Customer Reviews

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson & the Olympians)

5 star:		(198)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Rick Riordan comes through again, and this follow up to The Lightning Thief is just as entertaining, informative and action-packed as the first book. This time Percy (son of Poseidon) is at school in New York when things start to go downhill fast, beginning with some bad dreams about his friend Grover the satyr, followed by an attack by cannibalistic dodge ball players.

When Annabeth (daughter of Athena) arrives on the scene with more bad news, Percy has to embark on another quest, this time unsanctioned, to save Camp Half-Blood, which is vulnerable to attack since its defenses have been breached. He also has to save Grover, who's found himself in an inter-species entanglement in which he doesn't quite see eyes to eye with his suitor.

Accompanying them is Percy's class mate Tyson, a street kid who counts Percy as his only friend, but who is much, much more than he seems. The three travel to the treacherous Sea of Monsters in the face of insurmountable odds to capture the Golden Fleece, which hopefully can counteract the poison and restore the magical protection of the Camp.

Steeped in Greek mythology, yet written for young readers, this one is highly recommended for developing the imagination with its combination of thrilling adventure and legend.

Amanda Richards, June 25, 2006

Cornwall, New York Sixth Grader 3/7/07

I am a sixth grader. I think The Sea of Monsters is a great book. Percy Jackson returns in this story with new monsters, new surprises and a new camp director?! This exciting sequel to the Lightning Thief is with a plot and flow equivalent to that of the first. Who knew what could happen when a normal game of dodge ball turns into a struggle to survive? Percy is soon warned that Camp Half Blood is no longer safe for demigods. A crushing and devastating blow for Percy, who himself is a half blood. Someone has poisoned Thalia's tree and Chiron is the prime suspect. A quest must be taken up to retrieve the Golden Fleece!

Much to Percy's dismay he is not given the quest! Although he and Annabeth are forbidden to go this quest, they still go out into the mortal world to find the Fleece. Percy has been contacted in his dreams also by a person who is important to him. According to this person the Fleece is in the Sea of Monster. Unfortunately, that person is in the peril of death. He must now bring back the Fleece and save that person. Challenges await them though, so incredibly evil and ruthless...

Rick Riordan does a great job with this book. I like how the flow of the story fits in with the action theme. Riordan also pleases me with a splash of humor in this book. He also creates such great details on his characters that they come to life for me. Also, the spunk of Percy and his friends adds spark to the story. The creativity of the mixing of the Greek religion and modern day society produces an interesting blend. Whoever thought that Greeks were boring obviously never read this book. His creativity really makes this book shine. A two thumbs up book for any reader. I especially recommend this book for bookworms and fantasy readers, this book will really satisfy you.

Can Percy save the Golden Fleece and his friend? Will peace be restored to Camp Half Blood? Will Chiron be proved innocent?

EG

The gods of old keep having kids. Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Athena, Aphrodite, Hera, Artemis (who, technically is a virgin and doesn`t have any kids), Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon all have children roaming the earth, stirring up the order of things and trying to keep humans from destroying themselves. These demigods, or half bloods, congregate in a camp in New York called Half-Blood Hill, where the activities are run by Chiron (the trainer of Hercules) and Mr. D, the infamous Dionysus, who is serving a sentence of sobriety for chasing after the wrong wood nymph.

The thing is that three of these gods should not be siring any more children. Since the debacle of World War II Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon have sworn an oath on the river Styx that they would not father any more children, seeing as how their children are infinitely more powerful than the other gods. All but one has broken this oath, and one of the offspring to be born from Poseidon's dalliance is Percy Jackson (Perseus).

Percy, known to many reader's from the first book "The Lightning Thief" is adjusting to the fact that he is the son of Poseidon, the Sea God. His Mother has sent him to a progressive school for troubled kids, Meriweather College Prep. Here he has befriended the school's charity case for the year, an overgrown teenager who happens to be homeless, named Tyson. Tyson has gotten Percy into many scrapes this year because of his sensitivity, his brute force, and his ability to break down into convulsive sobbing. Everything is going fine until a game of dodge ball one gym class turns into a fight for their lives as Percy and Tyson realize they are up against a race of cannibals called the Laistrygonians, and they are saved by none other than Annabeth, daughter of Athena and friend of Percy's from Half-Blood Hill. She takes them to the camp where all Hades has broken loose.

For one thing the protective barrier of the camp is weakening thanks to a the Pine tree of Thalia. Thalia is the daughter of Zeus, a half blood who some years before had been changed into the tree to protect the others from certain demise. Now the tree has been poisoned and the activities director, Chiron, has been fired because of this. In his place is a starving man named Tantalus who sees Percy as nothing more than a puffed up brat. Even when Percy reveals that he has been having dreams of his satyr friend Grover and how his quest has led him into a perilous place, the Sea of Monsters, Tantalus does nothing to help Percy save him. In fact when it is revealed that the legendary Golden Fleece is on the same island as Grover Tantalus assigns Clarisse to quest for it before Percy. It is believed that the retrieval of the Golden Fleece will save the camp, but Percy is more concerned that his friend Grover may end up as a meal for the cyclops, Polyphemus, and wants to rescue him. Together with Annabeth, Tyson, and some aid of the gods the three set off into the unknown, and learn a few new secrets along the way.

This is a fantastic sequel to "The Lightning Thief". Percy Jackson is simply the fantasy character to watch in the next few years. This book has everything in it one can wish for. The characters are deep and flawed, the quest is compelling, the drama oozes on every page. I found that this was a compulsively readable book, one that I had a difficult time putting down in the three days it took me to read it. I marveled at the introduction of Tyson, because he is such a sweet and sympathetic character, and the connection between him and Percy is just a great touch. The mythos surrounding Thalia heats up in this book too, and I am aghast at the role she will seem to play in the following books. Even the emergence of Luke as a villain is perfect, as he is the ideal character to have as a rival, and Kronos is a nemesis to be feared in the future. My biggest gripe is that the cliffhangers, the introductions of new characters (and the implications of said characters and prophecies surrounding them) will make it very difficult for me to wait for the next book to be published... this is, for all accounts, my "Harry Potter" series that I would wait in line at midnight for. I am on pins and needles to see what Riordan dreams up next for Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

I am a sixth grader. The Sea of Monsters is a story about Percy Jackson, a demigod, or `half-blood' in the story, and is the second in the saga called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The first book is called The Lightning Thief. The book is by Rick Riordan.

Anyway, in Percy's world, he was just a regular New Yorker kid until he discovered that his entire world was controlled by the Greek Gods. Zeus controls the air, Poseidon the sea and Hades the Underworld. After being attacked by countless monsters, Percy is whisked away to Camp Half-Blood, where all demigods can be safe. They are not safe elsewhere because they all carry a certain scent that monsters can detect.

At the camp, Percy begins to understand everything. His original teacher turns out to be Chiron, teacher of heroes. His old best friend, Grover, is actually a satyr. He discovers a new friend, Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, and meets the bully, Clarisse. And did I mention that his dad is...uh, spoiler.

Anyway, Percy embarks on a quest to save the camp, crazy adventures ensue and in the end, he does. The Sea of Monsters, on the other hand has an ending that could mean helping Percy or hurting him. But for now, I can't tell you anything about that!

The story focuses on Percy again. In his seventh-grade year, no monsters have attacked him and life is good in his new school. He also makes a new friend, Tyson. Tyson is a humungous kid but is a big softie. Suddenly, some new kids turn into giants and try to kill Percy. With the help of a surprise visit from his friend Annabeth, Percy defeats the giants and runs out of a burning hole in the wall of the school.

Unfortunately, Annabeth brought grave news. The magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood from monsters have broken. And Percy keeps having dreams about his friend Grover being chased by a monster, and he was in a wedding dress for some reason. Apparently, the thing chasing him likes sheep. Now Percy and Annabeth, along with Tyson (I would tell you why but it would spoil some of the early surprises of the book) set off to get what they need to save the camp (which I don't want to tell you) and to save Grover (from a monster I shouldn't explain.)

The Sea of Monsters is not quite as good as its predecessor, but still packs all the excitement, laughter and fun of the original. The first few chapters alone are packed with enough detail that it could likely span that of the amount in a Harry Potter book! In the beginning we see everything from a satyr in a wedding dress and evil cannibal giants to a taxi made of smoke and evil robotic bulls! The next chapters also are amazing: we've got a son of Poseidon, we've got demon pigeons, Hermes the god and a water version of a Pegasus that Tyson names Rainbow! By the end we have attacking centaurs, living trees, the island of the Sirens and a giant Cyclops. In conclusion to that, the book's strongest point is that there are no boring chapters. Every one packs the same amount of humor and excitement.

I actually cannot think of anything bad about the book. Occasionally, it may have parts of the story or chapters that, although quite good and interesting, have no effect on the plot whatsoever, for example, going to C.C.'s Spa & Resort. While there is a charming section about Percy turning into a guinea pig, it really doesn't matter. The second chariot race? It was exciting and all, but besides revealing a hidden purpose of a device, it really didn't matter. And even the first chariot race with the demon pigeons didn't really do much.

Overall, however, The Sea of Monsters excels because it is literally impossible to put the book down. No matter how hard you try, you find that you must keep reading. And new characters like Tantalus and Tyson make the story even better. All of this is ignoring the fact that it is hilarious. It takes place from Percy's perspective, and thus, just like you and I, his thoughts are sometimes funny. Plus he always blurts out stuff he doesn't mean to say, causing his enemies to get very mad at him. It doesn't sound funny, but trust me, it is.

The Sea of Monsters also references many old tales you may have heard. It even has a name used by Odysseus in the Odyssey: Nobody! There are familiar stories for those who already know about Greek mythology as well. It also contains almost every Greek god, monster and creature to ever appear! From Cyclopes to Dead Confederates...wait, uh, forget that last part. Undead, I mean.

In conclusion, The Sea of Monsters is a fresh, funny, and awesome adventure from Rick Riordan. The book also has Literature Circle questions at the end for teachers to use. If you like interesting and funny books, consider The Sea of Monsters your boat to Olympus. I apologize for that corny joke.

"Ha ha!"

-Steve

"Sea of Monsters" is a sequel to Riordan's "Lightning Thief." Percy Jackson (you may or may not know from Lightning Thief) is the son of the Greek God Poseidon and a modern American woman, living in 21st-century New York. In Book Two, he returns to Camp Half-Blood (a secret camp for the children of gods and mortals, most of whom have secret powers), to learn that the Camp's protective veil has been broken by monsters and evil beings bent on destroying the half-blood kids. To save the camp, he and his friends the wise and brave Annabelle (daughter of Athena), Grover (his nerdly centaur sidekick), and a new character Tyson (who turns out to be a cyclops in need of a haircut), must seek out the Golden Fleece.

Which turns out to be in....Florida, I believe!

This summary illustrates the way in which Riordan ramps up two aspects of the earlier book: its humor, and its superficial similarities to the Harry Potter books. Riordan has a real sense of humor and an ear for witty kid-like dialogue (I loved the bits where Grover is captured by a larger Cyclops and talks his way out of marrying the big brute). A Voldemort-like character also takes shape in this 2nd volume - but he has not the physical strength to come back in full form yet, and will require the treachery of some of the half-bloods (presumably continued in future volumes) to come back to full power.

As in the first volume, readers will uncover a lot of entertaining bits of Greek mythology, embedded in the book like nuts in a brownie. Another delicious volume.

Although Rick Riordan's young fans don't know it, they're getting something of a classical education while they're reading his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The stories are set in today's world, with side trips into pure fantasy, but they're told in a simple, down-to-earth way that has won Riordan readers throughout the world.

Greek gods walk through the pages of Riordan's novels for juvenile readers, and they bring with them all the old stories from Greek mythology. I read the first volume of the projected five-book series to my nine year old and we had a blast with it. He was amazed at how I always knew the stories behind the stories and knew so much about the gods themselves.

I explained to him that I read a lot of Greek mythology when I was in third grade. Since getting his interest piqued, he had me buy him a compendium of Greek myths and has been reading constantly. His knowledge has surpassed mine at this point. That's the power of Riordan's storytelling.

Percy Jackson is a great hero for the series. He's an average kid for the most part - ADHD, video game junkie, pop culture freak - except that he has extra problems: he never gets to stay in the same school because some weird thing happens, he gets blamed for it, and then he's expelled. The weird thing that happens is usually some god or monster tries to kill him. Thanks to the Mist, the mystical spell that keeps mere mortals from seeing the gods or their creatures, everyone believes Percy did something.

In the first book, THE LIGHTNING THIEF, Percy finds out he's the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas. He also finds out he has a lot of cool powers while in the water - like being able to breathe underwater and swim superfast. Percy's character, and his pals Annabeth and Grover, are true highlights of the series. I also enjoy the adults as well, Percy's mom, Chiron, the centaur mentor, and Mr. Dionysius, the camp director. Every summer, Percy goes to Camp Half-Blood, where the half-gods go hang out to learn how to fight and be champions, and where they learn their powers and go on quests.

I also like how Riordan is incorporating his own world-building into the myths of the Greek gods. He borrows a lot from the original mythology, but he changes it and warps it to fit the modern world as well. That's important because his young readers get to see how dysfunctional the Greek gods were and how their problems might apply to their own families. That's just one of the lessons that become apparent throughout the books.

THE SEA OF MONSTERS starts out with Percy getting in trouble at school again. He's become friends with a new kid, Tyson, that no one likes, and he's become a target for school bullies that turn out to be monsters in disguise. Their grudge dodgeball match literally destroys the school and it isn't long before it's just a memory and a burning ruin. And the battle will leave most readers laughing their heads off, even though they might be worried about Percy at the same time. Tyson ends up having secrets of his own.

Pursued by the monsters, Percy beats a fast retreat to Camp Half-Blood with Annabeth and Tyson in tow. As soon as he gets there, though, he knows trouble has broken out all over. Thalia's tree, the one that protects Camp Half-Blood, has been poisoned and is dying. The blame has been placed squarely on Chiron.

The tree is important, not only because it protects the camp, but because Zeus turned his daughter Thalia into it as she lay dying. So a lot of bad things are about to start happening. This whole plot point shows how good Riordan's storytelling and world-building is. I knew about the tree and the history from the first book, and now all of that is menaced. You can't help but be drawn in.

Furthermore, to see Chiron take the fall for someone else's evil is just wrong. I couldn't wait for Percy to undertake a quest to figure out exactly what was going on.

But Riordan had some surprises to unveil first. The biggest one is that Percy has a half-brother, and it's a person that Percy would never have guessed. Not only that, but his half-brother is someone no one else at the camp likes. So Percy is shunned by everyone at camp and is more mad at Poseidon than ever.

The second surprise is that Grover, the satyr that has been Percy's friend the longest, is in BIG trouble. He's masqueraded himself as a girl by stealing a wedding dress and has been taken by a Cyclops that plans on marrying him. And if Grover lets the monster find out that he's a satyr and not female, the Cyclops will eat him.

Just as Percy's getting ready to go to Grover's rescue, he also finds out that the Cyclops has the Golden Fleece, and that it can be used to heal Thalia's tree. From that point on, my son and I were swept up in a whirlwind of adventures that placed us on the sea in a ship, shanghaied by zombie pirates, trapped between Scylla and Charybdis (monsters that Jason and the Argonauts and Odysseus had to face in their respective adventures), aboard Blackbeard's pirate ship, and face-to-face with Luke, Percy's archenemy from the first book.

Riordan's Percy Jackson novels are great reads. They're filled with incredible adventures, lots of dialogue and jokes, magic and monsters, and real-life stories that kids (and adults!) can enjoy. We've got the third book in hand, THE TITAN'S CURSE, and are anxiously awaiting Book 4: THE BATTLE IN THE LABYRINTH.

I recommend reading the series in order, but there's enough explanation that you can jump on anywhere. Kids who love fantasy novels and haven't yet found these will thank you forever.

This Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is well written, fast paced, interesting and has been loved by my grandchildren from age 9 through the 20 year old, and their parents have loved them too, as have I.

Heartily recommend all of this series to all: good English, good values, teaching about Greek Mythology, and really fun!

Percy Jackson seems like a loser,but he is really a son of the Greek sea god, Poseidon. When he goes to Camp Half Blood( the only safe haven for demigods in the world), he's astonished to find out that Thalia's(Daughter of Zeus,sacrificed herself for a friend;zeus took pity on her and turned her into a pine)tree has been poisoned and the magical borders are falling. Finally, Percy's fiend,Anabeth and his brother,Tyson sneak out to go on a quest. They sail into the sea of monsters(now known as the Burmuda Triangle)and find the golden fleece which will save Thalia's tree and the border of Camp Half-blood. A great mix of myth and present, this book is highly recommended.

As a children's book The Sea of Monsters succeeds. As an adult reader I have to admit that I have read better fantasy novels, and better young adult/children's novels. I feel this book is a bit too simplistic for readers of any age. The plot is basically this: something bad happens and our heroes must go somewhere, run into strange creatures, get tricked by seemingly nice people, complete the quest, and save the day. The mythology is present but is glossed over. Our heroes run from one thing to another too quickly to allow readers to enjoy what is going on. There is not enough detail given to any task. I would have liked to read more about Percy in his regular school. Please, show us more of the strange no rules school with bean bag chairs, don't just describe it in one paragraph and move on. Stop for a second and tell us how other students in the camp are doing. Make the plot come alive, instead of saying "I went to archery class, then I made a sculpture, then I practiced fighting." Readers want to experience what the characters are doing, seeing, and feeling, not just read a poor summary of it. This book is an insult to the intelligence of readers of all ages. The author can surely do better than this. I want to love this series! It has such promise. I really do care about the prophecy and the new characters, about the gods and the demigods, and I'm tired of being disappointed. If this series would go into a little more detail I would be happy. Also, I can only hope that our heroes don't run into anymore seemingly nice people that turn out to be monsters. How thick can our main characters be, seriously, to fall for the same thing over and over and over. I'm sick of it already, and it's only happened in two books. If a nice pretty lady running a bagel shop, or a sweet old man running an arcade try to get you to enter their places of business...RUN AWAY! Well, there certainly is room for improvement here, and until there is these books will be enjoyable but not especially unique or entertaining.

The Sea of Monsters is a good read and a fair sequel to The Lightning Thief, with a similar tone and new territory.

Negatives:

-The narrative is sometimes distractingly pretend-colloquial.

-The plot feels, generally, more contrived than the first book. It is very clearly a sequel(in the not-very-good sense), and draws plot points directly from The Odyssey. It's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it's obvious that the author himself didn't have to make up as much in this book.

-Percy goes about 200 pages through the book without once thinking of how his mom is doing, or what she will think after he was accused of blowing up half his school. It's not the same Percy as in the previous book.

-Like the previous book, the start is not terribly strong.

Positives:

-After a rough start, the book gets better. It progresses slowly but steadily. The last few chapters are the very best in the book, really making up for a crummy first few.

-Interesting situations, good pacing, and better characterization than in the previous book.

-Exciting, fun, easy to read. Much better plotting than in book one(although that's probably because it was copied from The Odyssey).

-A very good emotional spectrum, getting the high points as well as the lows.

-Again, quite a good ending.

Overall: A good, dynamic read. 3.5 stars.