Rick Riordan is back again with another installment of his series that voices the beloved hero, Percy Jackson’s, voice. With a promise of informative reading and a light hearted explanation, Riordan brushes on the darker aspects of mythology and Percy’s heritage. Written by an outstanding author, and told by a developed character, Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods is an unforgettable and influential read.
The protagonist, Percy Jackson, is back again, but this time he is not fighting monsters or saving the world. Instead, Percy is explaining the backstories of the tormented Olympians and some other close relatives. Stories range from the dark history that is the creation era, the glorious golden age, and eventually the stories of the gods. Hades to Hestia, each god is recognized in their own story. The motives and lovely, entertaining drama that surround the family of deities are explained in way that makes the reader chuckle. Overall, the entirety of this thick edition of funny nonfiction explores in a creative voice the way that Greek mythology unfolded. Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods is a fun and mirthful story told by an equally fun character.
Rick Riordan is no foe of using humor to make a point. He uses Percy’s sass and cool attitude to convey the relevance of each god's story. Not only is his narrating is phenomenal, but the underlying themes that are in the book are as well. Percy mentions multiple times that the treatment of the gods by the others was unfair. Inequality is mentioned multiple times regarding arrogance, sexism, and classism. These ideas are mentioned in a way that approaches a serious tone all while making it incredibly lighthearted and humorous, especially to Riordan’s younger readers. To add to the marvelousness of the morals, the book is written in a family friendly way and discusses the topics of the gods situations such as rape, incest, and beastialty without being incredibly graphic. The book is void of censoring the true meat and potatoes of each story. Avoiding the adult points of Greek mythology would erase the history; therefore the mere fact that Riordan avoids suppressing the information makes these retellings a definite way to understand the key information that many children's books bypass. The stories themselves are interesting, even without the stellar narration.
Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods is a definite read for Riordan fans. The themes of Greek myths are explored in a way that is humorous and authentic. This is a book that anybody with an interest in mythology should look into. Ideas that would normally be censored and covered up are talked about openly through an already well established character. There is an appeal of the humor that is sure to make people think about what myths actually entailed. From topics like ripping Kronos with a scythe apart to Persephone eventually falling for Hades, Riordan makes his voice heard through a character. The stories are enjoyable because of this fact. For a nonfiction book, it uses a wonderful fiction character to explain Greek mythology in order to make it the “centaur” of attention to the fans and mythology nerds alike.