15 Oct 2011

Heroes of Olympus, The, Book Two: The Son of Neptune/Book Review

Rick Riordan (Author)
Hardcover: 544 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423140591
ISBN-13: 978-1423140597
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Literature & Fiction

In The Lost Hero, three demigods named Jason, Piper, and Leo made their first visit to Camp Half-Blood, where they inherited a blood-chilling quest:
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
Who are the other four mentioned in the prophesy? The answer may lie in another camp thousands of miles away, where a new camper has shown up and appears to be the son of Neptune, god of the sea. . .
With an ever-expanding cast of brave-hearted heroes and formidable foes, this second book in The Heroes of Olympus series offers all of the action, pathos, and humor that Rick Riordan fans crave.
From the Roman demigod camp to the prison of Death himself, The Son of Neptune reunites readers with old friends and introduces them to a whole new cast of characters. The Roman camp is a far cry from Camp Half-Blood, but it’s every bit as fascinating to explore. Our heroes battle up and down the West Coast with impossibly few days before disaster is unleashed, fighting new foes and finding new friends along the way. Some of the mysteries from The Lost Hero are solved, while others loom even larger. Rick Riordan is a master at balancing just the right amount of seriousness and levity in every situation, and his three teen narrators point out the strangeness of the iterations of ancient myths in the modern world with spot-on accuracy. With page-turning adventure, witty dialogue, and fun, fascinating characters, this second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series is a must-read for any fan of myths and fables.
Review
Two books in and still a promising series,
By Vivamus
Excellent read! The book flowed fantastically and Riordan really has improved his writing skill since the days of "The Lightning Thief." I was not able to put the book down for the entire time I was reading. The book has some obvious challenges, being the 2nd of 5 books, however Riordan stands to the challenge well and does a good job by allowing this adventure to be (mostly) stand alone, while fleshing out character's and plot for subsequent books. Our new characters, Hazel and Frank are amusing narrators who are fully capable of bring in new perspectives to the 7 Demigod team.
My main complaint is that this book clearly does follow Riordan's typically outline (get quest, work under time constraint, travel the world/USA, get into trouble along the way, save the day) and, after reading the Percy Jackson Series and the Kane Chronicles, this can get a little repetitive. Despite this predictability, I still find Riordan's writings incredibly entertaining and it is always exciting to learn which geographical locations and Greek/Roman gods he will bring in next
I am excited to say that the series as a whole looks like it is headed for an excellent conclusion. When Riordan started this series I was initially worried that the series could only be an underdeveloped disappointment. However, upon finishing the second book I have become optimistic about the series. The characters and series plot is growing to be well developed, original, and interesting.
As a warning to any readers: the book has a very frustrating cliffhanger! I was very disappointed when I realized I had just finished the book.
My largest complaint, as I think someone has already noted, is that the Kindle version is filled with unnecessary typos and errors. While this isn't reflected in my star ratings since it doesn't reflect Riordan's writing, it was extremely disappointing that Amazon published such a low quality adaptation.

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