Percy Jackson and the Seeming-Rip-Off-Which-Became-Something-So-Much-Better

I just finished reading "The Last Olympian" today, having only purchased it yesterday. For the uneducated, it is the fifth (and final for now) book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series by Rick Riordan, and let me tell you what a wonderful adventure it holds. Upon my first venture into Percy Jackson's world, I was appalled by the seeming plot device for plot device and stock character for stock character copying from the famous Harry Potter book series. Seriously, the first book reads like an ad-lib of the "Sorcerer's Stone". But as I delved further into the series, I began to appreciate the books in a way that I never appreciated Harry Potter.

I began to see the important differences that convinced me this was not some cheap knock-off capitalizing on the success of the boy wizard, but a fitting homage to Greek and Roman literature. It acts as a vessel through which children can learn of all the famous character that we classicists have come to know and love. Riordan's imaginative casting of these mythological peoples is astounding in the sheer brilliance of it all. He managed to take 3000 year old tales and move them to a modern setting all the while making all of it make sense within the context of modern American society. From the waterbed salesmen Procrustes to the Bronx dialect of the pegasi, all the characters took on a very different personality from Harry and his adventures. I especially loved the depiction of the gods and the nod to lesser known and lesser recognized gods (namely Hestia). And the little bits of Latin and Ancient Greek spouted by the half-bloods add to the fine attention to detail and further cement their place in a modern context.

It is a series that is short enough to digest without investing a huge amount of time, yet also one that is completely worth all the time put into it. I can only hope that the popularity of the series leads to a revival of sorts in an interest in Classics which seems to have wained so much in recent times. I highly recommend reading the books to anyone who has the ability. I've tried not to spoil or say too much here, so forgive me if I have given away anything important.