Percy Jackson is back for a low-stakes, but still fantastic new adventure
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
Percy Jackson is back in style.
Some 18 years ago, the 12-year old Greek demigod plunged into people’s homes and classrooms and rivaled Harry Potter in terms of reader engagement. For five novels (before many, many sequel series that followed) author Rick Riordan produced one of the greatest middle grade stories ever told.
But despite two major motion pictures that flopped at the box-office and upset a fanbase and Riordan himself for their callous disregard towards its source material, readers’ love for Percy Jackson and his friends preserved.
2023 is shaping up to be a banner year for the franchise. A new spinoff novel was released earlier in the year, and a brand new TV-show based on the series’ inaugural outing, “The Lightning Thief” is set to premiere on Disney+ later this winter, with Rick Riordan’s direct involvement ensuring a more faithful adaptation.
But perhaps more intriguingly for longtime fans, a sixth Percy Jackson novel emerged on Sept. 26, and it’s a truly fantastic nostalgia trip for those fans. Not to mention, it also is a tremendous book for readers just getting interested in the series now.
After 2009’s “The Last Olympian” closed off the original saga of Percy Jackson and the follow-up series “The Heroes of Olympus” upped the stakes even higher for the demigod and his friends, “The Chalice of the Gods” slows things down with a simpler story of Percy… looking for recommendation letters to get into college. Specifically, he needs them because of who his dad is. Zeus being petty for no real reason and hypocritically punishing Poseidon and his son isn’t the most solid or logical story, but it truly doesn’t matter as it’s just nice to be in this world again. Especially because, for the first time since 2009, we’re seeing it again from Percy’s view.
One of the drawbacks to “The Heroes Of Olympus” is that Riordan thrives much better writing almost anyone from a first person perspective. Without that perspective, “The Heroes Of Olympus” felt largely detached from the humor and wit that largely defined the original set of novels. While the story of “Heroes Of Olympus” may have necessitated that shift, it did feel like something was missing, even when Percy was a part of the narrative and the overall story never faltered.
Without spoiling the specifics of the plot, “Chalice” is full of callbacks to previous adventures that will make any current grown-up reading smile. The stakes are admittedly much lower than say, fighting for Manhattan or even the world, but even so, “Chalice” manages to deliver an enjoyable epilogue to the series.
And it’s not over yet, as Riordan announced on his book tour that a seventh book is currently being written and due out next year. Percy still does need more recommendation letters, after all.
