Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan: A Review

Most people would flip out if their summer camp were under siege by mythological monsters and they discovered that their new friend was not only a Cyclopes, but also their half-brother. Most people are not Percy Jackson. But then, that's not the weirdest thing that's ever happened to Percy. That's just what happens in the second book of Rick Riordan's series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Sea of Monsters.

The first volume of this bestselling young adult series was just made into a movie. I haven't seen it, but I have read it, and it left me hungry for more. So when my friend said she had Sea of Monsters and told me I could borrow it if I wanted to, I leapt at the chance and read the whole book almost immediately. Unfortunately, now I have to wait for her to finish the third one before I can see how the fantastic cliffhanger turns out.

Percy Jackson is a son of Poseidon (yes, the Greek god of the sea) with absolutely terrible luck. All the monsters of Greek myth follow him around and cause trouble, frequently getting him expelled from school. He's a foolishly brave hero in training at Camp Half-Blood, where the children of the gods spend their summers learning how not to get killed by monsters. He is also the scrappy, funny, blunt narrator. It's a joy to read what he says about his action-packed life.

Percy couldn't perform his heroics without an arsenal of great friends (and enemies). Annabeth is a daughter of Athena, and as such, she is generally the one who can explain what's going on and how to defeat any given monster. She knows all the myths, and she's been at Camp Half-Blood learning how to defeat them longer than anyone else. Grover, Percy's male sidekick from the first book, is more of a satyr in distress than a helpful ally in Sea of Monsters. I wish he'd been more like he was in the first book, though.

My favorite part of Sea of Monsters was the new main character: Percy's half-brother, Tyson, the baby Cyclopes. Tyson's sweet nature and love of ponies will win your heart. He seems to be the exact opposite of every stereotype and opinion the rest of the characters have about Cyclopes (who are mostly pretty evil). Tyson eventually wins them over in the end, in no little part due to his ability to catch flaming balls of fire with his bare hands.

This is a clever, clever series. The short, exciting chapters have names like "We Hail The Taxi Of Eternal Torment" and "Demon Pigeons Attack." Rick Riordan is a master of the cliffhanger. You have to read the next chapter right this second. You have to read the next book. You need to find out what happens.

This series is great for its target audience. It makes kids want to read. It stimulates interest in history and mythology, because it's so much richer when you can say to the characters, "No! Don't go into that spa! You're on Circe's island! She'll turn you into an animal!" It's like figuring out the solution to a puzzle every time you realize out what a particular monster is and how to defeat it before the characters do. This is what makes it great for all ages as well.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is definitely a series that needs to be read from the beginning. Though Percy offers a summary of previous events to catch up a reader picking the series up in the middle, it's really better to start from book one, The Lightning Thief.

I highly recommend this book and this entire series for any and every age group. I don't care if you're sixty and haven't glanced at the teen section in the bookstore in your entire life. Read this book.

This book is available EVERYWHERE, even at Wal-mart. It's also in just about every library, though you might have to put your name on a waiting list to check it out.