Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief

These books have always looked so boy-friendly, that I have acquired a few of them at garage sales and thrift stores over the years. Strangely, I have several of the later books from the series, but not the first, so I ended up checking out the audio introduction to the series with this first book The Lightning Thief. Although it was indeed boy-friendly and held my interest well enough, I still didn't like it quite as much as I expected. Moreover, when I asked my youngest if he wanted to listen to it with me, he said he had already seen the movie and didn't really care about reading the book.

Percy Jackson is a troubled twelve-year-old. He's never managed to stick it out in a boarding school without being suspended or expelled. His father has been out of the picture for as long as he can remember and his mother has remarried a belligerent, cantankerous man he has nicknamed "Smelly Gabe." After one of his teachers turns into a monster and attacks him, he learns that the Gods of Olympus are not really mythical, but real, and that he is a demi-god (half-god/half-human). What follows is the ride of his life as he attempts to figure out who his father really is and what quest he has been assigned. He must seek out and return important vessels of the gods and salvage the situation before war erupts.

I can't really articulate any criticisms. It simply didn't appeal to me as much as I had expected. It was an adventure. The pacing was good. The characters were interesting enough. I just didn't seem to latch onto it and really come to care about the outcome. Now, I'm wondering if I should merely place the paperbacks I own into our up-coming garage sale. If I wasn't bowled over by it, I doubt my sons will express an interest in reading the books.