When reading Rick Riordan's The Sea of Monsters, one word that comes to mind is "ridiculous."
The first novel in Percy Jackson of the Olympians, The Lightning Thief, was a promising start to the series. Its humor was good enough, and the story was good (see previous blog, "Riordan Makes it Work").
Not so the second.
Here's an example from the book of the characters' logic: Percy Jackson, Annabeth, and Tyson are in the woods. Annabeth tells Tyson to go find donuts just so he'll get out of the way. In under five minutes, Tyson returns with a box of donuts. Instead of congratulating Tyson on his find, or even eating the pastries, Annabeth gets scared and realizes that the Hydra is near. Because everybody knows that every time a Hydra's head gets cut off, another donut shop pops up somewhere. Duh.
The jokes Rick Riordan thinks are funny are not. Whereas the first book had some good lines and an interesting plot, the second has no lines even remotely amusing, unless you have the sense of humor of a four-year-old. The main idea is fine, but it does not live up to The Lightning Thief in the least.
Percy's summer home he shares with his other half-blood friends, Camp Half-Blood, is falling. The magical borders are dying. Someone has to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back in order to save the camp. Meanwhile, Percy has to save Grover from the Cyclops Polyphemus. Not a terrible idea, but the delivery stinks like Pegasus dung.
This book could've been a lot better. It could have been a really good book, but Riordan fails to make it enticing. The series just took a dreadful dip to Tartarus. And not even Percy can save it.
Grade: 3.5
The first novel in Percy Jackson of the Olympians, The Lightning Thief, was a promising start to the series. Its humor was good enough, and the story was good (see previous blog, "Riordan Makes it Work").
Not so the second.
Here's an example from the book of the characters' logic: Percy Jackson, Annabeth, and Tyson are in the woods. Annabeth tells Tyson to go find donuts just so he'll get out of the way. In under five minutes, Tyson returns with a box of donuts. Instead of congratulating Tyson on his find, or even eating the pastries, Annabeth gets scared and realizes that the Hydra is near. Because everybody knows that every time a Hydra's head gets cut off, another donut shop pops up somewhere. Duh.
The jokes Rick Riordan thinks are funny are not. Whereas the first book had some good lines and an interesting plot, the second has no lines even remotely amusing, unless you have the sense of humor of a four-year-old. The main idea is fine, but it does not live up to The Lightning Thief in the least.
Percy's summer home he shares with his other half-blood friends, Camp Half-Blood, is falling. The magical borders are dying. Someone has to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back in order to save the camp. Meanwhile, Percy has to save Grover from the Cyclops Polyphemus. Not a terrible idea, but the delivery stinks like Pegasus dung.
This book could've been a lot better. It could have been a really good book, but Riordan fails to make it enticing. The series just took a dreadful dip to Tartarus. And not even Percy can save it.
Grade: 3.5
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