[Victoria]

Catlady, I can absolutely see why you describe it that way, even though, on balance, I enjoyed it.

I agree about the violence. I especially felt shocked when Riordan had Percy’s mother murder her husband. It was criminal, morally wrong, and seemed completely outside of her character. I suppose the counter argument would be that the mythology the book is based on is violent and amoral. But I still expected better from the humans.

I didn’t think it was particularly well written either. I thought the world building was too sparse. Several plot devices seemed drawn from other books. And as you say, we’re constantly asked to accept events on faith. Solutions just magically unfold whenever needed. I didn’t think the Harry Potter books were guilty in the same way, because Rowling sowed seeds much earlier in the text to make the events seem more plausible.

That said, I can see why the book is highly rated by kids; especially preteens. The dialogue captures kidspeak very well. The use of mythology is creative. The action moves at a breakneck speed. I thought the main characters were likeable and believable, and the villains seemed despicable.

I also thought Riordan did a good job of portraying the gods. They seemed remote, self-centred and capricious, and completely unconcerned with the well-being of others. Their actions and motivation towards their children is opaque. They’re quarrelsome and vindictive with each other. But even though Riordan makes them so dislikable, that must be exactly how they felt to the ancient Greeks who believed in them.

Overall, and in spite of finding Greek mythology boring, like fantasyfan I still enjoyed reading the book; it was a fun read.