Blake Smith
The Greek Betrayal
Review of Rick Riordan's Mark of Athena
Rick Riordan has done it again. His growing masterful writing has moved even some hearty Harry Potter fans to his side. With The Mark of Athena, he has created the best series yet.
The Heroes of Olympus series is basically a post-series for the Percy Jackson series. While the original books became Mark Twain nominees and award winners, they cannot compete with the new books.
In the new series, both the Greek camp and the Roman camp figure out what life is like without their main leaders, Percy and Jason. But, what they do not know is that Hera, Zues’ wife, has a plan to unite both camps in order to end the terrible era of the giants once and for all.
Percy (the Greek leader) is sent to New Rome, the Roman camp, while Jason (the Roman leader) is sent to Camp Half-Blood, the Greek camp. At first, the camps do not realize what has happened, but eventually they do, which is where the third book comes in.
While the first book explains what happened to Jason, and the second book explains what happened to Percy, the third book unites both camps. Unfortunately, it does not last for long. The seven demigods of a great prophecy try to complete their quest along with a quest especially for Annabeth (Percy’s girlfriend, daughter of Athena, second demigod in command in Camp Half-Blood, the Greek camp, and Percy’s girlfriend), which is to rescue an artifact that will unite the Greeks and Romans. The entire way, though, the Romans are after them, since an eidolon (spirit that can possess someone and make them do whatever they want) possessed Leo (captain of the Argo II and one of the seven demigods of the prophecy) to fire on the Roman camp.
Another twist to the story is about Nico Di Angelo (a classic character from the original series). In the book, Nico has been kidnapped by the giants and he only has a week or so to live, meaning he dies on the same day that Rome will be destroyed (which is the goal of the quest for the prophecy of seven, trying to stop Rome from being destroyed).
The next book leads Rick Riordan’s captivated fans into a whole new setting. The book will be named The House of Hades, appropriate for what is in store for readers and how the Mark of Athena ends (you have to read it to find out).
Another series that Rick Riordan has written about the Egyptian gods is the Kane Chronicles, which Percy Jackson fans are sure to love. Even during the first book in the Kane Chronicles, Rick Riordan foreshadows a meeting of the three aspects he has created, Greek and Roman and Egyptian. Actually, the writing style seen for the Heroes of Olympus series originates from the Kane Chronicles. This style is the way that Rick Riordan changes the third person limited view from different characters, naming each chapter not by what it is about, but what character the view will be coming from.
The Mark of Athena is easily a 10/10 read for anyone. Rick Riordan has actually followed our generation, on purpose or by accident, while his writing improves ten-fold each book. His skill exceeds those of even the most brilliant writers. There is still a long and thrilling journey ahead, so do not miss The House of Hades, the fourth book in the series, and certainly do not miss this one.
The Greek Betrayal
Review of Rick Riordan's Mark of Athena
Rick Riordan has done it again. His growing masterful writing has moved even some hearty Harry Potter fans to his side. With The Mark of Athena, he has created the best series yet.
The Heroes of Olympus series is basically a post-series for the Percy Jackson series. While the original books became Mark Twain nominees and award winners, they cannot compete with the new books.
In the new series, both the Greek camp and the Roman camp figure out what life is like without their main leaders, Percy and Jason. But, what they do not know is that Hera, Zues’ wife, has a plan to unite both camps in order to end the terrible era of the giants once and for all.
Percy (the Greek leader) is sent to New Rome, the Roman camp, while Jason (the Roman leader) is sent to Camp Half-Blood, the Greek camp. At first, the camps do not realize what has happened, but eventually they do, which is where the third book comes in.
While the first book explains what happened to Jason, and the second book explains what happened to Percy, the third book unites both camps. Unfortunately, it does not last for long. The seven demigods of a great prophecy try to complete their quest along with a quest especially for Annabeth (Percy’s girlfriend, daughter of Athena, second demigod in command in Camp Half-Blood, the Greek camp, and Percy’s girlfriend), which is to rescue an artifact that will unite the Greeks and Romans. The entire way, though, the Romans are after them, since an eidolon (spirit that can possess someone and make them do whatever they want) possessed Leo (captain of the Argo II and one of the seven demigods of the prophecy) to fire on the Roman camp.
Another twist to the story is about Nico Di Angelo (a classic character from the original series). In the book, Nico has been kidnapped by the giants and he only has a week or so to live, meaning he dies on the same day that Rome will be destroyed (which is the goal of the quest for the prophecy of seven, trying to stop Rome from being destroyed).
The next book leads Rick Riordan’s captivated fans into a whole new setting. The book will be named The House of Hades, appropriate for what is in store for readers and how the Mark of Athena ends (you have to read it to find out).
Another series that Rick Riordan has written about the Egyptian gods is the Kane Chronicles, which Percy Jackson fans are sure to love. Even during the first book in the Kane Chronicles, Rick Riordan foreshadows a meeting of the three aspects he has created, Greek and Roman and Egyptian. Actually, the writing style seen for the Heroes of Olympus series originates from the Kane Chronicles. This style is the way that Rick Riordan changes the third person limited view from different characters, naming each chapter not by what it is about, but what character the view will be coming from.
The Mark of Athena is easily a 10/10 read for anyone. Rick Riordan has actually followed our generation, on purpose or by accident, while his writing improves ten-fold each book. His skill exceeds those of even the most brilliant writers. There is still a long and thrilling journey ahead, so do not miss The House of Hades, the fourth book in the series, and certainly do not miss this one.