As someone who spent the majority of her childhood reading more books than humanly possible, I’m often floored by how little I remember about them. Usually, I can recall the barest bones of the plots and vaguely how I felt about the books themselves at age eight, 12, or 15. Now that I’m older and have moderately better taste in literature, I’ve realized my true calling: revisiting these books and seeing if they stand the test of time, or if nostalgia’s clouded my judgment.
I’m kicking this column off with Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO) series. The first novel in the series, The Lightning Thief, was published in 2005, meaning that I was only three years old. My brother, however, was six. He was still a little young, but by the time some of the later books came out, he was the target audience. I mention this because, like most younger siblings, I was desperate to copy my brother in every way. So when he showed me a cool book series that put a fun modern twist on Greek mythology, I was all in.
PJO is a series that interweaves the Greek myths many of us know with a modern setting and new characters to enjoy. The series’ protagonist is Percy Jackson. In his own words, he’s “a troubled kid.” He’s a demigod. His mother, Sally Jackson, is a mortal and his father is the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon.
At the start of the series, Percy knows nothing about his superhuman lineage. Throughout, we get to follow him as he gets thrown into the thick of his family drama that begins when he’s 12 years old: he’s sent on a harrowing quest to retrieve the Zeus’ master bolt, preserve his father’s honor, and prevent a war between the Olympians. That’s a lot.
Percy brings Annabeth Chase, the 12-year-old daughter of Athena who is usually the only person aware of what’s going on, and Grover Underwood, his friend from school and assigned satyr protector (AKA a Greek mythology-themed mom-friend), with him on this quest. Together, they go and save the world at 12 years old! This was far less horrifying to me when I first read it at that same age than it is now at 21 years old.
I’m not going to run through the whole plot of the PJO series, but let’s just say that even though the first installment stars our main trio as preteens, by the end of the fifth book they’re 16 years old and have gone on more quests than I can count.
To be honest, I remember the basic plot outlines for the PJO series pretty well. I assume part of that is due to my tendency to be chronically online in internet fan communities, with the series being no exception. There were a plethora of details I didn’t remember, but it made this revisit a lot of fun. Often I knew what point A and point B were, but had no recollection of how the characters got from one to the other.
Most importantly, I forgot how incredibly fun Riordan’s writing style is. I’m not sure how I did, considering I read his Norse mythology series for the first time a few months back. His voice for Percy, however, is so entertaining. He has a gift with first-person narration, and our protagonist’s internal monologue is proof enough. He’s witty, endearing, and the perfect guide to the series’ universe and plot.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from my reread. I don’t think I was expecting the books to be bad but was worried I had them on such a pedestal that reality could never top it, especially now that I’m not a child anymore. But Riordan is a fantastic author, and PJO is still a great series.
If you’re looking for something to read (or reread), this series comes highly recommended from me. If there’s one thing I think I have, it’s good taste in books. But let me know what you think! Do you like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series? Do you think it holds up? If you have any nostalgia-filled book recommendations, feel free to let me know!
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