LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a series of fictional adventure and fantasy books authored by Rick Riordan. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek mythology. The series consists of five books, as well as spin-off titles such as The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. The Lightning Thief, the first book, is the basis of a film called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which was released in the United States and Canada on February 12, 2010. The protagonist is Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes. He learns that the legendary beings of Greek mythology still exist and have always existed, including monsters, cyclopes, empousae, Titans, and the Greek Gods, including the twelve Olympians themselves who dwell in Olympus, which is now situated on the mythical 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Percy is frequently attacked by monsters because he is a child of one of the "Big Three": king of the gods and the god of the sky, Zeus, the god of the sea, Poseidon, and the god of the Underworld, Hades, who made a pact after World War II to not have any more children because they were too powerful and unpredictable. Percy meets many other young demigods, both friendly and hostile, who are also in the process of discovering their ancestry and powers. As of July 5, 2010, the series has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's books for 155 weeks.[1] A second series is to be released, with the first book The Lost Hero coming out on October 12, 2010. Novels The Lightning Thief Main article: The Lightning Thief The UK cover of The Lightning ThiefThe Lightning Thief is the first book in the series. It was released on June 28, 2005. Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy with dyslexia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). After going on a field trip and being attacked by his pre algebra teacher, who is actually a Fury in disguise, he finds out that he is the son of a Greek god. He is brought to Camp Half-Blood (a camp for children with a Greek god as a parent, located off Long Island) by his best friend, a satyr named Grover, and his mother Sally. He soon meets Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and they quickly become good friends. Not long after his arrival, Poseidon, the sea god, claims Percy as his son during a game of demigod-style capture-the-flag. Percy is accused of stealing Zeus' masterbolt, the model for every lightning bolt made. He, Annabeth and Grover are given ten days to return the thunderbolt to Mount Olympus in order to stop a war between the gods from starting and save his mother, who has been held hostage in the Underworld by Hades after being captured by the Minotaur. He soon finds out that Hades did not steal the bolt. It is revealed that Luke, son of Hermes, stole the bolt for Kronos, who is attempting to come back to life. Grover goes off to find Pan, the lost Greek God of nature. The book has been adapted into a film under the title of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Chris Columbus and 20th Century Fox. The Sea of Monsters Main article: The Sea of MonstersThe Sea of Monsters is the second installment in the series, released on May 3, 2006. Thalia's tree, the magical border of Camp Half-Blood, has been poisoned. Chiron is blamed for the poisoning and is dismissed from camp; Tantalus, who comes from the Fields of Punishment and cannot have food or water, takes the job. The only thing able to rid the tree of its poison is the Golden Fleece, which is located on the island of Polyphemus (another son of Poseidon and therefore Percy's half-brother), in the Sea of Monsters (the Bermuda Triangle). Clarisse La Rue, the daughter of Ares and longtime enemy of Percy, is given the quest to go to the Sea of Monsters to find the Golden Fleece, which has healing powers for plants, animals, and humans. Percy and Annabeth decide to go also, not just for the Golden Fleece, but for their friend Grover who is trapped in Polyphemus' cave. Tyson, a young Cyclops whom Percy befriended at school that year, joins them on their journey after saving Camp Half-Blood from two fire-breathing bulls. Tyson is Poseidon's son and therefore Percy's half-brother. As they enter the Sea of Monsters, they have to get past Scylla and Charybdis. Instead of trying to sail in between the two, Clarisse automatically goes for Charybdis and Tyson supposedly dies in Clarisse's ship after it sinks. After that, Percy and Annabeth journey to many dangerous islands, and Annabeth tells Percy many things about how Thalia died and she also mentions her prophecy and tells Percy that he has a choice to make when he becomes 16 years old. Fighting their way through many other obstacles, like the Sirens and Circe's island, they join up with Clarisse, Grover, and later Tyson, and leave with the Golden Fleece. When they return to the mortal world, they send off Clarisse on an airplane with the Fleece to camp alone. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson are kidnapped by Luke. In a duel with him, Percy is nearly killed. He is saved by Chiron, who is proven innocent, and his relatives, the Party Ponies. When they return to camp the Fleece is put on the tree. The Fleece not only revives Thalia's tree, but Thalia too, who appears as she looked in Percy's dreams. It turns out that this was actually Kronos's plan, done so that he would have another chance to manipulate the prophecy which governs the future of Olympus and the Olympians. At the end Percy and Annabeth win a chariot race and Annabeth kisses Percy on the cheek. The Titan's Curse Main article: The Titan's CurseThe Titan's Curse is the third installment in the series. It was released on May 1, 2007.[2] Grover the satyr has gone undercover to a school in search for half-bloods, and finds two powerful siblings, Nico and Bianca di Angelo. While on this mission, they are attacked by a manticore, but are saved by the Hunters of Artemis, who arrive just in time to help. Annabeth falls off a cliff in an attempt to kill the manticore, and Percy soon learns that somehow she survived and has been captured by Luke. Bianca joins the Hunters and Nico leaves camp. Soon after arriving at camp, Percy learns that Artemis herself has been captured, too. Percy, Grover, Thalia, Bianca, and Zoë Nightshade (Artemis' lieutenant) go on a quest to rescue them. They learn that Atlas, a powerful Titan has escaped his torment (holding up the sky) at the Mountain of Despair on California's Mount Tamalpais, and is intent on stopping the heroes from success. They defeat him, but not before losing both Hunters in the quest. At the solstice, Thalia replaces Zoë as Artemis' lieutenant. As soon as they return, Nico is told about Bianca's death. He blames Percy, accusing him of failing to protect her like he had promised. When a few undead skeletons appear, Nico thinks that Percy is now trying to kill him as well. He looks at them and they are banished to the Underworld, and runs away. Percy realizes that Hades is Nico's father. At first Percy, Annabeth and Grover think that this goes against the promise of the Big Three, which is to never have demigod children, but then they realize that the two siblings had been in the Lotus Casino (a casino where time is nonexistent, and is visited in the first book) since before the pact was made. The Battle of the Labyrinth Main article: The Battle of the LabyrinthThe Battle of the Labyrinth, released on May 6, 2008, is the fourth book in the series. After being attacked by monster cheerleaders at his new school, Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood and learns about "The Labyrinth", part of the palace of King Minos in Crete that, according to Greek mythology, was designed by Daedalus. During a game/battle with giant scorpions, Annabeth and Percy find an entrance into the Labyrinth. Percy soon learns that Luke had used the entrance and will lead his army through the Labyrinth straight into the heart of camp. Annabeth also finds out that she is going to lead a quest for the first time in her life. To get into the Labyrinth, Percy has to find a blue Delta Symbol (Δ) (representing Daedalus) on a passageway, touch it, and then enter the Labyrinth to find Daedalus. Then Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson learn that the Labyrinth is known to grow on its own, and cause madness that could lead to death. While in the Labyrinth, they (with Nico) discover Pan, and he speaks words of wisdom to all of them except Nico. When he dies, part of his essence enters each of the characters except Nico. Percy later notices that Pan did not even speak to Nico. Using the Labyrinth, Percy tries to find Daedalus so Luke cannot get Ariadne's string, (a string that can help anyone travel through the Labyrinth without getting lost), thereby foiling Luke's invasion. He gets the help he needs from a mortal girl named Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who can also see a path in the Labyrinth leading to Daedalus. Kronos finds out that Nico di Angelo is a son of Hades and also could be the child of the prophecy. Luke reaches Daedalus and gets Ariadne's string which he uses to lead his army to attack Camp Half-Blood. Grover comes to the rescue and causes a Panic (a scream that symbolizes the wild god Pan) to scare away the enemy. After the battle, Daedalus sacrifices himself to close the Labyrinth, which is tied to his life. The Last Olympian Main article: The Last OlympianThe Last Olympian, the fifth book in the Percy Jackson series, was released on May 5, 2009.[3] Percy Jackson and his friends fight in a war resembling the original war between the Greek gods and the Titans and in a final battle with the powerful Titan, Lord Kronos. Seeking to defeat Kronos, Percy bathes in the River Styx, like Luke, to make his body invulnerable except in one spot (mortal point; in Percy's case, the small of his back). Percy and his friends then fight in a last stand to protect Mount Olympus from the oncoming invasion of Kronos. Percy finds out the last Olympian is Hestia and gives her Pandora´s jar, telling her she is the last and most important Olympian "because hope survives best at the hearth". Percy and Luke (possessed by Kronos) battle at the top of Mt. Olympus. Luke is shocked back into his normal self and commits suicide to destroy Kronos and save Mt. Olympus. The gods reward Percy and his friends and grant him one request. He requests the gods to recognize all their children and make a place at Camp Half-Blood for Hades and all the children of the minor gods. Companion books The cover of The Demigod Files. The Demigod Files Main article: The Demigod FilesThe Demigod Files, also written by Rick Riordan, is the first companion book to the series. It was released February 10, 2009, featuring three short stories, interviews with the campers, and pictures.[4] It is set between The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian.[5] The book received mixed reviews, with some reviewers criticizing the lack of substantial material and others commending the writing of the short stories.[5] Demigods and Monsters Demigods and Monsters is another companion book and was released on February 10, 2009.[6] With an introduction by Riordan, it features essays written by various young adult authors that explore, discuss, and provide further insight into the Percy Jackson series. At 196 pages, it also contains information on the places and characters of the series as well as a glossary of Greek myths.[7] The Ultimate Guide The Ultimate Guide is a companion book released on January 19, 2010. The third companion book to the series, it is preceded by The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. This book has a magnetic cover and holographic character pictures that change into four different characters. Its 156 pages include trading cards, full-color diagrams and maps.[8] It also includes a dictionary of every monster Percy faces in the series, with pictures beside some, as well as various activities. The book tells of Percy Jackson's starting life as a half-blood, a tour of the Underworld by Nico di Angelo, and items used throughout the series. Graphic novel A Percy Jackson graphic novel is scheduled for publication October 19, 2010.[9] Riordan posted "Many of you have asked about a Percy Jackson graphic novel, and I'm pleased to announce it is in the works too. The tentative release date is October 19, 2010. I've seen some preliminary artwork, and it looks awesome. I think you'll be pleased with how Percy's world comes to life in pictures."[9] Main characters Main article: List of Percy Jackson and the Olympians charactersRick Riordan relies on Bibliotheca for his characters and plot. In three books, it provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic legends.[10] Listed are the major characters in the series. Percy Jackson – age 12-16, demigod son of Poseidon; he is the protagonist of the series. Grover Underwood – age 28-33 (16 in human age), satyr, best friend of Percy; he becomes a Lord of the Wild in The Last Olympian. Annabeth Chase – age 12-16, demigod daughter of Athena, strong friend (and later, his girlfriend) of Percy. Very intelligent, skilled in architecture and strategy. Luke Castellan – age 18-23, demigod son of Hermes, later inhabited by Kronos, sacrifices himself in The Last Olympian in order to save Olympus. Antagonist of series, turns hero at the end. Thalia Grace – age 14-15 (permanently), demigod daughter of Zeus, first appears at the end of The Sea of Monsters and becomes lieutenant of Artemis in The Titan's Curse Nico di Angelo – age 10-12, demigod son of Hades, holds grudge against Percy temporarily, commands the dead. Tyson – age 12, Percy's half-brother through Poseidon, first appears at the beginning of The Sea of Monsters, assists Percy frequently throughout series. Achieves high army rank at the end of The Last Olympian. Clarisse La Rue – age 14-18, demigod daughter of Ares, does not get along with Percy or Annabeth. Rachel Elizabeth Dare – age 14-16, a "clear-sighted" mortal girl who assists Percy, later becoming the Oracle of Delphi. Themes Greek EpicsWhile all the books rely heavily on Greek myths, each book has certain definite characteristics of one or more myths as the central plot. The Lightning Thief takes from the Odyssey, especially in regards to the Lotus Hotel and Casino, as well as the adventures of Perseus with Medusa and of Theseus. The Sea of Monsters takes from Jason and the Argonauts and also from the Odyssey, as Polyphemus, Scylla, Charybdis and Circe make appearances. The Titan's Curse includes the deeds of Hercules, especially Percy's slaying of the Nemean lion. The Battle of the Labyrinth has stories of Daedalus, Calypso, The Labyrinth, etc. The Last Olympian takes from the earliest of Greek myths about the Titans, Typhon and the war against the gods. Godly namesPercy is one of the few demigods whose last name doesn't reflect his godly parent, though his first name does. Many of the campers at Camp Half-Blood have last names that consist of a traditional role or trait of their parent. Other last names are often commonplace: Rodriguez, Nakamura. Percy Jackson: "Percy" is a nickname for Perseus, Percy's real name, who was a son of Poseidon, and has a crush on Annabeth. Annabeth Chase: "Annabeth" is an anagram of Athena with a couple of extra letters. Clarisse La Rue: "Clarisse" is an anagram of Ares with extra letters. Also to rue is to regret something. Grover Underwood: Without the suffix "r" Grover's name is "Grove" referring to The Wild. Also, Underwood contains the word "wood" referring to trees. He is a Satyr, worshipper of Pan, the god of The Wild. Bianca and Nico di Angelo: "d'Angelo" means "of the angels", referring to death. Children of Hades. Connor and Travis Stoll: Homonym to "stole". Hermes is the god of thieves. Children of Hermes. Percy himself pointed this out but neither of the Stoll brothers understood the joke. Jake Mason: works with stone. Son of Hephaestus. Katie Gardner: alternate spelling of "gardener". Daughter of Demeter. Pollux (Last name never revealed): Pollux is the name of a demigod son of Zeus. Son of Dionysus. Lee Fletcher: to "fletch" is to add feathers to an arrow. Son of Apollo. Michael Yew: yew is a type of wood used to make longbows. Also a son of Apollo. Silena Beauregard: literally, "beauregard" means "good to look at" in French. Daughter of Aphrodite. Will Solace: The prefix "sol" often refers to the Sun, and Apollo drives the sun chariot. Solace also means comfort or consolation during a time of sadness. Since Apollo is the god of medicine, and since people are distressed when in pain, this is an appropriate name. Son of Apollo. Origins and publishing history Rick Riordan, the author, at the release of The Battle of the LabyrinthDevelopment for both The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series as a whole commenced when Riordan first began making stories for his son Haley who had just recently been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. His son had been studying Greek mythology in second grade and requested that his father come up with bedtime stories based on Greek myths. Riordan had been a Greek mythology teacher in middle school for many years and was able to remember enough stories to please his son. Soon Riordan ran out of myths and his son then requested that he make new ones using the same characters from Greek myths and add new ones. Thus, Riordan created the fictional character Percy Jackson and made the story of how he would travel across The United States to recover Zeus's lightning bolt. After he finished telling the story to his son, he then requested that his dad write a book based on Percy's adventures.[11] In June 1994 Riordan had completed his manuscript and began looking for agents. During that time, he visited multiple local colleges looking for good editors until he eventually found an agent.[12] While he left his manuscript to his agent and editor to review, Riordan took his book to a group of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to read and give their critique. Ultimately he gained their approval, and with their help came up with the name of the book and created the way Percy's sword worked.[13] In June 1997, Riordan signed with Bantam Books to prepare the book for publishing.[12] In 2004, the book was sold to Miramax Books for enough money for Riordan to quit his job to focus on writing.[14] After it was released on 28 July 2005 it sold over 1.2 million copies. The book was released in multiple versions including hardcover, paperback and audio editions.[15][16] It has been translated into multiple languages and published all over the world.[17] Reception The Lightning Thief received mostly positive reviews and won awards including the School Library Journal Best Book of 2005[18]. The New York Times praised The Lightning Thief as "perfectly paced, with electrifying moments chasing each other like heartbeats".[19] Author Rick Riordan said of the various awards: "The ultimate compliment for a children's writer is when the kids like it." [20] Like its predecessor, The Sea of Monsters won several prizes and received generally positive reviews as well.[21][22] It sold over 100,000 copies in hardcover by the time it was released in paperback[23] and reviewers have praised the storyline, themes and the author's style of writing.[24][25][26] Matt Berman, of Common Sense Media, praised the book, saying "The Percy Jackson series continues to be pure fun, with the author doing nearly everything right to produce a book that few kids will be able to resist."[25] Film Main article: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning ThiefChris Columbus directed and produced Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief for 20th Century Fox through 1492 Pictures.[27][28] The film was released in 2010 in the United States, Canada and in the United Kingdom on February 12 and in Australia on February 11.[29] There will be a sequel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters. Columbus has stated that he was drawn to directing the Percy Jackson movie because it gave him the "opportunity to do a movie that we haven’t really seen before for this generation. When I was a kid, there were movies that dealt with Greek mythology, which in terms of visual effects was really primitive. So I thought this was an opportunity to deal with Greek mythology which children and adults all over the world are fascinated by and it was not a new genre but a new avenue, dealing with mythological creatures in a contemporary setting."[30] Video game A Percy Jackson video game based on Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was released for the Nintendo DS on January 11, 2010. GameZone's Michael Splechta gave it a 6/10, saying "Percy Jackson might not make a splash when it comes to movie tie-in games, but fans of turn-based combat might find some redeeming qualities in this otherwise bare-bones game."[31] Sequel A sequel, also based on the Camp Half-Blood and Greek mythology universe, is planned for the Percy Jackson series. Rick Riordan has confirmed that he is writing the series, and as of November 2009[update], the first book is slated for release on October 12, 2010. Riordan also wrote at the end of The Last Olympian, "As the first Camp Half-blood series draws to a close..." This hints there will be another series.[32] Riordan has stated that characters from the original series will return but will not be the main characters. Also like the first series, there will be five books. Riordan has also stated that the time between the two occurrences of great prophecies is not as long as Apollo assumes it will be.[33] The series name is The Heroes of Olympus and the first book is The Lost Hero.[34] The site is at http://www.camphalfblood.com/, and the password was revealed, newhero. On June 1, 2010, the site went live. [35] A medal with a password was needed to unlock the first two chapters. The cover was revealed on June 20, 2010, along with the password[36][37] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Lu Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 I've been reading these books as well and they are pretty good. Much better than the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Posted July 31, 2010 Author Share Posted July 31, 2010 gifs by me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Posted July 31, 2010 Author Share Posted July 31, 2010 GIfs by me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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