The Lightning Thief

I always wanted to read The Lighting Thief since I first heard of its release, but I never really had time. But when I finally grabbed a copy, I had great expectations but ended up with mixed feelings. It’s an exciting book to read, precisely written for a younger audience, and it’s obvious. The story centres on Percy Jackson: a twelve-year-old, who’s never felt like belonged in school, and has always been a little bit of a troublemaker, until the day he discovers that he is a demigod, and the son of Poseidon. From there, the book explores the world of Camp Half-Blood, Greek mythology and an urgent mission to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt before the gods start a war. What Riordan does do well from the beginning is bring the ancient mythology to life and make it relevant, and the idea of associating Percy's dyslexia and ADHD with his demigod status is inspired, adding a layer of meaning to the story that is absent from most fantasy geared for this age group.

There is a lot of excitement from reading this piece, and most of it comes from learning about Percy as a character. He is funny, messy and often totally out of his depth, making him feel like a real kid, not a chosen hero who knows what's what. The bond he forms with Annabeth and Grover is a heartfelt one, and the interactions between the three are authentic and engaging. The humour also is kept up consistently without it ever getting careless and is threaded through the more action-packed scenes. Part of the reason the book is so readable, and so easy to see how younger audiences fall completely in love with it, is the lightness of the book.

What the book lacks is some emotional depth and plotting. It's very episodic and at times it's like a series of set pieces, not really a story that's building towards anything. The villians are not very complicated, and the reason why they're bad is never in doubt; it's pretty clear. Beyond that, Percy seems to have a knack for missing out on moments that have real emotional impact, especially when it involves his family, and he moves too quickly to really take in what's going on. The plot is more about moving forward than about ‘staying with the hard things’ and this is fine for the pacing, but it does mean that there are moments which feel like they're ‘earned’ in a less than satisfactory way.

It's also evident early in this book that the author is not particularly interested in writing a complete book, but rather a solid first chapter of a much bigger book. Much of the story is devoted to setting up the world, the rules and the mythology and while all of this is done in a fun manner it does sometimes feel like the quest itself was a means to that end. Readers expecting a self-contained story with a ‘happily ever after’ ending might find the conclusion a bit underwhelming, a bit of a ‘door opening’ rather than a ‘door closing.’

But, overall, I have more positive than negative thoughts about the book. It's fast-paced, imaginative and funny at times, and Riordan has a knack for making arcane mythology seem like it's meant to be enjoyed. The characters are likable, the world is nicely constructed, and the energy seldom does flag. Simple writing and an uneven plot do detract from its potential to be something truly special, but as the first in a much larger world, it fulfills its billing. It's not all it says it is, but enough is given so that the next book is worth picking up. It’s a 3 out of 5 stars.