The Last Olympianby Rick Riordan
Syndetic Solutions - [Book Review for 9781423101475] Book Review : Publishers Weekly
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Percy Jackson's fifth and final adventure begins with a blast and gets increasingly more explosive. It reads less like a novel than a 400-page battle scene set in Manhattan, pitting Percy, Annabeth, Grover & Co. against a pantheon of monsters intent on reaching the portal to Mount Olympus (located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building). In other words: fans will not be disappointed. All the action takes place in the days before Percy's 16th birthday, on which a prophecy has foretold a single choice shall end his days. Readers who have watched their dyslexic hero grow into his considerable powers since age 12 will not be surprised by his brave leadership. Or as Percy, facing the Minotaur's army, puts it in typically wry fashion: It was now roughly one hundred and ninety-nine to one. I did the natural thing. I charged them. Details about Luke's childhood explain his traitorous allegiance to Kronos; Annabeth and Rachel Dare vie for Percy's attention; and the final clash would keep a Hollywood special effects team busy for years. As the capstone to this beloved series, this story satisfies. And a surprise character takes on the mantle of Oracle, instantly issuing a new prophecy that suggests, happily, there's more fun with the demigods to come. Ages 10–up. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Syndetic Solutions - [Book Review for 1423101472] Book Review : BookList
: From BookList, May 15, 2009, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. : *Starred Review* The week before his sixteenth birthday, a driver's license is the last thing on Percy's mind. After all, an impossibly huge and powerful giant is wreaking destruction across the Midwest as he strides toward New York City, which will soon be attacked by an army of Titans and assorted monsters bent on destroying Mount Olympus (secret access point: the Empire State Building). Percy and his demigod friends soon engage their enemies in an epic battle that will determine the fate of humanity as well as the gods. The novel's winning combination of high-voltage adventure and crackling wit is balanced with scenes in which human needs, fears, and ethical choices take center stage. Series fans will enjoy the reappearance of many characters from the previous books, while the references to their back stories will keep other readers on track. Riordan's imagination soars in the climactic battle scenes, which feature many Manhattan landmarks, yet he manages to bring the whole series to a satisfying close in the down-to-earth conclusion. Though this is the fifth and final volume of the enormously popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the emergence of a new prophecy and the promise of new demigods hint that the adventures will continue. Phelan, Carolyn. : | distributed by Syndetic Solutions, LLC.: |
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