is bisexual, who has countless affairs with women and men. Other gods are not 100% straight, even Zeus fancied Ganymede. (I know, Greek Myth is one hell of a messed-up pit!)

Besides, I have nothing against Nico and Will dating (Solangelo shipper here!). Rick does not use words like ‘gay’, ‘queer’, ‘homosexual’ to identify their sexualities, which he does not want to label them as a specific identity. In Ancient Greco-Roman, same-sex relationship is highly encouraged in the army to strength the bonds between teammates. Also, as someone in the LGBT+ spectrum, I appreciate Rick’s decision to take the risk and promoting diversity. One thing I am mad about him is the vagueness of Nico and Will relationship. There are so many gaps in between BOO and THO which there’s no description on when they started dating, who confessed first and how do they get together! I need to know more about their relationship! I will be glad if there’s a side story of them. Also, Kayla’s mysterious birth from same-sex parents.

I love the fact that Rick does not give a dam (I simply just put a pun here) about the people who complained. He straight on inserted a kick-ass elderly lesbian couple in TDP.

How the series made an impact on me? My hopes on the franchise.

It is one of the reason why I took the path of writing. The story, and the writing-style had inspired me to be a writer myself. Looking at the vivid image of modernized Greek Gods brought some magic into my dull high-school life. I would also like to cosplay those female demigods in the future. As an anime fan, I hope this series can be created into an anime series, just like how they did for the Powerpuff Girls back then. I also hope I can meet more PJO/HOO fans in my country.

Jenny (14-21 Aug 2017)

Author’s Note: My first essay describing on a fictional work I like. I tried to avoid any grammatical mistakes and add as much vocabulary as I can in it. The one week of writing this essay gives me neck pain (from looking too much on my laptop), and a better insight to the character and the story. I took a hiatus in the PJO/HOO fandom since I started on Hetalia and other anime. The day I decided to write this fic, I realized there are so many details I have forgotten, thus I need to check the Wikia and the books for references. This is a pleasant experience for me to start on writing reviews and simple creative writing. I might write more reviews or analytical essays for other book series and anime.

4 notes · View notes

allbestnet · 7 years

Text

The 5000 Best Books of All-Time

Book 251–499 (go to book 1 to 250)

251. All the King’s Men (1946) by Robert Penn Warren 252. The Maltese Falcon (1930) by Dashiell Hammett 253. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) by Mark Twain 254. Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori 255. Plague (1947) by Albert Camus 256. Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton 257. The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson 258. Shogun (1975) by James Clavell 259. A Town Like Alice (1950) by Nevil Shute 260. Ambassadors (1903) by Henry James 261. Blood Meridian (1985) by Cormac McCarthy 262. No Country for Old Men (2005) by Cormac McCarthy 263. The Castle (1926) by Franz Kafka 264. Phantom of the Opera (1910) by Gaston Leroux 265. Middlesex (2002) by Jeffrey Eugenides 266. The Book of the New Sun (1994) by Gene Wolfe 267. Vanity Fair (1848) by William Makepeace Thackeray 268. Heidi by Johanna Spyri 269. Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison 270. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand 271. Pippi Longstocking (1945) by Astrid Lindgren 272. The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969) by John Fowles 273. North and South (1855) by Elizabeth Gaskell 274. Percy Jackson & the Olympians (2005) by Rick Riordan 275. Gilgamesh by 276. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare 277. Millennium series by Stieg Larsson 278. Cat’s Cradle (1963) by Kurt Vonnegut 279. Northanger Abbey (1817) by Jane Austen 280. The Secret History (1992) by Donna Tartt 281. Screwtape Letters (1942) by C.S. Lewis 282. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare 283. The World According to Garp (1978) by John Irving 284. A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole 285. Birdsong (1993) by Sebastian Faulks 286. Dandelion Wine (1957) by Ray Bradbury 287. Light in August (1932) by William Faulkner 288. The Glass Castle (2005) by Jeannette Walls 289. People’s History of the United States (2010) by Howard Zinn 290. Lamb by Christopher Moore 291. Water for Elephants (2006) by Sara Gruen 292. Moneyball (2003) by Michael Lewis 293. Three Men in a Boat (1889) by Jerome K. Jerome 294. Jungle (1906) by Upton Sinclair 295. The Forever War (1974) by Joe Haldeman 296. Le Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac 297. Number the Stars (1989) by Lois Lowry 298. Siddhartha (1951) by Hermann Hesse 299. Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 300. Misery (1987) by Stephen King 301. Calvin and Hobbes (1993) by Bill Watterson 302. I Am Legend (1954) by Richard Matheson 303. Tuesdays With Morrie (1997) by Mitch Albom 304. Medea by Euripides 305. The Witches (1983) by Roald Dahl 306. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer 307. Where the Red Fern Grows (1961) by Wilson Rawls 308. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971) by Hunter S. Thompson 309. Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe 310. Angela’s Ashes (1996) by Frank McCourt 311. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1963) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 312. Howl’s Moving Castle (1986) by Diana Wynne Jones 313. Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953) by James Baldwin 314. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974) by John le Carre 315. Silmarillion (1977) by J.R.R. Tolkien 316. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) by Truman Capote 317. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006) by John Boyne 318. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 319. High Fidelity (1995) by Nick Hornby 320. Parade’s End (1928) by Ford Madox Ford 321. Kim (1901) by Rudyard Kipling 322. Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson 323. Works by William Shakespeare 324. Song of Solomon (1977) by Toni Morrison 325. Satanic Verses (1988) by Salman Rushdie 326. Ready Player One (2011) by Ernest Cline 327. Starship Troopers (1959) by Robert A. Heinlein 328. Mahabharata by Vyasa 329. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) by Jules Verne 330. The Day of the Locust (1939) by Nathanael West 331. The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham 332. My Antonia (1918) by Willa Cather 333. Swiss Family Robinson (1812) by Johann Wyss 334. I Capture the Castle (1948) by Dodie Smith 335. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1990) by Dr. Seuss 336. Sirens of Titan (1959) by Kurt Vonnegut 337. The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King 338. The Golden Notebook (1962) by Doris Lessing 339. Tempest by William Shakespeare 340. Prophet (1923) by Kahlil Gibran 341. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers 342. Everything is Illuminated (2002) by Jonathon Safran Foer 343. The New York Trilogy (1987) by Paul Auster 344. The Host (2010) by Stephenie Meyer 345. How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) by Dale Carnegie 346. Brief History of Time (1988) by S.W. Hawking 347. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005) by Jonathan Safran Foer 348. One Thousand and One Nights by 349. Winesburg, Ohio (1919) by Sherwood Anderson 350. Ivanhoe (1820) by Sir Walter Scott 351. Farewell to Arms (1929) by Ernest Hemingway 352. Awakening by Kate Chopin 353. Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder 354. Fun Home (2006) by Alison Bechdel 355. USA by John Dos Passos 356. The Shadow of the Wind (2001) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 357. Ramayana by Valmiki 358. Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) by Malcolm X 359. The Alchemist (1986) by Paulo Coelho 360. The Power of One (1989) by Bryce Courtenay 361. Aesop’s Fables by Aesop 362. The Virgin Suicides (1993) by Jeffrey Eugenides 363. Darkness at Noon (1940) by Arthur Koestler 364. Love You Forever (1986) by Robert Munsch 365. Batman by 366. Story of Ferdinand (1936) by Munro Leaf 367. Scott Pilgrim (2010) by 368. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) by Stephen R. Covey 369. Divergent (2011) by Veronica Roth 370. Outliers (2008) by Malcolm Gladwell 371. Childhood’s End (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke 372. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen 373. Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo 374. Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) by Jay Asher 375. Polar Express (1985) by Chris Van Allsburg 376. The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio 377. The Neverending Story (1979) by Michael Ende 378. Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 379. Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling 380. Shantaram (2003) by Gregory David Roberts 381. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst 382. Light in the Attic (1981) by Shel Silverstein 383. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) by Brian Selznick 384. Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne 385. Jude the Obscure (1895) by Thomas Hardy 386. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien 387. Ringworld (1970) by Larry Niven 388. The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett 389. Redeeming Love (1991) by Francine Rivers 390. The Shipping News (1993) by E. Annie Proulx 391. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel 392. Thus Spake Zarathustra (1885) by Friedrich Nietzsche 393. Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) by Beatrix Potter 394. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 395. The Once and Future King (1958) by T.H. White 396. Little Dorrit (1857) by Charles Dickens 397. Mythology by Edith Hamilton 398. Gulag Archipelago (1973) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 399. Invisible Cities (1972) by Italo Calvino 400. The Walking Dead (2003) by Robert Kirkman 401. Hush, Hush (2009) by Becca Fitzpatrick 402. Bridge to Terabithia (1977) by Katherine Paterson 403. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1967) by E.L. Konigsburg 404. Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton 405. Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins 406. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 407. Lovely Bones (2002) by Alice Seybold 408. Paper Towns (2008) by John Green 409. The Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith Jr. 410. Underworld (1997) by Don DeLillo 411. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974) by Shel Silverstein 412. Battle Royale (1999) by Koushun Takami 413. The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson 414. Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) by Alan Paton 415. Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire 416. Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) by J.M. Coeztee 417. The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula Le Guin 418. Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1782) by Pierre-Ambroise-Francois Choderlos de Laclos 419. Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding 420. Kane and Abel (1979) by Jeffrey Archer 421. Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury 422. Delirium (2011) by Lauren Oliver 423. Borrowers (1952) by Mary Norton 424. Origin of Species (1977) by Charles Darwin 425. Steve Jobs (2011) by Walter Isaacson 426. The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) by Thomas Hardy 427. Killer Angels (1974) by Michael Shaara 428. The Poisonwood Bible (1998) by Barbara Kingsolver 429. Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) by Jared Diamond 430. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) by Dee Alexander Brown 431. Book of Job by God 432. The Dark Tower by Stephen King 433. Under the Dome (2009) by Stephen King 434. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) by Robert A. Heinlein 435. Stories (1971) by Franz Kafka 436. Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) by Mark Twain 437. Joy Luck Club (1989) by Amy Tan 438. The Sneetches and Other Stories (1989) by Dr. Seuss 439. The Blind Assassin (2000) by Margaret Atwood 440. The Graveyard Book (2008) by Neil Gaiman 441. A Suitable Boy (1993) by Vikram Seth 442. Sister Carrie (1900) by Theodore Dreiser 443. Constitution by United States 444. Notebook (1996) by Nicholas Sparks 445. Silas Marner by George Eliot 446. The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) by Michael Pollan 447. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987) by Fannie Flagg 448. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba 449. The Last Song (2009) by Nicholas Sparks 450. The Big Sleep (1939) by Raymond Chandler 451. Unwind (2007) by Neal Shusterman 452. A Walk to Remember (1999) by Nicholas Sparks 453. Republic by Plato 454. Little House in the Big Woods (1932) by Laura Ingalls Wilder 455. The Sandman (1996) by Neil Gaiman 456. Speak (1999) by Laurie Halse Anderson 457. The Selfish Gene (1976) by Richard Dawkins 458. Lorna Doone (1869) by R.D. Blackmore 459. The Far Pavilions (1978) by M.M. Kaye 460. Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais 461. The Maze Runner (2009) by James Dashner 462. Bonfire of the Vanities (1987) by Tom Wolfe 463. Glass by 464. House at Pooh Corner (1928) by A.A. Milne 465. Tawny Man by Robin Hobb 466. Kafka on the Shore (2002) by Haruki Murakami 467. Portrait of a Lady (1881) by Henry James 468. Good Earth (1931) by Pearl S. Buck 469. Tuck Everlasting (1975) by Natalie Babbitt 470. Make Way for Ducklings (1941) by Robert McCloskey 471. Red Harvest (1929) by Dashiell Hammett 472. The Andromeda Strain (1969) by Michael Crichton 473. Naked Lunch (1959) by William Burroughs 474. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985) by Laura Joffe Numeroff 475. The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) by Philippa Gregory 476. Angle of Repose (1971) by Wallace Stegner 477. Hunger (1890) by Knut Hamsun 478. The Beach (1996) by Alex Garland 479. Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck 480. The Last Lecture (2008) by Randy Pausch 481. Power and the Glory (1940) by Graham Greene 482. Pygmalion (1912) by George Bernard Shaw 483. My Name Is Asher Lev (1972) by Chaim Potok 484. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) by Sherman Alexie 485. Cold Mountain (1997) by Charles Frazier 486. Horton Hears a Who! (1982) by Dr. Seuss 487. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) by Agatha Christie 488. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929) by Alfred Doblin 489. Cider House Rules (1985) by John Irving 490. Goedel, Escher, Bach (1979) by Douglas Hofstadter 491. The Stars My Destination (1956) by Alfred Bester 492. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) by Jules Verne 493. The English Patient (1992) by Michael Ondaatje 494. Outlander (1991) by Diana Gabaldon 495. Sentimental Education (1869) by Gustave Flaubert 496. Marley & Me (2005) by John Grogan 497. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles 498. Possession: A Romance (1990) by A.S. Byatt 499. As You Like It by William Shakespeare

#books #reading #literature

5 notes · View notes