Title: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Jesse Bernstein
Published: June, 2005
Published By: Listening Library
Format Read: Audio book
Genre: Middle-grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Date Read: May 22, 2016
Rating: 4/5
At 12 years old Percy Jackson is just trying to make it
through another school year without being expelled from another school. However
strange things always seem to happen that lands him in trouble. Instead of a
normal summer vacation, Percy is sent on the adventure of a lifetime when he
learns that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon and is sent on a quest to
find and return Zeus’s master lightning bolt.
As a book blogger, I
have heard a lot about the Percy Jackson series and author Rick Riordan. I can’t
say that I ever paid much attention to it though, because it doesn’t exactly
fall into my genres of choice. Then one day my partner and I decided to listen
to an audiobook together. I came across The Lightning Thief and decided to give
it a try based on my partner’s interest in Greek Gods.
And thank God’s (pun
intended) I did give it a try because I absolutely loved it!
Although the basic story may be familiar to those who are
already fans of Greek mythology, Rick Riordan has created a series that will
captivate not only its intended target audience (middle graders), but book
lovers of any age.
The Lightning Thief was exciting off the bat and continued
at this pace throughout the story. Riordan weaved the tales of the Greek Gods
into a story that was modern and clever. It is chalk full of colorful
characters, adventure and humor.
I thought the narrator Jesse Bernstein really conveyed the
excitement, however some of his voice impersonations were a bit cringe-worthy.
Listening to the audio was fun, but I would still like to read and buy the
physical copies of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian’s series.
Rick Riordan has created a character that will
be treasured for generations to come. I would recommend this series to fans of
middle-grade fantasy.
Aww I'm super happy that you decided to give this a try, even if you listened to the audiobook in lieu of the actual book! it really is a great book on Greek mythology. Definitely quite humorous and exciting, like you said. I read the series when I was 10, and it's just so amazing and fun! I hope more and more people nowadays give this a try! Great review, Melissa :D
ReplyDeleteJillian @ Jillian's Books
I hope to buy a nice box set of the series at some point. I think they will be even more enjoyable reading them that way and they will look great on my shelves hehe. Thank you Jillian. :)
DeleteGlad you enjoyed this. I admit Jesse Bernstein is not my favorite narrator. I think that Joshua Swanson does a better job with the first three books of the spinoff series (The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune and The Mark of Athena). I hope you do continue with this series. They are a lot of fun even though they don't seem like something adults would like at first glance.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear the spinoff series has a different narrator as we hope to continue on with those books after we finish the Percy Jackson series. Thank you for commenting Christina. :)
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