Fans of Rick Riordan’s, Percy Jackson were not prepared for the newest installment in the series. Being a fan of this series means you are always on your toes, waiting for what Rick Riordan has in store, and, frankly, he never disappoints.
Rick Riordan can weave a tapestry of myths and legends with the strings of today’s world. He has been doing this since 2005 when The Lightning Thief was first released. In the wake of new content, Riordan has been exceeding expectations with the upcoming installments of the series, including the T.V. show that will be premiering on Dec 20, 2023.
Now, putting aside the show, imagine you sitting at home, working on college admissions, worrying about the recommendation letters needed to get into your dream college. Then, add the stress of having to get the gods’ approval, when they hate your existence. That is when things start to get interesting.
The latest book, Percy Jackson: Chalice of the Gods is an adventure for new and old fans alike. Readers get to see the original trio fighting side by side again, just as they had been years ago when the series first began. With loved characters fighting the Greek myths of wrathful goddesses and spaghetti-like snakes, and trying to get their friend into college when the Greek gods are standing in his way.
Riordan has a way of writing that completely immerses you into the story, making you one with the book. His parlance ties the story together, showing his knowledge of writing. Riordan knows his story like the back of his hand, the same way he knows his characters.
Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood are three beautifully written characters. Riordan understands the complexity that they each carry as the adventure progresses. He knows how to write the effects and changes that each of them have to go through after they deal with traumatizing events, and he knows how to bring happiness to the story when it starts to feel like there is none to be found.
Riordan has also mastered the art of writing characters with representation that the media lacks. This includes different learning difficulties. Every demigod in this universe has ADHD and Dyslexia, and it explains why they can think fast and read other languages. Rick Riordan turned conditions that were typically frowned upon and made them into superpowers. Flipping the script, and helping adolescents feel less bad about themselves.
Throughout this book, we see the struggles and differences that Percy Jackson goes through with being in a learning environment that does not support his needs, along with the stress and pressure that he is under to get into the college that he needs to go to, as well as his need to get approval for his academic future. Sound familiar?
High-schoolers who grew up with this series and watched Percy and his friends grow along with themselves will see everything he needs to do and relate to it in some way, shape, or form. From battling bad grades, to graduating high school, to the fact that he is no longer a kid anymore. He is growing up, just like them.
The truth about this book and the books that came before it is that everyone who reads it can find a bit of themselves in many of the characters. Anyone can find themselves in the story. That is the beauty of this universe of myths and legends in the present day.
